Outrigger vs HHV?

[mfleeting]

For our first few nights in Oahu we are staying in Waikiki before going to Aulani. I first booked the Hilton Hawaiian Village but now thinking maybe we should do the Outrigger.

We are wanting to use the first few days to explore the city some and do some activities. We have 2 kids (12 and 14) so we want them to have plenty to do but they are also at the age where they really don't want to do much unless we drag them. I am leaning more towards the outrigger because I feel like maybe HHV is a little farther away and may be to large to really enjoy the city.

Thoughts? Thanks!

 

[blondietink]

We usually rent a condo through VRBO.com when we go to Waikiki before or after an Aulani stay. Generally you can find something like a one bedroom for less than $200 per night that includes a kitchen and free parking. Parking at both HHV and Outrigger adds quite a bit to the cost. Plus, we like the ability to fix our breakfast and pack a picnic lunch to either take to the beach or exploring up the east side of Oahu. Once we stayed at the Ilima hotel, which is 2 blocks back from the beach and it also had a kitchen and free parking. We had a fabulous 14th floor view and the price was reasonable at this family owned hotel. A one bedroom suite starts at $160/night.

 

[longboard55]

First off Waikiki is not that big so anyplace is ok to explore. The HHV is the closest thing Waikiki has to a resort, its very big with a lot of things to do. The Outrigger is the center of the action of Waikiki, not a big pool, but the area is always hopping with activity. For families HHV would be better, for 20-30 age, they would love the outrigger.

 

[buffettgirl]

HHV to Outrigger is only a half a mile or so. There's a great path on the beach the whole way there, so you're not talking very far at all. The Hale Koa (military hotel) is next door to the HHV and I think that area has the largest/widest stretch of beach on waikiki, and the least crowded. There are parts of the beach down by the Outrigger that are narrow and eroded. If your kids want to try things like paddle boarding, or kayaking, there's a great rental area by Fort Derussey. Truly, I'd pick HHV with kids that age. It's an easy walk to anywhere, and, it's a little easier to get in and out of waikiki because you're nearer the end of the beach.

 

[happymommy]

As a former resident, I agree, Waikiki is not that big. We often walked from one end to the other, frequently.

I wouldn't waste my money on the HHV unless you got a great deal. You won't be in your rom that much, so I'd pick somewhere budget friendly. Also, since you are going to use the hotel as a home base for exploring, being right on the beach may not even be necessary. HHV is fine, but it's been years since I've stayed there. It is on the one extreme end of Waikiki. My DH prefers the Moana (but while I love going there for drinks and apps, and loved staying there for little weekend staycations, I wouldn't do it unless you have Starpoints to stay for free (we did once about 10 years ago before going to Ko Olina). It's pricey, but I have to admit amazing service.

There are a million places to stay in Waikiki, so I'd look around a bit. You could look into a family room at the Waikiki Marriott (unless you're a Hilton family).

Either way, if it's just a few days, don't worry about the "size" of Waikiki. My kids at 6 or so could walk from one end to the other. It's not the city; that's Honolulu. It is, however, quite busy with cars and tourists!

 

[Belle_Ann]

We also stayed a few nights in Waikiki before going to Aulani. I almost booked HHV but realized our plans were more for sightseeing in the area and enjoying the beach activities. So I figured why pay more for a resort hotel. And likely my kids wouldn't want to leave the resort pools . So, I picked the Hilton Garden Inn since I got a good price, the location was great and no resort fee (it's a block off the beach).

 

[SylviaL]

We just came back from Oahu for spring break. We spent the first few days at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and then we moved to Aulani. We did not like the Hilton Hawaiian Village--it was too busy and traffic around there was always a nightmare. We typically went out first thing in the morning (Diamond Head hike, Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay) and then when we returned, we didn't like to go out again because it was such a hassle. We were in Kalia tower which is the furthest from the beach. The only pool we went to was the Kalia pool because we were too lazy to walk all the way to the other pools and they were always crowded. My kids are 15, 14 and 10, by the way. Next time, I would stay a little further away--Ilima Hotel looks good to me.

