Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [98]
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SLEEPING
Waikiki’s main beachfront strip, Kalakaua Ave, is lined with high-rise resort hotels. Be aware that ‘ocean view’ and its cousins ‘ocean front’ and ‘partial ocean view’ are all liberally used and often require a periscope to spot the waves. ‘City’, ‘garden’ or ‘mountain’ views may be euphemisms for overlooking a parking lot. When making reservations, check hotel room maps online or call a hotel reservation agent to ask.
If you don’t mind walking a few minutes to the beach, there are some inviting small hotels on Waikiki’s backstreets. Some near Kuhio Ave and up by the Ala Wai Canal have rooms as lovely as the beachfront properties, but for half the price. Others are just grotty renovated apartment buildings or aging 1960s and ’70s high-rises. Waves of chic boutique-styled hotels are just starting to come ashore in Waikiki.
For a modicum of style on a budget, look into Aqua Hotels & Resorts (www.aquaresorts.com), the best of which offer free high-speed internet, complimentary continental breakfast, tiny pools and small workout rooms; they’re also gay-friendly and designed for both business and leisure travelers. A more massive local chain is Outrigger Hotels & Resorts (www.outrigger.com), which also owns Waikiki’s Ohana Hotels & Resorts (www.ohanahotels.com). Outrigger gives back to the local community through volunteer work and charity donations.
Wherever you stay in Waikiki, make reservations in advance. Overnight parking costs $5 to $25, whether for valet or self-parking. Increasingly, many hotels are also charging for mandatory ‘resort fees,’ which tack another $5 to $25 per day onto your final bill. Resort fees may cover internet connections, local and toll-free phone calls and fitness room access, or no extra perks at all, but regardless, you’ll have to pay.
Waikiki has far more hotel rooms than condos. For condo rentals, which are not as easy to come by on O′ahu as on some Neighbor Islands, contact the following:
Pacific Islands Reservations (808-262-8133; www.waikiki-condo-rentals.com)
Aloha Waikiki Vacation Condos (924-0433, 800-655-6055; www.waikiki-condos.com)
Hawaiian Beach Rentals (800-853-0787; www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com)
For more short-term vacation rentals and sublets, browse listings online at Vacation Rentals By Owner (www.vrbo.com) or Craigslist (http://honolulu.craigslist.org).
Budget
Lemon Rd, an alley set back from the Diamond Head end of the beach, is filled with backpacker hostels catering to global nomads and a twenty-something party crowd.
Hostelling International-Waikiki (926-8313; www.hostelsaloha.com; 2417 Prince Edward St; dm $25-28, d $58-64; reception 1pm-3am; ) Occupying a converted low-rise apartment building, this tidy hostel has single-sex dormitories, a common kitchen and bodyboards to borrow. The accommodations are adequate but won’t have you jumping for joy. Unlike most mainland HI hostels, there’s no dormitory lockout or curfew. No alcohol allowed.
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GAY & LESBIAN WAIKIKI
Waikiki’s LGBT community is tightly knit, but full of aloha. Free monthly magazine Odyssey (www.odysseyhawaii.com) covers the scene; it’s available at the convenience shop 80% Straight (923-9996; Waikiki Grand Hotel, 134 Kapahulu Ave; 10am-11pm Mon-Thu, 10am-midnight Fri & Sat, noon-11pm Sun), which sells books, magazines, videos, beachwear and novelty toys. The free tabloid Honolulu Weekly (http://honoluluweekly.com) also prints LGBT listings.
Friendly, open-air Hula’s Bar & Lei Stand (923-0669; 2nd fl, Waikiki Grand Hotel, 134 Kapahulu Ave; 10am-2am; ) has a great ocean view of Diamond Head. Stop by for drinks and to meet new faces, play pool and dance by the beach. Inland, Angles Waikiki (926-9766, infoline 923-1130; 2256 Kuhio Ave; 10am-2am) is a high-energy nightclub with dancing, pool tournaments, all-male revues, BBQ nights and catamaran cruises. Next door Fusion Waikiki (924-2422; 2nd fl, 2260 Kuhio Ave;