Manoa vs Hawaii Kai? (Honolulu: apartments, rent, condos)

[newUHprof]

Hi all,

I'll be a new prof at UH Manoa starting in the fall. I have two possible apartments: one in Manoa, walking distance to campus. The other in Hawaii Kai. The Hawaii Kai apartment is much nicer (landscaped gardens vs. no yard, more parking, bigger, extra bathroom, lanai). The rent is the same.

Relevant info: I have a spouse and pets, but no kids. (So schools are irrelevant, but dog parks are very relevant.) I currently have a one-hour each way commute, and I hate it.

Questions:
How bad would the commute be from Hawaii Kai to UH?

Is there a lot of greenspace around Manoa for me to walk my dog, to make up for no yard? Dog park?

Shops, cafes, restaurants in each area?

Everything is included in Manoa, but not in Hawaii Kai. What can I expect for electric bills? Would that plus gas make the Hawaii Kai a lot more expensive in reality?

What would you do?

[Sandpointian]

Welcome to academe,
As a new prof, make the adjustment easy on yourself. Live as close to campus as possible and as cheaply as possible with a lifestyle that still enables you to get your work done. As you are there longer, you will slowly get to know different neighborhoods...or better yet, let your wife do the exploring. Your first summer, you can always move to a nicer locale.

Hawaii is very expensive, esp since taxes will eat up much of your savings. If planning to buy, there is no rush whatsoever, as Hawaii was one of the last markets to peak. So living convenient and cheap will save you the most in money and time.

Also, with a year, you have time to pick the brains of your colleagues, 99% of whom are from another state/country and went through what you are about to.

And try to enjoy the summer before you arrive. Perhaps you should consider arriving two-three months early so that by the time the first semester begins your adjustments costs will have been dealt with.

Enjoy! S

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by newUHprof

Hi all,
Everything is included in Manoa, but not in Hawaii Kai. What can I expect for electric bills? Would that plus gas make the Hawaii Kai a lot more expensive in reality?

You didn't say how big the places are, so guessing the utilities is difficult, but when we rent our 2BR 2BA house with a pool and spa (extra elec) the gas and electric runs about $230 a month. Gasoline is about $3.50 a gallon and Hawaii Kai is about 15 miles from UH.

Manoa is a nice area, and very residential and quiet if you are up the valley. Below the University is quite different. If you give the cross streets of the Manoa apt, you might get some comments about the neighborhood.

Hank

[newUHprof]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Let's see, the place in Hawaii Kai is a 2br, 2ba about 1200 sq.ft. It's in a complex which takes care of the pool, etc. So it will be electric for a/c, cooking, appliances, and so on.

The Manoa place is near Robert & Frank, I think. I'd love to know if there's a park or green space near that where I could walk the dog easily. (I'm thinking a quick walk to "do her business" when I get home from work, or early in the morning. I wouldn't want to go too far.)

And Sandpointian, thanks for the reply. I'm not new to academe, just to UH. And I *am* the wife.

[cynmkolohe]

Originally Posted by newUHprof

And I *am* the wife.

I live on the Big Island now but was on Oahu for a few years first...in your position, I would certainly go with living near campus. Once you've been here for a while, you might find some other area that would appeal to you, but early on, the convenience of being near work will probably be a real plus.

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by newUHprof

Thanks for the replies so far.

The Manoa place is near Robert & Frank, I think. I'd love to know if there's a park or green space near that where I could walk the dog easily. (I'm thinking a quick walk to "do her business" when I get home from work, or early in the morning. I wouldn't want to go too far.)

Robert Place and Frank Street is not in Manoa. It's in St. Louis Heights. That's quite a hill. I'd search in Google and see if you can find some topographic info to see just how steep it is, and how far up from the UH level it is. It is about the same elevation as St Louis High School and Chaminade University, which is about three blocks away, so it's a lot closer to the bottom than the top

There is a park three blocks uphill from Robert and Frank called Kalaeponoku Playground. Bounded by Alencastre, Gulston, St. Louis Drive, and Herman. I'm looking at a map book, but you might be able to find it with Google maps or Mapquest.

Hank

[HankDfrmSD]

Frank St & Robert Pl, Honolulu, Honolulu, Hawaii 96816, United States - Google Maps

[flowermom]

Hi there,

My husband commutes into Honolulu from Hawaii Kai, it takes him about 35 minutes, but he leaves early (6:00 or so). The length of your commute would depend on the hours you would be working and when you would be on the road. I would guess no more than 45 minutes, and it could be less if you were working off hours.

I don't know much about Manoa area, but it is much closer into town, and so you would have more options in terms of shopping, theater, museums, etc.

Hawaii Kai is a nice area, safe, family friendly, etc. We have a new dog park opening in June. There are also trails around Koko Head crater and a pretty marina area to walk around. There are three main shopping centers all located around the marina. There is a Safeway, Foodland, Costco, Longs, etc. There are several restaurants including Roys, Outback Steakhouse, Kona Brewery, Blue Water Grill, the Shack, Cha Cha Cha, a greek restaurant, Zippy's and some take out places. My family has been here for about 10 months and we wish there were more restaurants out here (we eat out a lot), we drive into town for more choices.

Hawaii Kai is a planned development area and newer than some of the areas closer to town. For us coming from the mainland it felt comfortable, and it is easy to get around, to the grocery store, post office, Starbucks, whatever.

I think Hawaii Kai is a nice place to live, but if I were young and didn't have kids I would probably want to be closer into town to take advantage of all it has to offer. Kaimuki is a great area with a lot of fun stuff going on - it is always buzzing with people has many stores, restaurants, etc. You would be pretty close to Manoa there, maybe a 15 to 20 minute drive.

Just my two cents - hope that helped some!

[LeeHigh]

I agree with Flowermom. We love Hawaii Kai and feel very SAFE here. If I leave at 7:30am, I pass the University Exit within 15 minutes. Check out "oahure.com" and you will see how many sex offenders live in both areas. I believe we have 4 in Hawaii Kai. St. Louis Heights is an older community so the homes were built in the 20's thru the 60's so many have been forced to replace their wiring and their plumbing so check that out before you rent. Hawaii Kai is a newer community with newer homes, apartments and condos. My husband would say Hawaii Kai. If the apt/condo is a nice place........I would save my money during the 1st year and move there.........then if you are not happy, move to Hawaii Kai the following year. Traffic going home to Hawaii Kai is a breeze in comparison to other places. Good luck to you! Mahalo!

[northoceanbeach]

manoa has one of the only dog parks in Oahu actually. It's great. Go about 5.30 and there are maybe 10-20 dogs there off leash. the commute from Hawaii Kai isn't that bad though. Maybe 15 minutes, 20 if it's rush hour. They are both the two areas I would live in most on Oahu. But I picked Manoa, could go either way.