Hi again fodorites. Thanks for all your good advice in this other thread:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...lu-14-days.cfm

I have 8 nights 7 days allocated to Oahu. I've been reading the Fodors Hawaii guide book to get a better feel for things.

Do you think it's better to stay
- Waikiki the whole 8 nights and explore the whole island from there with several day trips
-- Advantages: More options for night activities and eating
-- Disadvantages: Have to pay for hotel parking ~25/nt. Further from east and north beaches

- 4 nights in a guest house(s) on the Windward and/or North side followed by 4 nights in Waikiki

I don't think it's a good idea to ditch the car and just rent for day trips as that would take up to much time.

I, personally, would stick with staying along Waikiki the entire time. Parking is expensive, yes. I always have a car so I can do spur of the moment drives to shopping or dining locations or visit friends. I typically do at least one island drive per trip, counter clockwise, starting around the base of Diamondhead and the gorgeous southeastern coastal drive, and then taking the coastal road past Polynesian Cultural Center and northshore surfing beaches all the way around to Haleiwa, then cross country to Dole Plantation, etc. The quicker drive options via the tunnels from Honolulu to the east shore (there are 3) are also very scenic!

Local tourist trams and shopping buses will get you to a lot of, if not most, tourist places around Waikiki and Honolulu. But I also think that you will find it very easy to do daylong car rentals! Lots of people do it! Some hotels will have a car rental desk on site.

Enjoy your trip!

IMO it depends on your tolerance levels for traffic and noise. We made this mistake on our very first trip to Hawaii almost 40 years ago, ever since we've made it a point to stay as far from Waikiki and Honolulu as possible on Oahu, except for it's dining and other nightlife options.

But obviously not everyone shares our priorities for accomodations (quiet and relaxation). In fact a few of our friends, unless they return from vacations frazzled and utterly exhausted, feel like they haven't been anywhere at all. For these types Waikiki can be a lot of fun. But I've never understood why anyone would fly thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean, to a remote tropical island, only to stay in an area that is so overdeveloped it's utterly indistinguishable (aside from the humidity) from Santa Monica or any other urban sprawl coastal city in the world. Infrastructure? You bet. Relaxation? Go ahead and try it.

Based on the short times it takes to get out of town to someplace like Kailua Beach and that we were able to get, what looks like, a nice relaxing hotel (Park Shore Waikiki), I decided to go with 8 nights in Waikiki.

The few hotels in other parts of Oahu seem very high priced.

The VRBOs in Kailua, after all fees were just as expensive as the 3 1/2 star hotel I'll be staying in and looked kind of hit or miss. The last one I looked at was a room on the back of someones house in what looked like a suburban development.

The Park Shore is actually in a good location though I know nothing of the property itself. It's on the Diamond Head end on Waikiki, across the Honolulu Zoo, near Kapiolani Park and across the street from Kuhio and Queens Beach. So while in Waikiki it is away from the most congested areas.

Heading along the Gold Coast towards Diamond Head, Waialae Kahala then on to Hanauma Bay, Makapuu, Waimanalo then Kailua is a nice drive.

About a mile up Kapahulu Avenue there is a Safeway for water, food, snacks, etc. Nearby you'll find Rainbow Drive In, Leonards Bakery and Ono Hawaiian Food. Teddy's Burgers, a popular place is right at the Park Shore too.

> Park Shore Waikiki

Be sure to get oceanfront room, unless you don't mind direct line of sight into your room by neighbors. Not all rooms have this problem, just most.

curiousgeo,

Thank you for those tips, can you give me some more recommendations for cheap to moderate good eats. Are there any vegetarian restaurants near my hotel?

fdecarlo,

With PL express, I'm not likely to get an oceanfront room.
I guess I'll have to draw the curtains. I don't expect to spend to much time in the room anyway, except for sleeping. I plan to enjoy the oceanfront view from the hotel's 3rd floor outdoor pool.

Great choice! And yes, you will be able to leave the Waikiki area quite easily, and without getting caught up in the traffic on the busiest part of Kalakaua Ave.

Enjoy!!

Sorry I'm not up to speed on vegetarian fare. The only one I can think of is Down to Earth on King Street near the University area, about 10-15 minutes from Waikiki. A place I really like is Andy's in Manoa Valley not far from UH, healthy but not strictly vegetarian.

Sidestreet Inn Kapahulu, near your hotel is a favorite watering hole with great local style food, but definitely not vegetarian there. Hale Vietnam is another local favorite in Kaimuki, a 10-15 minute drive away.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/andys-sandwi...thies-honolulu

http://www.yelp.com/biz/down-to-earth-honolulu-5

http://sidestreetinn.com/locations/s...nn-on-da-strip

http://www.yelp.com/biz/hale-vietnam-honolulu

Thanks Curiousgeo!

I'm adding this to my notes and checking the locations on google maps. This will come in handy.

Not far down Kalakaua to Lulu's Restaurant. It's open air on the second floor and has great banana-macadamia nut pancakes for breakfast. Try for seating by the railing.

Good choice. I love Waikiki.

It looks like Lulu's restaurant is inside the Park Shore Hotel where we'll be staying and that Kapahula is a good street to be near. What good luck.

Take Kapahulu all the way to the other side of the H1. Turn right on Waialae Ave. If you drive maybe a mile down that street, you will see a group of very interesting restaurants on the right side of the road. I have eaten Chinese and I beleive it was Mongolian food here. Lotd of choices.

Simpson510, Thanks for that tip. I'm guessing those might be a good value being away from tourist central.

I'm interested to hear of other restaurants like that.

It looks like Andys and Hale Vietnam are both good healthy restaurants away from tourist central and we'll be hitting up Down to Earth a lot for salads. Thanks for those tips curiousgeo!