We are going to Hawaii from March 17-22 and staying at the Ohana Maile Sky Court Hotel in Honolulu.

We have pre-scheduled the following activities: Whale Watching Cruise; USS Missouri, Arizona Memorial and Pearl Harbor; Diamondhead Sunrise Adventure; and Atlantis Oahu Submarine Adventure. One activity per full day on the island.

We're really not beach people. We really want to go for the attractions. I. E., We only go to Vegas to do things other than gamble.

How does this trip sound to everybody? Does anybody know anything about the Ohana Maile Sky Court Hotel? But I must let you know, we really don't care about a fancy hotel, just one good enough to get a good night's sleep when necessary.

Oh, and we don't have airport transfers. Do you recommend we grab a cab, get the shuttle or rent a car?

Thanks

I would recommend renting a car for at least one day to see the other parts of the island. Oahu is a beautiful island and in order to really see all that it has to offer you need to make the trip around the island to the North Shore. Maybe on a day you have an early activity scheduled you can arrange to make the drive. Even though you are not beach people I am sure you would love to see the scenery and lovely beaches on the other side of the island. I think you will be missing alot if you stay in Waikiki the entire time. And I love Waikiki! Do the activities that you have scheduled provide hotel pick up? If not you may want a car for the entire stay.
I am not familiar with the hotel, it does look like it is not close to the the beach and the heart of Waikiki but that probably isn't a big deal if you are not planning to hang out on the beach. Enjoy your trip, Oahu is my favorite island!

On tripadvisor.com, the Ohana Maile Sky Court has a review rating of 3.5. Most reviews are positive, rating it a clean place with small rooms for people on a budget. I'm personally not familiar with it.

It's a decent hotel. Biggest complaints seem to be slow elevators. I've had several friends/relatives stay there.

Nearest beach is Ft. DeRussy, one of the better beaches in Waikiki.

Have you already reserved your tours?

You can do Diamond Head yourselves. You can go to USS Arizona Memorial for free & get 2 for 1 for USS Missouri.

Atlantis Submarine & whale watching good to book ahead as you did.

Polynesian Cultural Center is best Polynesian entertainment in Hawaii. Book that in advance. $80 Ali'i Luau package is good.

www.polynesia.com

Lots to do on Oahu:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34812564

Map of Waikiki hotels:

http://www.waikiki.us/waikikimap.htm...260bb1d8c8b18a

Your plans sound good.

I would recommend renting a car (we like to have the freedom to come and go as we please). Plus, a car would allow you to drive to the north shore and explore the island a little more.

We stayed at the Ohana Islander Waikiki (sister hotel to the one you are staying at). It was clean and decent, nothing fancy (but we are just like you--just needing comfort). We saw the Ohana Maile Sky Court Hotel one night when we were just out walking--looked fine from the outside, although much further away from things, which is also another reason I'd suggest renting a car.

Have a great trip--you can't go wrong on Oahu!

This may sound stupid, but are there any seedy areas we must stay away from? Is it pretty safe at night to be out walking around and looking at things, or would it be better to get back to the Hotel before dusk?

It kind of makes me sound paranoid, but it's good to know these things when you're not familiar with a new place. I just want to be sure to make this a great vacation.

In other words, any do's and don'ts you could offer would be helpful.

Thanks for the replies so far.

I think it is perfectly safe but you could happen to see what some people would consider seedy elements in certain places (i.e., homeless people with shopping carts or prostitutes). Along certain parts of Kuhio in Waikiki and/or certain streets in Honolulu proper.

We walked around (last month) all hours of the night and day and never felt in any type of danger... but it might seem a tiny bit wild to some people. Certainly nothing I would go sit in my hotel room over, though.

Just a quick recommendation if possible: Is your whale watching tour with Paradise Cruises? My friend did it and said it was a good deal because they didn't see whales the first time, so the company gave them a coupon to ride another day for free. So you may want to book that for early in your trip, just in case.

For airport shuttles: I JUST found out that Roberts Hawaii has a pretty cheap shuttle, just $15.
http://www.robertshawaii.com/airport-shuttle/index.php

However, you say "We" so I assume you mean at least 2 of you. A taxi will cost you about $30 from the airport, so that may end up being a better deal for you point-to-point.

We stayed at the Sky Court our first time over and as Dusty said the elevators are a little slow but that's going by mainland speeds. I also agree since most of the things you have listed aren't in Waikiki to rent a car and the hotel has parking I can't say what the charge is. The shuttle charges pp and a cab would be around $35.
The only complaints we had with the Sky Court was no lanai to sit out on and have morning coffee. They do have a very nice open air lobby to relax in and a Fridays with outdoor seating available.

Yeah. This trip is the first for my wife and I. We are certainly excited about it finally happening. We have been talking about it for a long, long time (eight to 10 years). We finally have anough of a savings account to handle it and still have some left over for emergencies and what have you.

These activities we registered for say they pick up at the hotels. I scheduled one for each day we're gojng to be on Oahu, and the earliest I could, so that we could at least have a lot of the day for anything else.

Any other tips you want to pass our way will be appreciated.

Sure I have a tip from when I was in Waikiki last month, here's our favorite spot we found for dinner (or lunch):

"World Famous North Shore Blue Water Shrimp & Seafood"
between Launiu & Kaiolu on Kuhio
10am to 10 pm

This is just a catering truck like you see at beach spots, parked in a lot right in the middle of Waikiki! Menu ranges from $5.95 hamburger to $10-13.95 for shrimp, crab, combos, ahi, etc. The food is amazing, incredibly fresh and delicious.

You can eat it on picnic tables right there, or *better yet* get it to-go and walk down to Fort de Russey park picnic area along the beach, right nearby.