Waikiki - 3 Beach Hotels - February

The highlights of our trip were Paradise Cove Luau, Pearl Harbor (very moving), snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, and renting a surfboard at Waikiki. We also enjoyed the Waimea Falls Park (the cliff diving), the Magic of Polynesia nightclub show, and were really in awe of the sunset beach professional surfers. We also went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Society of Seven night club act. I'll do write ups on our individual activities.

Quick Tips:

I used an Entertainment book to get 1/2 off the Outrigger Hotel I stayed at. Well worth it. I also used the local entertainment book for 1/2 off the luau and 1/2 off the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Best Way To Get Around:

We rented a car. We went through the travelnow.com web site and only paid for the week for a mid size car. We heard about the inexpensive bus but we like the independence of a car. The hotels charge about a day for car parking. We also read that some of the tourists were crime victims while waiting for the bus in more remote places.

It was an older hotel but quite roomy and nice. The way the hotel is designed, it didn't look like you could get a room without an ocean view. The drama with the ocean around it is unmatched. The sunsets are really fantastic. The Ocean/Pool Bar makes the best Mai Tais on the planet. I got a great deal w/govt rate at $110/night. The front desk staff was too stretched when we arrived and we didn't get the best service from them. The restaurant was very good but their orange juice costs way too much for a glass (like $4...but the rest of the food was reasonably priced. I would highly recommend this hotel for a breather from Waikiki. We went in February and really enjoyed the professional surfers doing their thing while we watched them, mai tai in hand.

The accommodations were quite beautiful at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. We stayed in the Rainbow Tower on the 6th floor with ocean front room for $171 per night govt rate. It was an awesome view of Diamond Head. The sand is really nice at the HHV too, better than the mid Waikiki area. Also the Friday night fireworks are really cool. The activity desk was extremely helpful. Although we had a rental car we often hopped on the Wiki Wiki bus to go down the strip for a night club show or whatever. Our kids loved the tropical penguins at the HHV and the surfboard and boogie board rental we did there. There are also beautiful flamingos (yes they're pink) and swans strolling around the property. Our kids enjoyed a bird named Kimo that would talk to them. What a great place. The only recommendation I'd make to the HHV is to stop charging for coffee in the room. (I brought my own anyway, but I think it should be complimentary)...

Of the 3 hotels we stayed in, this was our kids favorite. It was small enough for them to navigate on their own. We got a 1 bedroom suite for $275 per night (Entertainment rate 1/2 off which was the best rate they had). Yes, this is high but it was a suite, and it was oceanfront. That's right smack on the beach. We were on the 3rd floor and had a great room. The only thing about the hotel is the bathrooms are small. We really liked the hotel overall. The lobby is very very nice. The location is excellent. We took advantage of the Voyager's club. It's like $15 extra a day and you get a breakfast (cereal, danish, fruit, coffee, juice) and afternoon appetizers and free soda in the afternoon. Also there was a computer in the Voyager's Club lounge where we'd take turns checking email and surfing the web. The kids went to Voyager's on their own and enjoyed the independence. The Reef on the beach is a great location. Any tour buses picked up right across the street. The diamond head view was outstanding from the vantage point of this hotel. There was free entertainment each evening including hulas in the open air lounge by the lobby. The staff were friendly. At sunset each night crowds of folks line the beaches for the ritual of watching the sun go down. It's a crackup. The location of this hotel is great. The bus picks up in front and for a $1 fee, you can ride down the strip to catch a nightclub act or go shopping at the famous International Marketplace.

For anyone wanting to remember Hawaii in the 60's or 70's and pay the prices of yesteryear while getting quality food, go to the Wailana Coffee Shop. It's frozen in time. While our family stayed at the luxurious and pricey Hilton Hawaiian Village, we didn't want to pay for food through the kazoo. We found the Wailana Coffee shop is a short walk around the corner and loved it! The waitresses are in the classic mumu pattern dresses. It's FANTASTIC!

Our whole family had an incredible time at Hanauma Bay. We rented the snorkel gear at Snorkel Bob's on Kapiolani for the day and headed up to Hanauma in the morning. Snorkel Bob's has a good price for rental. The snack bar at Hanauma was quite nice for lunch and the snorkeling was fantastic. We had an underwater camera and took turns getting shots of very interesting fish. It was so fun! Sometimes when you went out a ways and were surrounded by fish and reefs like mazes around you, you would get the heebiejeebies and have to get back to where the people were. In other words, if you went out a ways, you'd be in their territory (the fish that is) and you can't believe the amount of strange and wonderful fish.

We really enjoyed the Paradise Cove Luau. I used the Entertainment coupon for 1/2 off (buy one get one adult ticket). We were bussed there and had a neat guide named Kui who was really good and the Luau was a lot of fun. Our daughter (11) got on stage along with many others to do the hula. She was in her glory. The food was decent and the outrigger canoe ride (free) was fun. There were games to play and crafts to make out of flowers. The drinks weren't too watered down. I went to Germaine's 17 years ago and enjoyed that also, but the details on that luau are fuzzy to me now. I really couldn't compare it with Paradise Cove.