Waikiki Guide: What I Didn’t Hate in Waikiki
Waikiki is easily my least favorite destination in Hawaii, yet I somehow found myself spending quite a bit of time there this year! Here is a list of what I didn’t hate and all the places that BAMBOOZLED me during my stay.
Hotels
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White Sands Hotel – This is the hotel that has the bar with the swing! We spent one night there and it was 100% the most Instagrammable spot we stayed at… but it was still giving off 70s motel vibes. They gave this hotel a mini facelift for the gram, but the rooms left me wanting more. If you can snag a good deal on a room it’s worth staying there, just know that it is off the beach and in an old building.
The Modern Honolulu – This hotel reminded me of a Standard Hotel on the mainland. I loved this location (near the Harbor), but don’t expect any kind of customer service from this hotel. Check-out is at 10 am and there is ZERO wiggle room. I’ve been told NO so many times at a hotel!
Park Shore Waikiki – DO NOT STAY HERE. Don’t even click on the link. Nope, No! It’s right in the middle of the Waikiki CHAOS and
Bars/Restaurants
My favorite bite on Waikiki was from Musubi Cafe IYASUME (the Waikiki Monarch location). Order the eel spam musubi #trustme!
the BEST HAPPY HOUR was at DECK
The Food Trucks are an EXCELLENT idea
Looking for a local bar AWAY from the chaos of Waikiki? Head straight to The Harbor Pub & Pizza. Truly our favorite find for the Waikiki guide.
I’ve never had a bad meal at The Pig and the Lady. We didn’t actually make it to the restaurant this trip – I ordered the Pho French Dip on UberEats and it was a 10/10.
I am PROUD to announce that we ate at Red Lobster in Hawaii. Why? Because I was sick of being BAMBOOZLED and it’s next to impossible to mess up a cheddar bay biscuit.
It’s going to cost you – but you can never go wrong with:
Merriman’s
Morimoto
Stay Away From…
Duke’s – I was BAMBOOZLED at their $21.50 breakfast buffet! Don’t do it!
Rainbow Drive-In – I just don’t get the hype! I LOVE Hawaiian plate lunch and this truly was not it!
LuLu’s – We hit their late-night happy hour right after we checked in to our hotel and boy-oh-boy did we get BAMBOOZLED! They refused to honor their happy hour prices and we spent 45 minutes negotiating our bill with the entire staff! No! No! No!
find everything I packed for the trip here
