World Traveller 73 
Our returning visit to The Sheraton Waikiki would have us back to one of the most legendary mega hotel properties in the Waikiki Beach area of Honolulu, Hawaii in the United States. The Sheraton Waikiki offers a renovated beach hotel experience that brings us back to this property time and time again. On this visit, we would be lucky enough to experience an unbelievable suite upgrade courtesy of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program that really set the highlight of our stay.
This post is one chapter on our trip during the pandemic to Honolulu Oahu, Hawaii, United States. This trip was redeemed through Marriott Bonvoy and further enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA via United Airlines Business Class
- Coronavirus Testing for Travel: Getting Tested for Hawaii
- Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Canada
- United Airlines Business Class: Vancouver – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “F” Rotunda, USA
- United Airlines First Class: San Francisco – Honolulu
- The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Honolulu, USA
- Tips for Walking Diamond Head, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Roy’s Waikiki Restaurant, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- On the Locals Beach at Waimea Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Snorkelling at Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Circling the East Coast to Waimanalo Bay Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- How to Save on Hotel Parking in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- Marakume Udon, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- The Sheraton Waikiki – Kai Suite, Honolulu, USA
- The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort – Waikiki, Historic Garden Suite, Honolulu, USA
- United Club Lounge Honolulu, USA
- United Airlines First Class: Honolulu – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “G” International Terminal, USA
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “E” Concourse, USA
- United Airlines Business Class: San Francisco – Vancouver
Review: Sheraton Waikiki – Kai Suite, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America.
This review is of the Sheraton Waikiki. For other nearby hotel reviews, please see our review of the The Moana Surfrider by Westin, The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort- Waikiki, and the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani.
Booking the Sheraton Waikiki:
We had previously stayed at the Sheraton Waikiki on a past visit. We really enjoyed the experience and it was easy to make the decision to return.
The large monolithic Sheraton Waikiki is a large mega hotel resort in the middle of the Waikiki Beachfront featuring 1,636 hotel rooms and 136 suites. The hotel was originally built in 1971, but has undergone several recent upgrades and renovations to make it more relevant in today’s mid – luxury resort environment.
Like many Marriott Bonvoy hotels in Hawaii, the Sheraton Waikiki remains a terrible value on a Marriott Bonvoy Points redemption as a Category 7. A standard night during our January stay was over 50,000 points for a base level city view back street room. As a result, we opted for a paid cash rate. I searched around and the best one that I could find was the American Auto Mobile Association (AAA rate) for $251 USD for a City View King Guest Room.
As Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level members, we would also be entitled to the best available room, including select suites, access to the Sheraton Executive Club Lounge, and a welcome amenity including breakfast, additional Marriott Bonvoy points or a local welcome gift.
I checked the Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Award inventory for the Sheraton Waikiki. Unfortunately, they only had “upgraded” rooms available in the Suite Night Award pool and there were no suites available. The best option was the Large Luxury Guest Room with three doubles that gets reports of feeling like a dormitory room.
Almost all of these were rooms you stood a great chance of being upgraded to anyway without the use of a Suite Night Award certificate courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status. As a result, we ended up saving our Suite Night Awards for another use and playing the upgrade lottery at the front desk. Unless you see some actual suites (Malia, Kai or Ohana Suites) in the Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Award pool, I’d recommended saving them for another use elsewhere.
Getting to the Sheraton Waikiki:
The Sheraton Waikiki is located in central Waikiki at one of the best locations in Waikiki Beach. It’s located almost dead center on the area west of the canal. It’s within easy walking distance from a number of off property restaurants in the immediate area.
The hotel is also very close to a strip of Waikiki Beach that is mere steps from the hotel property. Although some parts of the hotel aren’t beach front being right up against the water break, the Waikiki Beach strip starts immediately to the east of the property and runs onwards for several miles.
The hotel couldn’t be any more convenient for spending a few days within Waikiki Beach and it’s probably the most convenient hotel property for those looking for a short stay in Waikiki Beach. About the only thing the hotel isn’t conveniently located near to is an area to park your car for free; something that can be said of almost every Waikiki Beach hotel.
In our case, we walked over with our luggage from the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani hotel. We had spent five days on this property, prior to our stay at the Sheraton Waikiki.
Checking into the Sheraton Waikiki:
I left MrsWT73 at the pool at the Sheraton Princess Kahulani and ended walking the 7 minutes over to the Sheraton Waikiki at around 1 PM. There was only one person ahead of me in line at the check in counter. The check in line was separated into Marriott Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador Members.
Trying to get the Best Possible Upgrade at Check In:
When you’re staying on a longer personal stay at a beach resort, I always try my hardest to get the best possible room. With this objective, I looked at using Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Awards. Unfortunately, at the time of our stay, the hotel was not offering any Suites to the Suite Night Award pool. The only inventory in the Suite Night Award pool were enhanced rooms we’d typically stand an opportunity upgrading into at the front counter.
Despite the hotel having over 1,600 rooms and 136 suites, my Marriott Bonvoy upgrade experience has been hit or miss at this property.
There are three categories of suites at the Sheraton Waikiki. The Ohana (family) Suites are the largest suites available at the property, beginning with the Malia Suites (smallest suit category) and Kai Suites (intermediate sized suites) which are of smaller size than the Ohana family suites.
The Marriott Bonvoy elite recognition describes the upgrade program as:
Complimentary Enhanced Room Upgrade for Platinum Elite Members. Platinum Elite Members and above receive a complimentary upgrade to the best available room subject to availability for the entire length of stay at the time of check-in. Complimentary upgrade includes suites, rooms with desirable views, rooms on high floors, corner rooms, rooms with special amenities or rooms on Executive Floors.
Enhanced Room Upgrades are subject to availability and are identified by each Participating Property. The Complimentary Enhanced Room Upgrade for Platinum Elite Members and above is available at all Participating Brands except at Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand Residence Club, Aloft, Element and Vistana properties.
We had previously stayed here and gotten an upgrade into a High Oceanfront Beach room from a Garden Room, booked with Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status.
Prior to arriving to the property, I checked in advance and the property had several Malina and Kai suites available for sale, with only the lessor Malina suites showing as “almost sold out”.
Getting back to the check in process, on arrival I asked the host asked for Marriott Titanium Suite upgrade. She started down the road of explaining that the hotel had already upgraded me from a garden room city view to an oceanfront view room. Given past experiences of hotels not really being interested in servicing upgrade requests from the Marriott Bonvoy program, I asked again nicely to see if there were any Titanium Suites available for upgrade.
At the time of our trip, there was soft demand as a result of the pandemic not fully recovering, I was fortunate to be checking in at 1 PM with no one behind me in line. The arrival host went went into the back room to check with the manager. She was there for what felt like quite a while; at least 4 minutes.
After what felt like an eternity, she came back and said that she had a suite for me; however, it had no working water on the last day of our 4 days stay between 9 AM and 1:30 PM. I gladly accepted the suite. I was thinking that I was being upgraded into the lowest suite category, but was absolutely blown away when I went to the room and found out I had been upgraded into a Kai Suite; which is the mid tier category.
The room that we had booked was retailing for approximately $322 USD per night. The Kai Suite we had been upgraded into was retailing for over $1,006 USD per night; a great deal!
There are times when you can get outsized value from the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program. This happened to be one of those times. It was also unusual given that it was in the Hawaiian Islands; an area where there are typically a lot of hotel elites visiting expecting to take advantage of their loyalty benefits.
During the check in, we were presented with the usual hotel information sheet and restaurant timings.
The Leahli Lounge (Sheraton Executive Club Lounge) was closed on our visit.
The resort also featured a daily resort charge. The daily resort fee included a number of mostly useless inclusions. Instead of complimentary water bottles in the room, the resort also provided a Sheraton Waikiki refillable water pouch.
A Marriott Bonvoy Titanium 4 PM check out was available after reception checked with a manager. There was no haggling on the time and it was made available upon asking.
The Room: A Kai Ocean Suite
1 King, Oceanfront, Sofa Bed
Getting off the elevator on the twenty fifth floor, the room was immediately at the south end of the elevator bank. My first impression was that the room location wasn’t so great, since it was going to be near the elevators. However, I was happy to learn that thanks to the design of the room, that wasn’t going to be the case.
I entered the Sheraton Waikiki Kai Suite Room #2536. I was pretty much blown away by the size and luxury space of the Kai Suite. The Marriott Bonvoy room upgrade was among the best I’d ever had in my 16 years in the Marriott Bonvoy program, possibly rivalling the Suite night Award I redeemed at the JW Marriott Los Cabos.
In the Sheraton Waikiki Kai Suite, immediately after entering, there was a short hall that led to a living space, and a short hallway to the bedroom and bathroom.
The Living Room:
The living area had two couches, in addition to two occasional chairs. The room was nicely decorated in shades of light grey. While light shades don’t often wear very well, the atheistic of the room looked really pleasant and the room hardly had any signs of wear.
There was also a six person dining area with proper dining chairs. I always appreciate having a proper dining area in a suite, as it allows for in suite dining, in addition to begin a great space for counter storage.
The living room area offered a proper coffee station, in addition to a small mini refrigerator.
Off the living space, There was a small outdoor lanai deck with a lounger, and a single table and chair. There was also a diamond head view along with the hotels of the Waikiki strip.
The hallways towards the bedroom contained the bathroom.
The Bathroom:
The bathroom had two vanity sinks and was shaped in a L shaped format. There was heaps of storage space for those that wanted to hang their clothes, in addition to an in room safe.
One half of the L had a large walk in shower that was large enough for two. It also contained a bathtub in the shower.
The toiletries were the usual Le Bain Sheraton branded soaps. In a surprising twist, there were Hawaiian Tropic lotions, shampoos and conditioners.
The Bedroom:
The bedroom was large and had a lot of extra space around the bed. This space led to having a very spacious feel to the room. Unlike our other rooms at the Sheraton Waikiki that were themed with blue, green and emerald room accents, the Kai Suite went with a more sleek grey look without the coloured accenting.
There was a secondary television in the bedroom. The television was a little offset from the bed, which was slightly noticeable.
The suite was in really good condition, with minimal wear and tear.
In terms of sleep quality, the room was much quieter than our earlier stay up at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. However, I found that the bed was quite soft for my liking and I didn’t get a restful sleep on the first night, or second night or even the third night.
The drapes were also allowing a bit of light through in the morning, even when fully drawn shut. This made the bedroom light in the morning after sunrise, likely thanks to the SE orientation of the room.
A Room with a View:
There was also a second smaller lanai deck off the bedroom, containing two cushioned deck chairs. There was no wifi working on the decks so the decks weren’t the ideal place to relax while you caught up on your social media posts.
The views from the twenty fifth floor Kai Suite were absolutely incredible. The views of Waikiki Beach along with Diamond Head in the background were outstanding.
From our suite, we were able to see many of the landmarks of Waikiki Beach, including the Royal Hawaiian hotel, The Moana Surfrider Historic Hotel, among others.
We really enjoyed the views from the room. We took in sunset some nights, and even had the opportunity to spot some turtles in the water from the room.
The Kai Suite was set up on the corner of the most water facing part of the hotel, as marked in green on the floor plan map below.
The housekeeping service at the hotel is pretty Las Vegas Style. With so many people staying at the hotel, most of your interaction with resort staff is through housekeeping knocking on the door.
Around the Resort Property:
The Edge Infinity Pool:
The property features two pools: The Edge Infinity Pool for Adults, and the family-friendly Helumoa Playground pool. The Edge Infinity Pool Chairs were set up with less density than they usually are, thanks to the social distancing requirements of the pandemic.
While we didn’t eat at the pool on this particular visit, the pool was served by the Edge of Waikiki Restaurant. It had the standard pool side menu items, highlighted by the Mahi Mahi sandwich which we have enjoyed previously.
