hawaii for the first time
 

I'm going to Hawaii at the end of June for the first time with my husband. We have never been to Hawaii and are not sure where we should stay. We're considering staying in Oahu as we both like to shop as well as have down time. We're both in our early 30s. There are so many hotels in Oahu that I'm struggling to choose one. I've noticed there's still availability at quite a few hotels. Two hotels I've considered are Hilton Hawaiian and Ala Moana Hotel. Any advice would be great.

My first visit to Waikiki I stayed at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider. I liked the sense of history, location and architecture of this hotel. I do regret not spending time on Oahu however, particularly the North Shore and windward side of the island.

The Ala Moana Hotel is definitely close to shopping, and is just outside the hustle & bustle of Waikiki. The Hilton is at the edge of Waikiki and is more of a resort (but very popular).

Is there any availability at the Waikiki Prince? It's a 5 minute walk from the mall and beach and a very nice hotel.

Oahu is one of my favorite islands, especially when I was younger. It really has some of everything. I think it's a perfect choice for a first time visitor.

I'm another fan of Waikiki. Of the 2 hotels you mention, I'd pick HHV because it is closer to central Waikiki. Ala Moana out near the mall, is a bit out of the way since I like to do everything on-foot.

We haved stayed at the Prince and at the Hawaiian Regent which is now a Marriott..I much prefer the location of the Marriott.

"Is there any availability at the Waikiki Prince? It's a 5 minute walk from the mall and beach and a very nice hotel."

Melissa, Waikiki Prince is near King's Village. Only a couple blocks from International Market Place.

Hawaii Prince is 5 minutes from Ala Moana Center & Ala Moana Beach Park..

Good Waikiki map. It has a magnification feature now.

It also has most of the hotel changes:

http://www.spotlighthawaii.com/Spotl...kiki-2007a.pdf

Lots of Oahu info:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34812564

OOPS! I meant Hawaii Prince. My bad!!!

i have been to hawaii two times and im 30. the first time was to maui when i was 19, the second time was 2yrs ago to oahu and i loved maui. in maui we went to a really cool luau that was really authentic and went shopping in a town called lahanni, took a glass bottom boat tour, visited a botanical garden, it was beautiful.
when i went to ohau my husband and i stayed in a condo right on the beach and it was really nice, we were about 35 min from the honolulu airport and it was really peaceful. we went snorkling right off the beach we stayed on and took a drive to the north shore, went to wakkiki which was crowded and we went to a luau which was a little different than the one we went to in maui, enjoyed the luau in maui much more, but it was still nice. i loved both islands if you surf maui is prob good for that but i would say any trip to hawaii will be amazing, look into renting a condo in ohau it will be private. either way enjoy! in maui my sister has a timeshare so i stayed there, like i said tho, any place on the islands im sure will be great, its hawaii!

Hi, suki! I went to Hawaii for my first trip last fall. It was wonderful. We went to BI and Oahu. I don't think you could go wrong visiting any island, though, because it's so beautiful and unique. You will have a great trip no matter what you decide! :)

thanks for all the tips. I've now booked my flights and arrive on the 6th July. I looked at booking at the Ala Moana Hotel but the price has jumped from $139 a night to $319 a night. It's only 6 nights later than I was originally arriving. I don't understand how the price can go up so drastically. Is this normal? Also, is Ohau the best island for shopping, or is Maui just as good?

Honolulu/Waikiki is a large city and has excellent shopping. For $300+ you can get all kinds of hotels around Waikiki (that's a lot to me). Again I would not stay at Ala Moana because it is out-of-the-way imo. For that price can't you get in one of the beachfront hotels on Waikiki?

agreed..I would never have chosen that hotel either..To be honest, I have never considered Hawaii a shopping mecca so maybe I am clued out as to where I should stay..don't think you will get the true flavour of Hawaii at that hotel.

Suki, It sounds like you want to find something close to the first rate quote. The HHV is a very nice place and close to many things yet almsot like a resort by itself. There are several good places in Waikiki close to the beach and the rate you saw. In addition the Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio is about two blocks from the beach and close to Kapiolani Park and the Waikiki Shell.
Ohana/Outrigger and Resortquest are two othercompanies with several properties in Waikiki.

I have definitely ruled out Ala Moana. I've been on websites all day reading up on hotel reviews. Unfortunately the hotels I really like the look of are W Hotel, Moana Surfrider, Hyatt Regency, but they are all really expensive. I've read some good comments on Outrigger on the beach and Waikiki Parc Hotel, can anyone recommend one over the other? I'm happy to pay up to $220 a night. Also, does anyone know how long it takes to drive from Waikiki to Sunset Beach?

We are Marriott rewards members and are staying at the Waikiki Marriott for $200 a night in August. It's a city view room It gets fairly good reviews and friends that have stayed there have good things to say too.

suki, if you want to take a chance with priceline, go to biddingfortravel.com and study, study, study. I have seen where several have gotten the Hyatt for a good price. A couple of years ago, we got the Marriott for a tremendous price, and just his year got the Prince. The Ala Moana is also coming up on priceline.

Have fun and let us know what you decide to do.

iamq, if you act real nice like....the Marriott is great about doing upgrades.

"Also, does anyone know how long it takes to drive from Waikiki to Sunset Beach?"

About 1 hour

I have been to Hawaii many times because I have family who live there. I love Oahu. It has so many advantages - there is world class shopping, the best beaches (go to the north shore beaches - Pipeline, Sunset, Waimea, but be careful and only swim where there are lifeguards. I am a strong swimmer and the rip currents on the north shore can be serious.)
I love the historical places like the the Iolani Palace, Bishop Museum, Pearl Harbor Memorial.
My favorite snorkling spot is Hanama Bay. But check to see if you can get reservations - otherwise go really, really early. Check with your hotel to get more information. It is the best place to see and swim with literally hundreds of different fish.
Many people love Maui, but I find it ok. There is not as much to do. I get a little ansy on Maui after a couple of days.
Kauai (the garden island) is beautiful. It is like being in Hawaii the way it was 50 years ago. I love the north shore best, but the south shore is nice too. You can rent a car and drive from one end to the other in an hour or so. It is very quite, but nice if you love hiking.
Aloha and have a great time.

It takes about 1 hour to drive from Waikiki to Sunset Beach with no traffic. You can best achieve this by driving on a weekday, starting out no earlier than perhaps 8:30 a.m.

If you drive there on a weekend, starting at around 10 - 10:30 you will encounter lots of traffic that comes to a crawl once you approach Haleiwa. At that point parking is hard to find too.