Need Hotel Where do I stay??

[tinsel57]

Hello

 

I've never been to Hawaii before and have booked the Celebrity Infinity Honolulu to Ensenada April 6 sail.

 

I plan to arrive April 3 to do a few days of site seeing and would appreciate it if someone would suggest a hotel. I am not a big fan of the crowded beaches and high rises but need to be since our stay is so short want to be centrally located but on the beach, as to make the best of our site seeing time. Looking for an ocean front room.

 

Thank you for your assistance. I am so excited about this!

 

PS any and all tips on pricing, rental cars, special things to do, are always appreciated as well!

[Treven]

I stayed at the Alana Doubletree on Ala Moana Blvd. Walking distances to most of the attractions in Waikiki, and good eats as well.

[tinsel57]

The only problem is that the Doubletree is not beachfront. I am looking for beachfront.

 

But thanks for the heads up!

[daWoods]

You might want to check http://www.gohawaii.com/ and click on Accomodations.

[sprinkles]

We LOVE the Sheraton, if you get a high floor ocean facing room the views are outstanding from your balcony.

 

Tammy

[rcrj762]

Sprinkles,

 

What Sheraton did you stay in?

Cheri

[spleen93]

I'm assuming it's the Sheraton Waikiki.

 

What's your price range for a hotel? Beachfront in Waikiki (or anywhere in Hawaii for that matter) has a certain premium that pushes the price up. There is another Sheraton that's more upscale than the Sheraton Waikiki - the Sheraton Moana Surfrider - but it's also considerably more expensive. Other great hotels in the area include the Halekulani and the Royal Hawaiian. Knowing that will help us guide you a little better.

 

BTW, since attractions on Oahu are so scattered about, staying in Waikiki may not be that central to things any more (though still more convenient if looking for variety of places to eat). Other good hotels outside of Waikiki are the Kahala Mandarin Oriental (really close to Waikiki), the J.W. Marriott Ihilani Resort (fairly far from Waikiki but relatively close to Pearl Harbor), and the Turtle Bay Resort (very far from Waikiki but on North Shore so close to sights there).

 

Spleen

[rcrj762]

We will be staying at Sheraton's Royal Hawaiian in Aug. Does any one now anything about this hotel? Good or Bad

[tinsel57]

I am like everyone else, I want a nice hotel, beach front, for the best rate I can get! LOL!

 

Seriously, I know some rooms are just way way way out of my price range, i love the Halekulani, ranked the #1 Beach Hotel from the travel channel, but a $500 room is not a consideration!

 

I am looking to hit a discount rate for oceanview room, King bed, fridge would be nice but is not a necessity. It's just the two of us. I have a preference for small, lovely, service oriented hotels vs the neon high rise stake out your sand early, steel drum band is playing 24/7 party central stuff. I like understated elegance.

 

I'd also be willing to do hotel and car packages or hotel, breakfast, car that sort of thing. Since we'll be running around, we won't be spending a lot of time using hotel amenities so I would not not interested in their golf, spa or dinner packages, stuff like that.

 

I have friends staying at the Pacific Beach hotel. I know nothing about that.

There are tons of choices, I think that's a part of the problem, unless you can find someone that gives you some input it's hard to distinguish, in most cases.

PS we're arriving 4/3 cruise departs 4/6

 

Your thoughts?

[orcatek]

We like the Hilton Hawaiian Village. On the Beach, good show by the pool on Fridays/Saturday night. Plenty of dining options. You can get a reasonable rate off the net. Not cheap, but it is nice.

[sprinkles]

Cheri,

 

Sorry, I was talking about the Sheraton Waikiki. The view of the beach and Diamond Head is postcard perfect (when you have a oceanfront room). The atmosphere there is not party central, it's just laid back Hawaiian nice (I'm sure the Moana Surfrider is even nicer). I would just not suggest the Sheraton Princess Kialani (sp?). We tried to save a little money last time and booked that. It was horribly noisy and not what we wanted. We just couldn't stay there and switched back over to the Sheraton Waikiki.

 

Tinsel you are right, there are lots of choices in Waikiki, unfortunately most are going to be high rises. Like suggested above, the Hilton Hawaiian Village is a gorgeous property too. Good luck.

 

Tammy

[Beryl]

Have you looked at Outrigger Reef. It is located right on Waikiki Beach.http://www.outrigger.com/hotels_detail.aspx?hotel=2

 

I would also suggest that you might look at some of the hotels that are located just across the street from the beach. If you are not a big fan of crowded beaches that might be close enough for you. You could still get an ocean view room.

[umay]

I have stayed at the Outrigger Reef and loved it.

[daWoods]

A question for Spleen.