The Helumoa Playground pool (family pool):
The other pool on the property is the family-friendly Helumoa Playground pool. The Helumoa Family Pool would be more than enough for a few days of entertainment with a waterslide, two large whirlpools, an interactive fountain area, luxury poolside cabanas, and poolside food and beverage service.
The Helumoa Playground pool was under the shadow of the imposing Sheraton Waikiki Towers. While the pool is larger, I found that it typically had more shade exposure than the Edge Infinity Pool. This is not necessarily a bad thing if you’re visiting with younger family members.
Food and Beverage:
Kai Restaurant
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Breakfast:
On past stays, we had enjoyed access to the Sheraton Club Leahni Executive Lounge, where it was expected that Marriott Bonvoy elites would enjoy breakfast. This alllowed some traffic to be steered away from their breakfast restaurant “Kai”.
However, on this visit in October 2021, the Leahli Lounge was closed with no obvious signs of re-opening in the future. To honour the terms and conditions of the Marriott bonvoy elite program, the hotel offered breakfast for it’s elites in the Kai Restaurant.
The Kai Restaurant is the hotel indoor and outdoor all day dining space. Ut’s situated on the ground floor near the Edge Infinit Pool and features some obstructed views of the ocean. It’s always a treat to be able to dine outside. Most days, we were fortunate to be seated on the patio itself, or inside just closest to large windows facing the ocean.
The Kai Restaurant featured the standard expensive resort pricing for breakfast. You won’t be disappointed with the menu, even if it does feature Panilolo Steak and Eggs for $42 USD.
If you are visiting and plan to take advantage of the Marriott Bonvoy Platinum breakfast, the hotel had a separate menu for it’s Marriott Bonvoy elites. The menu offered the continental breakfast as a base menu item, with the opportunity to upgrade dependent on which item you selected.
The upgrades pricing ranged from $15 for the full American Breakfast, up to $27 for the Paniolo Steak and Eggs breakfast. While the free menu didn’t offer the luxury having some basic hot items like scrambled eggs similar to what had been previously offered in the Sheraton Leahli lounge, it was nice to have the option of ordering up instead of being stuck with continental breakfast every day.
The Marriott Bonvoy Continental Breakfast offered a a plate of fresh pastries, fruit and yoghurt that regularly retailed for $30. While it’s a smallish portion, you can ask for re-fills of each individual item a number of times.
Most days, I ended up paying the upgrade fee. As with our experiences next door at the Sheraton Princess Kauilani, the food portions were massive. We would typically order one continental, and end up splitting a main upgrade between the two of us.
I was pretty satisfied with the outdoor breakfast at Kai. A breakfast here would typically fill me up until dinner time.
Sheraton Club Lehani Lounge
While the property has offered a Sheraton Club Lehani Lounge on the top floor of the hotel, the lounge was closed on our visit as a result of the pandemic. It’s not exactly clear when or whether it will re-open.
Marriott Elite Welcome Gift:
The Sheraton Waikiki unusually features a bit of a shopping frenzy feature. As part of your Marriott Bonvoy Elite welcome amenity, elite guests are given the opportunity to stuff a take away back full of gifts.
Marriott Bonvoy Elite Guests are given this card at check in to be used in the small retail location adjacent to the front desk. The store has limited hours, so make sure you find the correct time to visit. If you check out for an evening flight back home to the mainland United States, you might find the store completely closed.
The Gifts feature some local and mainstream products, including Hawaiian Cookies, Macadamia Nuts, Granola Bars and even some alcoholic wines.
We were able to stuff a bottle of sparkling wine along with a package of tea for my mom who was looking after the house while we were gone.
All in all, the welcome gift process is sort of a neat feature I haven’t seen replicated at many Marriott Bonvoy properties anywhere.
We had a four night stay at this property before heading onwards to The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort – Waikiki, next door.
The Bottom Line: The Sheraton Waikiki
Our second time at the Sheraton Waikiki was just as enjoyable as our last visit. The amazing suite upgrade we were lucky enough to receive was among the best and most memorable I’ve ever had. The Sheraton Waikiki didn’t have the same usual frenzy of crowds on this particular visit, but it was pretty enjoyable never the less.
What is the best Marriott Bonvoy Suite Upgrade you’ve had at the Sheraton Waikiki ?
There is nothing like a scrumptious bowl of noodles wherever you travel. As a result of a lot of Pacific Rim influence in the Pacific Island of Hawaii, there is an excellent selection of Asian inspired dining within the corners of Waikiki Beach. The opportunity to enjoy hand cut udon noodles is a pretty special experience, no matter where you are in the world.
This post is one chapter on our trip during the pandemic to Honolulu Oahu, Hawaii, United States. This trip was redeemed through Marriott Bonvoy and further enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA via United Airlines Business Class
- Coronavirus Testing for Travel: Getting Tested for Hawaii
- Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Canada
- United Airlines Business Class: Vancouver – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “F” Rotunda, USA
- United Airlines First Class: San Francisco – Honolulu
- The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Honolulu, USA
- Tips for Walking Diamond Head, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Roy’s Waikiki Restaurant, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- On the Locals Beach at Waimea Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Snorkelling at Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Circling the East Coast to Waimanalo Bay Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- How to Save on Hotel Parking in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- Marakume Udon, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- The Sheraton Waikiki – Kai Suite, Honolulu, USA
- The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort – Waikiki, Historic Garden Suite, Honolulu, USA
- United Club Lounge Honolulu, USA
- United Airlines First Class: Honolulu – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “G” International Terminal, USA
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “E” Concourse, USA
- United Airlines Business Class: San Francisco – Vancouver
Review: Marugame Udon – Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, United States of America.
Marukame Udon has been putting out a steady product of noodles from its’ Waikiki Beach location in Honolulu. Growing up in Vancouver, Canada, a city with a substantial base of citizens that have immigrated from Pacific Rim countries, has found me craving noodles on a regular basis.
The ability to get hand cut udon noodles isn’t something that you can get every day. When you find a restaurant that provides hand cut noodles, it’s almost like finding a needle in the hay stack; a discovery to be treasured and enjoyed!
Booking Marugame Udon:
There is no booking process at Marukame Udon. It is strictly on a first come first serve basis. There are typically lines at this location, so be prepared to wait somewhere up to 45 minutes to enjoy a bowl of noodles unless you’re able to arrive at a non peak period.
Arriving to Marugame Udon:
Marukame Udon was a short walk from The Sheraton Waikiki. Although the restaurant doesn’t command a beach front location, it does hold a popular spot immediately across from the Paiai Fish Market.
There is usually a queue at this location. We’ve found the best times to visit have been in the early afternoon (2:30 PM) after the lunch hour rush, or in the late evening just before closing (after 9:15 PM). The restaurant closes at 10 PM.
The Process:
After you arrive, you’ll likely have an opportunity to see the menu from the menu boards located around the line. Once you make it to the front of the queue, you’ll be able to order direct through the window.
Upon ordering, your noodle order will be immediately processed and presented to you on a tray.
The Meal:
Once your bowl of wonderful udon noodles is presented, you’ll have an option to enjoy some extra add ons. Today’s specialities were calamari or shimp tempura that are available in an a – la – carte format. While the tempura wasn’t served fresh like the noodles, it was pretty tasty and didn’t taste stale by any means.
Sliding your tray along, you pay for your meal at the cashier. You can then locate a free seat in the restaurant on your own.
I ordered wonderful BK Udon, served with house made kake sauce. I ordered some shrimp tempura along the side, along with a spam musubi sushi. The spam musubi sushi is a Hawaiian themed sushi, featuring spam on top of sushi rice. It’s something not typically found outside of Hawaii.
MrsWT73 enjoyed a chicken curry udon bowl with their spicy beef sauce. She also enjoyed a chicken katsu as a side appetizer.
The check for two bowls of noodles, tempura and sushi came to less than $25 USD for two. There is no alcohol served at this location, making a trip here very inexpensive.
The Bottom Line: Marukame Udon
Marukame Udon was a great little find in Waikiki Beach that offered a great change from expensive resort dinners. It’s perfect for those looking for a lighter dinner as long as you are prepared to endure a little wait every now and then.
We’ll be returning at our next available opportunity, the next time we find ourselves in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA!
If you have visited Marukame Udon, did you find the wait worthwhile ?
The Waikiki Beach area of Honolulu, Hawaii, USA is a little similar to New York’s Manhattan Island; it’s virtually impossible to find a free parking stall. Hotels and tourist accommodation in the area charge visitors accordingly, with nightly rates of up to $55 USD to park a vehicle. Over a week’s stay, this can add up to $385 USD before taxes and fees. Is there a way around paying these nightly parking fees? Read on to see how we navigated around this unnecessary expense.
This post is one chapter on our trip during the pandemic to Honolulu Oahu, Hawaii, United States. This trip was redeemed through Marriott Bonvoy and further enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA via United Airlines Business Class
- Coronavirus Testing for Travel: Getting Tested for Hawaii
- Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Canada
- United Airlines Business Class: Vancouver – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “F” Rotunda, USA
- United Airlines First Class: San Francisco – Honolulu
- The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Honolulu, USA
- Tips for Walking Diamond Head, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Roy’s Waikiki Restaurant, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- On the Locals Beach at Waimea Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Snorkelling at Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Circling the East Coast to Waimanalo Bay Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- How to Save on Hotel Parking in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- Marakume Udon, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- The Sheraton Waikiki – Kai Suite, Honolulu, USA
- The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort – Waikiki, Historic Garden Suite, Honolulu, USA
- United Club Lounge Honolulu, USA
- United Airlines First Class: Honolulu – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “G” International Terminal, USA
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “E” Concourse, USA
- United Airlines Business Class: San Francisco – Vancouver
Travel Tip: How to Save on Hotel Car Rental Parking in Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America.
The Waikiki Beach area of Honolulu is one of the most popular locations to stay at when visiting the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The are is so convenient, you usually don’t need to have a car while you’re staying here as everything is so walkable from your hotel.
The Waikiki Beach area is full of resort hotels, and is almost completely surrounded by water; the Waikiki Beach on the southern side, and the Ala Wai canals on East and North side of the Waikiki Beach area.
This physical building environment consisting of a high density series of hotel and residential towers, combined with a set of urban streets that don’t offer a lot of parking, generally cause guests to park at expensive hotel rates above $55 USD a night. This can add up to over $385 USD a week in parking on a weekly rental, even before taxes and fees are added to your bill.
The only other alternative, is to spend time parking outside of the Waikiki Beach area, and walking twenty minutes back into the Waikiki Beach to get back to their hotel.
However, there is a work around to this problem for the savvy frequent traveller that can save you paying the over $50 a night parking fees with hotels and parking garages.
Renting a Car for the Day (instead of for the week):
While staying in Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, instead of renting a car for a weekly rental, consider taking a bus / taxi / uber to Waikiki Beach from the airport, and renting a car on a “daily when – and – as – needed basis”.
Join the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Loyalty Program:
Frequent travellers can sign up for the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards loyalty program. The Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program is pretty easy to enroll, and it makes rentals much faster as your drivers licence and credit card information is stored on file. This allows an easy check in and out process at the rental car counter, that typically takes less than 10 minutes. If you find yourself renting from a major airport location in the future, you can even select your own car; a terrific feature of their loyalty program.
There are a few rental car agencies in the Waikiki Beach Area. One of our favourites is the Hertz Hyatt Regency HLE Rental Car location in the upper mall and basement of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach.
Pick up your Car:
There is an upstairs lobby reception where most of the processing occurs.
Followed by the car dispensing location in the basement where there is a small administrative office and the keys are kept for the cars.
After the paperwork is complete, you’ll typically be led out to your car in the basement underground garage. You’ll be on your way in minutes,
The Hertz Waikiki Beach HLE edition requires to you to take the car immediately from the rental location after you’ve picked it up. If you aren’t ready to head out on the road for the day, you’ll have to find a local parking spot elsewhere.
Returning the Rental Car After Hours:
I typically made my reservations for a twenty four hour “one day” period to avoid any Hertz IT warnings that the rental office would be closed during my rental.
