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My husband and I may be moving to Honolulu for a six- to nine-month stay, probably starting in December or January. He would work in downtown Honolulu. We will probably have just one car, so it would be great if my husband could take public transportation (or walk or bike) some days so I could use the car. We have two well-behaved small dogs, no kids. (Yes, I'm well aware of the extensive requirements to bring dogs to Hawaii and that this will limit our rental options.) We prefer walkable areas near restaurants and shopping and access to parks/trails to walk the dogs.
Is Waikiki our best best, or are there other areas we should look into? I don't know our housing allowance yet, but have been assured it will be a decent amount. Where is the best place to look for short-term furnished rentals? Would it help to hire an agent?
Thanks in advance!
Last edited by la_cavalière; 07-09-2015 at 06:41 PM..
My husband and I may be moving to Honolulu for a six- to nine-month stay, probably starting in December or January.
We have two well-behaved small dogs, no kids.
Where is the best place to look for short-term furnished rentals? Would it help to hire an agent?
Hawaii doesn't really have agents for looking for apartments like you see in Boston or New York.
You will likely have some significant challenges.
Check out craigslist and you can narrow down the search to furnished and pets to at least see what is on the market today - getting a landlord to agree to 6-9 months might be difficult.
Alternatively, you can look for a vacation rental (vrbo.com) - vacation rentals go for a premium rate but the likelihood of finding a vacation rental that isn't booked at all in December/January will be quite low as that is a very popular time (xmas/nye) and people book early - and, you need a long period of time where the unit is available.
Also, you might have to look at corporate housing such as Oakwood - but really pricey and will probably have availability issues as well.
Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kakaako, etc are all areas to look.
I'd put a "housing wanted" post on Craigslist and see if someone bites.
https://honolulu.craigslist.org/sear...a?query=walina
Plan B for the dogs. Heart of Waikiki. They manage other buildings so I'd give a call a few months early. They can probably help with furniture. Every Sat. is bulk pick up in Waikiki so you can almost furnish a complete apt by "shopping" Fri nite. LOL. EZ bus to downtown & you have the beach, parks, & all the restaurants. Dont even need 1 car.
Here is information on the bus schedules, and where you can pick up the monthly passes.
I rode the bus the first four years I live here on Oahu, when in the Navy. My Ship was gone so much, it made sense to not have a car and make payments, Car Loan and Insurance. Just to have my car sit on base. The Bus will take you most places around town, and Island. The Rail system is being built, manly out west into town. But they started building down around Kaka’ako last week. Should not affect you in Waikiki or down around Ala Moana area.
Thank you for the great info! I'm also looking on Homeaway and other vacation rental sites. Glad to see there are options out there and that the bus service is so extensive. Is Honolulu pretty bikeable?
If you live anywhere near South King Street (from downtown to UH Manoa), you can ride a bike in a safe, barricaded bike lane virtually all the way to and from work. It's basically an express way that's wide open even during peak rush hour. You can't get any more convenient than that.
The King Street cycle track opened recently so many people that visit aren't aware it even exists.
And if you're the type that gets all sweaty when you put a little effort into cycling, buy an electric bike. You can buy one of these and ride without peddling at all (if you desire) for $850 shipped -
When you move back either pay to ship the ebike home or put it on Craigslist for $700-$800. You'll sell it within 24 hours. Virtually free effortless transportation for your entire stay.
An electric bike might be a great idea. It kinda seems like cheating, but it's better than arriving somewhere drenched in sweat. And I love the Cycle Track - we're getting one in our city, although not on a street I use. Hubby would be working just off S. King Street.
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