Travelling to Honolulu late Sept with sis & senior citizen mom - first trip to Hawaii - looking for any hotel recommendations: not a faceless highrise (if at all possible), ocean view, balcony, atmosphere, and not that horribly expensive since mom is paying. Any recommendations? Thanks.

Here is a wonderful inexpensive hotel within a hotel a half block from the beach with wonderful unobstructed views of Diamond Head, and beautiful rooms:

http://www.queenssurf.com

For things to do, and more hotel choices go here:

http://www.discoveringhawaii.com

Auwe, haole Richard man. You wen give all Hawai`i posters hea one bad rap. These haole folks our host from da eas`coas say no mo advertising hea, dat's da rules An wen we hawai`i kanakas go post wit some "helpful advice" some lolos say we all work for da Hawaii Visitors Bureau or more worse yet - - - travel agen!
So no mo do dat hea. You wen give us all one bad name. Auwe.

I am not sure what exactly you mean by not that expensive. I would look into the Sheraton Moana Surfrider and, if that is too pricey, the Hawaiian Regent has an excellent location right across the street from the main part of Waikiki Beach...not to worry, as many of the hotels...most of them... are on the main strip like the Regent but across the street...a stone's throw. Also ask for their entertainment rate...a card is easy to get by September if the rate is lower. Hope this helps.

The Regent is a good choice, especially right now as they are running a renovation special. We booked there for an incredible price, without the entertainment book! Check out expedia.com for info; NO I am not a travel agent! Just love to see people get a good deal!

Consider the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel. Website is kaimana.com

There are some Ohana hotels that may fit the bill and you may still be able to get 50% off the rack rate at some of them w/ the Entertainment card:
entertainment.com

The Hawaiian Regent is now called the Waikiki Beach Marriott. If you're lucky, you can get a room that has both an ocean AND mountain view! It's also close to the beach. And the Lobby Bar has live local entertainment at night.