While the office hours of this particular location are advertised as 8 AM to 5 PM, there is an unpublished and non marketed work around to returning your car after hours.
The Hertz Waikiki Beach offers an after hours drop off on top of the Royal Hawaiian Center mall parking lot on the top floor of the parking garage at 2201 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815, United States.
If you ask for the “after hours” return when you collect your car, you’ll be provided with an instruction sheet and a map to the Royal Hawaiian Parking Garage. The Royal Hawaiian Parking Garage is located next to the Sheraton Waikiki and Royal Hawaiian by Luxury Collection hotels.
You can return your rental after hours by parking it on the roof of the parking garage, and by leaving the keys in the unattended drop box safe located by the security office.
Returning a Rental Car:
On arrival to the garage, you just need to pull a parking garage ticket, and make your way to the top level. There are several parkade garage entrances, so make sure you select the right one.
On arrival to the top floor, you have to find a marked Hertz Stall. There are about 12 of them. Although on my last visit, there were about 20 hertz rentals cared on the roof. People were also occasionally using unmarked stalls.
We rented several cars during a ten day stay in Waikiki Beach, returning them all after hours without any issues. In doing so, we also got 3 Elite Rental credits that qualified for Hertz President’s Circle status for the year as well.
The garage is open twenty four hours, so you can return your car whenever you’re finished using it. We returned cars between 5:30 PM to 10 PM without any issues.
After you’ve parked your car, you can navigate to return the keys at the elevator bank located next to the security office in the Royal Hawaiian Mall. You’ll have to take an elevator (or stairs) down from floor ten to floor four.
There is a very visible key box situated next to the security office.
Although there was a caution about vandalism on the key box, we didn’t see any issues or persons of concern that would cause us concern with leaving a rental vehicle (or risk of damage) on the roof of this well to do shopping mall.
As always, make sure the key has disappeared into the key box after hours safe, so that someone isn’t enjoying your rental at your expense.
After dropping the keys, you complete the online return form through a scan of the QR code, completing mileage, vehicle licence number and other return information.
As with every rental, I always take a few photos of the condition of the car. I also take a snap of the key fob to make sure I get the car information correct off the identification tag. This makes filling out the on line form a lot easier and more accurate which increases the efficiency in having your car rental account invoice closed in a prompt manner.
In my experience, the Hertz Hyatt Waikiki Beach closed our car rental contract fairly promptly. We would have our final bill in our account usually by 2 PM the next day.
Advantages of this method:
The advantages of this method are that you’re going to save a substantial amount on parking fees. You’re also not going to have to worry about the safety of the car throughout your holiday. Lastly, if you do it right, you’ll also stack a whole bunch of elite rental credits and frequent flier points to your preferred frequent flier program.
Disadvantages of this method:
The disadvantages of this method are that you had to attend the rental car counter on the days you want to be on the road. You’ll have to maintain several reservations (possibly separate reservations) in order to get the rental days that you want. Not having a rental car when you arrive at the Honolulu International Airport means that you have to find alternate transportation between the Airport and Waikiki Beach. There is also the very slim possibility that someone may damage the rental car overnight while it’s parked on the roof of the Royal Hawaiian Mall parkade. If you’re not comfortable with the slim risk that there might be damage by vandals to your rental car, this might not be the best option for you.
My Final Thoughts on Daily Car Rentals in Waikiki Beach:
Getting a daily rental when and as you need it can save you the expense of $50 USD a night in overnight parking fees. While it is a little less convenient, the saving’s can really add up. In our case, we only used a rental car for three days of activities over a ten day stay. Under our circumstances, it was well worth renting on a twenty four hour period and returning the car after hours.
If you have visited Waikiki Berach, what are your tips and strategies for saving on parking in this area ?
The car culture of the United States works it’s way into the weave of island living in the Hawaiian Islands. Having a car and getting to beaches in remote areas of Hawaii is indeed possible and something to easily look forward to with a little advance planning. We would visit Waimanalo Beach today; a seven mile stretch of beach heaven in remote South East Oahu.
This post is one chapter on our trip during the pandemic to Honolulu Oahu, Hawaii, United States. This trip was redeemed through Marriott Bonvoy and further enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA via United Airlines Business Class
- Coronavirus Testing for Travel: Getting Tested for Hawaii
- Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Canada
- United Airlines Business Class: Vancouver – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “F” Rotunda, USA
- United Airlines First Class: San Francisco – Honolulu
- The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Honolulu, USA
- Tips for Walking Diamond Head, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Roy’s Waikiki Restaurant, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- On the Locals Beach at Waimea Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Snorkelling at Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Circling the East Coast to Waimanalo Bay Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- How to Save on Hotel Parking in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- Marakume Udon, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- The Sheraton Waikiki – Kai Suite, Honolulu, USA
- The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort – Waikiki, Historic Garden Suite, Honolulu, USA
- United Club Lounge Honolulu, USA
- United Airlines First Class: Honolulu – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “G” International Terminal, USA
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “E” Concourse, USA
- United Airlines Business Class: San Francisco – Vancouver
Activity: Circling the East Coast to Waimanalo Beach Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, United States of America.
On our last activity away from the Waikiki Beach area, we headed out on for a day on the East Coast of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. It was one part of the islands I had yet to see so I was looking forward to the coastline and what we might see in this area.
Getting to Waimanalo Beach Bay:
Like our other day trips, we rented a vehicle for our transportation needs from the Hertz Hyatt Waikiki Beach outlet. The Hertz Waikiki Beach Outlet is located immediately across the street from the Sheraton Princess Kaiuilani, making it a super convenient pick up point.
We received another Hertz Presidents Circle upgrade from a mid size to a full size as a blue Nissan Altima.
We set out from the Sheraton Princess Kaiuhani and headed to Lanai Point. We passed by the Hamanuma Bay Nature Preserve where we were earlier in our trip. We headed over to Lanai Point and the Halona Blowhouse Lookout.
Halona Blowhouse Lookout:
The Halona Blow Hole was located just off the highway. It was home to some wonderful views along the rocky shoreline.
We were treated to some inspiring Hawaiian coast line views along our trip and at Lanai Point where we had some views of the lava encrusted shoreline.
The Blow Hole was not blowing much today, if at all. We had a brief pause with some photographs. We headed onwards around the lighthouse around the south eastern corner of the island.
The shoreline was well worth stopping for sightseeing. Travelling this route by car made it all worthwhile with the means and ability to stop at any point in this pretty corner of the world.
Then we stopped in a Waimanlo Bay for a day at the beach. The ability to access all these world class beaches based on a short drive from your hotel in Waikiki is truly a special experience.
The Waimanlo Bay Beach Area:
The Waimanlo Bay Beach area is an absolutely spectacular and deserted beach that stretched for at least 7 miles up the coast. It is a rugged and somewhat isolated are that does not get a lot of regular traffic. This allows visitors to experience Hawaii’s beaches in a rugged, but awe inspiring landscape.
There happened to be a Portugese Man of War Jelly Fish in the water during our visit. The tides apparently bring them towards this beach without any prevailing schedule. As a result of this, we elected not to go into the water. There were at least two that got stung during our 4 hour stay here so this was a wise decision.
It was a pretty relaxing visit. With two portable chairs, we were hanging out on the water with the sounds waves crashing against the shore, a light breeze coming off the water. The perfect key to relaxation.
We self catered with drinks and snacks. It was a good thing as there were no food trucks available in the area.
After a day at the beach, we stopped at Maui Brewing Company for happy hour prior to taking the scenic route 61 back to town. We had some beautiful views as we took the highway across the Hawaiian mountain range.
We returned to the Sheraton Princess Kauihani with another discovery complete on the Hawaiian Island Oahu, Hawaii.
My Thoughts on Visiting Waimanalo Beach:
Our visit to Waimanalo Beach area took us to a more isolated and rural area of the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. Waimanalo Beach area offered the experience of hanging out on a rugged seven miles beach in one of the more isolated beaches in Hawaii. While it was well off the tourist trail, if offered a glimpse into the local life away from the resort areas of Honolulu, USA.
If you have visited Oahu’s local beaches, did you have one favourite over another ?
I have to admit that I didn’t see this one coming. Air Canada and Emirates have teamed up to announce a future strategic partnership. The strategic partnership will allow for reciprocal travel privileges between Air Canada and Emirates airline and benefit customers travelling across their respective networks.
News: Hmm… Air Canada Launches Strategic Partnership with Emirates
Air Canada an Emirates have announced that they intend to form a strategic partnership to create more options for travellers travelling on their networks.
The Essentials of the Partnership:
Air Canada and Emirates have announced that they intend to form a partnership “later” in 2022.
- Air Canada and Emirates have indicated the intention to offer “enhanced” consumer travel choices for its travellers.
- Air Canada customers will enjoy connecting travel on Emirates aircraft when connecting beyond Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
- Emirates customers will enjoy collecting travel on Air Canada aircraft when connecting beyond Toronto, Canada.
- Travellers will have the ability to book connecting travel on both networks on a signal ticket, along with baggage transfers to their final destinations.
It was further announced that there is an intention to have Air Canada and Emirates establish reciprocal frequent flyer benefits and reciprocal lounge access for qualifying customers.
The announcement states that further details of the partnership, along with specific codeshare routes will be announced “when finalized” and subject to regulatory approvals and final documentation.
About Air Canada and Emirates:
This announcement is an interesting proposition as both carriers offer some pretty decent travel opportunities.
Air Canada offers a terrific International Executive Business Class on it’s long haul Boeing 777-200, Boeing 777-300 and Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
Emirates also offers a pretty consistent International Executive Business Class on it’s long haul Boeing 777, and Airbus A380 aircraft.
The Emirates First Class Seat is still pretty excellent. There’s nothing really not to like about this cabin; except for some interesting colours in cabin appearance.
Having a bar available on board their Emirates A380 isn’t something to complain about either. It’s probably among my favourite features on any aircraft anywhere.
The Past History between the two carriers:
Traditionally, the two carriers and countries have not had a great working relationship, which has been fraught with geo-political consequences.
Emirates (and Etihad) have always wanted more access and frequency to Canadian cities, but had been capacity blocked by Canadian regulators.
This led to the Government of Canada being expelled from military operations at Camp Mirage in the United Arab Emirates over this issue. The Camp Mirage was being used by Canadian Military Operations as an advanced operating base for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan between the years 2001 and 2010.
This relationship deteriorated to a point where it further complicated visit and visa relations between the two countries. The arrangements made Canadian travellers wanting to visit the United Arab Emirates pay $250 USD per entry for a visa, or fly on Emirates or Etihad for a subsidized visa entry. This was reportedly reciprocated by the Government of Canada for visa entries into Canada for United Arab Emirati Visitors.
Frequent Flier Partnerships:
For a partnership announcement of this scale, it’s natural to think about frequent flier opportunities. After all, Emirates offers a terrific first class cabin that’s accessible to many destinations around the globe.
Air Canada operates its frequent flier program under Aeroplan. It’s part of the Star Alliance network, but also hosts a number of other strategic out of alliance partnership with Air Mauritius, Gulf Air, Etihad and Oman Air to name a few. It operates under a variable pricing scheme, with a base line saver level award availability that is available on some select routes.
Emirates operates it’s frequent flier program under Emirates Skywards. It does not operate within an alliance and offers the opportunity to earn miles on Emirates, flydubai, along with other partners that include an odd assortment of partners including Air Mauritius, Bangkok Airways, Jetstar Airways, Japan Airlines and Tap Portugal to name a few.
It’s hard to say whether there will be any frequent flier opportunities with Aeroplan or Emirates Skywards. It seems likely that there will be an ability to earn miles on each carriers flights, assuming ticketing occurs subject to certain terms and conditions.
