Tomi

I see a lot of posts on Hawaii, and I thought it might be helpful to warn first-timers about the differences in the hotel rooms. Most of the time the price differnces have more to do with the view than the actual amenities. Ocean Front is what it says, but ask how far they are from the water. In Waikiki, Ocean Front rooms could still have another hotel in front of them that's just not as high as their room. What is Ocean view or Partial Ocean View at one hotel is not the same as at another! For example, the view from the Partial Ocean View rooms at the Hyatt in Kauai is adequate, but the same category of rooms at the Four Seasons in Maui is a joke. After spending a minute at the window with the bellman trying to point out the ocean to us, we asked for a room upgrade to Ocean View. If you can't afford an Ocean Front or Ocean View, stay at a condo instead. I know of a privately-owned condo in Maui that has the BEST view I've ever had on any of my trips to Maui, and if anyone wants the owner's phone number, please feel free to e-mail me.

Tomi

OOPS! My e-mail address in the previous post is incorrect. I needed to add a "dash symbol" in it. Sorry!

Tim

The last 5 times in Waikiki I have stayed at the "Outrigger Village" on Lewer's st. It's an average hotel only 2 minutes walk to beach fronting Reef Hotel & Ft. Derusy. I stay in rooms on back of building which faces direction of downtown Honolulu. From the 14floor & up you have an unobstucted 180 degree view from the Koolau Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, about 40% of the view is beach/ocean. sitting on your lanais you can view fireworks every friday night from the Hale Koa or the Hilton ( i never have asked exactly where they originate) You can watch sailboats, surfers, snorklers etc etc. The only hotels that are in the way are the Reef Lanias & the Outrigger Royal Islander but these are only 10-12 floors each which is why you want to be on at least the 14th floor. This area is also a lot less crowded than Kuhio st & Kalakau st area hotels. Aloha!

Stacy

Excellent advice! My husband and I found out the hard way and we couldn't afford to upgrade. We'd already spent too much! To spend that kind of money for that kind of view was ridiculous! Next time we'll stay in a condo too.

Jon

The only condo on Maui that I know of that has EVERY unit ocean-front is the Aston Mahana.
There's lots of info about Maui sights, activities, restaurants, etc, at
http://members.aol.com/Derm1/index

Jon

Oops! I left off the end of the URL (web site address) in my note above. The correct one is:
http://members.aol.com/Derm1/index.html