 

[mfleeting]

Thanks everyone. I think we are going to find another hotel close to the beach instead of the HHV. We still want to be fairly close to the beach but also want to be enjoy some peace and quiet before going to Aulani.

 

[hilarys]

We stayed at the Outrigger for 3 days in 2013 after a week on the Big Island. We found it to be a convenient base for sightseeing, going to the beach (my son took a surf lesson out front), going out to eat. I would recommend it. Since we own at Aulani, we stayed at Aulani for the whole trip earlier this month and used it for our base. For the week we were there we spent 3 days doing things outside of the resort and the rest were pool/resort/arrival/departure days (we did pool on both arrival and departure).

 

[Grumpy_Dad]

My wife and I stayed out the Outrigger several years ago and loved it. I have heard great things about the HHV, but the Outrigger was perfect for us at the time (no kids). On our trip to Aulani in Feb, we spent a day in Honolulu and stopped by to see the Outrigger, just to stroll down memory lane.

 

[JCornell]

Thanks everyone. I think we are going to find another hotel close to the beach instead of the HHV. We still want to be fairly close to the beach but also want to be enjoy some peace and quiet before going to Aulani.

We had a decent deal at Doubletree right behind HHV but recently switched to a roughly equal deal for Pacific Beach Hotel ocean view right on the water. Parking is slightly cheaper and it seemed like it'd be easier to get in and out of.

 

[nkereina]

We stayed at the Waikiki Marriott - some photos and details in my trip report in my signature. For us, the price point was right and the location was perfect. We were easy walking distance to everything with lots of dining options close by. Also close to the Waikiki Trolley which we used to go up to Ala Moana Center. There was even a Wolfgang Puck Express across the street where we ate a few (fairly) inexpensive meals. While in Waikiki, our goal was sightseeing so we did not lay on the beach or use the pool, but I would consider those the two downsides of the hotel - it's across the street from the beach, and the pool is small and mediocre at best.

Hilton Hawaiian Village is beautiful and is truly a resort. You could spend days there and not need or want to leave. Since we were staying at Aulani, that's not what we wanted in Waikiki. HHV is also at the far end of the strip and we didn't think it was super convenient as far as walking distance to anything outside of the compound.

 

[Aviator621]

Should point out Outrigger is a hotel CHAIN, just like Marriott or Hilton. Suspect people referring specifically to the Outrigger Reef Hotel. As a recommendation look into the Embassy Suites Beachwalk--1 blk from beach but still next to Ft DeRussy. Also has the advantage of a true suite for your kids and provides breakfast which is a true cost savings in Hawaii. http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en...-hilton-waikiki-beach-walk-HNLESES/index.html

 

[buffettgirl]

Should point out Outrigger is a hotel CHAIN, just like Marriott or Hilton. Suspect people referring specifically to the Outrigger Reef Hotel. As a recommendation look into the Embassy Suites Beachwalk--1 blk from beach but still next to Ft DeRussy. Also has the advantage of a true suite for your kids and provides breakfast which is a true cost savings in Hawaii. http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en...-hilton-waikiki-beach-walk-HNLESES/index.html

Breakfast is a full buffet breakfast (even omelette station), not just a "here's a muffin and some fruit". And they have nightly drinks and snacks up on the pool lanai. Drinks were free and strong - snacks left a lot to be desired, but drinks were good. (did I say that?) "lived" there for about a month before we moved into our home.

 

[mfleeting]

Just to update we ended up staying at Outrigger Waikiki Beach and enjoyed it. We thought it was a great location and convenient and close to many things. We did think the pool was a little lacking but overall a perfect spot for our first few days in Hawaii.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We just returned from Waikiki and I can highly recommend the Embassy Suites Beach Walk. It was great. We enjoyed the breakfasts and the evening reception. We got picked up by our tour in front of our hotel and were right next to the Beach Walk for easy access to restaurants and an ABC store.

 

[Angrose]

Just to update we ended up staying at Outrigger Waikiki Beach and enjoyed it. We thought it was a great location and convenient and close to many things. We did think the pool was a little lacking but overall a perfect spot for our first few days in Hawaii.

