Hotel in Waikiki area- Dec 27-30

[businessmachine]

Hello everyone.

I am planning a honeymoon trip to Las Vegas & Hawaii( HNL, KAUAI). I already have the flights booked, the hotel in Vegas, and the hotel in Kauai( grand hyatt). I am having lots of trouble finding the right deal on a hotel in the Waikiki beach area. I will be there for 3 nights from Dec 27- Dec 30 and I want to stay in a really nice place without going broke .

Can anyone give me any tips on hotels or resorts. If someone has points etc with the resort, I won't mind paying for them.

Thank you in advance.

[businessmachine]

Anyone???

[robi]

I stayed in Hyatt, very decent, was also in the Sheraton princess, very small rooms. The westin is really nice. I'm Hyatt diamond with suite upgrades, pm me

[lechaim2life]

When I was looking into Waikiki I found some good deals on VRBO in the Trump Tower (ranked #1 on Trip Advisors). From reading the forum and speaking to friends, it seems like Kauai is really the place to go in Hawaii. If you are still able to switch destinations there is supposedly a gorgeous Hyatt there (I will be there in January for my Honeymoon). You and your wife should both apply for the Chase Hyatt Cards and after making one purchase you will get 1 free night at the hotel (used to be 2 nights but I think the promotion changed). If there is a nice Hyatt in Waikiki I'm sure you can do that too.

[businessmachine]

Thanks for the info guys. I am actually doing hnl for 3 nights and then heading over to the grand hyatt in Kauai for 5 nights. I did check out VRBO and saw the Trump there..I just wasn't sure what those listings were about. was it condo rental or direct from the hotel?

[Dan]

We loved the Westin.  Not a fan of either Sheraton.

[businessmachine]

Thanks Dan.

Also. do you recommend I rent a car in oahu? We will be mostly staying in Waikiki but might want to visit pearl harbor and the kosher chabad restaurant.

I plan on renting a car in Kauai for sure!

[Ryan]

@Dan - Bump on the previous question.

How bad is the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani? I found a rate of $115/night + tax and resort fee which is much better than any other brand name property in the Waikiki beach vicinity. However, I have read some pretty mixed reviews. Being outdated isn't a huge deal, I will only be there for a short time on both ends of the trip and it seems great location wise.

Also, does anyone have any experience with the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach which will be starting renovations in March?

[Dan]

The Kaiulani is a dump from what I've heard and is not on the beach.
You can better than that for less money with priceline.

[businessmachine]

I ended up staying at the TRUMP and it was absolutely amazing. The service is the best I have ever received! One minus is that its not on the beach ( about a block away)...your best bet is to either use VRBO or jetluxury and rent the rooms from them---its about half the price

[Ryan]

The Sheraton Princess is across the street from the beach and the Sheraton Waikiki. I tried up to $130/night + tax for the dates I need on Priceline within Waikiki beach and came up with nothing. For now I'll take consolation into the fact that I'll at least be earning SPG nights. I won't be in the hotel much anyway so as long as I have a clean room I'm happy. It can't be that bad...right?...

What are your thoughts on the necessity of a rental car in Honolulu if I want to check out Diamond Head, the USS Arizona memorial and possibly Hanauma Bay. I assume to go up to the North Shore or Nuuanu Pali Lookout a rental car would be crucial, but maybe the public transit is decent?

Sorry, I guess this should be in the Oahu thread...

[Ryan]

I ended up staying at the TRUMP and it was absolutely amazing. The service is the best I have ever received! One minus is that its not on the beach ( about a block away)...your best bet is to either use VRBO or jetluxury and rent the rooms from them---its about half the price

The Trump Waikiki does look great. Although it is over $100 more/night than the Sheraton Princess and doesn't get me any closer to SPG platinum. I'm really only looking for a place to sleep, so I hope the Sheraton can provide that.

[Ryan]

I tried Priceline again and I got the Prince Hawaii for under $130/night. Has anyone stayed there?

[dhalpern1]

I stayed at the prince for one night (priceline also). Its a decent hotel- not as nice as the other ones but it is clean. It is also near the marina and not right on the main beach (there is one within walking distance).

[TC610]

What are your thoughts on the necessity of a rental car in Honolulu if I want to check out Diamond Head, the USS Arizona memorial and possibly Hanauma Bay. I assume to go up to the North Shore or Nuuanu Pali Lookout a rental car would be crucial, but maybe the public transit is decent?

TheBus (public transit, www.thebus.org) has a route to Diamond Head, which is close to Waikiki so the transit time isn't that long.  TheBus has routes to some major attractions and sites/bays/beaches along the highways including the North Shore, but Waikiki to North Shore would probably take up to twice as long with public transit as opposed to renting a car (per Frommer's).  For the Pearl Harbor stuff, grab one of the tourist attraction guides at the airport or hotel.  Some of the travel agencies there offer packages to Pearl Harbor that will include transportation.  The last 2 times I stayed in Waikiki I was glad to have a car, but that's because we ventured out of Waikiki quite a bit.  Overnight hotel parking can add up and may be expensive in Waikiki.