I’m going to Oahu in March to attend a wedding. I’m looking for a relatively cheap hotel around the Waikiki area, which is where the wedding will be held. The hotel the couple is recommending is pretty pricy - $300+ per night.
I’m going to be there 3 nights. My ordered criteria are:
Safe - I’m bringing scuba gear for diving in Maui after the wedding, so I really don’t want my room ransacked.
Clean
And that’s it. I’ll be by myself - my wife and I are doing separate vacations this year - so a tiny room is fine.
There are plenty of budget hotels ($70 - 90 /night) on orbitz, travelocity, etc. but they all have their share of horrible reviews. So I’m looking for some advice from Dopers who may have been in Waikiki recently, where did you stay, how did you like it, how much did you pay?
Seeing as how this is peak tourist season, cheap is going to be tough. (The rates get jacked up – sometimes tripled – between December and March.) When I lived in Waikiki, I had my mom stay at one of the “off the beaten path” Outriggers. However, looking at the Outrigger website, it seems they’ve sold their smaller hotels. Perhaps try looking at the Sheraton website?
At any rate, prices go like this:
If you have an ocean or mountain view, the room’ll be more expensive. Waikiki is bounded on one side by the ocean (Kalakaua Avenue), the other by the Ala Wai canal (Ala Wai Boulevard), with Kuhio Avenue splitting it in half. Hotels between Kuhio and the Ala Wai are cheaper than the ones between Kalakaua and Kuhio, since they’re further from the beach. Hotels on the Ala Wai are more expensive than those closer to Kuhio, because you end up with a view of other buildings.
In general, I’d say that you’d be better off with one of the major hotel chains. They most likely have standard cleaning crews, security stuff, and are most likely (IMO) to have regular procedures as to dealing with any issues that come up.
It’s been a while since I’ve stayed there, but check out the Ilima (www.ilima.com). It is a few blocks off the main drag, and an older hotel. But the rooms are fine (even have little kitchenettes, as I recall). I found out about it from a co-worker who used to stay out there for work (while he was working at Pearl Harbor). I know he stayed there with lots of technical gear, and never got ripped off. From their website, the rooms are around $135, which is relatively cheap for Waikiki. It’s pretty no frills, but I believe it would be safe. If nothing else, the logistics of removing a bag of scuba gear would be prohibitive.
I take it you’ll be diving the outer wall of Molokini (at least once) while in Maui. Tip: be sure to look away from the wall at times - when a friend of mine dove there, she got to see a humpback. And you will be there at the tail end of humpback season (no pun intended
Ilima Hotel 808-923-1877 1-800-801-9366 (my friend’s place )
Harbor Shores 488-5742
(10 miles away from Waikiki, but on a busline, plus kitchenette)
Ewa Hotel 808-922-1677 1-800-359-8639
Reserve WAY ahead, lots of places are already sold out.
Bed & Breakfast:
All on the windward side (the GREEN side of the island) in Kailua
15 miles from Waikiki, but a beautiful drive!
Kailua is quiet, uncrowded, relatively tourist free
with a better beach than Waikiki
all area code 808
Alii 262-9545
All 263-2342
Andrea’s 262-0839
B&B 262-8540 or 1-877-657-5745
Beach Lane 262-8286
Best Beach 261-9000
Elegant 263-0707
Fairway 263-6439
HI 261-7895
Kailua 262-1163
Sharons 262-5621
Sheffield 262-0721
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