Air Canada’s Aeroplan currently partners with Etihad Airways who is a competitor to Emirates. It’s hard to see them ditching (or adding) Emirates to their stable of airlines partners. Despite this, Air Canada’s Aeroplan has been on an expansion campaign in the last few years by adding as many partners as possible.
Emirates Airways has typically only added strategic partners that are of high value to it’s global network. It’s recent large scale partnership with Qantas Airways is a terrific example of this when they took over a lot of flights from Qantas’ other One World partner of British Airways by routing flights through Dubai instead of through Singapore.
We’ve also seen Emirates escalate reward prices, and ultimately sever some of it’s reward availability from past partners (such as Alaska Airlines) to the point where there is no longer a relationship between the two carriers.
My Thoughts on the Announcement:
This announcement is similar to when politicians make an announcement. It a big news day, but it’s really scant on hard details.
There has been an intention to form a partnership, but there are no real details announced or hard facts on when this will occur. We can expect some form of co-operation, but it’s not clear when or how deep this relationship will be.
While it will be nice to be able to share lounge access and through baggage and flight connections, it’s not clear today on when or where this will be announced.
The Bottom Line: Air Canada and Emirates Announce a Strategic Partnership.
Air Canada and Emirates have announced their intentions to form a strategic partnership.
The news release has limited information. It’s not clear how far this relationship will extend or whether there will be a reward opportunity play here to be had.
It’s also not clear whether there will be any real advantages from Air Canada’s Aeroplan and Emirates Skywards customers.
All to say, we will have to keep this in the category of “developing” and we will have to stay tuned to see what this yields for travellers.
What do you make of the Air Canada / Emirates Partnership?
The Hawaiian islands have arguably the best snorkelling in the United States of America. The Hawaiian Islands located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean offer an ecological environment not found in many parts of the world. Today’s visit to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve highlighted what a special environment the Hawaiian Islands are to the world.
This post is one chapter on our trip during the pandemic to Honolulu Oahu, Hawaii, United States. This trip was redeemed through Marriott Bonvoy and further enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA via United Airlines Business Class
- Coronavirus Testing for Travel: Getting Tested for Hawaii
- Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Canada
- United Airlines Business Class: Vancouver – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “F” Rotunda, USA
- United Airlines First Class: San Francisco – Honolulu
- The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Honolulu, USA
- Tips for Walking Diamond Head, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Roy’s Waikiki Restaurant, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- On the Locals Beach at Waimea Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Snorkelling at Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Circling the East Coast to Waimanalo Bay Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- How to Save on Hotel Parking in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- Marakume Udon, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- The Sheraton Waikiki – Kai Suite, Honolulu, USA
- The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort – Waikiki, Historic Garden Suite, Honolulu, USA
- United Club Lounge Honolulu, USA
- United Airlines First Class: Honolulu – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “G” International Terminal, USA
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “E” Concourse, USA
- United Airlines Business Class: San Francisco – Vancouver
Activity: Snorkelling at Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, United States of America.
Since we were staying at the less impressive but perfectly comfortable Sheraton Princess Kaihulani, we planned our excursions away from Waikiki while we spent our nights at this conveniently located and well priced Waikiki Beach property.
Our plans for today were to visit the Hanauma Bay, which was reported to be one of the better beach bay’s on the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. While Hanauma Bay is closer to Honolulu than some of the other beaches on Oahu, it’s still less busy than the Waikiki Beach Strip. Like the Waimea Bay Beach park, access by car was really the only reasonable way of to the beach.
Getting to Hanauma Bay:
Like on our past trip to Waimea Bay Beach Park, we rented a vehicle for our transportation needs from the Hertz Hyatt Waikiki Beach outlet. The Hertz Waikiki Beach Outlet is conveniently located immediately across the street from the Sheraton Princess Kauihani, making it a super convenient pick up point.
We received another Hertz Presidents Circle upgrade from a mid size to a full size with a 2019 Ford Taurus Limited being our old school cop car ride of choice.
We drove the easier thirty minutes over to the Hanauma Bay Nature Conservancy.
Accessing Hanauma Bay:
We arrived to the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve on a Friday at 11:15 AM without a reservation. We were able to get parking on site ($3 USD), and able to get a walk in time to visit at 11:30 AM. I took this to be the exception to the norm. I later learned that you could make reservations online for visiting.
The Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve moved to a mandatory on line advanced reservation system starting in April 2021 with a maximum limit of 1,400 guests per day.
I would recommend making an advance reservation in order to guarantee your entrance to the site.
We paid the entry fee ($25 USD per person). It was a bit more than expected but it offered a full protected site with limited access, washroom access and a clean facility that was maintained to a world class standard.
We watched a nine minute orientation video prior to accessing the beach area. The video set out some basic rules surrounding protection of coral and keeping the area clean.
After watching the video, we headed down towards the beach.
Entering Hanauma Bay:
The Hanauma Bay is a protected bay that has really calm waters in comparison to other Hawaiian Shores. The bay has a natural orientation that is protective to all that are in it.
We descended into the Hanauma Bay down the gradual ramp that led down to the beach. The space was a welcoming location for beach goers.
We located a space to set up camp for the day. It was slightly warm place, with a little less wind that our other location thanks to the curve of the bay,
There was a no food and beverage at the beach level with all food at the top of the beach zone. We had packed our things from ABC stores for a picnic style. There was officially no alcohol permitted but they didn’t appear to closely enforce this despite lifeguards everywhere.
During our time at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve we went snorkelling twice. We had a little challenging visibility the first time.
On our second time, we had better luck spotting fish. There were a good variety of fish at this site with many different types and colours. It was nothing like the Maldives but better than what I would imagine you’d see on a snorkelling excursion to Molokai on Maui and much more variety in different types of fish that what we’ve seen snorkelling of Makena Beach in Maui.
Towards the end of our day, we were rather unceremoniously kicked out by a public address announcement at 3:15 PM. There was a last tram ride up the hill at 3:45 PM. Parking lot gates closed at 4 PM.
As among the last ones off the beach that evening, it was a pretty serene departure from the bay. It would be neat to be here during the off season in order to have the whole place by yourself.
We drove back to Waikiki with no traffic issues. We maximized our use of the car and visited the factory outlets and Costco later that night for supplies. After our tour around, we returned the car rental at Hertz at the after hours return.
It was well after dark before we returned to the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani with another great day in the Hawaiian Islands complete.
My Thoughts on the Day Trip Hanauma Bay:
Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve is a special place on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. A visit to the nature preserve affords insight into one of Hawaii’s most protected eco systems. If you’re planning to visit make sure you make an advance reservation and arrive to the bay early; our time was cut a little short thanks to a mid day arrival.
If you have visited Hanauma Bay, have you returned for a second visit ?
One of the most appealing things about the Hawaiian Islands is that there are often discoveries around every corner. Our discovery today was the Waimea Bay Beach Park in the northern corner of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. Our day at Waimea Beach Bay Park involved a sunny day of sand, along with some spectacular Hawaiian Coast Line.
This post is one chapter on our trip during the pandemic to Honolulu Oahu, Hawaii, United States. This trip was redeemed through Marriott Bonvoy and further enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA via United Airlines Business Class
- Coronavirus Testing for Travel: Getting Tested for Hawaii
- Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Canada
- United Airlines Business Class: Vancouver – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “F” Rotunda, USA
- United Airlines First Class: San Francisco – Honolulu
- The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Honolulu, USA
- Tips for Walking Diamond Head, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Roy’s Waikiki Restaurant, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- On the Locals Beach at Waimea Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Snorkelling at Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Circling the East Coast to Waimanalo Bay Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- How to Save on Hotel Parking in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- Marakume Udon, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- The Sheraton Waikiki – Kai Suite, Honolulu, USA
- The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort – Waikiki, Historic Garden Suite, Honolulu, USA
- United Club Lounge Honolulu, USA
- United Airlines First Class: Honolulu – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “G” International Terminal, USA
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “E” Concourse, USA
- United Airlines Business Class: San Francisco – Vancouver
Activity: On the Locals’ Beach at Waimea Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii, United States of America.
Since we were staying at the less impressive but perfectly comfortable Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, we planned our excursions away from Waikiki while we spent our nights at this conveniently located and well priced Waikiki Beach property.
Our plans were to get to Waimea Bay Beach Park which is located on the North West corner of the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. With this beach park being well off the regular tourist trail, access by car was really the only reasonable way of getting there.
Getting to Waimea Bay Beach Park:
As a result, we rented a vehicle from the Hertz Hyatt Waikiki Beach outlet. The Hertz Waikiki Beach Outlet is conveniently located immediately across the street from the Sheraton Princess Kauihani, making it a super convenient pick up point.
I booked an economy vehicle and received a Hertz President’s Circle upgrade to a full size 2021 Nissan Altima SR. It only had 3,600 miles on the odometer. We’d later use a trick to avoid paying the $42 USD Waikiki parking garage charges that I’ll explain in a later post.
This Hertz Hyatt location location requires the cars to be collected immediately after leaving the counter. Since MrwWT73 wasn’t completely ready with the morning wake ups, I parked the car over by the Honolulu zoo on Monseratt Ave for free and walked the twenty minutes back to the hotel.
After getting the beach bag packed for the day, we hopped into the car and headed off to the Waimea Bay Beach Park on North Shore.
It was about an hour of a drive up on H1 towards the north shore in a slow going but relaxed convoy.
The Waimea Beach Bay Park:
Arriving to Waimea Bay, it was the home of a sunny and sandy cove. There was free parking at the bay, and we were lucky enough to get a parking spot.
The Waimea Bay Beach Park had basic state facilities at the parking lot. There were public washrooms, along with a change room facility.
The Sloping Beach:
The sand was of fine quality and we had a sloping hill down towards the beach. There were lots of places to find a spot to sit, and it was understandably much quieter than the crowded mayhem of Waikiki Beach.
The beach itself was in really good condition; nice and sandy with a gentle slope towards the water.
There was a bit of a rip current back into the water (making this beach a bit challenging with young children). We were cooling off in the water several times throughout the day.
Off to the side of the beach, there was a rocky out drop that had a bunch of daredevil jumpers. The crystal green water was super inviting.
Climbing up on the rock itself, it lent to great views of Waimea Beach Bay. It’s truly a gorgeous spot and a great find for those looking for a quieter beach away from the more intense activities of Waikiki Beach.
There isn’t much more aspirational than a Hawaiian Coastal Beach view like this!
We enjoyed a full day at Waimea Beach Park before we headed back to Waikiki Beach and the Sheraton Princess Kauilani hotel. We enjoyed an enjoyable dinner at the Appertivo Wine Bar located around the corner from our hotel.
My Thoughts on the Day Trip to Waimea Beach Park:
A trip to Honolulu’s lessor known beaches on the island of Oahu offers an opportunity to get into some picturesque spots on the island than aren’t covered in tourist traffic. Our trip up to Waimea Bay Beach Park offered a glimpse into the Hawaiian Islands’ Beach Life of locals. AS the spot wasn’t all to crowded, I’d highly recommend Waimea Beach Park as a get way spot for the day.
If you have visited Oahu’s Beaches on the Hawaiian Islands, is there a preferred location that you enjoy ?
Roy’s Waikiki Restaurant had always previously eluded me on my visits to Waikiki Beach. Roy’s has been an institution in Hawaii for number of years, outlasting many other restaurant competitor’s and upstart celebrity chefs that don’t have the longevity that Roy’s Waikiki has managed to ensure. My curiosity finally got the best of me as we indulged in a celebration “post pandemic restart of travel” dinner
This post is one chapter on our trip during the pandemic to Honolulu Oahu, Hawaii, United States. This trip was redeemed through Marriott Bonvoy and further enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA via United Airlines Business Class
- Coronavirus Testing for Travel: Getting Tested for Hawaii
- Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Canada
- United Airlines Business Class: Vancouver – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “F” Rotunda, USA
- United Airlines First Class: San Francisco – Honolulu
- The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Honolulu, USA
- Tips for Walking Diamond Head, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Roy’s Waikiki Restaurant, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- On the Locals Beach at Waimea Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Snorkelling at Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Circling the East Coast to Waimanalo Bay Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- How to Save on Hotel Parking in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- Marakume Udon, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- The Sheraton Waikiki – Kai Suite, Honolulu, USA
- The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort – Waikiki, Historic Garden Suite, Honolulu, USA
- United Club Lounge Honolulu, USA
- United Airlines First Class: Honolulu – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “G” International Terminal, USA
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “E” Concourse, USA
- United Airlines Business Class: San Francisco – Vancouver
Review: Roy’s Waikiki Restaurant – Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, United States of America.
