I hear that parking is not very good and expensive in the Waikiki area. Our hotel has limited spaces and charges $15 a day. Does any know of city parking lots that are cheaper or some tips on parking. We are renting a car ( even though everything is there) as we won't be just staying in the area. We will be touring as much as possible throug out the Island. I will be travelling with my senior parents. Hoping to hear from you.

$15 is about the going rate for daily parking at the hotels.

You will not be able to find cheaper parking in Waikiki without a lot of time wasted and inconvenience.

I would just use the hotel parking.

I agree....it's not going to get better than that rate. especially for the convenience. and by "better," I think the lowest would be $12? something like that.

But the problem with "limited spaces" is that some hotels don't reserve you spaces, so you could come back from a day of sightseeing and have to hunt for parking elsewhere. We had this happen at a hotel in Waikiki and we were still charged for parking, even if we couldn't get a space! I would question the hotel carefully about this when you check in, and if parking is tacked onto your room bill and they can't guarantee a space I'd just park at the Royal Hawaiian's garage. It won't be cheap, but you'll probably at least get a spot.

Try to snag a space at your hotel & pay the $15/day! Seriously.

I agree. Pay the $15 at your hotel.

I read a post somewhere about parking at the zoo. This was suggested for someone who was staying outside Waikiki, but going into town for dinner. Can anyone shed more light on this option?

There's a big metered lot at the zoo, but I'm not sure how long you can park there or if there's overnight parking. This might be an option if you're staying somewhere toward the Diamond Head end of Waikiki, but if you're down the other way (toward the Hilton Hawaiian Village it would be a big hike.

It's metered parking with a time limit. It would work for going out to dinner, but not for an entire day (or entire vacation).

The meters at the zoo are for 4 hours at a time.

The lot is always crowded and frequently patrolled by meter maids, so if you park there make sure you return to fill the meter again before it expires.

The only hotels giving free parking this summer in Waikiki are the Sheraton properties

http://tinyurl.com/2cdqmf

Aloha!

There is free, unlimited time parking along the Ali Wai Canal. At times, it seems relatively easy to find a spot there.

"There is free, unlimited time parking along the Ali Wai Canal. At times, it seems relatively easy to find a spot there."

Not so true any more.

Since they opened it up for 24 hour parking, they "beautified" the boulevard by planting tree and thereby removing about 10-15% of the parking spots.

Also because it is open 24 hours, more locals that live in Waikiki bought a vehicle (or another vehicle) & use Ala Wai Blvd as their parking spot.

About a year ago, the city started closing the street for parking from about 8am-noon Mondays & Fridays for street cleaning.

There is also a new sewer line construction that eliminates several blocks of parking on the street.

It is very difficult to find any free parking anywhere in Waikiki. The $.25 metered spots also go very quickly.

dusty - are there metered spots in places other than the zoo?

There are metered spots alongside Kapiolani Park, but this is going further away from Waikiki and towards Diamond Head.

These can be hard to find also.

I know I'd want to spend my Hawaii vacation feeding the meter every four hours or worrying about getting my rental car towed. I hate paying for parking as much as the next guy--maybe even more--but I've come to realize trying to be cheap ends up being costly in the end and often it's easier to just pay the cash and move on with my life.

Something you might want to consider -- since you don't need a car in Waikiki/Honolulu - maybe just do daily rentals for the day(s) you want to go to the other side of the island.

Daily rates are higher than weekly rates but factoring in the days you wouldn't touch the car and the parking hassles/cost it would be cheaper.

In December I stayed at the east end of Waikiki near the Marriott. I parked a few blocks away from my hotel at the Waikiki Banyan (201 Ohua Ave) at an open lot for $8 per 24 hours (full in and out). It was a bit of a pain walking 2 blocks to and from my hotel but it worked out fine. I'd check with the Banyan if you will stay close to it to see if it's still an option.

I'd pay the 15 bucks
oops I already said that

Seriously though, especially since you mention travelling with older parents... wouldn't you want the convenience of having your car right at the hotel? If I were budgeting a vacation, I'd cut-corners somewhere else instead, say skip a fancy restaurant meal in favor of a picnic or something, and figure that covered the extra expense of parking.