FlyingFrZ

How is the RH in terms of upgrades? I'm willing to use SNAs if it usually proves fruitful.

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FlyingFrZ

Do you happen to know the current situation on the ground?

Are most restaurants, beaches, and tourist attractions currently open?

I know things can change at a moments notice but curious what the situation is right now.


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anteater

Traffic is light, beaches are cleaner than ever. Mask enforcement in the main public spaces like downtown Waikiki is strong: they have police and volunteers patrolling the area on foot.

Based on my observations about 10-15% of people I see in public are either not wearing their mask correctly (chin diaper) or not wearing one and still traveling in a group; this was locals and tourists.

Whether downtown or hiking, there are still people who don’t respect social distancing of others or travel in large groups.

Speaking with fellow locals the mentality on the island is that it’s a very fine line between protecting the health of the residents and allowing tourism. They simply do not have the means to expand medical capacity and their capacity is extremely low. All it will take is one person to bring COVID and things could spiral.

Most places have hand sanitizer stations.


A lot of places are closed, shops and food. Some places are take out only or limited hours.

Its definitely not bustling like before and will not be the same as if you had been here previously.

If you’re looking for a downtown but quieter than normal experience it’s great. If you want to sit and stay at the premier beach definitely book a hotel at Waikiki and just walk to the nearby eateries.

My guess is there will be a spike in the next month, especially with the holiday travel demand and the island will go back into mandatory quarantine.

LMK if any more questions.

FlyingFrZ

This is great thank you. I am all for mask restrictions and we will rent a car to avoid person to person interaction as much as possible.

I guess Waikiki is as empty as its ever going to be, so might as well stay somewhere directly on the beach as recommended above. I think RH makes the most sense.

Fingers crossed things don't get out of hand.

margarita girl

Note that the price for parking your car is about the same as the rental cost, so basically doubling your price. Waikiki couldn’t be any more central. You have the beach on one side and Kalakaua Ave (the main drag) on the other side of the beach hotels. You can walk everywhere. I’d recommend just renting a car for the days when you want to do an excursion like the North Shore and then return it at night so you don’t have to park it. There’s 2 very convenient Hertz locations in the Imperial and Hyatt hotels.

I also highly recommend doing a dolphin swim with Dolphin Excursions if you would rather see these amazing creatures in the wild instead of trapped in an aquarium. Lunch and transportation are included in the price.

http://honuhawaiiactivities.com/dolp...our-p-178.html

FlyingFrZ

Didn't even consider the parking situation. Thank you for the heads up.

The dolphin excursion will also be a nice surprise

HNLbasedFlyer

I'd see what is available online in terms of upgrades. You'll want to check as most hotels did not fully reopen - as in, many still have closed off floors, sections, or towers. Occupancy peaked about 30% for the parts that are open in Waikiki - but tourism is taking another hit again with the requirement to have the negative test in hand before departure to Hawaii - expect occupancy to potentially drop to 20% or less.

Building on your other post - most attractions are open. Most tours are did not restart. Bars are not allowed to operate. Most restaurants have a last seating around 9pm as they can't serve alcohol past 10pm. A lot of restaurants are closed/out of business - but still plenty of options.

If you are looking for the uncrowded Hawaii experience, now is the time to go. It can be a bit bleak at times with the boarded up businesses, not super festive at the moment and not a lot of energy - if it makes you feel any better, it'll be mid-80's and sunny today, like it is almost every single day.

FlyingFrZ

Thank you for the insight

I think we're going to just take advantage of the low crowds and enjoy the natural beauty of Oahu. As long as some of the local food options are open, and we aren't locked into our hotel, we should be ok

For the SNA upgrades, the RH only shows heritage wing options available. Reading the dedicated RH thread, it seems this is just how the hotel operates when requesting SNAs.

My goal is to stay in the Mailani tower since it's much nicer and a balcony is a must.

Eastbay1K

A prospective cancellation question - seems like the right thread. Looking at the Marriott website, the official policy looks pretty unforgiving should something go wrong in the testing / receiving results prior to departure department. I've yet to make a reservation for an upcoming trip in about a month, and will just not go should a negative test result not arrive prior to departure. I'd contact hotels individually to see if they'd consider any exceptions, but would prefer email, as a phone call is only as good as the person on the other end documenting things properly. I'd probably stay at the Courtyard - inexpensive, convenient, I've been a few times prior, and no resort fee.

Thoughts?

anteater

I am not aware of any Oahu hotel with a T-6 hours cancellation policy, but I would get the email for any prospective property and contact them regarding this scenario (since you have about a month).

johnndor

Only a quick night, but any Marriott property hotel reccomendations?

We'll be arriving at 8:30 p.m., only one night, departing the next day at 7:30 pm. Just a quick night before 3 weeks on other islands, and we plan to see the Arizona Memorial and fit in whatever little else we can.

I've got enough Marriott points for 1 night at the following:Sheraton Waikiki (60k +$36 resort fee)

Laylow, Autograph Collection (50k + $29 resort fee)

Royal Hawaiian (55k +$42 resort fee)

Sheraton Princess Kaiulani (35k +$33 resort fee)

Moana Surfrider (55k +$42 resort fee)

Waikiki Beach Marriott (60k+$42 resort fee)
Planning on renting a car at the airport, direct to hotel, dinner. Next day drive around a bit (time permitting) Arizona Memorial and then to the airport. (Party of 4).

Thanks in advance!

HNLbasedFlyer

Any Status? Plat on up has a decent shot of an upgrade to a suite at the Sheraton Waikiki - and the bulk of the suites have great views.

No status? Then I'd just stay at the Princess Kaiulani and save your points since you will be out and about anyway.

spgplat21

I know it gets mixed reviews for a number of reasons, but we really enjoyed our 2-night stay at the Royal Hawaiian. We had a much better view and pool setup at the Sheraton down the beach, but we preferred having the main beach right in front of the hotel and everything about it just felt more like a Hawaiian vacation to us.

The Sheraton was still great, but the room felt like we might as well have been at a Sheraton in Florida. The only other property we've visited was the Westin and I liked both the Sheraton and Royal Hawaiian much better.

CALMSP

I'd personally look at the Courtyard since this is almost like just a place to sleep as you are getting in at night and leaving the next day along with driving the island and visiting the Arizona. Why waste the points and be hit with a resort fee if you are not going to use the facilities.

HNLbasedFlyer

If you don't have status and the hotel is near full - there are some outright terrible near street level rooms I would not want to be stuck in.

If you don't have status and the hotel is nearly full - you can get stuck in what I consider a very tiny room - certainly smaller than the smallest Sheraton Waikiki rooms.