iamq

...Outrigger Waikiki Oceanfront or Ala Moana Surfrider Oceanfront? Which would you do? They're about the same price. It will be for two nights. It seems like the Halekulani is the more upscale hotel with nicer facilities and rooms, but is oceanfront better even in an inferior hotel? Help me decide.

-Bill

iamq

ttt

Jr44

if you are planning on walking out the door of your hotel and lying on the beach then the Halekulani isn't what you want.

Its more quiet and subdued and when we were there visiting friends, there were no kids running around.

Visit tripadvisor.com for comments about the room sizes at the Ala Moana.

auntiemaria

Billy Boy, head for the Moana Surfrider...filled with so much history, and romantic ambiance! Truly a one-of-a-kind Hawaiian experience. We like the Halekulani, but it's kinda like comparing apples and oranges. Throw the Outrigger Waikiki into the mix, and then you're comparing bananas, too.

iamq

Thanks auntie!

I'm an apple kinda guy! No like bananas.

The quiet atmosphere of the Halekulani is very appealing though.

Have you heard anything about the new Outrigger Regency Suites on BeachWalk? They are suites that look interesting.

Have fun on Maui!

-Bill

optimystic

Hi Bill,

We've had exactly the same dilemma for the Waikiki part of our honeymoon later this year.

In the end I have decided on the Surfrider (we have reserved a tower deluxe ocean view room). The Outrigger oceanfront rooms were a tad cheaper for our dates, but in the end the whole package (romance, history, ambience, views...) at the Surfrider did it for me. From reading reviews on TA it seemed the Outrigger was a little more "manic" as well. Just choosing between the tower and diamond wing oceanfront/view rooms at the Surfrider was hard enough!, but it seems like the tower rooms have amazing views of the beach and towards Diamond Head which is why we decided on that.

I personally would not choose the Halekulani because I much prefer the location of the Surfrider and the Outrigger, and the beach is almost non-existant around the Halekulani.

I would always choose the oceanfront option in an inferior hotel over a more upscale hotel. Last time in Waikiki we stayed in the Waikiki Circle, not upscale at all, but amazing views. From our lanai we loved watching Waikiki wake up in the morning and the surfers catching their waves. There is no way I would have swapped that for a fancier hotel. Just my personal opinion!

Enjoy whatever you do! When are you there?

suze

Sounds like you'd enjoy Halekulani more. For me I love the Moana Surfrider for being old and historic and all. But I've only had dinner there (Banyan Veranda was very nice) never stayed there myself.

suze

I'm guessing a hotel like that would mitigate any negatives, but Halekulani is very near the big "remodel" of Lewers Street and BeachWalk.

iamq

Thanks all!

suze,
You're right, I am leaning a bit towards the Halekulani right now.

opti,

Thanks for sharing your dilemma and your solution. We'll be there probably the last weekend in July just before our time on Kaua'i.

-Bill

beachgirl86

I can't speak to the Moana Surfrider or to Halekulani, but we LOVE the oceanfront rooms at Outrigger Waikiki. There is nothing like waking up early, seeing the sun come up, and the surfers when Waikiki is still quiet. We often sit on our balcony with breakfast or read in the late afternoon, and the view is just to die for. Unlike some the other islands, the beach front hotels in Waikiki are right on the beach, and the views from the ocean front rooms are amazing.

We have stayed at some nice hotels on the different islands (Hyatt Maui, Hyatt Kauai, Hapuna Prince, etc...) and we've enjoyed the Outrigger Waikiki every bit as much as the others.

iamq

Thanks beachgirl,

Pricewise, the Outrigger is the best deal so far.

MelissaHI? Are you out there? What do you think about all of this?

-Bill

beachgirl86

No problem, Bill.

So, you're going to Maui in Feb. and Oahu/Kauai this summer? Lucky you...twice in one year You're on the West Coast, right? We're on the East Coast, and love the Caribbean, but can't seem to stop traveling to Hawaii either!

iceeu2

Do the Halekulani....that's where the rest of the rich people like you stay. The poor people like us have to say at The Marriott or The Prince or the Outrigger.

i luv u 2!!!!!

auntiemaria

Well if peace and quiet are your most important factors, I change my suggestion -- book the Halekulani. The rooms are very nice...the bathrooms are oversized (for some strange reason -- lots of empty space for...???).

MelissaHI

Hey, Bill, my home computer broke so I've been checking fodors on my phone...I can't believe I missed this thread!!! sorry sorry sorry

I guess it depends what I was looking for...and are you going to have a car? But at the very basic: If I were choosing between the Halekulani and an Outrigger, though...no contest, Halekulani is just beautiful. If price is the biggest thing, then the Outrigger. You're on your way to Kauai so there will be many oceanfront days there anyway.

If you have oceanfront at the Moana Surfrider and it's the same price as the Halekulani, then go with the Moana! It's kind of like apples & oranges, but both are very nice hotel choices.

If you are here on the weekend, then can I join you & Marteen for Sunday brunch at either hotel? Hee hee.

iamq

Thanks!

I'2,
$-)
Hi Mels,
No car. We probably won't want to do much. Martin of course will want to go running, me walking and lolly-gaggging. We will be pool or beach veggies for the most part. We will probably come on Saturday and leave on Monday.

Does House Without A Key still have a that famous brunch? I ate there years ago. That would be fun.

-Bill

sharona

My husband and I stayed in a Diamond Head ocean front room at the Halekulani in November 2005. A couple of things that are a bit in contrast to what others have said. While there we encountered tons of kids running around and this was a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, presumably before kids get out for the holiday. There were many pre-school age but many school age kids as well. Also, our room, although quite expensive, was TINY and the bathroom was miniscule. We didn't even have room to store our luggage (one bag each plus one small carry-on).

We also didn't think service was great. Pool service was exceedingly slow and often non-existent and one of the on-site restaurants lost our dinner reservations and couldn't accommodate us as they were full. They didn't do anything to help us make alternative arrangements. And this was our first night there so we weren't familiar with other options. It wasn't the best start to our stay at the hotel.

A plus is that the pool is lovely and the restaurants are good. Unfortunately, there is basically no beach. And another unfortunate thing is that the pool area is completely surrounded by a large hedge so you can't even see the water from the pool area unless you are standing up. It just seemed a little strange that we were in Hawaii staying in an ocean front hotel and we couldn't see the water!

While we mostly enjoyed our stay at the Halekulani I'm not sure we would stay there again. But since you're only there for a couple of days and are looking for a more quiet environment it's probably your best bet. We will probably opt for the Moana Surfrider next time both for the location and for the ability to walk right out onto the beach.

MelissaHI

How fast does he run? My running group meets on Sunday mornings at 7:30 a.m. at Kapiolani Park. We could do that and then reward ourselves with brunch.

House Without a Key does not have a buffet brunch, but Orchids does. When you finalize your plans (no matter which hotel), let me know and I will get the wheels in motion! Did you want a GTG? Man, we will be full of Fodor visitors this summer!

iamq

Melissa,

That all sounds great. I'll let you know. Marteen will be all over the run. I'm not sure how fast he runs, but I think he does pretty well for an old fart. Do you guys have walkers too?

GTG? Yea!

-Bill

MelissaHI

There may be walkers at that time of year, but if not, you can stroll around Kapiolani Park (2 miles) with an extra loop around the zoo (I think it might add almost a mile) while we go off and run 8???? ha!