mbrisita

Hello everyone! I need help! I finally convinced by better half into taking a trip to Hawaii this October. Living all our lives cornered in NYC you can imagin I am extremely excited. One problem though after getting the "go ahead and plan" from my better half I can't help to feel so lost and fear being misled by the pictures vs reviews I have seen, especially when picking the hotel to stay in. Any advice? I trust opinions more than pictures which is why my quest has led me here. I am looking for places reasonably priced aka... it doesn't have to be on the beach but at least close by. We like taking part in excursions, so exploring the islands is something we will be doing as well. We are a young couple so the activities/nitelife is something we like to be near to as well. So far it looks like its will be a 10 day trip, within the island of Oahu. I hope I am not requesting for to much, I just want to take advantage of the whole trip. Some of the places I have been looking into are the following:
Ohana Waikiki Towers
Aqua Bamboo
Ohana Waikiki West
Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki
Any comments on these or other better choices I will be grateful Thanks!!!

chepar

The Hawaii Prince is a nice hotel. It's on the very edge of Waikiki and is not beach front. A boat harbor sits in front of the hotel, but is quite scenic. It is however, located next to Ala Moana Beach Park. All of the rooms face the ocean. The pool is small and not worth the time unless you are one of the few people there.

It is a very close walk to Ala Moana shopping center. To walk into the center of Waikiki would take you about 15-20 minutes.

The restaurants in the Hawaii Prince are good - I like the seafood buffet at the Prince Court.

pdxgirl

You might also check www.tripadvisor.com. There are lots of opinions about hotels there.

vivi

Of all the hotels you mentioned, the Hawaii Prince is definitey the nicest however I am not wild about its location on the harbor vs the beach, also it is a good 15 minute walk to central Waikiki from there. You might want to check into the moderately priced (they are OK but not full blown resorts) Waikiki Beachcomber, Sheraton Princess Kaualani, or the Pacific Beach
hotels, all very centrally located.

I love Waikiki, but since you are from NYC you might want to consider spending your 10 days on a neighbor island if you are seeking a less crowded, more tropical vacation.

fdecarlo

I agree with vivi. It's a bit pointless to travel 6000 miles just to go from one urban jungle to another. Waikiki is not what most people envision when they think of Hawaii -- highrises everywhere, lots of traffic, noise and people. If you have to stay on Oahu at least look into other areas beside Waikiki. North shore would be my first choice.

mbrisita

Thank you all for your comments, I am so eager to go that I haven't really thought about the other neighboring options and just looked up the island where they are having the best flights deals from here. Keep the comments going, I need all the help I can get and I guess I have homework to do if I want to confirm this trip before this week is over.
Traffic - noise -- something I definitely need to get away from (its a bad sign when they have become my nightly lullaby) =o)

circa2

Ohana Waikiki Towers:
200 Lewers - good location

I have stayed here many times. Not fancy, but good location (for me).

Sits on the corner, across the street from the beach.

If you get a street side room, suggest above 10th floor, you can have a "peek a boo" view of the ocean.

Garden restaurant is favorite of mine.
(Sit outside)

ABC store across the street. Along with other hotels all around.

Guests can use the facilites of the other Ohana hotels; i.e. "Outrigger on the Beach"

Lots of good hotels in Waikiki, just a matter of preference.

MelissaHI

If it were me, I'd stay at the Hawaii Prince. It's just outside of Waikiki enough to be away from the traffic and crowds, but close enough in case you want to check it out. I like the restaurants, and the fact that it's close to Ala Moana Shopping Center and Ala Moana Beach. Also, I love the rooms and the service is always nice.

annzeise

Each island is completely different. Different sides of the islands can be different from each other.

I have been to Maui for Christmas and gone snorkling at Molokini. Lots of adventuresome outdoor activities on Maui.

The Big Island has the active volcano, if that is what you must see.

Our son goes to the University of Hawaii, so when we were settling him in, we stayed at the Outrigger Waikiki right at the beach.
http://www.outrigger.com/hotels_detail.aspx?hotel=1

They have a night club on the ground floor, Duke's, that is just packed with party goers just for the price of drinks. At sunset everyone stops to watch, and if it is any good they all cheer. You don't even have to rent a car staying in Waikiki. There are shuttles and buses going everywhere. ABC stores are on every corner selling everything tourists need for reasonable prices. Buy your sunscreen when you get there. They know what works best at the sun exposure you get there.

"Night Life" for tourists are the big luaus. Go to one, but after you've seen one, you've seen them all. You can walk up and down the main drag near the Waikiki beach until the wee hours. Lots of people around and places open.

Other islands are more like a country vacation: you are on your own to make a night life. Don't feel you have to do it all in one trip. Once you go once, you'll be back again.

The Aloha spirit will entrance you, especially if you are from New York. Yes, there is traffic, but drivers actually merge, and give you a 2-fingered "aloha" wave of thanks for doing so. (index and little finger -- this is a polite gesture!)

