My Favorite Hotels in Honolulu
A dot point states a 5-star hotel is the Halekulani in Honolulu.
• 4-Star: The Modern Hotel
• 3-Star: Resort
• Inexpensive Option: VIVE
• For Couples: Surfjack
• For Families: Moana Surfrider Resort
• Suite with Kitchen: Ilikai
• A dot point indicates the Halekulani hotel in Honolulu has the best pool.
• Best Beach: A resort located in Hawaii
Table of Contents
The Best Areas to Stay in Honolulu
Honolulu, arguably the most remote large city globally, is a must-see for any first-time travelers to Oahu. It’s a busy tropical beach town stretching around 12 miles along the southern coast of Oahu, from the international airport to Makapu’u Point.
The city boasts an intriguing blend of modern hotels, trendy restaurants, and lively nightclubs. It also provides a wealth of history, art, and natural wonders, including the iconic volcanic cone known as Diamond Head.
Records show habitation in Honolulu dating back to the 11th century, though it was only established as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1845 under King Kamehameha III. While various upheavals impacted the city over the years, Honolulu has since risen as a premier travel destination given Hawaii`s statehood in 1959.
While Honolulu is Hawaii’s largest city, most tourist attractions are concentrated around Waikiki. Nearly 35% of households in Honolulu don’t own cars, thanks to the city’s excellent bus service and bike lanes. The bus system connects all neighborhoods within the city, as well as destinations across the island, including Pearl Harbor, Hale’iwa, and Ko Olina. The fare for a one-way bus ticket is $2.75, while a full-day pass costs $5.50. Children aged 5 and under travel for free.
Honolulu has distinctive neighborhoods that provide opportunities for travelers. Waikiki is renowned for its iconic beaches, towering hotels, and lively dining and nightlife options. Ala Moana offers a scenic beach park and abundant shopping, while Downtown features an arts district, historic structures, and upscale cuisine. Kaimuki and Kapahulu deliver an authentic local experience and fantastic restaurants. Diamond Head is famed for its hiking trails through volcanic terrain, tranquil beaches, and proximity to the Honolulu Zoo. Kahala, an exclusive residential area, is known for its pristine beaches and glimpses of celebrities.
The Best Places to Stay in Honolulu
- Best Luxury Hotels in Honolulu
Halekulani • Moana Surfrider • The Modern Honolulu - Best Honolulu Hotels for Families
For an authentic Seattle dining experience like no other, there is no better establishment than Matt`s, serving new American cuisine for both lunch and dinner amidst the heart of Pike Place Market. The brief yet outstanding lunch menu highlights classics such as catfish and pulled-pork sandwiches as dependable favorites, and the dinner selection varies regularly in accordance with availability from the market stalls below. With high timber-beamed ceilings and checkerboard floors, Matt`s interior conveys an airy lightness throughout the day and takes on a romantic tone after sunset falls. Large arched windows elegantly frame picturesque views overlooking the iconic market sign, Puget Sound, and distant Olympic Mountain range beyond. Advance reservations are necessary to dine at Matt`s, so plan well ahead and request a table with a scenic vantage point if possible. - Best Boutique Hotels in Honolulu
• Top Hotels near Buckingham Palace:The Rubens at the Palace (6 minute walk to Buckingham Palace) • The Goring (9 minute walk) • Resident Victoria (6 minute walk)
- Best Cheap/Midrange Hotels in Honolulu
The Equus • VIVE Hotel Waikiki - Top TripAdvisor Hotels (Best Value)
The Prince Waikiki,Hotel La Croix,Halekulani, and VIVE Hotel Waikiki
Best Areas in Honolulu for…
- Top Beaches in Honolulu: Waikiki, Ala Moana, Diamond Head, Kahala
The best locales for beach vacations include Waikiki, Ala Moana, Diamond Head, and Kahala. Waikiki offers the most busy beaches with the most services, dining, surfboard rentals and lessons, and water sports centers. Ala Moana is the optimal area for young swimmers and snorkelers with a fun beach park and an almost calm, shallow lagoon on Magic Island. Diamond Head features excellent swimming, surfing, and snorkeling near family-friendly attractions, like a zoo, aquarium, and beach park. Kahala offers the most serene beaches, ideal for sunbathing and relaxing, though some are a little rocky. - Prominent Areas for Sightseeing in Honolulu: Downtown, Waikiki, Diamond Head
The downtown region is the finest place for exploring the historic landmarks of Honolulu, proudly boasting America’s solely royal palace, the city’s iconic lighthouse, art galleries, cultural museums, and performance venues. Densely populated Waikiki is home to fewer historic sights than Downtown, but offers public artworks portraying Hawaiian life and local heroes along the main thoroughfare Kalakaua Avenue, along with a handful of museums, including the Lucoral Museum (ocean geology, including coral and pearls, with jewelry-making workshops) and the Hawaii Army Museum Society (weapons, tanks, a helicopter and more, mostly from WWII and the Korean and Vietnam Wars – free admission). Diamond Head offers the most family-oriented attractions, including the zoo, aquarium, and Kapi’olani Beach Park. - Top Places for Families in Honolulu: Waikiki, Diamond Head, Ala Moana
- Visitors with families will find many top-notch lodging choices in Waikiki, featuring thousands of hotel rooms and suites, frequently including kids clubs and activities while most offer fantastic pools and family-friendly dining on site, all either directly on the beach or within a short walk. Just south of Waikiki lies Diamond Head, home to attractions like the Honolulu Zoo, Waikiki Aquarium, Kapiolani Park, and the landmark Diamond Head State Monument hiking path up the dormant volcano—manageable for older children although young kids may need assisting for parts. Another superb choice is Ala Moana for its lovely beach, shallow protected waters perfect for snorkeling (sometimes with sea turtles), in addition to its record-holding shopping center and many dining selections.
