My SO and I are going to be spending 6 days in Hawaii next month, and have access to a reduced rate at a Sheraton hotel of our choice. Which of the above choices would you recommend and why? We both like good views (well, who doesn’t gt;)), aren’t into sun tanning and overcrowded beaches where you have to get up early to nab a spot, and prefer to be where there aren’t too many children. Any suggestions??

Hawaiian, Surfrider, Waikiki in that order.

ditto above, exactly

Royal Hawaiian first then the Moana Surfrider(sometimes too many kids there)
Last the Sheraton Waikiki

Aloha!

I suggest that which ever one of these you choose (and if it is the Moana then opt for one of the newer tower rooms) consider having Sunday Brunch at the Moana on the Banyan Lanai. Absolutely unforgettable.

Not to be picky, but the restaurant is actually called the Banyan Veranda (at the Old Moana).

Many thanks for the suggestions – seems like everyone agrees upon the order of preference as well!

answer depends on what SPG level you are as well as your priorities

as a SPG Plat, I'll typically go for the one that gives me the best chance for a suite or oceanfront upgrade (usually MS)

for a SPG non-elite, my answers would be the same as others above:
RH, MS then SW

if less-crowded beach and less kids were a priority, then I'd be looking into the W (another Starwood property) instead

the various waikiki starwood hotels have been discussed endlessly on flyertalk. here's an example:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=175862

A recent article in Honolulu Star Bulletin said that Sheraton was going to have some construction on several of their Waikiki hotels. This includes the Moana, Royal Hawaiian & Sheraton Waikiki.

Also the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center is still under construction. For that reason, I would pick one of the other two.

They have a "hopeful" ending date in 2009, but the article doesn't really have a starting date for the construction. Only a June 1 date to rename the Moana from Sheraton to Westin. Moana would be my first choice.

http://starbulletin.com/2007/01/25/b...s/story02.html

If you "...aren't into overcrowded beaches" why are you going to Waiki?!

The Sheraton Waikiki is still under going a major renovation, no?

We love Waikiki--we were last there January 2005 and there were no crowds to speak of, it was lovely. Enjoy a great trip!

The Royal Hawaiian for sure. Moana is good two. Have stayed at both and they just say "old Hawaii".

Scratch my post above- too brusque.

I should have written:

If you aren’t into overcrowded beaches, Waikiki probably wouldn’t be best for you. (There’s a reason why people call it ‘Manhattan with a beach’) You should go someone outside of Waikiki, whether it be on Oahu or a different island completely.

<<we were last there January 2005 and there were no crowds to speak of>>

Well, _relative_ to the crowds during the Christmas-New Year holiday period, I could see someone saying that _by comparison_ it seemed uncrowded but it is no secret that Waikiki- including the beach- is one of the one of the most crowded tourism destinations in the world.

I apologize for giving out the incorrect information about the name of the area at the Moana.

We were there in May one year and it wasn't bad either. Nothing like the pictures I've seen in travel books which makes me wonder what time of year they were taken.

Another note on the Moana which was spurred by the comment as to "old Hawaii"...
The Moana was orginially opened around 1901 as I recall and there is an interesting, if unfortunately poorly displayed, "museum" area on the second floor of the main building which has various photographs and other pieces of memorabilia from when it was one of "the" places to stay on Waikiki because it was one of the ONLY places to stay there.

The reason I mentioned the new tower was that some of those hallways in the old main building are somewhat poorly lit and almost grim. I've only peeked into a couple of the original rooms which do have a little more "character" than the newer rooms in the tower. But many of the tower rooms have the view.

Unfortunately, because Waikiki is a very popular place the courtyard and beach area at the Moana can be a bit noisy at times.

Different areas of the long stretch of beach that makes up Waikiki are differently crowded. Some parts have tons of people, others not so much. I have found that to be true, at three different times of year so far. Interestingly though, the most crowded part IS that middle section where these hotels are located!

No need to apologize Dukey, I mentioned it only in case they were trying to 'google' or find it to make a reservation. I agree, it's a great restaurant (Banyan Veranda at the Moana)!!