Questions about: luggage storage, cheap eateries in Waikiki

Hello, my husband and I are going to Oahu next month. We will stay at an airport hotel the first night, since we are arriving late. We will have a rental car the next day only, because we will be joining a cruise within the next few days. We have a few Oahu tours planned before the cruise.

My questions: 1- what should we do with our luggage the day we have the car? I thought that we would just leave it in the trunk, but after hearing about theft problems, I%26#39;m not sure that would be safe. We plan to go to the Dole Plantation, and then drive around the northshore to the east, taking in ocean views, and stopping for lunch somewhere before we return the rental car at the airport.

Question 2: we want to eat as inexpensively as possible to be able to do more activities. What eateries are close to the Marriot Beach Waikiki that are also good?

Question 3: What is the name of the small Wal-Mart type store at the Marriott Beach Waikiki and around that area?

Thank you!

Questions about: luggage storage, cheap eateries in Waikiki

You are spending the first night at an airport hotel, but you are also staying at the Marriott ... and then joining a cruise? Why not just stay at the Marriott. Late arrivals should not be a problem. Honolulu is an international airport - late flights are not uncommon.

If this is your scenario - take a cab to the Marriott when you arrive and then rent a car on Waikiki for the day/s you want to explore this island. FYI - Dole Plantation is a tourist trap. If it%26#39;s handy to stop - fine, but don%26#39;t go out of your way.

You may be thinking of ABC Stores. I wouldn%26#39;t call them Walmart-like, though. They have a little bit of everything. You CAN%26#39;T miss them.

Questions about: luggage storage, cheap eateries in Waikiki

Thank you very much for your information. We booked the Marriott through Norwegian Cruise Lines. They had a very good deal on it, but only for 3 days ahead of the cruise instead of 4 like we needed. I thought that the airport hotel to rest up after the long flight (New Orleans) was the next best thing to do. Do you think that the airport hotel would store luggage for us. I%26#39;ve had hotels in Europe do that.

Also thanks for the Dole Plantation info. We have one day on our own and we do want to make the most of that.

ABC stores probably is what I%26#39;m thinking about. I have googled so much that I couldn%26#39;t find what I was looking for when I went back to check on it.

Thanks again, and have a great day!

with kind regards

This is what I would do: Call the Marriott, the hotel directly, and ask them if they could extend your stay another day. Ask the price ... it may actually be cheaper than through NCL. I have found that often the ';deals'; through the cruiselines are not deals at all. I hope your situation is better.

The hotels around the airport get awful reviews! Consistent comments about dirt, bugs, seedy characters, etc. If you are arriving late at night, zipping into Waikiki should not be a problem. It%26#39;s only about 20 minutes.

You can take a cab from the airport to Waikiki and pick up a car there after you are rested. I think that there are a couple car rentals close to the Marriott, but you can ask them when you call or check on-line with the rental agencies. There are rental agencies on Waikiki - just make sure to reserve a car in advance.

I hope this helps.

Again, thank you for the info. I will call the Marriott directly. I suppose I%26#39;ll find out in a minute how good my deal is! Staying at the Marriott would definately simplify things for us.

I appreciate your suggestions!

Hello again,

I was able to add one more night to my existing reservation at the Marriott by calling directly. They had me join Marriott rewards, then call them back for a savings of about $70.00 on the previous reservation. They were also able to keep the room the same, so we wouldn%26#39;t have to worry about luggage changes from room to room.

I do have another question now. I have a car reserved at the airport for one day of leisurely touring around the island. Is there a closer car rental company to the Marriott, or is it worth taking a shuttle back and forth from the airport on Tuesday, from the hotel on Wednesday morning, then back to the hotel that night. We wanted to avoid traffic confusion and congestion, and high parking fees.

I appreciate any thoughts on this matter.

Congratulations!

Both Hertz and Budget are at the Hyatt (second floor) on Waikiki -- maybe a 10 minute walk for you. But there could be others closer. You can 1) call the Marriott and ask for the closest car rental or 2) look up some of the major rental companies and see if/where their agencies are 3) contact the concierge at the Marriott and ask they to arrange this for you. Keep in mind that the Waikiki car rental agencies may not open until 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. (ask them) - which would keep you from getting a good early start (the paperwork takes time!). We generally rent the car the night before we need it and pay for parking that night - so we can get out and around the island early.