I had always wanted to visit Roy’s Waikiki on a past trip to Waikiki, but had never had enough time to devote an entire evening to a fine dining experience. With a ten day trip in Honolulu, it seemed like the right time to enjoy an evening at Roy’s Waikiki on our trip.
Owner Roy Yamaguchi established himself as an early celebrity chef, opening up to twenty nine restaurants in his name between Guam to Florida, with international locations in Hong Kong and Japan. With six restaurants throughout Oahu, Hawaii, two on Maui, Hawaii and one on Kauai.
Booking Roy’s Waikiki:
I was easily able to book a dinner reservation at Roy’s Waikiki using Open Table on line reservation system. While we are seeing some fine dining restaurants disappear off the Open Table platform, I really appreciated the convenience managing a dinner reservation at Roy’s offered through Open Table; which is well suited for tourist visitors who’s plans can change at a moment’s notice.
Image Courtesy of Open Table
While there was a lot of availability on Open Table, most of the prime dining times between 6:30 – 7:45 PM seemed to book quite quickly several weeks in advance.
It’s worth noting that Roy Yamaguchi runs several versions of Roy’s throughout Hawaii and Oahu. You’ll want to double check to make sure you’ve booked, and are travelling to the correct restaurant location, on your special night out.
Arriving to Roy’s Waikiki:
Roy’s Waikiki was an easy walk from our hotel at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. It’s located across the street from the luxury Halekunali Hotel in a corner location at the end of the commercial shops on Lewers Street, Waikiki Beach.
We had a very short wait outside at Roy’s Waikiki’s reception as our arrival was processed. During our visit, the Safe Travel’s Oahu program was in effect. All restaurant guests had to be vaccinated or produce proof of a negative coronavirus test. Our vaccination cards were processed with no concern expressed by Roy’s Waikiki about our internationally issued Canadian Vaccine Cards.
After our vaccination status was confirmed, we were give the choice of seating outside or inside. Being our first visit, and visiting from the cool Pacific Northwest in October, we opted for an outside table to dining in comfortable evening summer weather. We were shown to our table which was along a thin patio space that faced along a thin stretch of Kālia Road. The patio was leafed in with tropical leaves, making for a pleasant setting, but not an extravagant one. The view actually had obstructed views of the container garbage bins from the Halekulani hotel.
In addition to the outdoor patio space, there was an outdoor bar that appeared to be producing many drinks. It was neat to have the sound of the bar near our table, as it added a festive soundtrack to the dining table.
While the outside space was pleasant, it wasn’t over the top aspirational in terms of patios. The patio space seemed more like a small after thought in terms of building design, as it appeared to use thin wrap around left over space as a result of the building design.
Despite our outside table, the inside of Roy’s Waikiki appeared to be much nicer and more decadent. The interior decor involved variety of fine art around the restaurant. A wine wall also accented the main dining space. I found the inside to be quite more reminiscent of a showy restaurant than the outdoor patio.
With the knowledge of the inside being a nicer place, I decided if I were to ever come back, that I would probably opt for indoor dining on my next visit.
The Menus:
After we had settled in, the menu’s were presented. The cuisine is considered to be a blend of Hawaiian fusion with Californian, Japanese and French inspired cuisine. It’s always excitign to try something regional whenever you get the opportunity to travel and are faced with a fine dining option.
Given that we were in Hawaii, it is expected that there would be a substantial amount of fresh fish on the menu. The menu was split into regular fresh fish, along with a substantial sushi portion.
There was also a special “al fresco outdoor” three course prix fixe menu for $70.
Accompanying the interesting looking menu was a comprehensive cocktail and wine list. The cocktails were interesting looking, including “Christmas in Hawaii” featuring Templeton Rye, St George spiced pear and Giffard Oregants and lemon along with Roy’s Mai Tai with Kola Silver and Dark Rum, Contrieau, Giffard Oregeat, Lime and Orange.
There were also some sweet wines and ports available. There were limited wines on the main menu (by the glass + bottle) but I didn’t ask for a fuller wine list. As a result of the Safe Travel’s Oahu program, the wine and alcohol service was scheduled to end earlier than anticipated.
We ended up sharing a bottle of Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. The wine was presented and kept in an ice bucket and chilled at the table side.
The Meal:
We started off our dinner with HK Crab with a spicy sesame beurre blanc. The crab cakes were really good, textured crisp on the outside, with fresh tasting real crab on the inside. The presentation on the palette was heavy on the sauce; which almost to a hollandaise like level in terms of mouth feel.
For my main course, I enjoyed a yellowtail Hamachi “catch of the day” served with citrus vinegar. The main was very light and flavours went well together. The yellow tail was served with steamed rice.
In terms of cook time, as a Pacific Northwester accustomed to eating lots of fresh oceanwise seafoods, my fish was just a few minutes overcooked for my tastes, but not dry by any means.
MrsWT73 went with Opo catch pf the day served with spatzel and a lobster sauce. It was, like the crab cakes, a heavier dish although the flavours went together really well. I personally find heavier dishes in the heat a little getting used to, but perhaps this is a style for some.
The service was very attentive but efficiently fast paced. We were prompted for our dessert order for chocolate lava cakes at the 3 minute quality check. There were many waiting for tables outside on a walk in basis.
It’s a fine balance between nudging your customers towards dessert or departing by asking them whether they want desert as you are tucking into your main dinner. Dependent on how you approach this, it can be taken as efficiency or a sign that you’re not completely appreciated to linger as a customer. In fairness to the restaurant, Roy’s chocolate lava cake takes thirty minutes to prepare, so perhaps the restaurant has it down by checking well in advance.
The check for one shared appetizer, two mains and a bottle of wine came to $161 USD prior to tip.
The Bottom Line: Roy’s Waikiki
Roy’s Waikiki Restaurant was a nice pleasant place to get a dinner. Although we sat outside, I think we would aim to sit inside next time as the decor appeared to be a lot nicer at the price point we paid. The food menu was exceptionally regional, and we appreciated the opportunity to try something different.
If you have visited the Roy’s in Hawaii, is there a particular location that is your favourite?
Every now and then, we get a launch of a route that we are particularly excited about. Fiji Airways has just announced that they will re-launching their Vancouver to Nadi, Fiji route for November 25, 2022. Fiji Airways offers connecting service to a number of destinations through its hub in Nadi, Fiji. Read on to see all the details about this route and what to expect on board.
Fiji Airways Re-Launching Flights to Vancouver
Fiji Airways is a great small scale airline with a long history. As the flag carrier of Fiji, it has flown since 1951 previously under the Air Pacific banner.
We had previously experienced Fiji Airways Business Class Los Angeles – Nadi and Fiji Airways Business Class Nadi – Auckland. On both flights, we had a pretty good time and received very friendly service along with great wines.
The airline currently serves a limited Pacific Rim network of Destinations out of it’s base in Nadi, Fiji.
The current destinations list include (in part):
- San Franciso, USA
- Los Angeles, USA
- Honolulu, USA
- Sydney, Australia
- Brisbane, Australia
- Melbourne, Australia
- Christchurch, New Zealand
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Hong Kong, China
- Singapore
Fiji Airways Announcing the Return to Vancouver
It looks as though we can re-add Vancouver to the above destination list.
Fiji Airways has announced on that they will be returning to the Vancouver market. This is a resumption of service that previously occurred under the Air Pacific banner before the year 2012.
Fiji Airways will be returning to Vancouver with a 2x weekly service on Monday and Friday from Vancouver to Nadi, Fiji. The service starts on November 25, 2022.
The flights are scheduled to depart as follows:
- FJ880 Nadi to Vancouver departing 10:15PM arriving 1:20PM (Flight Time of 11hrs & 40 minutes)
- FJ881 Vancouver to Nadi departing 9:40PM arriving 5:30AM (+2 days) (Flight Time of 11 hrs and 10 mins)
Per their press release, service will start with a special trade flight on August 5, 2022, with regular service starting on November 25, 2022.
What does Fiji Airways look like?
Fiji Airways is a One World Connect member. This means that you get select reciprocal benefits when flying Fiji Airways that include Priority Check In, Mileage Accumulation and Lounge Access.
Fiji Airways offers an angle flat business class seat on it’s Airbus 330’s aircraft. While it’s a nice looking business class cabin, the seat’s aren’t completely state of the art given that they don’t lie fully flat.
It is the same orientation that we would see on Singapore Airlines Regional Business Class on their Airbus 330 regional configurations.
It is unlikely that we will see their new Fiji Airways flagship Airbus 350-9, as I would imagine that Vancouver will get their older Airbus 330 aircraft pictured here.
The Likely Lounge Access Arrangement in Vancouver:
I think it is also fair to expect that we can see Fiji Airways use the Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver International as it’s outgoing departure business class lounge. Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver seems to contract with every airline not found in an alliance.
There is a remote possibility that we will see Fiji Airways partner with Cathay Pacific to allow access to their large Cathay Pacific Vancouver Lounge under the One World Connect program.
While British Airways also operates a British Airways Galleries Vancouver Lounge, on a practical basis, it is too small to accomodate any additional travellers other than its own passengers. As a result, I don’t think we will see a reciprocal relationship there.
Frequent Flier Opportunities:
In addition to being a One World Connect member, Fiji Airways allows for reward mileage accumulation on Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.
This is great news for Canadian travellers, since you can also earn points through the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Mastercard (or Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Visa for American readers), that will allow credit card spending to be earned to be redeemed against a reward redemption on Alaska Airlines.
Flights are Already on Sale:
Fiji Airways has already loaded flights for sale into their website.
Regrettably, the paid fares in Business Class are launching at just north of $7,000 Canadian Dollars. This isn’t exactly a great deal for an introductory fare.
In the meantime, economy class award redemptions appear to be already available through Alaska Mileage Plan.
Unfortunately, I don’t see any business class award seats yet available. I have found with Fiji Airways that you really have to look well into the future (200+ days) as not a lot of business class seats are released into the reward inventory buckets for redemptions.
Hopefully, we will see some reward availability loaded onto this route in the near future allowing for redemption through the Alaska Mileage Plan.
The Bottom Line: Fiji Airways is Returning to Vancouver
While I was initially a little skeptical about flying Fiji Airways, they were terrific to deal with. I’m really excited to see that Fiji Airways is returning to Vancouver.
This flight adds the amount of possible access routes to the Pacific Rim and offers some great new mileage redemption opportunities through Alaska Mileage Plan.
Are you excited to see that Fiji Airways is returning to Vancouver ?
One of Kauai Island’s most appealing scenic attractions is the Hawaiian Grand Canyon located inland in the Waimea Canyon State Park. The Waimea Canyon State Park offers a drive up the spine of Waimea Canyon, allowing for scenic and picturesque views across the canyon on a clear day. Join us while we check out the best view points on the Waimea Canyon drive.