- The most romantic places in Honolulu include Waikiki, Diamond Head, and Kahala.
The island of Waikiki within Honolulu offers numerous choices for a romantic evening outdoors, including exciting restaurants, atmospheric cocktail bars where music plays late, and hotels catering to couples with special amenities like sunsets seen from lanais, out of doors hot tubs, or private pools. Kahala is a wonderful area for a honeymoon or intimate escape with beachfront fine dining options, stylish bars close by, and remote, secluded beaches in the shadow of the Diamond Head volcano. The Diamond Head neighborhood is most recognized for its volcano with a hiking trail full of flowers offering amazing panoramic views of the city, rainforest, and ocean from above. Diamond Head also boasts quieter beaches, fun local attractions, and convenient access to Waikiki’s nightlife. - Prime Shopping Locations in Honolulu: Ala Moana, Kaimuki, Kapahulu
For high-end branded clothing, accessories, home goods, and souvenirs, the Ala Moana region is the top area to visit. Its enormous shopping center, Ala Moana Center, features over 350 stores and eateries alone, and the nearby Ward Village mall adds another 170 shops and restaurants. The location is also served by several local food markets, a farmers` market held on Thursdays, and provides easy access to a second farmers market in the adjacent Kaka`ako neighborhood on Saturdays. For vintage items, used goods, and locally created products, check out the Kaimuki and Kapahulu areas; their main streets are lined with small boutiques selling everything from pre-owned surfboards and aloha shirts to handcrafted candy and jewelry to used ukuleles and specialty shops stocking omiyage, stationery, fabrics, antiques, and more. - Prime Spots for Meals and Nightlife in Honolulu: Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kaimuki, Kapahulu, Downtown
The Kaimuki and Kapahulu areas are home to long-standing neighborhood dining spots, new farm-to-table restaurants, and a diverse selection of cuisines. Downtown offers an abundance of upscale dining establishments and craft cocktail bars. Waikiki and Ala Moana are where most of Honolulu’s bars and nightclubs can be found. Last call in Honolulu is 2:00 a.m., though a few clubs in Waikiki operate under a cabaret license permitting alcohol service until 4:00 a.m.
- Prime Locations for Local Vibe in Honolulu: Kaimuki, Kapahulu
Best areas for living like locals include Kaimuki and Kapahulu, older communities lacking tourism infrastructure. Down-home eateries serve plate lunches and poke, emerging restaurants highlight local sustainable fare, boutiques offer Hawaiiana crafted for quality exceeding gimmicks, and specialist shops cater tastes and needs of residents. No hotels situate here; merely a few vacation homes and condominiums available for rent - Safest Areas of Honolulu
Compared to similarly populated American cities, Honolulu demonstrates an average general crime rate. Most infractions in Honolulu involve property crimes, particularly burglarizing rented automobiles and purse snatching. Violent criminal acts are much less prevalent. The safest neighborhoods in the city are at the southeastern end surrounding Diamond Head, Kahala, and Kaimuki. - Unsafe Areas of Honolulu
Honolulu is usually safe, but crimes do unfortunately take place. Like most popular tourist areas, Honolulu sees more criminal activity around attractions like Waikiki and the historic downtown center, so be cautious with your valuables in these locations. Visitors to Honolulu are easy to identify and often carry cash and expensive phones and cameras, so as in any major city, don’t leave valuables unattended in your vehicle, be aware of your surroundings, and after dark, opt for busy, well-lit streets
The Best Places in Honolulu for Tourists
See Also
- Where are some recommended areas to stay in Oahu?
