Family of 4 almost 5 Seeking Info On Possible Move. (Honolulu: apartment, rental)

[Tattooedmama]

Hello. i have been doing searches through out the threads since yesterday reading all the lovely information that i need but, I am still have questions.
I have 2 small children under 3 and one on the way due in november. I am very interested in moving to the islands and have been for sometime.
My husband has an opportunity to work on Oahu in Waikiki and we totally want to take this opportunity and just go for it.
My family moved to Maui in 1997 and I have always loved it on Maui.I would move to maui in a heartbeat but, the job is on Oahu.
I have only stopped over in Oahu in the airport and never had the chance to see what Oahu is like. So i have no idea what to expect on Oahu.
Is there a huge difference between Maui and Oahu?
What town best suits a family that is near Waikiki that is not over priced and tiny?
His job would be in downtown Waikiki and the only thing i have heard bad through the grapevine about Oahu is traffic. We want to live somewhere close to his work but, not where we are going to pay $3000 a month for a one bedroom apartment.
We would love to find a great condo type home/townhouse under $2000 a month, in a great neighborhood near a beach.
I also would love to be around a town that has alot of things for children to get involved with. art classes,Hula dancing classes, local pool, beach close by,parks etc.

I love having opinions from many people which can give me a better understanding and help me to find the best place possible on the island for me and my family to move. I can search the internet but, the internet will not give me first hand experiances and great advice like i feel this site can.

I would appreciate any imput given to me.

[mdand3boys]

Moving to Oahu without even a visit to check things out first is foolhardy. Maui is nothing like Oahu/Honolulu.

Watch the local news over the internet. One has a weekly feature about rental property. Yesterday's showed a "find". It was a small 3br house with a tiny yard for $2200 month.

[PacificFlights]

I agre with mdand3boys. Since Hawaii is different (just like NYC is different from Minot ND) you really need to get the feel and flavor of Hawaii. What may be called a averge size house on Hawaii, may be called a tiny cottage someplace else. So if your saying "A" everyone else may be seeing "D" and can't understand what your saying or talking about. That has caused many a misunderstanding.

I would stringky suggest making a quick trip, even if only for a couple of days to get an understanding of areas, locations, and distances. This way when you say "A" you can say "A like in this place or that".

as said, Maui and Oahu, especially Waikiki, have big differences.

[Waianaegirl]

Originally Posted by PacificFlights

I agre with mdand3boys. Since Hawaii is different (just like NYC is different from Minot ND) you really need to get the feel and flavor of Hawaii. What may be called a averge size house on Hawaii, may be called a tiny cottage someplace else. So if your saying "A" everyone else may be seeing "D" and can't understand what your saying or talking about. That has caused many a misunderstanding.

I would stringky suggest making a quick trip, even if only for a couple of days to get an understanding of areas, locations, and distances. This way when you say "A" you can say "A like in this place or that".

as said, Maui and Oahu, especially Waikiki, have big differences.

I agree, go there first.

[Tattooedmama]

Thank you.