Late arrival in Honolulu - where to stay?
 

We had enough airmiles to redeem for free tickets, which didn't leave us with much choice in flight time or airport. We arrive in HNL at 11:33 after leaving home 14 hours earlier. I hate to spend a lot on hotel - what is our best option for cheap hotel near airport? Also could we consider skipping a hotel? Is there anywhere to stay at airport like a lounge or a 24 hour restaurant nearby. Also how late are car rental counters open?

go to the Honolulu website. Sorry to say I never stayed in the HNL airport. I do think it is your best bet for getting out early to another island.

I have never been disappointed when choosing a standard that is having a sale like Marriott, Embassy Suites, Weston. Again go to the website and pick a cheapy.

Sarah, what is the Honolulu website? I went to visit-oahu.com and found an all night breakfast place, eggs-n-things in Waikiki that looks fun. Maybe we'll just cab down there and hang out and get first flight out to Maui. I also found Best Western but price I got on line was $111.00 - seems like a lot for a few hours! I'll recheck as it gets closer to our trip

You might try priceline..We got the Renaissance Ilikai for $60 for a one nighter...Cab fare is $25 each way. You could do that and not be in a rush the next morning to get to the airport...have a leisurely stroll, breakfast, etc.
Check out biddingfortravel.com to see the prices others have gotten and the zones you might want to stay in.
Have fun

Definitely do priceline. Depending on when you go, you could get a room for $50 or less. All the info you need is at biddingfortravel.com.

We stayed at the Honolulu Airport Hotel in February before flying out to Kauai the next morning. The hotel is located within five minutes of the airport and they have a free shuttle van service. The rooms were basic doubles, but they did have a small microwave and refrigerator. We paid $85 plus tax and did not have reservations; we missed our connecting flight. Hope this helps!

Thank you all for the information. I am still trying to decide if we'll stay in a nice hotel 2 nights in HNL before going to Maui or stay in a near airport hotel for cheap to rest and go to Maui early in morning. We would probably come back and stay on Waikiki 1 or 2 nights at end of trip. Others posted in another thread that Oahu is disappointing after other islands, but it might also be a way to readjust to real life!