- Best Hotels in Hawaii
- Best Hotels for Families in Hawaii
1. Waikiki
Once a resort for Hawaiian royalty in the 1800s, Waikiki is Hawaii’s original travel destination. Two-thirds of all Hawaiian hotels are on the island of Oahu, and the vast majority of those hotels are in Waikiki. However, it`s far from a tourist trap. The Waikiki neighborhood also has the highest population density in Honolulu with high-rise condominiums and apartments sharing streets with a wide range of hotels. Now almost surrounded on three sides by the ocean and the manmade Ala Wai Canal, Waikiki was once firmly connected to the rest of Honolulu.
Of course, Waikiki is most renowned for its shorelines. Previously a continual stretch of white sand, urban advancement has presently separated it into five precise beaches running from northwest to southeast: Kahanamoku, Fort DeRussy, Gray’s (likewise known as Halekulani), Waikiki Beach (likewise referred to as Royal Hawaiian), and Kuhio Beach. All beaches in Waikiki have delicate sand (replenished from other Hawaiian beaches over decades) and gentle to moderate waves protected by a reef, though there are a few rugged patches generally near the southeast conclusion. Waikiki is the origin of contemporary surfing, brought by Duke Kahanamoku who adapted the ancient Hawaiian sport in the early 1900s. These shorelines are perfect for an assortment of aquatic activities, like surfing, paddleboarding, snorkeling, standard outrigger canoeing, and more. Other than world-class beaches, Waikiki highlights a lagoon (ideal for beginning swimmers), the Waikiki Aquarium, a complimentary 10-minute fireworks show each Friday night (set off from Hilton Hawaiian Village), gourmet and casual dining (with specifically great Japanese nourishment), and high conclude looking along Kalakaua and Kuhio Avenues.
- Highly Recommended Accommodations: Halekulani • Moana Surfrider • Outrigger Waikiki Beach • Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club • Coconut Waikiki Hotel • The Modern Honolulu • Hotel Renew • Shoreline Hotel Waikiki • Hilton Hawaiian Village
2. Ala Moana
North of Waikiki across the Ala Wai Canal lies the Ala Moana neighborhood, renowned for shopping and fine sandy beaches. In ancient Hawaii, the area was home to fisherfolk and taro fields. The zone was designated as a retail district in 1949 and is presently recognized for its high-end shops, fashion boutiques, and mainstream retailers. Ala Wai Center is the largest open-air shopping center globally with over 350 stores and eateries spread across 4 levels. Nearby ‘Iolani Center is a family-operated boutique established in 1953 offering Hawaiian-inspired clothing and add-ons crafted on site. Locally-sourced produce, flowers, and grub can be found at the Foodland Farms market, South Shore Marketplace, Honolulu Farmers Market (Wednesdays 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.), and nearby Kaka’ako Farmers Market (Saturdays 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) Trendsetting restaurants here serve a range of Hawaiian, Japanese, fusion, and international cuisines; bars and restaurants are bountiful here, too. Spanning the coast is the 100-acre Ala Moana Regional Park with a long white sandy beach facing the main park, plus Magic Island (pictured above) jutting out into the ocean with a kid-friendly lagoon filled with colorful fish on its own tiny beach. Surf tends to be gentle here, calmed by a coral reef just offshore.
- The Best Hotel: Ala Moana Hotel in Honolulu.
3. Downtown
The heart of Honolulu is the downtown area. This region includes the smaller neighborhoods of Chinatown, the Arts District, and part of Kaka`ako, the old warehouse area on the western edge of Ala Moana. A prime attraction, Downtown is home to Honolulu`s earliest structures: the Mission Houses (from 1821), Washington Place (1847, former dwelling of Queen Lili`uokalani), the Cathedral of St. Andrew (1867), `Iolani Palace (1879, pictured above, the only royal residence in America), Hawaii Theatre (1822), and the ten-story Aloha Tower lighthouse (1926). Merchant Street presents a dense collection of mid-19th century buildings arranged in a hodgepodge of architectural styles, while the Arts District brings together numerous art galleries, history museums, community centers, and live performance venues. North of the Arts District is historic Chinatown; revived in recent times, this area now plays host to an array of eateries, open-air markets, and upscale boutiques selling handmade jewelry, designer aloha shirts, vintage clothing, and culturally crafted accessories, apparel, and home goods. The downtown area houses excellent eateries including a wide range of Asian cuisines (from Chinese to Filipino, Japanese to Thai, Korean, Lao, Vietnamese, and everything between), creative and traditional Hawaiian foods, plus New American fine dining, crowd-pleasing Italian, and more. You won`t be at a loss for craft beer parlors, sophisticated cocktail lounges, live music venues, and hole-in-the-wall bars here. The closest beach is at Ala Moana, about a half-hour walk or 15-minute bus ride away.
