Honolulu info....beach day

[luv2cruz62]

Not much activity on the Hawaii board, so I will try here. We are in Honolulu for a whole day :p, and we are not planning to do any excursions. Does anyone know of an ocean front hotel, that we could go to and use their facilites, beach chairs, bar :D, etc, and what the cost would be? :rolleyes: I know you can do this type of thing in Mexico, but not too sure about Hawaii! Thanks for any info!!

[Alessandrina]

I can't answer your question about using a hotel's facilities but this is what we did. We took The Bus (public bus and easy) from the pier to a hotel in Honolulu. Lots of beach front hotels. We spent time on Waikiki Beach and lay our towels on the sand. We chose a spot near the Outrigger Hotel. Afterwards we went to Duke's Canoe Club for a Mai Tai and lunch. Took The Bus back to the ship.

 

Cheers.

[bdjam]

I don't know of any hotels that provide day passes, but you can use the beach freely and there's plenty of public assess to it. When I visit Honolulu I don't plan excursions either - just head to Waikiki and beach, mai tai, walk and shop.

[1 HappyCruiser]

I can't answer your question about using a hotel's facilities but this is what we did. We took The Bus (public bus and easy) from the pier to a hotel in Honolulu. Lots of beach front hotels. We spent time on Waikiki Beach and lay our towels on the sand. We chose a spot near the Outrigger Hotel. Afterwards we went to Duke's Canoe Club for a Mai Tai and lunch. Took The Bus back to the ship.

 

Cheers.

 

There's also a senior citizens discount of 1/2 the bus fare if you flash them a medicare card. :)

[toberman]

Waikiki beach is a must see and free. Don't expect chairs and umbrellas though (even for rent). Just plop your towel anywhere on the beach. You can use most beach hotel facilities at will (possibly not the pools if they're enclosed) but bars, restaurants, washrooms are pretty open. Many hotels are huge, and they can't possibly know who's staying there or not.

 

Our favorite area is just at the entrance to Waikiki - the Hilton Hawaiian Village.... it's huge with easy access. Just walk thru the lobby area out past the pools (use them if you wish) and to the beach. Because it's at the entrance to Waikiki, it's not nearly as busy, and has probably the widest beach (sand) in the area. There's an adjacent park next door too that many locals come to... has shade and grass, but little, if any amenities.

Have fun - beautiful place.

[flowy]

Waikiki beach is a must see and free. Don't expect chairs and umbrellas though (even for rent). Just plop your towel anywhere on the beach. You can use most beach hotel facilities at will (possibly not the pools if they're enclosed) but bars, restaurants, washrooms are pretty open. Many hotels are huge, and they can't possibly know who's staying there or not.

 

Our favorite area is just at the entrance to Waikiki - the Hilton Hawaiian Village.... it's huge with easy access. Just walk thru the lobby area out past the pools (use them if you wish) and to the beach. Because it's at the entrance to Waikiki, it's not nearly as busy, and has probably the widest beach (sand) in the area. There's an adjacent park next door too that many locals come to... has shade and grass, but little, if any amenities.

Have fun - beautiful place.

 

We also love to go to a hotel, get to the beach and have a wonderful lunch in a casual restaurant on the beach. Does the Hilton have a restaurant on the beach? We did that on our Mexico trip -- went to a hotel and had wonderful lunches there.

[cccole]

A really fun place to rent beach chairs and umbrella is in front of the Outrigger Waikiki. You cannot use the swimming pool but can enjoy food and drinks at Dukes, or order food to go at the bar and take it to your chairs. The chairs and umbrellas are rented by a vendor that is not part of the hotel. It's a great spot. Have a fun day, Cherie

[wharf rat]

The Hilton (on bus line #8, 19, 20 and E), has a nice lagoon with still clean waters and you can rent various water "things" such as paddle boards, pedal boats, etc. They have some beach snack places to eat and lots of beachtowel room. You don't have to stay at the hotel to rent those things and lay on the beach. THey also have a nice lawn area. Just down the beach from the Hilton is Hale Koa, another rental place, and don't forget the $10 (usually) catamaran rides on the beach. Lots to do.

[Darlipoo]

How far from the ship are The Bus stops into Waikiki?

[wharf rat]

How far from the ship are The Bus stops into Waikiki?

 

I am assuming your ship will dock at the "warehouse pier" vs Aloha Tower pier. So just walk out (about 3 minutes) to the main road (Ala Moana Blvd) and turn (left I think) and find a yellow bus stop sign. You can get any bus that is going to Ala Moana Center and transfer to the #8 and get off in front of the Hilton in Waikiki. Depending on how long you have to wait for a bus (usually not longer than 30 minutes as they run often) you can get to the center in 10 minutes and then get the #8. If the #E bus stops there it is very fast. Check the web site for bus routes/times. Google (Hawaii thebus.org) (ck bus routes 8, 19,20,42,E etc) $2.50 (get a transfer) or only $1 with a medicare card. Taxis will charge you at least $20 or more.

[chipmaster]

One should/could consider hanauma bay too..

[CruisinMermaid]

From what I remember, there are a lot of hotels across the street from the beach at Waikiki. It's a free beach so just bring your towels and enjoy!

[cccole]

One should/could consider hanauma bay too..

 

The problem with Hanauma is the expense of getting there, they close early, there is a fee to enter, and there are not any options for dining and bar service. I like Hanauma but would not pick it for a Waikiki beach day, JMO. Cherie

[TKincaidIN]

But what do you do with your bags when you are on the beach? We have 6+ hours betweed when we leave the ship and when we have to catch our flight. We are going to Pearl harbor before the cruise.

Thanks for any suggestions

[Bucky3]

The problem with Hanauma is the expense of getting there, they close early, there is a fee to enter, and there are not any options for dining and bar service. I like Hanauma but would not pick it for a Waikiki beach day, JMO. Cherie

 

Also, just FYI, Hanamau Bay is closed on Tuesdays! We were there in December, and we knew it would be closed that day, but we thought we could at least drive into the parking lot for a view of the beach and bay, but even the entrance was blocked off preventing us from doing even that.

[Zimomiller]

I highly recommend the beacjh area in front of the Outrigger Waikiki on the beach.

 

The proximity to Duke's (greqt bar and restaurant) is terrific and you are right in the center of all the action on the beach.They will let you use the bathrooms etc and really do not pay close attention to who is coming and going.

 

There are plenty of activities, surf schools rentals as well.