# Need Oahu Hotel Info



## suzanne (Mar 9, 2017)

My friends and I have booked rooms at the Ohana Waikiki East Hotel on Oahu for 3 nights prior to our 2 week stay on the Big Island. We booked this hotel based on location, price and reviews on TripAdvisor. Has anyone stayed here that can tell me if it is a good place to stay? Our main concern is clean and no bugs. We are not going to rent a car so need to know what restaurants are within walking distance that Tuggers recommend. We like reasonably priced seafood places.

Suzanne


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## alwysonvac (Mar 11, 2017)

suzanne said:


> ...We are not going to rent a car so need to know what restaurants are within walking distance that Tuggers recommend. We like reasonably priced seafood places.



The nice thing about Honolulu is the option of walking, taxis or bus. Don't forget Uber too.

You can use TripAdvisor filters to locate seafood restaurants in Waikiki.
I just did a filter for *Restaurants, Seafood, Cheap Eats & Mid-Range*. Next I chose Ranking from the tabs at the top. I would look at the menus and decide which fits your party.

Here's the top five Seafood rankings for Waikiki 
(1) Hula Grill Waikiki $$ - $$$
(2) Doraku Sushi Waikiki $$ - $$$
(3) Sansei Seafood Restaurant $$ - $$$
(4) Tiki's Grill & Bar $$ - $$$
(5) Chart House $$ - $$$

Here's the top ranked five Seafood rankings when I include all of Honolulu (you can use TripAdvisor's map view to see how far).
(1) Ono Seafood $
(2) Uncle Bo's Pupu Bar and Grill $$ - $$$
(3) Hula Grill Waikiki $$ - $$$
(4) Duke's Waikiki $$ - $$$
(5) Nico's Pier 38 $$ - $$$

Nico's Pier has been mentioned on TUG but it's not within walking distance.
I always visit Sansei Seafood Restaurant when we're in town. It's located in the Marriott on the main shopping strip in Waikiki. It's Asian Pacific Rim cuisine. We always get the Miso Butterfish and Shrimp Dynamite appetizers. Their fried calamari and ahi poke appetizers are good too. They also have an early bird special on Sunday and Monday 5:30pm – 6:00pm (50% OFF FOOD AND SUSHI)
http://www.waikikimenus.com/happy-hours
http://sanseihawaii.com/waikiki/


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## suzanne (Mar 11, 2017)

Thank you so much. I am going to print off your list and take it with us.

Suzanne



alwysonvac said:


> The nice thing about Honolulu is the option of walking, taxis or bus. Don't forget Uber too.
> 
> You can use TripAdvisor filters to locate seafood restaurants in Waikiki.
> I just did a filter for *Restaurants, Seafood, Cheap Eats & Mid-Range*. Next I chose Ranking from the tabs at the top. I would look at the menus and decide which fits your party.
> ...


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## DaveNV (Mar 11, 2017)

+1 for Nico's on Pier 38.  It's downtown, certainly not walking distance from Waikiki, but the food is EXCELLENT. If you arrive around 5:00PM you get Happy Hour pricing on dinner hour entrees. We eat there each time we're on Oahu.  It's worth the cab/Uber ride. http://nicospier38.com

Dave


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## tompalm (Mar 11, 2017)

That is a very central location, but very noisy. Actually, most hotels in Waikiki get lots of noise, but some get a little more because it is on a busy street and you hear service trucks as well as buses. It will be fine for three days, but not great if you are a light sleeper.


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## alwysonvac (Mar 12, 2017)

DaveNW said:


> +1 for Nico's on Pier 38.  It's downtown, certainly not walking distance from Waikiki, but the food is EXCELLENT. If you arrive around 5:00PM you get Happy Hour pricing on dinner hour entrees. We eat there each time we're on Oahu.  It's worth the cab/Uber ride. http://nicospier38.com
> 
> Dave



We're planning to try Nico's during our visit this year. I wasn't aware of the happy hour pricing for dinner. Is it only select dinner entrees? 
Their website only mentions Daily Happy Hour drinks (Draft Beer $4 & Wells & Mixers $4) between 4pm to 6pm - http://nicospier38.com/bar/
I was going to visit for lunch but if there's an early bird dinner discount we might try that instead.

Thanks


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## suzanne (Mar 12, 2017)

Thank you all for your help. I will check out Nico's.  Is there a bus that goes to the North Shore from Waikiki and to the Cultural Center? Is the Luau there worth the time and price given that we only have 3 days on Oahu?
Suzanne


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## Kapolei (Mar 12, 2017)

You might want to rethink going without a car if you want to see Oahu.  Here is a link for car rental deals.  Be aware of periods of high traffic.  https://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com


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## SmithOp (Mar 12, 2017)

I wouldn't rent for a 3 day, the parking rates in Waikiki are sky high.  You could do a circle island tour or book the luau at Cultural Center that includes transport from Waikiki.