This post is one chapter on our trip during the pandemic to Honolulu Oahu, Hawaii, United States. This trip was redeemed through Marriott Bonvoy and further enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA via United Airlines Business Class
- Coronavirus Testing for Travel: Getting Tested for Hawaii
- Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Canada
- United Airlines Business Class: Vancouver – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “F” Rotunda, USA
- United Airlines First Class: San Francisco – Honolulu
- The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Honolulu, USA
- Tips for Walking Diamond Head, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Roy’s Waikiki Restaurant, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- On the Locals Beach at Waimea Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Snorkelling at Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Circling the East Coast to Waimanalo Bay Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- How to Save on Hotel Parking in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- Marakume Udon, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- The Sheraton Waikiki – Kai Suite, Honolulu, USA
- The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort – Waikiki, Historic Garden Suite, Honolulu, USA
- United Club Lounge Honolulu, USA
- United Airlines First Class: Honolulu – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “G” International Terminal, USA
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “E” Concourse, USA
- United Airlines Business Class: San Francisco – Vancouver
Activity: A Day Climbing – Tips for Climbing Diamond Head, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America.
One of the activities on our list to complete during our time in Honolulu was a day walk up to the top of Diamond Head. Diamond Head looms large over the horizon at Waikiki Beach and sparkles as a mountain against the horizon from almost everywhere in Waikiki Beach. Diamond Head is an easy objective to tackle on a multi day visit to Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
Getting to Diamond Head:
Diamond Head Crater Hike is located a short three miles from the shores of Waikiki Beach. If you chose to drive to the parking lot, it is a simple 15 minute drive that is less than three miles from the Waikiki Beach area.
In our case, we chose to walk from our hotel up to the Diamond Head Crater Hike. We prepared ourselves for the morning by packing lots of water and wearing sun protection. We also downloaded an offline google map to our smart phones to make sure we made all the correct turn and didn’t get lost along the way.
Setting out From Waikiki Beach:
Starting at about 10:30 AM, we started off from the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani hotel, and started walking south east ward on Kauakai Avenue. In hindsight, I would have liked to have left about 60 minutes earlier, and thirty minutes earlier (before 10 AM) at the latest, in order to avoid the heat of the day.
We had beautiful weather for a walk and the blue skies of Waikiki Beach certainly set the mood for a pretty day.
We arrived to the start of Kapi’olani Park along Monseratt Avenue. The park is a restful area near Waikiki Beach and contains a small zoo along with a lot of shade along Monseratt Avenue. In addition to being a restful area, it’s also the spot where I go to drop the rental car for free whenever I need an overnight parking spot in the Waikiki Beach zone.
We passed through the shade of the park and started our first elevation grade climb. While there was some shade in the park, the shade thinned out as we climbed up the slopes of the mountain. Make sure you bring some sun protection for your head, as it can get pretty warm starting at around this point as the sun from the day starts to beat down.
We eventually got to the Fort Ruger Pathway, the unofficial start of the pathway towards Diamond Head Crater park entrance. We continued along, having past the Kapiʻolani Community College Culinary School on the right hand side.
After a good forty five minutes of walking, we arrived to the park vehicle entrance. We turned right to head up into the park itself. The park entrance was reasonably well marked. With the sign posting, it was clear as to the direction to take to get into Diamond Head.
We continued uphill at a gradual grade as we navigated towards the Diamond Head Crater parking lot. The route had a proper side walk through the whole way and was broad enough at most areas for pedestrian traffic flow both ways.
We rounded the corner past the Kahala Lookout. The Kahala is the last spot for what appears to be limited free parking before the Diamond Head paid parking lot.
We passed through the tunnel of the Diamond Head wall. The tunnel itself was a single lane vehicle tunnel. It was very cool by comparison in the cool tunnel; a welcome respite from the heat of the walk so far.
After the tunnel, we arrived at the trail head for the Diamond Head Crater Hike. The Diamond Head Crater Hike had a visitor center with some amenities. It took us about 55 minutes and 2.59 miles to get to the park gate.
It was slightly warm with not a lot of shade on the way up. As a result, make sure you bring some water with you.
Entering into Diamond Head Crater Park:
There is a small fee to enter into Diamond Head Crater Park. We paid our $5 admission fee. There is a small souvenir stand at the park admission, in addition to an off campus juice bar. There were also several vending machines that accepted credit cards that could supply water.
The hike in Diamond Head Crater is unique on to its own. It encompasses a number of switchbacks and man made stairs. It is much more natural than the paved sidewalks we had on our city walk up to this point.
At the base of the trail head, there is a good quality sign that sets out the various features and view points of the hike.
Ascending Diamond Head Crater Hike:
Setting off from the parking lot trail head, we walked a thinner pathway into the park itself.
Before long, we started climbing up the mountain side even more with guided hand rails in certain areas to help with balance. Some of the footing was natural and cut out of the rock itself making it not suitable for walkers or wheel chairs. If you have difficulty maintaining balance, it would be a good idea to bring along a walking support.
After several switchbacks, we arrived to the first view point at the location of the former winch. The winch cable system loaded supplies up the Diamond Head facilities.
Past the cable car system, we arrived to the first steps of the day’s hike. We started up the first seventy four steps, leading to our first lighted tunnel.
Once at the top of the stairs, we entered into the first lit tunnel. The tunnel offered artificial illumination, in addition to a hand rail. The roof of the runnel was quite low, and I actually bumped my head on a few occasions I navigated through it.
Once we exited the tunnel, we had another series of stairs to climb. This time, we had a steep set of 99 stairs in order to get almost to the top of the Diamond Head trial system.
After a climb up the 99 stairs, we had one more set of stairs to go. This last time, was in the form of a circular stair case leading us to the very top of the third level of the Diamond Head Fire Control station.
Views from the Top of Diamond Head:
After this last set of circular stairs, we were at the top of Diamond Head. We had some spectacular views from the top. There was also a cooling breeze as a result of the altitude.
Looking in a northwesterly direction, we were able to see over Waikiki Beach. It is quite a concrete jungle when seen from the air.
Descending Diamond Head Crater Hike:
We continued our walk along the ridge of Diamond Head. This led us down the ridge surrounding the diamond head crater. The ridge views were likely the most picturesque of the day, with sea ocean views surrounding the whole Diamond Head Crater.
We eventually started making our way down inwards towards the inner centre of the crater. With the sun fully out, we had another scenic descent.
As we passed the trail head and visitor center, we stocked up on water. We had consumed all our water on the walk up, given that it was such a hot day.
Descending to Waikiki Beach:
There were a lot of taxis available from the parking lot. However, given that it was such a nice day, we ended up walking down on the same route that we came.
It was another fifty minutes and 2.6 miles back down to the hotel. Before we knew it, we were back in Waikiki Beach again with it’s imposing hotels just of Kalakua Ave.
We ended up back at the Sheraton Princess Kauilani for an evening of rest.
Logistics and Tips for Walking up Diamond Head:
While it isn’t impossible to walk up Diamond Head, you do have to be in reasonable physical shape. As two executives that spend way too much time in the office, and aged 47 and 44, without any preconditioning, we were able complete the walk without much challenge. We were certainly tired from having walked almost 8 miles by the end of the day, but it was far from impossible.
My top tips and recommendations for climbing Diamond Head are:
- Start Early in the Day. The heat from the Hawaiian Sun can be hot. There is little to no shade along the route.
- Bring Head and Sun Protection. Along with the heat, this is simply a wise recommendation. Not having heat protection could result in sun burn and sun stroke. Equally so, make sure you apply sun screen as there is limited shade along the route.
- Bring Some Loose Cash. There are vending machines and other commercial sources of water. You may also decide to take a taxi home at the end of the day – payable in cash, assuming you are not using a ride sharing app.
- Wear Proper Footwear: You’re going to be walking across uneven stone terrain, in tight stairwells and possibly walking all the way from Waikiki Beach. Don’t wear sandals or flip flops and wear shoes that will support walking across uneven terrain.
- Stay Hydrated: Bring Water or other Fluids to Consume along the way. There are drink stands along the way in the park itself that you can also use to replenish fluids.
If you follow these tips, you should be in great shape for a day climbing Diamond Head.
My Thoughts on the Day Climbing Diamond Head:
A day hike to Diamond Head is a fun activity that is easy to do while visiting Hawaii. With a little common sense preparation, and arming yourselves with a supply of water and a map, it’s easy to get some exercise to take in a beautiful day for a hike up Diamond Head.
If you have hiked up Diamond Head, did you start from Waikiki Beach or did you visit by car ?
The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani is the Marriott Bonvoy property that is most frequently accessed for a cheaper stay or award redemption stay in Waikiki Beach. It’s convenient near beach location and lower room rates generally attract people for a shorter stay before they move on to nicer accommodation later in their stay. We would get the experience to stay at this property for five nights. How would the property fare for our longer stay ?
This post is one chapter on our trip during the pandemic to Honolulu Oahu, Hawaii, United States. This trip was redeemed through Marriott Bonvoy and further enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA via United Airlines Business Class
- Coronavirus Testing for Travel: Getting Tested for Hawaii
- Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Canada
- United Airlines Business Class: Vancouver – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “F” Rotunda, USA
- United Airlines First Class: San Francisco – Honolulu
- The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Honolulu, USA
- Tips for Walking Diamond Head, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Roy’s Waikiki Restaurant, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- On the Locals Beach at Waimea Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Snorkelling at Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Circling the East Coast to Waimanalo Bay Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- How to Save on Hotel Parking in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- Marakume Udon, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- The Sheraton Waikiki – Kai Suite, Honolulu, USA
- The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort – Waikiki, Historic Garden Suite, Honolulu, USA
- United Club Lounge Honolulu, USA
- United Airlines First Class: Honolulu – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “G” International Terminal, USA
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “E” Concourse, USA
- United Airlines Business Class: San Francisco – Vancouver
Review: The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, USA
“The old school Sheraton option in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii that offers the best value when accessed as a redemption on Marriott Bonvoy points”
Victoria Kawēkiu Kaʻiulani Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn; also known as Princess Kauilani, was the only child of Princess Miriam Likelike, and the last heir apparent to the throne of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It seems fitting to stay at a hotel honoured after her name during our visit to Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America.
Booking the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani:
The coronavirus pandemic was not kind to travel. With the sudden stop in personal and business travel, we started accumulating rewards that we were otherwise unable to use.
We ended up at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani as we had five Marriott Bonvoy free night Category 5 certificates between myself and MrsWT73. These consisted of four from the American Express Marriott Bonvoy credit cards (personal and business), and one Marriott Bonvoy 40,000 point free night award night from last year for re-qualifying for Titanium status.
With nowhere really to use them during the pandemic, they collected up in our account over the calendar year. Since the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani is one of Hawaii’s only Marriott Bonvoy Category 5 hotels, we ended up using them here with in intentions of making this our excursion hotel. We redeemed the certificates with the intention of spending as little time on the property as possible, setting out to great sights further away from Waikiki, and using this place to crash. We’d later move to the more upscale Sheraton Waikiki and the Royal Hawaiian later in this stay.
As a Marriott Bonvoy Category 5 hotel, the rooms are 35,000 points per night. If you value Marriott Bonvoy Points at 0.005 points like I do, you’d be better off paying cash if the room rate was under $175 USD. Fortunately, the rates here are typically between the $120 – $150 mark (sometimes as low as $95 USD), often redeeming points to stay here isn’t always the best deal. Where the value comes in is that, as mentioned above, this property is the sole property in Waikiki at a Category 5. It is also the only property on Oahu where the American Express Credit Card certificates can be used.
Since we also had some expiring Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Awards, we applied them to our stay. The Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Awards are given to Elite Members for an space available upgrade into “better” rooms cleared five days in advance of your stay.
The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani offered many categories of rooms in the upgrade pool. As with other hotels, there were several rooms listed in the Suite Night Award category that did not include “suites”.
In order to maximize the value from them, I typically apply the Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Awards as often as I can on personal travel, but only to Suite category rooms. As a result of having Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level status, the likelihood of a complimentary upgrade through the regular terms of the program are likely to clear into these soft category rooms anyway.
While they don’t officially have many suites at this property, our Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Award upgrades did eventually confirm into a “Tower Luxury” room five days before our stay. The Tower Luxury Room was the highest category of rooms available in the Suite Night Award program at this property.
The Tower Luxury Room regularly retails for between $314 – $350 USD; which was a great use of leveraging a certificate for a free room.
