Pretty sure we will go on vacations to Hawaii. It will be a surprise to DH so to the ones that know him keep that in mind ;)
I've been looking around and for the price I think it's the place to go. So now I need help! I've been to Hawaii once but I didn't have to book a hotel or car or anything. I was there visiting my bestfriend who's husband was stationed there. Dh's never been there. We are planing on going for about a week. I have looked online and I have some hotels in mind. Some of the hotel's names are:
-Waikiki Sand Villa (http://www.waikikisandvillahotel.com/)
-Ala Moana Hotel (http://outrigger.com/hotels_detail.aspx?hotel=110)
-Outrigger Luana Waikiki (http://www.outriggerluanawaikikicondo.com/)

I'm open to other options but looking online those seem very good for the price and location.
Can someone help me with the most see/visit places and should we rent a car up there? I know there are buses and taxis and all that and we can walk the whole waikiki but should we still rent a car?
Any other help ladies?
TIA!!

I would stay at the Ala Moana since it's a military hotel and everyone I know says it's very nice! :)

Oh I didn't know Ala Moana Hotel was military. I just found online the Hale Koa Hotel and it's a military hotel, pretty good rates there but I don't know where it's located still have to look at the map.

I stayed at the marriot a few times it had beautiful rooms and great views and it was a fair price.

http://halekoa.com/index_secure.htm

That's the one they always show on AFN here. :shrug

The Hale Koa is the military hotel. I would recommend that, it has gorgeous pools, as well as is on the beach, and in a good location for walking.

Yes you need to rent a car IMO. Someone else asked recently on here about Hawaii. IMO the North Shore and Windwaard side have the best things to see and do. Waikiki/Honolulu is good for shopping and eating, but not sightseeing.

Musts IMO are-
Polynesian Cultural Center
Macadamia Nut Farm
Byodo In Temple
North Shore
drive along the Kalanianaole highway - lighthouse, see whales, blowhole, Rabbit Island, etc...
Drive along the Kamehameha Highway, Chinaman's Hat, Coconut Island.

Don't forget to hit the swap meet and do a luau.

We've never had a problem renting cars/vans from Enterprise.

Shaky, the Hale Koa is located very close to the Luana Hotel but the Luana is not a beach front hotel while the Hale Koa is, how funny, I used to work for Outrigger and be the accountant for the Luana, if you chose that hotel I know the manager personally and can try to get you a discount, also if you choose one of the Outrigger Hotels, I have lots of friends that could get you a discount... I know from the accounting people to the front desk personnel, let me know. Try this link and see all the hotels they have:

http://www.outrigger.com

yikes! stay away from Thrifty rental services. they tried to screw us over big time. I DONT reccomend them!

Thanks for the info :) When I went there I did go around the island and I think that's a must also.
I put the links to the hotels so you could take a look :)

Alex thanks for the info! I sure will keep it in mind :)
Carrie that sucks! I will keep that in mind also.

The Hale Koa seems to be all full. That seemed like a nice one though.

Duh, I am sorry I was thinking Hale Koa. That's what I get for posting when I am still half asleep!

LOL
I put our names on the wait list but I cant just sit and see if something comes available for the time we want.
Has any of you been to this other hotels? how are they about location?
Does ITT has good deals for things to do there?
Thank you ladies!

My suggestion would be to rent one of the cottages on Bellows which is the airforce station on island. It isn't in Waikiki but IMO has a much better beach and it is nice and quiet. The cottages are right on the beach and it isn't a far drive to anywhere you might want to go. And at the low rate of $80/night you can't beat it! We have our week reserved for our anniversary in September. We were married right there in Waimanalo!

Is there a link for those where I can get more info?
If we rent a car we could pretty much stay anywhere. I would love to stay in waikiki but I'm open to sugestions.

Here is the link to the Bellows cabins, I agree, the Waimanalo beach is stunning!

http://www.bellowsafs.com/cabins.html

How far are the cottages from Downtown?
Does anyone know if ITT has discounts for activities or tickets?

The Hale Koa seems to be all full. That seemed like a nice one though.

The Hale Koa is always "full" when you do the internet search but if you call they have availability. I don't know why that is but I found out personally when I called them last month. Give them a call. If you want pictures I can provide them when I get back on Saturday.

My suggestion would be to rent one of the cottages on Bellows which is the airforce station on island. It isn't in Waikiki but IMO has a much better beach and it is nice and quiet. The cottages are right on the beach and it isn't a far drive to anywhere you might want to go. And at the low rate of $80/night you can't beat it! We have our week reserved for our anniversary in September. We were married right there in Waimanalo!

OH i agree! i spent my 21st b-day there, you walk out your door and there is the beach! i wish i was on my own computer i would send you some pictures that we took of our cottages.

Yes yes post the pics or send them to me! :)
I called the Hale Koa already but they are booked. I put our names on the waiting list.