Stay in any of the hotels owned by the Kelley family. This article helps explain the difference between the Outriggers and the Ohana hotels. The Kelleys own 46 of the hotels in Honolulu.
http://www.hawaiibusiness.cc/hb11200...fm?articleid=3
Outriggers are 4 star; Ohanas are 3 star. At the Outrigger I went down for some sun time by the pool and wound up next to a nice gentleman who said he owned a "small oil company."

I was impressed by the staff at the Outrigger, from the simplest maid who said, "Sure! take one of our coffee mugs!" to the conceirge who helped me do a little family tree sleuthing while I was there. My grandfather had once done a favor for the Hawaiian royalty and had been given some beachfront property, so I was trying to trace the history of this property and figure out who had it now. I was directed to the Kelley's office, and the staff there GAVE me a book about the Kelley family. The property is supposedly where the Outrigger is now. My grandfather sold it nearly a 80 years ago. Made a killing at the time: $20,000. Anyways, I'm pretty impressed by the Kelley spirit and how it translates to good service, which in the long run can make or break a good trip more than an ocean view.

Ann Zeise

lasjas

being from NYC myself, I would not consider 10 nights staying only on Waikiki...
I would not fly 12 + hours to be in a city when there is soooo many beautiful
options on the Hawaiin Islands.
i am going to Hawaii in 3 weeks for 16 nights, we are staying 4 nights in Oahu, to see Pearl Harbor, etc... then over to Kauai, and then Maui.

you may get the cheapest flight into Oahu, but that doesnt mean you have to stay there, there are tons of inter- island flights daily to get you over to the other islands.

check out Aloha Air & Hawaiin Air

hawaiihoneymoon

I also wanted to suggest the Waikiki Hyatt - it was in a great location. As soon as you walk out the door, you cross the street and the beach is RIGHT THERE! Since the Hyatt is a high rise (2 towers) you can get an awesome sea view room. The rooms are very clean and large. They also have a really good breakfast buffet (we would stuff ourselves silly) and it was included in our package as a promo that was going on during the time we stayed.

mbrisita

ok I have been doing some homework on this. Thanks to everyone for their input.
As far as my stay in Oahu I am considering the Outrigger Luana Waikiki. Any comments on this hotel?
Also is it easy to arrange "island hopping" ventures while I am there or should I look into that before hand?

JohnD

Familiar with where you're coming from and agree that with that long of a flight time from NYC, you should visit more than one island, and have found it is convenient$) to schedule a round trip ticket to HNL, so you can stay on Oahu on the last days, and also simultaneously schedule an interisland flight (Hawaiian or Aloha Airlines) so you can connect on to Maui (or Big Island or Kauai) without rechecking luggage on your first day.

Many major airlines have Hawaiian and Aloha airlines as partners and if you have frequent flyer miles you may be able to redeem your miles for your interisland flights, and suggest planning ahead by calling your airline to schedule your mainland and interisland flights together so you don't have to deal with the hassle of rechecking luggage to your interisland destination for example.

juanita1989

mbrisita -- Please check out the recent threads re: Oahu, especially the one about Why I Love Oahu Too, or something like that. Don't let the naysayers dissuade you from Oahu. Yes, some parts of the island, especially Waikiki/Honolulu, are much busier than other islands, but Oahu has as much beauty and serenity and calmness than the other islands. In fact, it has beaches that are just as beautiful (Ko'Olina on west side, Lanikai on east, North shore) as the other islands, but it also has MORE of them. Go to Oahu without any preconcieved negativity. It is a wonderful and lovely island. Our favorite, in fact. Maui seemed very overrated to us, though still nice. Enjoy!!

mbrisita

JohnD- Thanks for you advice, as soon as I get home I wiil do a check on my miles and see if I can use them during my visit.

juanita1989- Thanks as well!! As I type, those threads are being printed out. As I read everyone's advice I am trying to paint a balanced picture-- sure is tough! heheh

I am looking forward to exploring one of nature's finest gifts. While some prefer some seclusion in such trips, I rather have a taste of both worlds. In other words too much "alone" time will drive me insane( I blame the NYer in me =o\ )

If I can only afford to visit one other island (besides the Big Island) which one should it be?

thornphoenix

mbrisita,

Hubby and I recently went to Oahu for about a week to explore etc. (this is after having gone to Maui and Kauai multiple times in the past 5 years and having never really stopped to stay on Oahu - just used their airport ;D). Anyway, you'll find lots to do. I wanted to give a plug to the Halekulani which is a fantastic hotel to stay, but also to just dine at, have drinks at, or just walk around. If you're looking for a low-key relaxing evening I would recommend going over to the Halekulani for drinks and appetizers and listen to their evening live music. If you like French food they have a really fantastic restaurant - Le Mer, as well as other good restaurants like Orchids. Hope you have a great time and enjoy your stay!
Cheers,
Tracey

JohnD

I presume you already decided to stay on Oahu.

If you like hiking in spectacular scenery and great snorkeling go to Kauai, but don't expect much nightlife.

If you want the chance to see an active volcano, and excellent snorkeling, and don't mind driving, go to the Big Island.

If you want to drive through the US's largest tropical rainforest, and also visit the island with the most sandy beaches and great snorkeling go to Maui.