Dusty, Auntie Marie, IMAQ etc...lend me your ears. Assist me in finding a 4ish star hotel. We are landing in Honolulu at 1 pm. We are staying the night so that our youngest daughter will get her opportunity to visit Pearl Harbor. Our flt. departs the next day at 1:55 for the BI. So, what hotel(s) would you suggest so that i am relatively close to the Airport for that quick turn time. Shame on me for not giving Kauai another chance after the devastating flood trip, but business is paying for the BI this time. Heading out in March. Thanks for saving me some searching...my best to you all...visormom

If you weren't insisting on a "four starish" pp=lace I'd tell you to stay at that Holiday Inn or whatever it is at the entrance to the airport from which you can walk to the terminal.

thanks dukey, but i'd really like a slight step up from the Holiday Inn. Just as long as we're in that vicinity, i think we can make the turn times. Have you ever heard any reports on the Embassy Suites?

visormom, if you're talking about the Embassy Suites Beachwalk in Honolulu, it gets really terrific reviews on tripadvisor.com. I've had friends stay at Embassy in other locations, and have only heard good things as well.

I'm not one of the people you seek, but Embassy Suites is a new hotel and gets very good reviews. However, it is in the middle of Waikiki. This is not a bad thing, but it doesn't match your original request of something "relatively close" to the airport. You'll still have time to do stuff, though.

MelissaH1, I figure you and I can be the "etc" ...

oh my baaaaadddd...MelissaHI, i should NOT have omitted you. I have read your input intently for years...especially the party events LOL!!! Dates me, eh??? I am really stuck on a hotel this time. Basically, gonna land...check in...eat at Duke's...bedtime...up early to Pearl..then off to BI. I'd love your thoughts/suggestions. I am likely to get upgraded at Hilton properties or Royal Hawaiian, so of course, that's a plus. But, alas, it's 1 short, freaking night...so I can build a bridge Thanks in advance...Mahalo!!!!

PS....loved your Vegas photo!!!!

har har good one elsiemoo....no worries visormom just being sassy.

If you go to the Hilton, that's a bit closer to the edge of Waikiki versus being right in the middle. However, right now a lot of press is paying attention to the Embassy Suites and the adjacent, brand-spanking-new, Waikiki Beachwalk and newly renovated Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. You might arrive at the hotel at 2, drop your bags and explore the Waikiki Beachwalk, maybe eat at the Yard House or Holokai Grill. I met pspercy & his familia earlier this year at Holokai Grill and I believe they enjoyed it. You can then walk through Waikiki and check out RHSC, until you end up at Duke's and have your real dinner at sunset.

With such short time, that's the only suggestion I can give! You'd be going to bed early, then getting up SUPER early so you can get to Pearl Harbor.....

If you're going into Waikiki to eat dinner at Duke's there would be no time saved by staying at one of the junky hotels near the airport.

Arrive, drive into Waikiki during the (relatively) non-traffic early afternoon. Walk around Waikiki or go to the beach. Eat at Dukes (not one of my favorites places to eat, but I know some like it!). Head out early to be first in line at Pearl Harbor the next morning, then leave there no later than 12 to return your car and check in for Hawaii Island flight.

Easy!

visormom, have you considered using an airport shuttle (roundtrip) to a hotel in Waikiki, then using one of the Arizona Memorial tour shuttles to pick you up at your hotel early in the morning to go to Pearl Harbor and return you to your hotel? Since you're only in Waikiki for one night, that would be a very convenient way to do it without renting a car.

great thoughts...thanks so much. Regsrding Duke's...our youngest daughter's first trip to Hawaii, and she has heard MUCH about the Hula Pie from our older children from Duke's ala Kauai. So, that is to grant her request...of been there/her turn for the tshirt!

In the interest of cutting down your travel time as mmuch as possible, why not stay at the Outrigger Waikiki ("4ish star" is a good way to describe it), where Duke's in located? Normally I'd never recommend picking a hotel based on its restaurant, but that would simplify your one-night trip -- fly into the airport, cab to Outrigger, relax on the hotel beach for a bit, dinner and drinks at Duke's, Pearl Harbor in the a.m.

that's an excellent plan outlined above imo.

I think if I was staying at a Waikiki hotel for one night & it had to be a 4-star or better, I would stay at either Westin Moana Surfrider or (Sheraton) Royal Hawaiian. You can find better hotels in Waikiki, but these are very good & are historic hotels in Waikiki.

Outrigger Waikiki or Halekulani would be my next choices.

Hyatt & Waikiki Marriott are also good choices. They are across the street from the beach.

Staying at the Outrigger Waikiki where Duke's is located, would be a great plan, though I would do the airport shuttle rather than the cab, as it's less expensive (or was, when I did it.)

The shuttle is a good deal for a solo traveler, but once you have two or more people it's not that different from the taxi (which is MUCH quicker).

suze, you're right. I just compared the average cab fare to Waikiki during non-rush hour ($35 to $40) to two shuttle fares (2 x $15), and the faster cab would make more sense for so little difference. DH & I will do that next time, if we don't get a car right away ...

P.S. Although that shuttle fare is round-trip, so I don't know. You'd spend the cab fare all over again when you went back to the airport so ... the shuttle would be $30 RT for two versus $70 - $80 for a cab RT. I just changed my mind agaom; I'll stay with the shuttle, as ours was pretty speedy!

I thought the shuttle was $10 each way per person?

Our taxi was $28 to central Waikiki from the airport last trip.

So $4 more each way for each person to save driving all over Waikiki stopping at every resort along the way to drop other passengers off (less than 1/2 hour compared to well over 1 hour depending where on the route your hotel happens to be).