Honolulu Hotel Recommendation

[shay1]

We are looking at booking NCL Hawaii cruise in May and are considering arriving day before cruise departure.

 

Looking for Hotel Recommendations (reasonable price).

 

Any tips given this will be our first trip to Hawaii.

[LeeW]

You didn't say where you were sailing from, but looks like it is probably Honolulu. Obvious place to stay there is on Waikiki beach and there are a ton of good hotels there. Our favorite is probably the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Certainly not the cheapest, but you could probably walk to the port from there if you had to. Good restaurants and shopping on the property, lots of pools and of course the beach. Pacific Hotel is about 6 blocks east and not bad. Pretty much at the far end of the main beach area and popular with Japanese. If you have a military connection, the Hale Koa is right next to the Hilton. Not real fancy, but adequate. Need to show ID just to get on the grounds. Waikiki is quite a distance from the airport (fairly high cab fare). Buses and limos are most reasonable way to get there. Driving is grim in that area, and most hotels charge $8 a night or more for parking. If you have time you may want to drive around the island (maybe 3 hours plus stops). You can take the bus, but it will take a whole day. Best place to stop - Polynesian Culteral Center. But it takes at least half a day to see most of it and more if you watch the shows. Leis are sold in hotels and airport concourses (around half of these are outdoors), but best place is out in the main parking lot - lots of ladies sitting out there and making them in a row of stalls. Enjoy your trip!

[shay1]

Opps! Sorry it is Honolulu we are looking at sailing out of. On Norwegian Wind.

 

Thank you for all your good information.

 

You seem to be very knowlegeable about Hawaii would you recommend we book air fare through cruise line. We will be fly from Florida.

 

Or should we book air on our own as long as we arrive Hawaii at least a day before departure?

[MissTravel]

Aloha, I just got back from Hawaii. I am leaving on the Empress of the Seas on Feb 14, 2005. Our favorite place to stay is the Outrigger Waikiki. There are other Outrigger Hotels but that is our favorite, right in the heart of Waikiki Beach. Lots of shopping and great restaurants within walking distance. The bus ride $1.00 will take you anywhere, we have used it in the past to get to the hotel.

[sirgonealot]

Just returned from a Hawaii cruise in December. We flew into Honolulu two days before the cruise and stayed at the Illikai. I bid on Priceline for $60.00 a day and got it. This is considered a 3 star hotel on their system. (I was pleased to get the Illikai because I have stayed there many times in the past.)

 

The room was recently refurbished and had a little kitchenette that I had no intention of using! The hotel is next door to the Hilton Hawaiian Village, so I love the location.

 

We took the Roberts bus from the airport. Cannot remember the price - maybe $7.00 per person. If you need a car rent one for the day. Alamo is located in the hotel. Car parking overnight is $16.00.

 

I think I would look at booking a flight with Delta. I live in Atlanta and they have been offering some great deals. Fly into Atlanta and hop on one of two non-stops to HNL. It is tiring, but the best way to go unless you want to spend the night on the West Coast (I think this breaks your fare and makes it much more expensive.)

 

Hope I have helped.

[shay1]

Thank you for your information.

I have been checking air on Delta and looks like the best one so far.

I have found a couple of sites that if I book 2 nights in Honolulu with air then I can fly out of Sarasota for a more resonable price.

I had been trying to price just air then hotel separately and it would cost me $300+ extra to fly from Sarasota versus Tampa.

So I will book as a package I just have to decide on the hotel.

[Happy ks]

Or two, if you can manage, before the cruise. Otherwise, you will be exhausted the first few days of your cruise. Don't forget, you will have 11+ hours of flight, plus a 6 hour time difference. Add to that the stress and boredom of travel, you will be very happy to have a night to just crash.

 

For a short stay, I would not recommend getting a rental car, traffic is heavy in Honolulu and the street names can be very confusing. Grab a shuttle or taxi to your hotel, walk or use public transportation in town. If you really want to get out of Honolulu for the day, there are rental agencies downtown where you can rent a car only for the day.

 

There are so many hotels in Honolulu, it's very hard to recommend any one, not knowing your budget and taste. We prefer staying away from Honolulu, a little quieter, more like Hawaii as you imagine it to be. If this is a one time visit and you want to see Waikiki, you should look for a hotel as close to the beach as possible.

[mii]

Having to Honolulu many times I can also recommend the Outrigger hotels. There are many of them. The one we stayed was the Outrigger Reef hotel but the other ones seem quite as nice . I also would not recommend renting a car. After being on a long flight you will ready to just rest and besides most of the hotels are in walking distance to the beach and shopping. Driving in Honolulu is like driving in a big city. Lots of traffic and tourists. Just my opinion.

 

Marilyn