I'm trying to decide which would be better, more space (1 bed suite) or having easy access to the beach. The suite is about 2 1/2 blocks from the beach. We have a 3 yr old, so added space would be nice but walking 20 feet out the hotel to play in the sand would be fun too. The hotel on the beach is $600 more (total) though.
Also has anyone stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village? This is also an option, but we'd have to get just a standard room. The reviews I've read say its very busy so that concerns me--I want to be able to find a chair by the pool without having to get up at 7 am.
Depends on how your child does in hotel rooms and how you plan to work your sleeping arrangements. Does your kid still nap? Will you need to put him/her down for the night before you go to sleep? Is that a problem in hotel rooms normally or is your kid pretty good at that? My kids were 3 the last time we stayed in a hotel and they were terrible. They slept like crap the whole time. In suites where we have space to put them down for the night and sit in a different area they're usually fine. So I'd for sure pick a suite over a regular hotel room. If my kids slept normally in a regular room I'd get the one with the better location.
He'll sleep later in the morning if we had a suite, but he won't go to sleep by himself in strange place, so that really isn't a huge benefit for us with the suite.
I would much rather have a suite. Are you getting a rental car? There is a LOT to do on Oahu if you have one. Pack up the car, get lunch/snacks on the go, and beach hop.
There are a lot of amenities on the beach itself, so I wouldn't focus on being beachfront if you're weighing view vs. suite.
Does the one on the beach have a nice patio or veranda? If so, I'd take that option as then you can take it turns sitting their while your kid naps and also can enjoy a glass of wine by the sea after kid is In bed at night.
I would haaate having to sit outside while my kid slept. And what if it's stormy? I know many families are happy with this, but it would absolutely put a damper on my vacation. I like being able to put DS down for a nap, then watch TV, read, browse the net, or have quality time with DH. Being forced outside during our down time would be torture.
Post by muppetinma on Apr 16, 2014 15:23:06 GMT -5
When we travel, life is better if the child has his own space. I hate having to shut down everything when he sleeps. That would trump beach access for me, for sure. I mean, it's not like the beach would be miles away.
Space. But id do anything in my power to stay as far from Waikiki beach as possible so take my opinion for what it's worth. Are you open to other parts of the island? We usually rent a beachfront house for about the same cost per night as most Waikiki beachfront hotels cost.
I stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and hated it (as much as you can hate being on the beach in Hawaii). The beach wasn't great, everything was very crowded and overpriced, and the room was just generic. We stayed there as part of a longer Hawaiian trip with other people, and it was the weak link. If you want to stay in Waikiki, I think it would be fine to be 2 blocks from the beach to have more space. If you are open to staying at another beach, I would recommend that, as vegas suggested.
We love Waikiki beach and stay there once a year. We just got back a few weeks ago. I would absolutely pay the extra to stay right on the beach. I hear and read most people say they hate Oahu and Waikiki but we absolutely love it! Being beach front makes it all worth it to us but it really depends what you are wanting to get out of your vacation. If I was hauling around kids there is no way I would stay off the beach.
Does the one on the beach have a nice patio or veranda? If so, I'd take that option as then you can take it turns sitting their while your kid naps and also can enjoy a glass of wine by the sea after kid is In bed at night.
I would haaate having to sit outside while my kid slept. And what if it's stormy? I know many families are happy with this, but it would absolutely put a damper on my vacation. I like being able to put DS down for a nap, then watch TV, read, browse the net, or have quality time with DH. Being forced outside during our down time would be torture.
in Hawaii? Outside at night in HI is the BEST. You can take the laptop outside
I would go for the suite. I strongly dislike only having the one room when staying at a regular hotel if it's a beach vacation. We normally do a condo (if on kauai) or a house (on oahu). To me, there isn't much benefit to being right on Waikiki Beach bc we only ever stayed there for convenience to be near DH's family and never spent significant beach time there. We beach hop while touring the island.
We picked the hotel on the beach-I found it on Costco for only $275 more than the suite. We have never stayed on the beach there (we usually stay in Condos) so I wanted to see what it was like We'll be able to watch the sunset and the Hilton's fireworks without having to walk back so far
It is on the beach, and it is ok. My major bitch about staying there was that if I was paying $200+/night, I shouldn't ave to pay $5 to use the in room coffee pot!