vegaslocal

I will be arriving in Honolulu on a redeye flight from the mainland. I will be departing on a cruise that leaves Honolulu that same evening. I will have about 12 hours to kill and will have considerable luggage.

Since I don't sleep well on planes, I'm really not interested in spending the day on a tour. I was hoping to find a hotel that would allow me to have a room for the day.

The hotel should be clean, have some shopping and restaurants nearby, and be easily accessible to the cruise port. I thought the financial district might be the right area to try.

The only hotel I can find that looks decent is the Aston at the Executive Center, but it's a little pricey at around $200. (That's is the current nightly rate. I haven't yet checked to see what a day rate might run.)

Any ideas out there? What would you do with a whole day in Honolulu, considering you are tired and have a bunch of luggage to haul around?

chepar

The Executive Center is the closest hotel to the cruise port - literally it's just down the street from it.

Next closest would probably be the Ala Moana Hotel or the Prince - but I am not sure it would be less than $200. You would have a better shot with the Ala Moana Hotel being less expensive.

As far as shopping and restaurants - the Ala Moana Hotel is right next door to the shopping center - the Prince is a couple blocks away. The Executive Center is located downtown, so there isn't much in the sense of retail shopping. However, Aloha Towers (where the cruise port is located) does have a small shopping area.

Both areas have restaurants - but if your cruise is departing on a Saturday or Sunday, many of the more casual dining options downtown close in the afternoon.

ggrtist

try the Hawaii section at http://www.betterbidding.com . You can get some recommendations on snagging a room at an airport near the hotel using hotwire or priceline for almost half that price.
Good Luck.

chepar

Keep in mind that the hotels close to the airport (I think there are only one or two) are definitely not within walking distance to any shopping or dining (other than the fast food variety).

They will be cheaper than $200, though.

vegaslocal

Thanks for the suggesions Ggrtist, but I don't want to get a room near the airport since there is nothing around to do. Also, priceline and hotwire won't help in this case since I'm looking for a day room, not a room for the night.

Chepar, mapquest suggests that the Waikiki area is only about 4 miles by taxi to the port, so that might not be a bad place to hang for the day. Which hotel in the Waikiki area would you think to be the best value for its location? (By value, I don't mean cheapest. I mean the one that would be nice to hang out at for the day, but won't cost a fortune?) I wouldn't mind a walk on the beach and some lunch after a morning nap.

Thanks for the help.

suze

I would simply check a map of the Waikiki central beach area and contact the hotels directly. For such a short time, one right on the beach would be great to have lunch and a walk-around.

By main area I mean near the Royal Hawaiian and old Sheraton Moana. Outrigger Reef is a massive hotel with a spa and several pools and restaurants that might offer a day rate you're looking for.

ggrtist

oops, sorry, I misread your original post about which area you were looking for. Also, I didn't realize you can rent a room for just the day, guess you learn something new everyday.

chepar

I think either of the two beachfront Outriggers would be a good value if you want something right on the beach. The Outrigger Reef has Duke's downstairs - nice place to sit and eat lunch - and the Outrigger Waikiki is a little further down next to the Moana Surfrider.

Both the Outriggers are well located in Waikiki - convenient to shopping and restaurants.

I'm not real familiar on the pricing of the rooms in Waikiki (since I live here and don't stay in Waikiki) - but the Pacific Beach and Waikiki Marriott are across the street from Waikiki Beach - so the pricing may be a bit less than the Outriggers since they are not right on the beach. However, they are a few blocks further down from most of the shops (and by shops I'm not talking about the souvenir type shops).

auntiemaria

If you go into Waikiki, add on the cost of a cab ($25 each way) or one of the shuttle companies (none of the Waikiki hotels offer a free shuttle):
http://www.hawaii.gov/dot/airports/o...ound_trans.htm
Travel time from airport to downtown Honolulu (Friday of last week) was 30 minutes; downtown Honolulu to far side of Waikiki (Kaimana Beach Hotel) -- even purposefully avoiding the beachfront Kalakaua Avenue -- took another 20 minutes. Yikes!

As for hotel recommendations, you'd be wise to choose the Executive Center. Call them direct and see if they'll give you a discounted rate. Doesn't the cruise line offer anything?? If that price doesn't work for your budget, the next-nearest hotel is Ala Moana -- call direct and just keep asking, "Is that the best price you can offer?".

vegaslocal

Great advice everyone. Thanks! Now I've got some really good ideas of where to try to hang my hat for the day.

I hope I some of you will post on the Nevada board so I can try to help you out with your plans!