Where to Stay in Oahu, Hawaii
Thinking of going to Hawaii, and looking for a place to stay? This may be the place for you too. We spent hours trying to book our stay. We took into consideration resort fees, parking fees, stay location in comparison to beach, tourist attractions, shops and restaurants, and everything along those lines. Through all of our research we found Luana Waikiki Hotel and Suites to be our best option.
It was about a 15 to 20 minute walk from our hotel to the beach. We found this hotel’s location to be ideal for several reasons. We actually liked the fact that it was a bit of a walk from the hotel to the beach and main tourist area. It was located right along a strip of shopping centers and restaurants that led to the main tourist resorts and straight to the beach, and on another end it opened to a lovely walking and hangout area, as seen down below. This as well lead to the beach. We also liked that because we were a bit away there was no need to compete with crowded tourist areas or other tourists.
Now lets talk about the view! Our view was breathtaking, not only did we get the full ocean view, regardless of being far away, it really was nice to also see the cityscapes. We also got a view of Diamond Head, a volcanic cone. On a con, as it may be for some, it was a bit of walk to the beach for those who may only go to experience the beach, but it truly wasn’t that bad. We did rent a car, as we explored the island during our stay, but we would not recommend driving to the beach due to parking. The hotel did offer a shuttle service in the event that we needed or wanted a ride to our destination. However, at this time we did not use this service.
Our Arrival
We had arrived at our hotel a bit early and before the room was ready. The hotel was prompt to get our room ready earlier than our initial check-in time and held our luggage while they cleaned up our room for us. During this time, we took a walk to a local restaurant, Cheese Burger Waikiki, which was a short walk from our hotel. We were so hungry! Not only were we up very early in the a.m. for our trip, but we had also gained hours and spent our only time eating the plane food hours before.
Our Experience
Here’s what we loved about our stay here:
We stayed in a one bedroom hotel suite at the top floor with a full ocean view.
- The view: Just like any or most places you stay at while in Hawaii you have to pay for your view whether that is full ocean view, half ocean view, or no ocean view at all. Although, we did pay for the full ocean view, the view we had was breathtaking due to the resort location, as mentioned above. We loved that we could see many different views that Waikiki had to offer us.
- The suite could sleep more than just two: The suite had one-bedroom, but could sleep more than just two people. The living room which was separately closed off from the bedroom included a fold-out couch which is great for anyone with kids or friends whom accompanied them on the trip. The bedroom bed was nice and big too!
- Slippers: Most hotels offer towels, and robes for your stay, but it was nice to find that they offered slippers too! As someone who likes to keep my feet protected, it was nice to have slippers to walk around in while in the room.
- Balconies: Our room included two balconies. One for the living room area and one for the bedroom area. The balconies connected outside, so you could walk along the length of it. It was great to just sit out and enjoy the nice view and fresh air and leaving the doors open to enjoy the view and fresh air while inside.
- Parking: We did rent a car as we wanted to do as much exploring as we could. The hotel offered valet parking at a daily and overnight cost. We paid one fee per day at around $40.00.
- Shuttle Service: The hotel offered shuttle service to various tourist spots and to the beach. It ran every hour or every half hour depending on the time of day. The times may vary. Although we didn’t use the shuttle service, it was a great option to have available.
- Beach Equipment: It was first-come-first serve, but the hotel offered rental beach equipment that was included in the price of the stay. You had to sign-up and turn-in a card to rent beach equipment, but you could rent anything from floating devices, to beach towels, beach chairs, and beach umbrellas. It was great!!
- Wine, Cheese & Music: A couple evenings a week the hotel offered a wine, and cheese party. It was nice to go and chill after a day of fun. A local dancer and musician would come and play some nice relaxing Hawaiian themed music. It was really nice for the hotel to offer this again at not additional cost to its guests.
- Rent a Fish: At this hotel, you could rent a fish during your stay. Although, I wanted to, we were out having way to much fun, but I thought it was a nice and fun addition to offer guests.
Overall and besides a dream coming true in finally getting to go to Hawaii after years of only dreaming too, and a close to perfect stay, we have a great time exploring the island! Check out our other blogs about our experience in Hawaii.
Next blog: Coming soon!