 

On our first visit to Hawaii, in the '70's, we stayed at the Holiday Inn right across the street from Waikiki. I think the hotel next door was the Hawaiian Regent. I know that the names have changed since then, but I'm wondering if you can tell me what the former Holiday Inn is called now. It was the last hotel on the strip at that time, with a great view of Diamond Head.

[Michelle!]

I couldn't keep to myself here... I was able to book the Sheraton Waikiki on Hotwire for 127.00 per night. It was easy to pick out as a Sheraton, but, I guessed the wrong resort. I will be in Waikiki on Sept 29 for two night. I will not complain, I'm still in a Starwood property and the room should be nice enough!

 

The lowest rate anywhere that same day for the same room is at least 80 + more per night.

 

Good luck - I am sure you will be happy with whatever you choose.

[spleen93]

Michelle - on Priceline, you're able to get the Sheraton Waikiki for around $100/night usually - you may have hit a higher period because of conventions or other things going on.

 

daWoods - I remember that Holiday Inn. I think that it's called the Hawaiian Waikiki Beach Hotel now (but I could be reading the map wrong too).

 

Tinsel - Beachfront is hard to find small boutique hotels - they're mostly highrises. The Pac Beach is not beachside either - and personally, I think it's past its prime (though many people like it). The Sheraton Moana Surfrider IS a very nice hotel though ... and very understated elegance, throwback to the old ages of the royalty in Hawaii. If you can swing it, might be an option. Also, if you can swing it, I would definitely encourage to look at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental. Both of these hotels though are going to be in the $200 - 300/night category unless you've got some connections (or local resident rates) so it's going to be pricey.

 

On cheaper options, you may want to look at the 2 Outriggers (Outrigger Reef or Outrigger Waikiki) - both are on the beach. Or, the previously mentioned Sheraton Waikiki on Priceline or Hotwire - Priceline will be cheaper and it's not hard to get a good price that way. For help with this, I recommend reading the Hawaii FAQ section in www.biddingfortravel.com.

 

Spleen

[tinsel57]

Yeah, I kind of got that feeling about Pacific, which is why though others in my party have been booked there for months, I've been hesitant to do so!

 

The pricey hotels look wonderful, I will just keep hoping a special pops up and see what can be had, until the time gets iffy.

 

I really appreciate all the info.

 

Oh Wow! Just looked at the Mandarin and the Sheaton.. to die for.

 

Ok, so if you HAD to choose one of these two, which would you choose? They both are stunning.

[spleen93]

I would go with the Kahala Mandarin. Beautiful hotel with wonderful atmosphere, understated elegance, and to-die-for bathrooms in the rooms. And I'm not just saying that because I got married there. :)

 

Spleen

[daWoods]

Thanks Spleen. I think you're right.

[tinsel57]

You do know it totally ruins looking at other hotels once you've seen these two! I'll eat hot dogs ewww for a month to stay in one of these hotels!

[spleen93]

There you go, tinsel - you can do it! :)

 

Spleen

[beachchick]

rcrj762: We have not stayed at the Royal Hawaiian, but would love to. It is a classic Waikiki hotel. It's beautiful and the gardens are lovely. It's right on the beach and has good facilities. We have walked the grounds many times and always stop at the Mai Tai bar on the beach for a drink (love their mai tais).

 

beachchick

[sassycassie]

We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village when we were there two months ago. I picked that hotel because of the convenience of bus stops, trolley stops and car rental. It was a fabulous hotel -- and our room had a postcard view of the ocean and Diamond Head!

[rcrj762]

Beachchick,

Thanks for your reply. Im sure it will be a great hotel. We also stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village 10 years ago and it was very nice.

[Happy ks]

We have stayed at the Outrigger Reef while in Honolulu and it was very nice for the $$. I would recommend not getting the rental car and just using public transportation if you are just seeing the sights in downtown Honolulu. We found it a little confusing driving around with the unusual street names. We liked the location as we could just walk right onto the beach from the hotel. You can rent a car right in downtown to drive out of town for the day. You have to consider not only the cost of the rental, but hotels charge quite a premium for parking.

 

Our favorite place to stay is Marriott Ihilani out at Ko Olina Resort. It helps that we have a friend who lives at the marina there. It is not in town, but very peaceful and beautiful. The rooms are quite luxurious and spacious, we usually don't even want to leave the room. Last time we ordered pizza in and watched the sunset from our balcony. We could leave our balcony door open all night, the gentle sound of the ocean combined with the soothing sounds of the Hawaiian music was absolute heaven. We awoke to the sounds of birds singing in the trees. Quite a departure from staying in Honolulu, with the crowds. I know Costco has pretty good package deals to this resort.