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My husband & I will be attending a conference in Honolulu next month. We don't have any kids so it will just be the two of us. We've narrowed our hotel choices to the Hilton Hawaiian Village (booked an ocean front room in the Rainbow Tower) but we're concerned about the negative reviews of the place online (crowded, busy, kids everywhere, ice cold water in lagoon, time share reps constantly hounding you, etc.). Our other choice is an ocean front room at the Holiday Inn Waikiki Beachcomber (yes, the one with JB's M'ville restaurant attached to it). It appears to be in a good location, close to the beach and offers free wi-fi as opposed to a $25/day resort fee. My question is whether or not anyone out there has actually stayed at either place and how you liked it? Any advice from fellow Parrotheads would be most appreciated.

Depending on your budget. Low end but nice Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach, higher end Moana Surfrider. Duke's and Margaritaville are walking distance from either.

Hilton Hawaiian village is nice but there are lots of kids. We stay at Ko'Olina up the Pali coast now but it's to far if you are there on daily business.

Two things, go to Leonard's bakery for malasadas and the Rainbow drive in for MokoLoko.

Timeshare reps are everywhere just smile and keep walking.

I've stayed at the Hilton and visited the Beachcomber. The Beachcomber is very nice but I'd pick the Hilton. There may be a lot of kids but you'll find kids everywhere. The Hilton has a couple of pools and you walk right out onto the beach. The Lagoon wasn't finished or swimable when I was there and if it's freezing you can walk 50 yards down the beach and swim in the ocean. It's a solid couple of city blocks from the Beachcomber to the sand. At the Hilton your room will have a view that's spectacular and you can walk right out onto the sand. The Hilton has music outside on the property almost every night (granted, JB's at the Beachcomber will no doubt have music as well, but it's inside). I would take a waterfront room in the Rainbow Tower in a HEARTBEAT over the Beachcomber. Not to ding the 'Comber, it's a nice hotel. But it's not on the beach and doesn't have a whole village of shops, pools, and restaurants attached.

I'll also second Leonard's and MokoLoko. Duke's and the Hula Grille (upstairs from Duke's) are *fabulous* for a nice meal.

One "must do" is a drive around the windward (east-facing) side of the island. The view is spectacular. Drive east on the H-1 freeway. The freeway will end and become Kalanianaole Highway. Stay on that road and follow it counterclockwise. There will be pull-outs on the right where you can park and look at the scenery. Pali Lookout is also worth a stop for the view.

Grab the map book at the car rental place. It's great.

Have a great time!!!

LiveandletLiver wrote:Depending on your budget. Low end but nice Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach, higher end Moana Surfrider. Duke's and Margaritaville are walking distance from either.

Hilton Hawaiian village is nice but there are lots of kids. We stay at Ko'Olina up the Pali coast now but it's to far if you are there on daily business.

Two things, go to Leonard's bakery for malasadas and the Rainbow drive in for MokoLoko.

Timeshare reps are everywhere just smile and keep walking.

We stayed at the Outrigger many, many, many.........years ago.
Loved it then, but I'm sure it has been updated.

Thanks. We also looked at the Outrigger and considered staying there but the rates were too expensive.

What SGH said….. We were in Waikiki right after Xmas and split our time between the Outrigger Reef and HHV (neither was available for our full stay.) The HHV is a much nicer property than the Beachcomber, but both have their plusses. I like the HHV, but prefer to be more “central” to Waikiki. The HHV is about ¼ mile down the beach from all the other Waikiki properties; there’s a sidewalk along the beach that goes past Fort DeRussy and the Hale Koa so it’s not a big deal. Some people are a little apprehensive about walking it after dark, but there always seems to be people about and we’ve never had any problems. My one complaint about HHV was the elevators! We were in the Rainbow Tower and sometimes had a 5 minute wait... there's a bank of 5 cars, but it's one of those systems where you punch in your floor and then the voice tells you "Car A" (or B, C, D, E...) and then you stand there waiting for your car. In the meantime, about 20 Japanese tourists will appear, and when A comes, they all rush in and there you stand....

This is the stretch of beach between HHV and the Outrigger Reef (the other side of the palms on the left.)


The Beachcomber is right in the middle of things, next door to the International Market Place and not that far from the beach… you cross the street to the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, walk on through to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and bam! you’re on the beach.

They were updating the Outrigger Reef on our last visit (we were at the Embassy Suites) and they did a really nice job.

Jen, here are a few pics of the HHV lagoon… I always wondered when they were going to fix it up....







Henry will be at the HHV Tropics bar every Saturday night in February (and at Duke's every Sunday) http://henrykapono.com/dates.htm

I spent a few nights at the Holiday Inn at Waikiki, but that was in 1977.
I imagine it's changed a little bit since then. I remember it was very close
to the beach and the international market place. I remember I had a
beer at Trader Vic's (which is now closed).