Teens first trip. Would you do Condo or hotel? If hotel, which hotel. Yes, we want to be where the action is. Maybe not right in the middle, but close. I know about Hilton Hawaiian Village. That is a great location. And how about the JW Marriott? Is that a good hotel/location? I usually love Marriotts. There will be four, so a comfortable room and queen beds would be preferred. That gets me thinking condo??? What ya think?

Aloha again, Heavens. We ALWAYS do condos in Hawaii... just makes sense for us.

Last year we booked a condo at the Aston Waikiki Beach Tower. Excellent value, especially if you use the Entertainment Book. They have 2 BR oceanfront available. We had 2 teen boys and they LOVED just walking over to Kuhio Park and Waikiki beach or off to get shave ice or quick food. The hotel provides boogie boards, noodles, beach chairs & towels, mats...

The pool area is nothing spectacular, but was fine for our guys and worth the trade off for a huge spacious condo.

Full kitchen, large living area, dining area, 2 big deep lanais, master w/ bath and bedroom w/ hall bath. Helps for snacks and sammies, things like that. Very clean and uptodate. Free parking.

The location is great... pretty much in the center of everything just a block or 2 down from the Marriott and a short stroll up the beach to Dukes.

Here's a link to our trip report if you're interested...

http://fodors.com/forums/pgMessages....1&tid=34492836

We stayed at the Outrigger Waikiki with 3 teens and locationwise it was great. They walked around and did some shopping in the area. The HHV was nice (we just walked around there) but I think the more central location of the Outrigger is a plus for restless teens. Jealous that you are going and I am not!
Eva

I have read excellent remarks about the Marriott Waikiki here and on tripadvisor.

-Bill

JW Marriott is a nice resort. But, it is far away from "the action". It is 45 minutes to an hour away from Waikiki.

This is a good map that shows most of the Waikiki Hotels and Condos.

http://www.driveguidemagazines.com/oahu_waikiki.html

This will get you other hotel & restaurant info on all the islands:

http://www.driveguidemagazines.com

Waikiki Sunset & Waikiki Banyon are two nice condos that are about two blocks from the beach and cost much less that HHV.

To compare hotels:

www.bookit.com
City: Oahu
When the hotel list comes up, you can change it to sort by price

www.expedia.com You can also change this to sort by price

www.hawaii-hotels.com Scroll to the bottom and where it says VISIT, click on Oahu hotels or Oahu condos (or any other island)

Gold Coast hotels are another alternative. These are right below Diamond Head. New Otani Kamaina and Colony Surf are on the map of Waikiki hotels. the "W" is located in the same area.

Alternative lodging:

www.vrbo.com

yeah I was just in Hawaii this summer for a month with 2 teens. Separate bedrooms are always nice if you have fighten teens LOL.

We were at the Ilikai which was a tremendous bargain compared to the Hilton where we stayed a few years ago (different kids). We did find rooms with separate bedrooms worked for everyone when we switch to a 3 bedroom at the Princeville Pali Ke Kua on Kauai though.

On Oahu, Kids I went with liked being close to the Mall down at the Hilton Hawaiian end but rarely made it down to the more active end of Waikiki (Marriot). Easier to get on the H1 from Hilton Hawaiian end and anyone can come on and correct me if I am wrong.

Unless you have very outdoors oriented kids, yes I would also select Waikiki. I have done the country thing with country kids but yah gotta know they are country kids.

Hate saying this but I would leave any kid home that is going to complain the entire trip. Could shoot my sister for knowing this and not leaving one child home. Having said that we did find comic relief when we bumped into other families with the same situation.

It was a rough trip for me this summer, we would get to an outstanding view and there would be WWW3 in the back seat LOL. Happened everytime. I was so ready to chuck these kids over the falls on Kauai.

Never! just kidding. You know who your kids are, been a few times with different kids and everyones kids are different. Just don't expect them to behave in Hawaii if they do this at home.

Just a word from a weathered traveler LOL

Wow, great help here. Thanks all. I thought the Ilikai was the new JW Marriott. Sounds like I am way off. I meant the Ilikai, but isn't that a Marriott now?

Will look up this info. Yes, crabby kids are a pain. No crabby kids on our trip. Thanks again.

Marriott does own the Ilikai. If you are a state or government worker you get a break.

Call the condo association on the 2nd floor if you don't get a break. You can get the number from the front desk. I have rented from the condo association a few times years ago.

Another thing I think you can leave your car in the Marina parking lot at no charge. No one advertises this but yeah you can do it. State workers $8 vallet parking I think it is $10 otherwise. We loved the valet parking always coming home with bags where ever we went.

I'd pick something right IN central Waikiki so the teens can be out on their own, walk on the beach, catch The Bus or the trolley car. I'm not sure a specific hotel to recommend for a family but around the Outrigger Reef on the Beach is the area I'm thinking of.

Heavens

After reading some of the replies on this thread, I may have given you some bad info.

I consider the JW Marriott as the one on the leeward (west) side of the island. It's full name is JW Marriott 'Ihilani Resort and Spas.

The Marriott in Waikiki is called Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort.

So I hope this clears up any confusion.

We went to Oahu in July with our 2 teens, and we rented a beach house in kailua. We visited Waikiki, but we're not that into crowds, especially on a relaxing vacation. Frankly, we were quite shocked by the traffic and congestion in Waikiki. (And we live in L.A.) We loved having the beach to ourselves and the peace and quiet of a small town. We took short day trips to the North Shore, Pear Harbor, and other places.
Just thought I'd offed a different perspective. Not all teens love crowds.
Oahu is a beautiful island. Have a great trip!

Agree that condo is the way to go, as teens love a separate bedroom. Also, IMHO the HHV is not a grat location. It's lovely to walk around its grounds and shops, but i think there's lots more stuff to see and do in central Waikiki, from an accomodation along or very near central Kalakau Ave. Are your teens boys or girls? if girls, and they like to shop, you have malls, shops, and dept stores along Kalakaua Ave nr the Marriott, Outrigger (Main) and Waikiki Beach Tower area. Don't miss a stroll along Waikiki Beach at night, with the sounds of hotel bands, the lit tiki torches, and the breeze from the ocean. You'll all feel like you ARE in Heaven, Heavens!

Thanks all, good info. The condo route does sound worth looking into. I hate being crowded into a small hotel room.

Any suggestions on where to start looking for condos on Oahu?

www.vrbo.com

Heavens, did you check into the "Tower"?? If you're interested be sure to use entertainment book for best rate... very good value.

Happy hunting.

Castle Resorts has the only condo right on the beach in Waikiki. My husband and I stayed there in 2003 with 2 teenagers. Worked out great. You share hotel privileges with the Outrigger Reef next door . You know- if relaxing at the pool is something you want to do . They have a lounge / bar if you need to relax and have a drink.
The condos have 2 queen beds (One regular queen bed and a pull out sofa sleeper queen bed). There is a large wall divider between the bedroom and living room for privacy. They have a large living room, kitchen, washer / dryer and a lanai with a beautiful view of the ocean facing Honolulu and Fort Derussy is right next door. Our condo on the 15th floor also had a view of Diamond Head from the kitchen window. I think you need to be atleast on the 13th floor for that view. We really liked this place. We are going back there again in 2 weeks! Anyway - it is affordable- Under 300.00 a night. I think we payed (2003) and are paying $245.00 a night. They have a website
www.castleresorts.com
Hope this helps.
Annika