Yes yes post the pics or send them to me! :)
I called the Hale Koa already but they are booked. I put our names on the waiting list.

I'll post the pictures when I get back. :D

We stayed at the Pacific Beach Hotel for 2 weeks there this past Christmas. The hotel was amazing, they have a 2-story fish tank with 3 different restaurants that surround it. It was awesome to eat breakfast every morning next to tropical fish. It's also right across the streer from Waikiki Beach.

Renting car is a MUST! We did twice from Dollar Rent-a-car for less than $100 a day, we got a Dodge Calibur the first time, and a brand new Toyota Corolla the second time.

Some of the things we did:
-luau
-dolphin snorkel
-scuba diving
-hike Manoa Falls
-dinner cruise
-hike Diamond Head
-cruised theNorth Shore
-Kailua
-Chinaman's Hat
-Hanauma Bay
-Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri

The dinner cruise we went on
http://starofhonolulu.com/

The luau we went to
http://www.paradisecovehawaii.com/

And here is where we did our dolphin snorkel
http://www.dolphinexcursions.com/

If you want any reviews or any information I am glad to help you. :)

Oh I didn't know Ala Moana Hotel was military. I just found online the Hale Koa Hotel and it's a military hotel, pretty good rates there but I don't know where it's located still have to look at the map.

The thing about the Hale Koa Hotel, is you need to book WAY in advance, we tried booking it last July for our trip in December, and they were booked solid. So if this trip is 6+ months away, you might have a chance at booking it. We did go there just to check it out, it is VERY nice, we ate at the restaurant there (they only allow you in if you are military). We also talked to a reception lady about booking there, she says many people will make reservations a year in advance.

The thing about the Hale Koa Hotel, is you need to book WAY in advance, we tried booking it last July for our trip in December, and they were booked solid. So if this trip is 6+ months away, you might have a chance at booking it. We did go there just to check it out, it is VERY nice, we ate at the restaurant there (they only allow you in if you are military). We also talked to a reception lady about booking there, she says many people will make reservations a year in advance.

I must have been lucky because I called last month and got in for this month. Is this the off season?

I must have been lucky because I called last month and got in for this month. Is this the off season?

Perhaps it was booked since it was around the holiday season, but the reception lady did say she got a lot of requests a year in advance.

This is off season in Hawaii so I'm sure that's probably how you got it so fast :)
We are going in June so that's two months from now. I can't just sit and wait for the Hale Koa.
Those cottages are a good idea but I think I want to have more of a hotel feeling where we can go down to the lobby and have some drinks right there and not having to drive much around. I still want to see the pics :)

This is off season in Hawaii so I'm sure that's probably how you got it so fast :)
We are going in June so that's two months from now. I can't just sit and wait for the Hale Koa.
Those cottages are a good idea but I think I want to have more of a hotel feeling where we can go down to the lobby and have some drinks right there and not having to drive much around. I still want to see the pics :)


Ok well if you really want the hotel experience I suggest priceline! We used it for our honeymoon weekend in Waikiki. You can choose how many stars you want and all the amenities and then name a price and see what pops up. Only down side, you don't know EXACTLY where you are staying until you have booked. But we got a pool facing room at the outrigger reef for 90/nt which was a great price for Waikiki!

And yes, ITT has discount tickets for everything there. Luaus, dinner cruises and the like. You can get all of your water fun equipment from the outdoor recreation place on the base for next to nothing.

We stayed at the Pacific Beach Hotel for 2 weeks there this past Christmas. The hotel was amazing, they have a 2-story fish tank with 3 different restaurants that surround it. It was awesome to eat breakfast every morning next to tropical fish. It's also right across the streer from Waikiki Beach.

Renting car is a MUST! We did twice from Dollar Rent-a-car for less than $100 a day, we got a Dodge Calibur the first time, and a brand new Toyota Corolla the second time.

Some of the things we did:
-luau
-dolphin snorkel
-scuba diving
-hike Manoa Falls
-dinner cruise
-hike Diamond Head
-cruised theNorth Shore
-Kailua
-Chinaman's Hat
-Hanauma Bay
-Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri

The dinner cruise we went on
http://starofhonolulu.com/

The luau we went to
http://www.paradisecovehawaii.com/

And here is where we did our dolphin snorkel
http://www.dolphinexcursions.com/

If you want any reviews or any information I am glad to help you. :)

Ok I just checked all those links and now I'm in love with the idea :smitten tell me about all of them :) ups and downs. Things I should avoid or things I should do :) Thank you!!!

Outrigger is great, def get a rental car

Marie, Thank you SOOO much for all the great info you PMed me! It has helped soooo much! I'm taking notes of the things we will be doing there.
Do you think it would be smart to go to the ITT there as soon as we get there or should we try to be through ITT in advance?