My mom is in Straub Hospital, and they’re about to move her into intensive care, and as the oldest, I’ve been elected to go if need be to make medical decisions. My mom lives on Kauai, so I can’t use her place as a base and fly back and forth, so I need a hotel near or easily accessible to the hospital (it’s at 888 South King Street).
It would be best if the hotel had WiFi, because if I have to stay for a while, I will probably have to try to work from my laptop. Does anyone have any suggestions? Of course, there’s tons of resort hotels, but I can’t really get a sense from the map how far things are from the hospital (and I can’t afford $300 a night). I’d make do with a motel or something, but the ability to work would really really be helpful.
Please throw out any suggestions you may have. I may be going tomorrow, depending on what the intensive care doc tells me later today.
I know nothing about Honolulu, but is there any way you could contact someone at the hospital for a recommendation? They should know best what’s nearby. If you get a short list, you can call around and see how they meet your other needs.
I’ve got to head back to work but if you go to Google Maps (or maybe it’s Yahoo Maps) and pop in the address of the hospital, you can then choose an option to ‘show all hotels’ near there. The map will then list hotels + contact information and even websites for some of them.
Nakamura Hotel
1140 S King St, Honolulu, HI (0.37 miles away)
808-593-9951
My high school is right there. That walk should take you 10 minutes. But I second the suggestion to ask the hospital about where you could stay.
If you don’t plan to rent a car, the public bus system has many routes that go past that area, especially on King Street and the roads to the north (Beretania) and south (Kapi’olani) of that. If you need to, you could easily rely on it to get to and from the hospital.
The hospital information mentions the bus, which seems to be a decent system. Is it a pay for a ride at a time system? or can you get passes or something for more trips. The hospital site says the fare is 1.50. Is that accurate?
The hospital website has a few hotels listed, but all but 2 of them are hundreds of dollars. I will call and ask before I go; thanks.
I know TheBus is $2 a ride, with one free transfer. You can get a 4-day pass for $20, or a month pass for $40, if you’re going to be there longer. It is a decent system.
I don’t think the Nakamura Hotel is there any longer. It’s not listed in the current phone book and the number is disconnected. The hospital suggestions are your best bet.
I’ve rented places off CL in hawaii several times and never been disappointed. It’s way cheaper than staying at the expensive hotels. You can also get good deals on last minute vacation rentals that might meet your needs under the vacation rentals section.
Never heard of the Nakamura, nor would I think S. King would have hotels.
Thirding the hospital recommendations. In Waikiki, try for the hotels on Kuhio Ave. It’s a couple blocks back from the beach area, so the rates are less. Look for hotels with Ohana or Outrigger in the titles, it’s a local chain.
I never heard of it either, and I suspect it was an illegal B&B. They’re cracking down on them. And no, there are no hotels on S. King. They’re pretty much all in Waikiki.
Ceejaytee, the exception is the ResortQuest at the Executive Center, on Bishop Street downtown. If you don’t mind walking a mile or so, it’s in walking distance, but you are only a block from King or Beretania, where the buses run. Don’t jaywalk, they WILL give you a ticket. When I called, the guy quoted me $137, however that stacks up with your other resources.
It’s geared for business travelers, suites only, so you’d have a kitchen. Since you are not going to be there for vacationing, perhaps it would suit you. I’m sorry for your troubles and hope everything works out well.
I second the suggestion of the Executive Centre. You can also try the Pagoda Hotel and the Ala Moana Hotel.
Pagoda is probably the least expensive of these three, but is located in a slightly sketchy area (hostess/strip bars a block away). It is about 3 blocks away from Ala Moana Center.
Ala Moana Hotel is located adjacent to Ala Moana Shopping Center, which is a primary hub for many (most?) bus lines. There are also many “condotel” units, I think with kitchenettes. Not sure if these are available through the hotel itself or only through private owners. Here’s a list of those available on VRBO: VRBO - Ala Moana Hotel
Could walk to Straub from Executive Centre, but be careful at night.
Here’s information on the city bus system: The Bus. You can get a 4-day pass for $20 or a 1-month pass for $40.
Don’t feel at a loss if you can’t get your hotel accommodations straight before you go. You always have the option of staying somewhere upon arrival and figuring out where to stay and how long once you’ve been there a day or two.
Thanks for clarification on the Nakamura. I didn’t remember it being there, but I have been away for 5 years. I don’t recognize a lot of places anymore…
Anyway, at hotels.com, I found several places that were less than $100 a night in Waikiki, the lowest about $65. These aren’t luxurious places, but transportation options in and out of Waikiki are probably the best you’ll find in the state.
Also, whether referred to through the hospital or not, I don’t see any harm in asking hotels if they offer discount rates to people in town on account of situations such as yours.
Thank you all so much. These are great leads. It looks like I have a couple of days to decide what to do–the doc says my mom is responding to treatment and I may not have to rush down there just yet. I have to call this morning (HI time) and see how she did overnight. But it’s a relief that she’s responding better.
The Ala Moana was on a list from the hospital, and the Executive Center sounds great. Walking distance would definitely be nice.
Thanks for all of the good wishes and the help. I was in a blind panic yesterday, and all of my google-fu deserted me. Dopers are an incredible resource, and you’ve really helped calm me down.