I am planning a trip to Hawaii in a couple of months and I have narrowed the search down to two hotels. If you have ever been to either of the hotels or could make a recommendation, I would greatly appreciate it. I am looking for something with a pretty good view of the ocean for the room for a cheap price.
Castle Ocean Resort Hotel Waikiki
or
Queen Kapiolani Hotel
Def do the Queen Kapiolani! My husband and I travel to Oahu several times a year and always stay at the Queen. They offer several types of discounts so make sure you take advantage of those if you book direct. We actually just booked our 6th trip for the middle of Sept and ended up getting an oceanview room for 6 nights for $300 exactly including tax! Unheard of! If you’ve got the time to compare travel websites, it will work out to your advantage. They generally have deeper discounts than booking direct. And once you’ve found the cheapest site, go back and cruise the net for coupons for that site. We ended up with a $100 off coupon for Orbitz.
Now back to the QK. As people have mentioned it is not a 5 star resort. But, it is very clean and the staff is super friendly. This in my opinion is the best location in Waikiki. You’ll be at the southeastern most end of Waikiki. Probably bout 100 steps to the beach. Super easy stroll to restaurants, shops and the International Marketplace. Easy access in and out of Waikiki if you are driving too. Kapiolani Park and the Zoo directly across the street. Unobstructed views of Diamond Head. Neighborhood feels secure and safe. You cannot get a better location, view or bigger room for this price anywhere in Waikiki. And just a couple of side notes(if you’ve never been to Hawaii), parking is at a premium in Hawaii. Normal is between $15-30. QK is $15. And make sure you get out and explore. The landscapes on each side of the island are unique and gorgeous. Make sure to hit the Aloha Stadium Swapmeet for your souvenurs. Pick up the free magazines you’ll see everywhere called This Week and Oahu Gold. They contain tons of discount and free coupons.Snorkel Hanauma Bay, but do it early in the morning. You can visit Kualoa Ranch and take a movie set tour and see some of the most beautiful mountains(pali) on the planet. Make sure to make a pit stop at the Pali Lookout. Nice paved hiking trail here too if you’re game. Old Pali Highway. You’ll be amazed at that this is how people actually got through this pass back in the day. Hope this info is useful to you. Have a great vacation!
March 1st, 2010 at 5:55 am
I have never stayed at either hotel & know nothing at all about the Castle Ocean Resort. The Queen Kapiolani is an older hotel that is a bit down at the heels. But it has a great location, right across the street from Kapiolani Park & the ocean. I don’t know if it will be a concern for you or not, but the hotels across from the park have a reputation for being gay friendly.
Thank you Beckee for adding more detail to my fairly off the cuff comment about that area being gay friendly (not predominantly gay). It’s not a big deal to me, one way or the other, but it might be to some folks.
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March 1st, 2010 at 6:13 am
While older, it is maintained, and you can get a partial ocean view at the Queen. I had one of Diamond head and the ocean. Was not luxurious, and travel buddy complained the a.c. caused her to have asthma problems. Think rooms were around $140? Best location for that price range. Nearby parks are not gay spots (as stated in other answer from that top contributor, unless they know and are into that sort of thing). During day, parks are great, and usually stuff going on in evening.
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March 1st, 2010 at 7:03 am
A bar called Hula’s–a famous cornerstone of the gay establishment in Honolulu–relocated to Kapahulu Ave. about ten years ago. There is a store nearby called 80% Straight. Also, one of the beaches in the neighborhood is called Queen’s and just seems to attract a particular segment of society somehow…
A Taiwanese friend of mine asked me once what the rainbow flag meant, and I told her. "So if I see that flag, I shouldn’t go in there?"
"Oh, you can go in there, but just know that there will be gay people there, too."
While the neighborhood around the Kapahulu Avenue end of Waikiki is a significant concentration for the gay community, the gay community does not dominate the area by any means. The Honolulu Zoo is right there, and all kinds of people go to the zoo!
Sorry, I don’t know the reputations of either hotel, specifically. However, I go to TripAdvisor.com to see what real people say about hotels in a particular area. I stayed in one town I wouldn’t have just because TripAdvisor folks said that Best Western was great. And it was the best value and the best service in a wide variety of accomodations on that trip (national park, ski lodge, bed & breakfast, luxury hotel) .
References :
http://www.tripadvisor.com/
March 1st, 2010 at 7:44 am
I’ve never stayed at the Castle Resort property but have stayed at the Queen Kapiolani several times. I live on Kauai and visit Oahu a few times a year — sometimes for work and sometimes for fun. The Queen Kapiolani is in a great location and offers a really good price — particularly for locals (we get a discount with local ID). So if you stay there, you will probably meet plenty of Hawaii locals as well as other tourists!
The hotel is a bit old but I have always found it to be clean and the staff is friendly. The pool area is a bit disappointing though there is a nice view of Diamond Head and the ocean from the 3rd floor pool deck. It’s just a basic pool — nothing special — and no jacuzzi. But Waikiki Beach is only a block away and it’s just perfect! There is a restaurant on the pool floor as well and it serves a pretty good breakfast. I haven’t eaten lunch or dinner there, but breakfast is totally worth it.
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Have fun!
March 1st, 2010 at 7:51 am
Def do the Queen Kapiolani! My husband and I travel to Oahu several times a year and always stay at the Queen. They offer several types of discounts so make sure you take advantage of those if you book direct. We actually just booked our 6th trip for the middle of Sept and ended up getting an oceanview room for 6 nights for $300 exactly including tax! Unheard of! If you’ve got the time to compare travel websites, it will work out to your advantage. They generally have deeper discounts than booking direct. And once you’ve found the cheapest site, go back and cruise the net for coupons for that site. We ended up with a $100 off coupon for Orbitz.
Now back to the QK. As people have mentioned it is not a 5 star resort. But, it is very clean and the staff is super friendly. This in my opinion is the best location in Waikiki. You’ll be at the southeastern most end of Waikiki. Probably bout 100 steps to the beach. Super easy stroll to restaurants, shops and the International Marketplace. Easy access in and out of Waikiki if you are driving too. Kapiolani Park and the Zoo directly across the street. Unobstructed views of Diamond Head. Neighborhood feels secure and safe. You cannot get a better location, view or bigger room for this price anywhere in Waikiki. And just a couple of side notes(if you’ve never been to Hawaii), parking is at a premium in Hawaii. Normal is between $15-30. QK is $15. And make sure you get out and explore. The landscapes on each side of the island are unique and gorgeous. Make sure to hit the Aloha Stadium Swapmeet for your souvenurs. Pick up the free magazines you’ll see everywhere called This Week and Oahu Gold. They contain tons of discount and free coupons.Snorkel Hanauma Bay, but do it early in the morning. You can visit Kualoa Ranch and take a movie set tour and see some of the most beautiful mountains(pali) on the planet. Make sure to make a pit stop at the Pali Lookout. Nice paved hiking trail here too if you’re game. Old Pali Highway. You’ll be amazed at that this is how people actually got through this pass back in the day. Hope this info is useful to you. Have a great vacation!
References :
March 1st, 2010 at 8:05 am
I have stayed at both. The Castle resorts have a pretty good reputation and would be my choice.
References :
March 1st, 2010 at 8:28 am
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References :
http://www.AmericaCheapHotels.com
March 1st, 2010 at 9:04 am
I would recommend the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel however you might not have looked into it & it could be pretty expensive soooooo.
i would say Queen Kapiolani Hotel.
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