Has anyone stayed at The Breakers or the Ilima Hotel in Honolulu? Would love to be in an ocean front hotel, but prefer the $100-$150 a night range. Any suggestions you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

Katie,
My family stayed at the Ilima in 2001. We had a bedroom with king bed, a living room with pull-out sofa and full kitchen. It was great to have breakfast in the room before heading out for a day of activities. We could also freeze bottles of water for in the cooler. It was a short walk to the beach. Definitely a great value for the price.

I stayed right next door to The Breakers on Beachwalk at the Hawaiiana Hotel last year. The two hotels are similar in price I believe, but I thought Hawaiiana had a bit more lush grounds (gardens, two swimming pools, habachi grills, beach mats to use). Rooms were nothing fancy, but OK. Staff was very nice. I thought it was a terrific hotel and location for the price! Easy to get to from the airport on the Waikiki shuttle bus.

Depending on the time of year and size of room you need, you may be able to get an oceanfront about $150 at Outrigger by using the entertainment book. The opaque travel sites are pretty good if you get help in using them and if your plans are definite because there are no refunds once you purchase. Hotwire offers oceanfront accommodations for starting about $140, but you should go to http://betterbidding.com for help in pinning the hotel you'll be getting. Priceline also has the Sheraton Waikiki Resort routinely for about $120-130 range although most likely, that won't get you an oceanview.

As a side note, the reason I chose the Hawaiiana was because I didn't want a high-rise hotel and prefer to make reservations directly with a local hotel instead of using the discount booking websites (neither here nor there, just my preferences!).

Thank you for the above suggestions. Does anyone have any feedback on the Aston Waikiki Circle Hotel and/or the Aston Waikiki Beachside Hotel? Thanks for sharing.

Is there a direct website for the Ilima Hotel? Thanks.

Oops found it myself, www.ilima.com