- Distinguished Hotel: Aston at the Executive Centre Hotel
4. Kaimuki and Kapahulu
Kaimuki and Kapahulu are two neighboring communities located east of Waikiki and north of Diamond Head on the island of Oahu. Kapahulu sits directly west of Kaimuki, with 5th and 6th Avenues roughly defining the border between the two areas. Together, these places represent perhaps the finest location in Honolulu for living an authentic local lifestyle or at least for enjoying local cuisine. High-rise hotels and condominium developments are largely absent here. Instead, one finds mostly smaller apartment complexes and freestanding family homes, built starting in the 1940s according to owner preferences, resulting in an eclectic mix of architectural styles including Art Deco, Mission, Tudor, and others. Decades-old diners and small specialty shops owned and operated by local residents occupy space alongside contemporary boutiques and trendy restaurants along the primary streets of each district (Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki and Kapahulu Avenue in Kapahulu). Notable spots in Kaimuki encompass the Crack Seed Store (dried fruit candy sold here for over 70 years), Town (farm-fresh dining), Okata Bento ( delicious, filling, incredibly reasonably priced meals), Kaimuki Superette (locally-sourced breakfast, lunch and brunch options), as well as the KCC Farmers Market (local produce, inexpensive eats and flowers – Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.). Standouts in Kapahulu include Haili’s Hawaiian Foods (beloved native Hawaiian comfort foods since 1950), Leonard’s Bakery (famous malasadas), Ono Seafood ( superb poke), King’s Pizza Cafe (best pizza in Honolulu), and Waiola Shave Ice (ultra-thin shaved ice; request it with ice cream on the bottom and a “snow cap” of sweetened condensed milk atop). The closest beaches are Queen’s and Kaimana (also known as Sans Souci), each approximately a half-hour walk or a 20 to 30-minute bus ride away depending on one’s starting point.
5. Diamond Head
The Diamond Head area lies south of Waikiki, Kapahulu, and Kaimuki and to the west of Kahala. The neighborhood derives its name from the Diamond Head volcanic tuff mountain located there, termed Le’ahi in Hawaiian. Hiking along the lush trails to soak in panoramic perspectives over the island and ocean from the summit of the volcano is among one of the most popular activities to do in Honolulu. At the southern base of the volcano, there are a couple small, secluded beaches at Le’ahi and Makalei Beach Parks, popular for surfing and sunsets. West of the mountain, there are a few family-friendly attractions, counting the Honolulu Zoo, Queen Kapiʻolani Regional Park, and the Waikiki Aquarium. Two excellent beaches are on the western coast, Kapi’olani and Kaimana (AKA Sans Souci) Beaches – both livelier than those south of Diamond Head but calmer than those farther north in Waikiki. There are a handful of upscale beachfront restaurants with sunset views at Kaimana Beach, but most restaurants are in the neighboring areas of Kapahulu and Waikiki.
- Best Hotels: Lotus Honolulu Hotel – Kaimana Beach Hotel
6. Kahala
Often called the “Beverly Hills of Hawaii,” Kahala is considered the most affluent neighborhood in Honolulu. Directly east of Diamond Head and Kaimuki, the real estate prices in Kahala are the highest statewide (non-beachfront homes have an average value of $3 million; tear-downs often sell for about $1.5 million), with many properties used as vacation homes by extremely wealthy business magnates and celebrities. This relaxed area is home to a string of secluded beaches, sometimes windy but generally with gentle, calmed waves thanks to the neighborhood`s location in a bay and protected by a reef. A wide selection of eateries, cafes, and shops can be found at the Kahala Mall, while upscale restaurants dot the vicinity of the sole hotel, the luxurious Kahala Hotel & Resort. The hotel also features a dolphin habitat offering feeding, swimming, and petting experiences. At the western edge of the neighborhood near Diamond Head is the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture, and Design, situated in the former estate of socialite Doris Duke.
- Top Hotel: The Kahala Hotel & Resort
