We're coming to Hawaii.. 1st time! (Waimanalo, Hana: car rental, coupons, to rent)

[maddie0929]

It's official... we are vacationing on Waikiki next June. It's our first time and we are very excited. It's my husband, myself and our 8 year old daughter. We are staying at Outrigger Reef, which looks very nice and had great reviews. We didn't rent a car because everyone we talked to said how heavy traffic was etc... plus I think the hotel charges $25 a day to park so we will take public transportation when we need to. From what I read most places are within walking distances to the hotel. We plan on going to Pearl Harbor, of course but other than that what do you guys recommend as far as "sight seeing" goes? We are big beach people so we will be spending alot of time on the beach! I know that the weather is in the
80's most of the time but what about humidity.. we are from Tennessee and it's bad here!!! Any other suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks!

[windfarmer]

There's Sea Life Park on the eastern part of Oahu – I think it's in or after Waimanalo.

There's Hanauma bay (beach) VERY popular with the tourists. North Shore is nicer, and more "localish".. Ala Moana mall (one of the largest outdoor malls of its kind) just steps away from Outrigger.. Downtown sucks don't bother there.. it's just a dirty Chinatown and tons of druggies..

There's also the Leonards bakery on Kapahulu ave.. You have got to sample the malasadas.. Portuguese donuts. Simply marvelous. That's one of the only things i miss there.

[MickeyE]

Originally Posted by windfarmer

There's Sea Life Park on the eastern part of Oahu – I think it's in or after Waimanalo.

There's Hanauma bay (beach) VERY popular with the tourists. North Shore is nicer, and more "localish".. Ala Moana mall (one of the largest outdoor malls of its kind) just steps away from Outrigger.. Downtown sucks don't bother there.. it's just a dirty Chinatown and tons of druggies..

There's also the Leonards bakery on Kapahulu ave.. You have got to sample the malasadas.. Portuguese donuts. Simply marvelous. That's one of the only things i miss there.

I'm sorry, but I don't agree that downtown "sucks" http://waikiki.com/ and http://www.chinatownhi.com/ . You might want to go to the International Marketplace http://www.internationalmarketplacewaikiki.com/ , a luau - Germaines http://www.germainesluau.com/ or Paradise Cove http://www.paradisecovehawaii.com/ , Polynesian Cultural Center is not to be missed http://polynesianculturalcenter.com/ , take a circle island tour.

Pick up the This Week magazine - free everywhere - also online at http://thisweek.com/ . It has many coupons for half off, buy one-get one free, etc.

Enjoy your vacation.

Mickey

[whynot?]

I agree with Mickey E -- we enjoy the beaches, shopping, and dining in Waikiki. You'll be close to the madness without being right in it, over near Ft. deRussy. We often just rent a car for a day when we're on Oahu -- it's only about $30-40. We pick it up in the morning and turn it in that afternoon, so no parking fees. The north shore beaches really shouldn't be missed -- it's a beautiful drive, especially if you're hauling up there for the Polynesian Cultural Center. (I'm so-so on that one -- depends on how you feel about an amusement park kind of atmosphere. But it's very popular.)

You can also do easy bus tours that include Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, the blowhole, etc. And it's also a good way to see the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. (Hint: Go very early. Especially in summer. It's better to wait in the morning when it's cool.) The hotel concierge should have lots of options for you. And discounts.

Don't miss the beaches in Waikiki proper and Kuhio Beach Park, though. Have fun!

[windfarmer]

Sorry but maybe things have changed since I last lived there at the tail end of the 90s. Downtown was full of homeless people (some very crazy) wandering around in an apparent drug-daze. That was then.. however there also was an awesome Indian restaurant on King st. called Zaffron.

THere's also Dole Plantation.. not much to see there, but great Pineapple ice cream. Lapperts at Ala Moana (if it's still there) has delicious ice cream too.

For other good local eateries, you MUST, I repeat MUST go to any of the Zippy's. They have the best spaghetti and various other Loco Moco (high-sodium, high carb but awesomely delicious) stuff.

L&L is great too. They have the best plate lunches (bbq chicken, the best macaroni salad).. Mmmm!

Well you can obviously tell from my posts that I love to eat. Mmmmm! Yes I do!

Depending on your age and interests, you may wanna go with your hubby (if you locate a good babysitter) to one of the many clubs in Waikiki.. I used to go a lot so I'm quite familiar with that scene.. Some of these clubs might not be there.. there was 1739 (on Kalakaua by the Ala Wai canal), Maharaja (smack in the center of Waikiki), Eurasia (close to the zoo) (by the way check out the zoo – its by the waikiki shell) across from the beach, and the Wave... most of them are probably something new by now, but still, they were fun when they were around.

[brkbowma]

I would reconsider a car rental. There are so much more things and places to see if you have a car. You can go to a different beach everyday and spend as much or as little time as you would like, doing whatever you want to do (if this make sense). We always stayed at the Waikiki Resort Hotel, and they charged $10 a day parking. I would maybe try to find some less expensive parking, $25 a day is steep! I would at least rent one for 3 or for days, even at that price. I promise you won't regret it!

[nickels]

Originally Posted by windfarmer

there also was an awesome Indian restaurant on King st. called Zaffron.

It's good to know there's a decent Indian restaurant somewhere on the island!

[hotzcatz]

Waikiki is fun, especially for your first visit. You will be able to walk along the beach and get to the zoo, the aquarium and there's loads of interesting things to see just walking around. While on the beach, if it gets too hot, you could try the military museum near your hotel. It's free and it's air conditioned.

The humidity will be high, but the temperatures won't be as high as you are used to in summer on the mainland. I think the record high temperature in Waikiki is 99 degrees. The record low is somewhere around 55. There is usually some trade winds blowing so it won't seem so hot and humid as you'd expect.

There are a lot of big fancy hotels there and you can walk into all of them to look at their decor, shops and restaurants. On Friday nights, there is fireworks on the beach in front of the Hilton. You can walk to Ala Moana Shopping center or take The Bus. That's more shopping than anyone on vacation could ever use. Almost all buses in Waikiki go to Ala Moana shopping center, it is a big bus hub. You can get a Bus Pass at Foodland grocery store on the backside of Ala Moana shopping center. The front side faces Ala Moana Beach Park which is just outside of Waikiki.

You won't really need to rent a car and if you do decide you want one, you can find one easily. Whynot? had some good ideas on getting a car just for the day and then not having to pay to park it over night.