It’s worth noting that the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani initially opened in the year 1955 with several additions to the hotel since then. It has been renovated several times since then, with the most recent version in the year 2016. The hotel has a bit of a reputation of being a bit tired, but, if you come in with reasonable expectations of staying in a property at this cheaper price point as compared to other Waikiki Beach Resort properties, I think you won’t be disappointed.
Getting to the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani:
On arrival off United Airlines First Class San Francisco – Honolulu, we met our Top Limousine Driver at Area 5 outside of baggage claim. We had a great (independent) transport up to Waikiki in a Black Cadillac Escalade. It was probably the right move to take a car at $55 USD as it was rush hour and an Uber would have pushed the rate into similar price point territory.
The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani is located just off the Kalakua Avenue in Waikiki Beach. It is centrally located and close to all the major attractions on foot. While it is not a beach front hotel like the Moana Surfrider by Westin or The Sheraton Waikiki, it is located just one and a half block’s walk from the beach.
Checking into the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani:
We arrived to the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. We unloaded ourselves in the loading area which was quite small for a hotel that features over one thousand rooms.
It is a very short outdoor path to reception and the outdoor pool area. There is also an adjacent ramp for those that need to maneuver lots of luggage.
The reception is located in a covered open air lobby. On today’s check in, there was a bit of a wait of about 7 – 10 minutes to get to the desk. Unusually, in the Marriott Bonvoy program, there was a dedicated Marriott Bonvoy Elite Line although the counter was unmanned and the attendant was shared with the main line. I ended up just going for it and was eventually serviced.
While we waited, the Marriott Bonvoy Elite line even grew 6 deep behind me with another 10 in the regular check in line while we waited at that busy 4 PM check in time. After a while, some staffers turned up servicing the people waiting in the queue and getting everyone set up with the Safe Travels Hawaii App ready for display at the front counter to confirm vaccination status. A cold bottle of water was also offered to guests while we waited in line.
Our friendly reception agent Bobby checked us in. Our initial reservation was split into a 3 night / 2 night back to back reservation, all of which we had applied suite night awards to. Thankfully, the awards ended up clearing into the same room category; a Tower Luxury, Larger Guest Room. The Tower Luxury is the best available room category at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani so we were pretty happy with this room assignment. We ended up navigating back to back reservations into this one room category and one credit card to occupy for the whole stay.
We also redeemed Marriott Bonvoy Titanium redeemed for breakfast coupons with our elite benefits. These were prepared and readied in the final stages of check in.
We were given the usual property information sheet surrounding the hotel amenities. We didn’t get a dedicated sheet for elite members.
There is a resort fee at this hotel. At the time of our stay it was $42 USD. The Resort Fee is a standard addition at all the Marriott properties throughout the island of Oahu and it is a set price as a result of all the properties being owned by the same company.
Like many of our other experiences, we didn’t get much (if any) use out of the features of the resort fee. The resort fee’s inclusions included wifi, a go pro loaner, several by reservation classes of lei making, etc… Every time we stay at the Hawaiian properties, the value from the fee seems to get less and less with the fee itself getting higher and higher.
We led ourselves up to our assigned Tower Luxury room. We navigated ourselves through the lobby, which had high open air ceilings. The lobby offered indoor open air seating spaces which we rarely saw occupied during our stay. It was also home to the Sheraton Link public computers that could be used to access the internet.
The lobby area was a busy place consistent with a hotel with one thousand hotel rooms. We also happened to see many flight crews staying at this property, which leads to the higher volume orientation of this property.
The Room: A Tower Luxury, Larger Guest Room
We found our way up to our Tower Luxury Larger Guest Room which was assigned as room #2982. It was situated right on the South East Corner of the top floor in the Ainahau Tower.
The Tower Luxury Larger Room was a larger room that was set out over the size of a double sized room area. While not exactly a suite by definition, it had a large enough space measuring over 550sqft/50sqm. The room was set up as one large guest room with separate sleeping and living spaces. The room was the largest one I’ve ever stayed at in Waikiki at 550 sq ft; double the size of our room at the Sheraton Waikiki last year that was only 290 sq ft.
As soon as you entered into the room, you entered into a wet bar area. The wet bar had some white tiling from the nineteen eighties. It did contain a small sink and fridge. While it was dated, it was clean and functional.
Proceeding past the wet bar counter space, we found ourselves in the room living space. The living space was simply decorated with a large couch and an oval coffee table. A flat screen television was located at one end of the room.
There was a couch that was set up for flat screen television viewing. There was a little wear and tear on the tables and surfaces in the room that seemed to be from luggage scratch marks.
Not that anyone comes to Hawaii to work, there was a small desk with power plugs in the corner of the room.It was one of the smallest desks that I had seen in a hotel room. It was still nice to have a place to charge your phones and devices.
Moving towards the back of the room, there was a large Sheraton Sweet Sleeper King Size Bed. The bed was comfortable and had enough space around each side of it allowing you to move comfortably around it. It had the usual quality Sheraton crisp sheets.
In terms of sleep quality, there was a little road noise from Las Vegas style partiers on the Tuesday night we stayed; even way up on the 29th floor. The room also gets it’s fair share of Hawaiian music from the street below; making it on the louder side of a stay, as opposed to a quieter one. Frequently a loud sleep experience, but if you’re doing it right, hopefully you’ll be exhausted from the fresh air in Hawaii for it to not make much of a difference.
Just off the bedroom was the ensuite bathroom, which was accessed by a door at one end of the bed.
The bathroom was probably the most dated portion of the suite. It featured a red burgundy older colour schemes, and a decorative glass motif of palm trees that was from the seventies. Despite this, the bathroom featured a double vanity sink and a separate bathroom area.
While the bathroom was exceptionally large for a hotel of the nineteen seventies era, it had some white tiling which was a little dated. It also had a jetted tub, if you’re into that sort of thing.
A View from the Room:
With our top floor position, and being located immediately on the south east corner of the building, we had spectacular Waikiki Beach oriented views. We had a large lanai with 4 chairs outside the room that got terrific morning sun thanks to its eastern facing exposure.
The view really made the property stay worthwhile. If you’re staying here, it’s worth trying to reserve an Anihau Tower room with an ocean view on a high floor.
The views were of the Moana Surfrider, the Hyatt Regency next door and from the corner of the balcony, stretched up towards the Sheraton Waikiki and the Royal Hawaiian.
As a result of being on the highest floor, the room also featured some views towards the eastern side side of Waikiki. While less aspirational than the ocean views, it was still nice to have a decent view from the room.
I found the internet in the room to be pretty spotty with frequent drop offs and disconnections. The internet did not work outside on the lanai patio. I wouldn’t normally mention this, but the resort fee that includes internet is $42 USD a day. At that price, it’s reasonable “ask” to expect reliable internet throughout the hotel.
I can’t imagine many people choosing to stay at this property in a $350 USD room. Despite this, the room was very good with a view that was simply world class.
Around the Property:
Outdoor Pool:
The property features a medium sized outdoor pool. Since the hotel is not situated on the beach, there is actually a little more space around the pool than in order hotels in the area.
Similar to hotels of this era, The pool is old style and very deep at the deep end (8 feet deep). However, there was always a lounge chair available during our stay at all times of the day with no extra fee for chairs or umbrellas. There were cabanas available to rent, but we never saw anyone using them.
Immediately adjacent to the pool was the foot access to Kalakaua Ave, which led to all the restaurants and shopping that you’d ever need on a visit to Honolulu.
During our visit, there was a little vicious policing at the pool. I did get scolded for drinking a Gatorade in the heat as purchased form ABC across the street (as opposed to a hotel beverage). I witnessed another man get scolded for arriving and jumping directly in the pool without checking in at the pool cabana first (for showing proof of vaccination). While it’s not a big deal having these things brought to your attention, it does indicate how relaxed the hotel is.
Outdoor Games Area:
Immediately adjacent to the Splash Bar restaurant was an outdoor games area. The area had foozball tables and a bean bag throwing game (corn hole) set up under cover.
The area is also where lauau’s could be set up, along with buffet dinners for large groups in more normal times.
Waikiki Beach Access:
The hotel is located approximately a block and a half from the general Waikiki Beach. Access to Waikiki Beach is by walking up Kalakaua Ave the short distance as seen below from the view from our room.
It is indeed a very short walk from the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani to the beach. From the Waikiki Beach access, you can also double back along the sands in front the Moana Surfrider and the Royal Hawaiian Resort for more variety.
Food and Beverage:
Splash Bar
The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani operates one restaurant that is open from 6:30 AM to 8:30 PM every day. The restaurant doubles as a bar and lounge and is the only food and beverage outlet on the property.
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum & Titanium Elite Breakfast:
During our stay, we opted for a Marriott Bonvoy welcome gift of breakfast. The Marriott Bonvoy elite breakfast was offered in two forms: a take away continental breakfast box on a complimentary, or an $18 USD credit off a main menu item.
The continental breakfast contained a juice, a piece of fruit, and a selection of a bakery item from the glass case at the Splash Bar.
After we had experienced the continental breakfast on our hotel lanai, we enjoyed an a – la – carte breakfast at the Splash Bar on the outdoor patio. The environment was pleasant to enjoy breakfast outside, which is something I always look forward to when visiting Hawaii.
The breakfast menu is pretty straightforward and has all of the usual favourites. While you won’t find any terrific organic avocado toast or vegetable oriented breakfasts here, you’ll find something for almost everyone on the menu.
The breakfasts at Splash Bar was pretty hearty. The amounts for breakfast were plentiful, and almost on the too much side for my lighter dates. I enjoyed “The Princess Plate”, consisting of two eggs your way, breakfast potato or white rice, and a choice of bacon or grilled Portuguese sausage.
MrsWT73 enjoyed a cheese omelette, along with breakfast potatoes and a generous serving of bacon.
For the sake of variety, I also tried the special breakfast sandwich served on brioche, and a fried egg, with bacon, smoked ham and a pesto mayo.
While it’s unfortunate a hot breakfast was not fully covered like in the past under the wonderful Starwood Preferred Guest days, it was appreciated to have the option to upgrade to a more substantial hot item at your discretion.
Efforts at getting a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Late Check Out:
When it came time to depart, we were transferring up the street to the Sheraton Waikiki. We didn’t have any idea when our room was going to be avaialble. In order to hedge our bets, I attempted to get a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium late 4 PM check out.
Marriott Bonvot Platinum / Titanium and Ambassador Elite Members may check out as late as 4 p.m. local time of the Participating Property. This benefit is guaranteed at all Participating Properties, except at resort and convention hotels and Design Hotels, where it is based upon availability.
Unfortunately, as happens sometimes when you are upgraded into nicer rooms, the hotel was unable to accomodate anything except up to 1 PM. We were told to check back on the night before departure. When we did, there wasn’t anything available but we were offered the use of another room for the afternoon. With that, we just opted for the 1 PM time that was offered and aimed to transfer over to The Sheraton Waikiki a little earlier.
The Bottom Line: The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani
The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani was an excellent use of our free night certificates that led to a stay at a better part of the island. While I likely wouldn’t travel to Hawaii exclusively to stay at this property with so many interesting options out there, it was a terrific value to stay 5 nights and pay only the resort fee. I would easily return if I found myself in a similar scenario, or was arriving to the island on a late flight and a midnight arrival and wanted to stay at a cheaper property for a few hours prior to moving around the corner to stay at a more expensive resort.
If you have stayed at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, did it meet your expectations for what it provided ?
There are times when you find yourself in a favourable business class cabin on a domestic flight thanks to the assignment of a specific aircraft to a particular route. The United Polaris cabin we found on a domestic United States flight was one of those circumstances. It featured a fully flat business class seat and private suite on a flight to the Hawaiian Islands. How would our experience in the United Polaris seat fare?