Thanks for reporting back. I am also leaning towards that hotel for our 3 nights in Waikiki before going to Aulani. How was the room size? What type of room did you get? The rooms look big online and I like that the King room has a fold out sofa for our DS9. Do you have any other feedback about your stay? Thanks again!!

 

[mfleeting]

Thanks for reporting back. I am also leaning towards that hotel for our 3 nights in Waikiki before going to Aulani. How was the room size? What type of room did you get? The rooms look big online and I like that the King room has a fold out sofa for our DS9. Do you have any other feedback about your stay? Thanks again!!

We had a 2 double beds with a deluxe ocean view room. I felt like the room size was pretty decent and standard for most hotels. The fridge was in a corner of the bathroom with the coffee pot which I thought was a little odd. Decent size balconies. Leaving the sliding door open at night and hearing the waves was relaxing. Something we could not do at Aulani (to far away from the water). Awesome view!

Pool is a little small but warm water and was never busy. Chairs around the pool can be taken up pretty easy though especially since every night half of the lounge areas were closed for events. We liked that you have plenty of food options both in the hotel and very close by. You have the ocean directly on property and easy for everyone to spread out, watch people surf, and see some of the catamarans out. We were walking distance to many things or could easily get a lyft. With your stay you do get free access to the Waikiki connection trolley but it goes by once an hour only so we only used it once.

At night plenty of drunk people are going around in the streets. One night someone threw up in the lobby and 2 employees watched and did nothing about it. That was kind of a turn off for me for that moment but not the overall stay. We just stayed away from the front at night and stayed at the beach or in our room.

Also, to be completely honest me and my husband enjoyed the Waikiki area and hotel over Aulani. It really gave us the beachy, vacation, we're not in Texas feel. So if we go back we would definitely stay at this hotel again.

 

[nkereina]

For anyone else considering the same, we also stayed 3 nights in Waikiki before Aulani. During our Waikiki stay, we took advantage of the time change and did the early morning activities like Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor. We did not have a car during our Waikiki stay so we avoided the parking hassles, costs, and traffic. We did organized tours with transportation to Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor (separate tours) and it worked out really well for us. We stayed at the Waikiki Beach Marriott which was in a very central location, easy walking distance to everything in Waikiki, and easy to pick up the Waikiki Trolley which we took to Ala Moana Center. We had a refurbished room in the Kealohilani tower - the room was huge and had an angled balcony to the ocean with a lounge chair, regular chair and table. Even with the slightly upgraded room, we thought it was still a reasonable price point which is what we wanted since we knew we wouldn't be at the resort much those days. Highly recommend!

 

[Angrose]

We had a 2 double beds with a deluxe ocean view room. I felt like the room size was pretty decent and standard for most hotels. The fridge was in a corner of the bathroom with the coffee pot which I thought was a little odd. Decent size balconies. Leaving the sliding door open at night and hearing the waves was relaxing. Something we could not do at Aulani (to far away from the water). Awesome view!

Pool is a little small but warm water and was never busy. Chairs around the pool can be taken up pretty easy though especially since every night half of the lounge areas were closed for events. We liked that you have plenty of food options both in the hotel and very close by. You have the ocean directly on property and easy for everyone to spread out, watch people surf, and see some of the catamarans out. We were walking distance to many things or could easily get a lyft. With your stay you do get free access to the Waikiki connection trolley but it goes by once an hour only so we only used it once.

At night plenty of drunk people are going around in the streets. One night someone threw up in the lobby and 2 employees watched and did nothing about it. That was kind of a turn off for me for that moment but not the overall stay. We just stayed away from the front at night and stayed at the beach or in our room.

Also, to be completely honest me and my husband enjoyed the Waikiki area and hotel over Aulani. It really gave us the beachy, vacation, we're not in Texas feel. So if we go back we would definitely stay at this hotel again.

Thanks so much for this. It looks like we will book the Outrigger since I've read so many positive reviews and it seems to be the most affordable option for being right on the beach. That's what I really want! My husband will appreciate the nightlife since he is a city person at heart and then I will appreciate relaxing when we get to Aulani. The best of both worlds! Can't wait!!