0818 ... Aloha, I am trying to figure out your itinerary and believe this is what you are trying to do.

Arriving late in the day and/or evening, you want to book your first night at a airport hotel (shuttle is provided for pick-up), pick up your rental car in the morning the next day and move to the Marriott Waikiki Beach Hotel for three nights before your NCL cruise.

I see no problem here and think it is the wise thing to do if you are getting your car at/or near the Honolulu Airport. After renting your car early in the morning, go straight to the Waikiki Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa and tell them you are checking in for three days, do understand that check-in is not until 3 pm, but, if it was okay to have your luggage kept in storage while you await your room and go do the tourist things.

Take a claim check for your luggage and off you go for your drive to the North Shore. My suggestion is to go around Diamond Head, go through lavish Kahala with million dollar estates, then take Kalaniana%26#39;ole Hwy #72 and go East towards Koko Head (Hanauma Bay, Halona Blowhole, Sandy Beach)to begin your drive to the North Shore. While awaiting your luggage at the airport, look for a stand up rack full with rack cards on things to do. Pick up a ';101 Things To Do'; magazine and other handouts that will come in handy or look interest for your drive around the Island of O%26#39;ahu.

Starting your drive around the island from Waikiki around Diamond Head, makes everything easy for you as you return from the North Shore via Dole Plantation (Central O%26#39;ahu). If you are planning to return your car after the North Shore venture, go straight to the airport, return your car and now go to Waikiki to begin your three nights stay.

You have a couple of options how to return to the Waikiki Beach Marriott to check in. Taxi ($40) or city bus at $2.00 each (#19, #20 or #42 - Waikiki Hotel %26amp; Beach) will return you to Waikiki.

Now, on Dole Plantation. I totally disagree with BLBL. Although, it is a tourist attraction, not all the people that stop at Dole Plantation to shop, realize that Dole Plantation is also home to the world%26#39;s largest maze; a garden that pays tribute to its founder James Dole with a Pineapple Express (a two mile mini train ride) through an agricultural section of the garden, which includes a narration on the history of the pineapple industry in Hawai%26#39;i. Lining the route, you will find tropical trees such as lychee, banana, mango, papaya, cacao and coffee growing. This site, attracts over a million visitors each year.

So why are we wasting our time at this tourist trap? There%26#39;s lots of history that takes you back to the late nineteenth century when plantation life dominated the Hawaiian Islands. Here you learn through a collections of eight gardens, the life on the plantation and the plants and agricultural techniques of the 1800s. Some techniques that are still used today.

In regards to cheap eats around the Waikiki Beach Marriott, there is alot of restaurants, all reasonable priced. You need to check them out after you arrive. Ask the hotel staff and they can point out 24/7 Restaurant at Hilton Prince Kuhio across the street, Cheeseburger in Paradise one block into Waikiki, next to St. Augustine Church, McDonald%26#39;s the next block down or Lulu%26#39;s a small block towards the zoo. Oop%26#39;s Burger King at the corner to your hotel. Many more to choose from.

Enough said, 0818 hope this helps.

Wife and I are just back this week....Go to Jimmy Buffets at the Beachcomber for dinner. It just opened in February. But BEWARE if you get the nachos for an appetizer do not order dinner. It was HUGE and delicious but my wife and I could only eat about 40% of it and had to cancel our pasta and a sandwich You can easily walk here from your hotel and it is not expensive. Other places to eat can include The Cheesecake Factory also within walking distance and the places in the Beachwalk area with great shops and dining Enjoy your trip. Mahalo and aloha

Lots of great information. Thank you. My husband and I are looking forward to ';seeing and trying new things'; even more than looking for good places to eat. Sounds crazy I know, but this is our first trip to Hawaii, and since it is a ';little different'; from New Orleans, where we live, we want to make the most of it. There were the logistical questions that were posing problems. Along the drive around the perimeter, is there a place that we could stop to get a meal for take-out that we could bring to a park or beach to stop to picnic at? Where would be a good place to stop?

Thank you again. Oloha!

Thanks again! I have more questions about the ABC stores, if you don%26#39;t mind. I did find out that we will have a mini frig in our room. Do the ABC stores have juice, milk, or any foods that we could eat for breakfast in our room?

I have as much fun planning the trip as I do going, and my husband gets to enjoy the trip more too. Thanks so much for your help. I think that%26#39;s all the questions for now, but we%26#39;ll see! :)

Have a nice day!