Sent from my BLU R1 HD using Tapatalk


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## taffy19 (Mar 12, 2017)

They quoted us $35.00 a day yesterday.  I agree with Dave as that is much more relaxing.


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## DaveNV (Mar 12, 2017)

alwysonvac said:


> We're planning to try Nico's during our visit this year. I wasn't aware of the happy hour pricing for dinner. Is it only select dinner entrees?
> Their website only mentions Daily Happy Hour drinks (Draft Beer $4 & Wells & Mixers $4) between 4pm to 6pm - http://nicospier38.com/bar/
> I was going to visit for lunch but if there's an early bird dinner discount we might try that instead.
> 
> Thanks



I'd definitely call Nico's and check on things before counting on HH pricing. Things may have changed since we last ate there. The biggest thing I recall is they fill up fast, so get there early for dinner. 

Dave


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## alwysonvac (Mar 14, 2017)

suzanne said:


> Thank you all for your help. I will check out Nico's.  Is there a bus that goes to the North Shore from Waikiki and to the Cultural Center? Is the Luau there worth the time and price given that we only have 3 days on Oahu?
> Suzanne



There are public buses however with only 3 days on Oahu, you might waste too much time traveling on the public buses with all of the frequent local stops. 
NOTE: I don't know if they also offer express buses to the North Shore. 

Waikiki Bus Guide - http://www.thebus.org/pop/Visitor_WaikikiGuide.pdf
Routes & Timetables - http://www.thebus.org/Route/Routes.asp
Ground transportation from Honolulu airport - http://hawaii.gov/hnl/ground-transportation​
I agree with the others if you're planning to do the Polynesian Cultural Center book the PCC package that includes transportation from Waikiki.  

There are also plenty of tour options for exploring Oahu (group tour and private tours). Also some folks rent a car for the day returning it back before the rental place closes to avoid the parking rate. Others just bite the bullet and pay the high daily parking rate for a few days to explore the areas outside of Honolulu.


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## suzanne (Mar 14, 2017)

Thank you all so much. I will check out the PCC package, it sounds like just what we need. How much time does it take to tour the Cultural Center then do the Luau? This is on my must do list. I also want to see the North Shore and have lunch at the much talked about Shrimp Trucks. I am not a shopper so I am not interested in that aspect of Oahu. Is there anything that you all can recommend that we not miss? Does the Hilton still do the nighty fireworks on the beach? I would like to see that if they still do it. If my friends want to rent a car for a day then we could drive to the North Shore. I will talk to them and see what they want to do. I understand that there is a rental car place across the street from the hotel. It may be cheaper since there is 3 of us to rent a car for a day to drive to the North Shore.

Suzanne


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## linsj (Mar 14, 2017)

suzanne said:


> Thank you all so much. I will check out the PCC package, it sounds like just what we need. How much time does it take to tour the Cultural Center then do the Luau? This is on my must do list. I also want to see the North Shore and have lunch at the much talked about Shrimp Trucks. I am not a shopper so I am not interested in that aspect of Oahu. Is there anything that you all can recommend that we not miss? Does the Hilton still do the nighty fireworks on the beach? I would like to see that if they still do it. If my friends want to rent a car for a day then we could drive to the North Shore. I will talk to them and see what they want to do. I understand that there is a rental car place across the street from the hotel. It may be cheaper since there is 3 of us to rent a car for a day to drive to the North Shore.
> 
> Suzanne



Plan on a full day for PCC. It's been years since I went there but I think the bus picked us up midmorning; it doesn't open until noon. I stayed for the show after the luau (excellent show), so got back late. The website might have a bus schedule.

Hilton Hawaiian Village does fireworks only on Friday nights. Lasts about 5 min.


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## alwysonvac (Mar 14, 2017)

Just be aware that there will be commuter traffic getting in and out of Honolulu.
It's best to avoid driving to/from Honolulu during the morning and evening rush hours otherwise you'll be sitting in bumper to bumper traffic.

Honolulu ranks in the top 10 US cities for traffic congestion 
http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/trafficindex/list?citySize=ALL&continent=ALL&country=US


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## cissy (Mar 15, 2017)

linsj said:


> Plan on a full day for PCC. It's been years since I went there but I think the bus picked us up midmorning; it doesn't open until noon. I stayed for the show after the luau (excellent show), so got back late. The website might have a bus schedule.
> 
> Hilton Hawaiian Village does fireworks only on Friday nights. Lasts about 5 min.



If there are two options for times, make sure to take the early package.  We opted for the later one, and were disappointed that the PCC closed for touring 1/2 hour after we got there.  We did stay for the luau (just okay), and the show afterwards.


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