This post is one chapter on our trip during the pandemic to Honolulu Oahu, Hawaii, United States. This trip was redeemed through Marriott Bonvoy and further enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA via United Airlines Business Class
- Coronavirus Testing for Travel: Getting Tested for Hawaii
- Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Canada
- United Airlines Business Class: Vancouver – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “F” Rotunda, USA
- United Airlines First Class: San Francisco – Honolulu
- The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Honolulu, USA
- Tips for Walking Diamond Head, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Roy’s Waikiki Restaurant, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- On the Locals Beach at Waimea Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Snorkelling at Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- Circling the East Coast to Waimanalo Bay Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
- How to Save on Hotel Parking in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- Marakume Udon, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, USA
- The Sheraton Waikiki – Kai Suite, Honolulu, USA
- The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort – Waikiki, Historic Garden Suite, Honolulu, USA
- United Club Lounge Honolulu, USA
- United Airlines First Class: Honolulu – San Francisco
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “G” International Terminal, USA
- United Club Lounge San Francisco – “E” Concourse, USA
- United Airlines Business Class: San Francisco – Vancouver
Review: United Airlines First Class B777-2 Polaris, San Francisco International Airport – Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport
This review is of our United Airlines First Class San Francisco – Honolulu flight. For our return flight United Airlines First Class Honolulu – San Francisco, please see our other corresponding review. This was a paid flight which we credited to Air Canada’s Aeroplan frequent flier program.
During our travels during the coronavirus pandemic, United Airlines was offering United Polaris which is their international business class product on domestic routes. United Airlines describes United Polaris as United Polaris is a reinvention of our international premium cabin travel experience, offering elevated comfort and service from lounge to landing for a restful night’s sleep in the air.
Pre-Clearance for Safe Travels Hawaii:
Prior to our flight time, we had our vaccination cards and test results (Canadian citizens) checked and screened through Pre-Clearance. At the time of this trip, Safe Travels Hawaii was requiring all travels to show proof of vaccination or a negative covid test for entry into Hawaii to be exempted from a 10 day quarantine.
United Airlines had set up a temporary pre-clearance area near gate F17, for all travellers flying United Airlines to get pre-cleared in advance of landing in Hawaii.
Our documents were checked, along with our QR issued barcodes. We were provided with an all inclusive styled resort wristband which demonstrated pre-clearance in order to arrive into Hawaii.
Boarding United Airlines First Class:
After arriving on United Airlines Business Class Vancouver – San Francisco, we departed the United Club Lounge San Francisco F Rotunda and headed over to our assigned Gate F13. There were lots of people on the upgrade list today, with over fifteen on the list out of a capacity of fifty seats in the United Polaris configured First Class Cabin.
The United Airlines Livery isn’t super exciting or aspirational, but it is memorable in terms of appearance and consistency.
We queued at the Group 1 Boarding Gates, but the group ended up being boarded through an alternate queue. We had a quick scramble over to the gate. As with many other United Flights, boarding sequence was Global Services, Military, those that needed extra time to board, followed by our assigned Group #1.
We had double jet bridge boarding today. However, surprisingly, it wasn’t clearly marked by class. Instead, it was marked by rows, and we just opted for the first door based on an educated guess.
We boarded through Door 1L and went straight through the galley to the right hand side aisle, turning right to head to our assigned seats of 6L and 7L.
United Airlines
First Class (J)
SFO-HNL (San Francisco – Honolulu)
UA 300
September 28, 2021
Booked: Boeing 777-200 (Polaris)
Flown: Boeing 777-200 (Polaris)
Departure: 1:15 PM
Arrival: 3:38 PM
On Board United Airlines Polaris Business Class:
It’s important to recognize that the United Airlines San Francisco – Honolulu flight is marketed as a domestic first class flight. Our flight just happened to be featured on the United Polaris business class configuration and not directly marketed as a United Polaris flight. As a result, you don’t get access to the upscale United Polaris Lounges or other United Polaris features (upgraded amenity kits, improved bedding for starters).
The United Business Polaris Business Class is sharply coloured in United Blue and makes a great first impression as a new, crisp and contemporary business class.
The configuration on the Boeing 777-200 is in a 1-2-1 configuration. In addition, the United Polaris Business class seats are off set, in that some of the seats are closer to the window, where as others a closer to the aisle. The centre seats pair, and in the next row, the centre seats are off set apart.
My assigned seat 7 L was a “close to window” seat, which was perfect for just staring outside to nothing. Unusually, I had only access to one real window porthole at this seat, thanks to the fuselage wall. A second window was mostly blocked by the position of the entertainment monitor and console.
The 6L was a “close to aisle” seat, which also had a peek a boo view towards the windows. MrsWT73 didn’t mind being close to the aisle much as she might have thought so it’s entirely a traveller preference whether they prefer a private close to window seat or an exposed aisle one.
My personal preference between the aisle and window seats are the windows seats as they offer quite a bit more privacy. They are much less exposed than the aisle seats and offer much more discretion.
The view from the windows seats across aisle feel much more private than the seats close to the window.
I can be certainly be happy with this seat configuration for a flight to Hawaii.
Waiting for us on the seat was a Saks Fifth Avenue Blanket and Pillow; a nice touch for a domestic flight. It’s not all that often we see a branding partnership with domestic flights, as most carriers save these relationships for their international flights.
The Seat Features:
In terms of the United Airlines Polaris Business Class space, the console adjacent to the seat offered a small storage space for personal items and the headphones that were provided for the flight. The space had an upright orientation, which didn’t make the space super useful, as many items would just spill out when you opened the cupboard door.
When the cupboard storage was closed, the space doubled as a storage shelf and in suite light. The in suite light is a nice feature that we’ve seen on British Airways First Class and is a soothing and upscale feature.
The storage shelf also featured an Empower plug featuring both North American and European voltages and dedicated USB charging. The wired remote for controlling the entertainment system was also drawn from this space.
The seating shelf also featured a foldable small reading light.
The seat also offered a small storage space adjacent to the seat, which contained the usual safety card, an in normal non pandemic times, the United Hemispheres in flight magazine.
The seat controls were located in the arm rest portion of the suite. It was wholly an icon based seat control menu, with some icons much more obvious than others.
The overhead space for the United Airlines Boeing 777-200 did not feature dedicated air nozzles. Overhead air nozzles are always something that I always miss when they are not there.
United Airlines, along with many other carriers, now features aspirational images of your destination on the seat monitor during boarding. We were treated to images of Hawaii while we waited for pushback.
It’s very easy to draw comparisons on the seat itself. It’s pretty unbeatable to have such a comfortable lie flat seat for travel to Hawaii. It was much more comfortable than our last Alaska Airlines First Class Honolulu flights, which only offer a recliner seat with much more limited personal space for relaxing or working.
The Amenity Kits:
There was also a cheap amenity kit in an opaque plastic wrap. It featured night shades, a toothbrush and some other mostly useless items.
Departing San Francisco:
The captain announced a flying time of 4 hrs and 46 minutes to Hawaii with warm 80 degrees temperatures on arrival. There is a past United Airlines tradition of “Halfway to Hawaii” where travellers could guess the flight time of when the aircraft would be halfway to Hawaii and win a bottle of wine or other prize. Unfortunately, the game “Halfway to Hawaii” was not on the entertainment agenda for today.
As we got underway, the flight safety video was played. United Airlines has kept the video fresh by setting the video against common moving object themes that anyone can relate to.
We had our purser Wendy come around with an introduction and a verbal presentation of the lunch menu items; chicken & rice, beer short ribs or chili. Our lunch orders were taken while on the ground at San Francisco International Airport.
We also had a service itinerary also listed on the in flight entertainment system, allowing travellers to see what could be expected on the flight.
We had a taxi over to the east runway 18R for a departure out over the South San Francisco area and immediately towards the South West track towards Hawaii.
United Airlines has a substantial presence at San Francisco International Airport. We had views of their impressive operation as we climbed out of SFO and headed westward across the coast.
The Meal: A Lunch
As we got to cruising altitude, the lunch service was presented. The lunch service was presented on a tray all at once.
The lunch service included a warmed roll, butter, and a green salad with golden Italian dressing, along with the main chicken and rice, and a Christie Cooking Co Chocolate Cranberry cookie. All the products were individually wrapped, consistent with the pandemic era travels we found ourselves in.
The Chicken and Rice was tasty and filling, although not super exciting as an airline entrée. Similar to other United Airlines flights I had, I wasn’t super stuffed by the end of the meal.
In Flight Washroom:
In an upscale touch, the in flight washrooms feature Sunday Riley amenties which include Hand Cream, Refreshing Face mist and Garment Room.
In Flight Entertainment:
After the lunch, I settled in and tested out the United Polaris Entertainment System.
The United Airlines In Flight Entertainment is a substantial upgrade from their narrow-body aircraft where entertainment is typically available through the United Airlines app. The United Airlines Polaris entertainment system offered a wide variety of movies on a large monitor screen.
There was a massive amount of movies available on the system; much more than I was anticipating. There were about 60 movies available and a wide mix between old and new.
I settled into Insomina, which was filmed just outside of Vancouver in neighbouring Squamish; which is on the way up to Whistler.
After the movie finished, I went for a little cat nap. I lay the bed completely flat.
Lying Flat in United Polaris:
First, the great news about the United Polaris bed. The bed itself is nice and comfortable. It’s just firm enough to be okay for sleeping, and not too uncomfortable like our earlier Embraer flight for longer distances. The seat stretches out to accomodate those up to 6 ft 6 inches tall.
The bad; the seat and cavity itself is a little narrow. Those that are side sleepers like myself will have a challenging time with their kneeds bumping up into the side partition of the seat between the passenger seat and the fuselage wall, or if facing the other way, by contorting oneself so that the knees are folded into the foot pathway.
The suite walls are high enough that is private enough to have some privacy. You can’t exactly tell what is going on with service around you unless you peer up and over the walls.
It is a great to have a fully flat experience, although as a side sleeper, I found it a little cramped with my knees compared to some other wider business class products out there today.
The Second Service: A Cookie
At about 1 hour 20 minutes remaining in the flight, I was awoken by the sound of russeling of cello wrap. I peered up over the walls of the suite.
A cookie was served as the second service “snack” meal. There have been favourable reports about the cookie and truthfully, it was a pretty darn fine version of one.
United has served a lot of chocolate chip cookies over the year and this version of one was arguably the best version of it yet.
I enjoyed it with a Bombay Sapphire Gin and Tonic and a Seagrams Tonic Water. The gin was served through individual gin containers. I was on vacation for the first time in too long so why not?
Landing into Honolulu:
The approach into Hawaii is always picturesque and spectacular. There is nothing more engaging than arriving to these Hawaiian Islands.
We had a landing into Daniel K. Inouye Honolulu International Airport into the G terminal. We deplaned with double jet door boarding, departing through the same 1L that we had boarded from.
Immediately after stepping off into the G terminal, we had the Safe Travels Hawaii pre-screening as we exited the structure. Thankfully, we had our pre-clearance wristbands with us and were waved through. Those that had to enter into the manual check line faced a wait of about 50 persons in the outside terminal concourse under the warmer 85 degree Hawaii sunny weather.
We would collect our checked baggage, eventually transferring over to The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani for a five night suite stay. We would also head over to The Sheraton Waikiki, where we lucky enough to enjoy a massive suite upgrade into a Kai Suite.
My Thoughts on United Airlines Polaris:
The United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Honolulu was undoubtedly the most comfortable way I’ve ever gotten to Hawaii. The United Airlines Business Polaris Seat was an exceptionally comfortable way to travel and a substantial and significant upgrade from a narrow body B737 that we usually take on Alaska Airlines. The seat was comfortable for relaxing, and it was very convenient to have a wide selection of movies available for entertaining yourself. Although the food wasn’t all to exciting, it was reasonable and did the trick to keep us fed. The United Polaris Business Class service to Hawaii may not last all too long, so try to take advantage of it while you still can!
World Traveller 73 
Recent Comments