Here are our last guest comments on our waterfront Waikiki condo unit 1530.

Awesome vacation on oahu      Overall rating: family of 4 from atlanta, ga on 08/16/2010 said: “ enjoyed the condo very much and found it more than adequate for our needs. location was great for us – close to the beach and restaurants. ”

Great ocean view     Overall rating: the vacationer from Beaumont, ca on 08/03/2010 said:“ I would stay there again. The condo was a bit small for more than 2 people, there is not allot of storage or drawers to put clothes in. The closet was average with a few shelfs. the queen size bed was OK (not to hard or soft). Kitchen and living room were tight but very nice and well furnished. They even had snorkels, body boards,beach chairs and a portable cooler for the beach. Very clean and well maintained. Sliding doors separate the living from the bedroom for privacy, very large balcony. ”

Great place to stay    Overall rating: Australia, state of Victoria. 6th trip to Hawaii on 05/20/2010 said:“ We enjoyed the accomodation at the aloha condos, great location, close to Ala Moana shopping centre. Walking distance to the centre of Wakiki and the beach plus the lagoon, also great balcony to see the hula show at the Hilton vacations condos?? Car rentals 150 mtrs up the road, everything including the ABC shops all within walking distance. Condo was well appointed, everything we needed was there, no complaints, we had a great time. We enjoyed the whole experience of visiting Hawaii.. Alicja Rose ( Australia) ”

To have rest and relaxation, rent Room 1530 with a paradise view

Overall rating: Seattle, Washington on 05/08/2010 said: “ We just stayed for 2 weeks in beautiful Wakiki in Room 1530 at the Ilikai Hotel. We’ve been coming there for the past 6 years but this is the first time we’ve stayed in Room 1530. It has a fabulous view of the lagoon and ocean, is right next door to the beautiful Hilton Village, is across the street from 3 well-known restaurants, is 2 blocks from the biggest outdoor shopping mall, and 3 blocks from a large movie theater, and bus service is right in front of the hotel. The condo is clean, has a nice, well equipped kitchen, 4 bar stools, couch, chair, and flat-screen TV. The screen between the bedroom and living area is very nice and convenient….. The only negative thing I could say was that maybe the TV could have had more channels than the basic ones, but we are used to 200 at home! The Ilikai is also a bus ride away from downtown Wakiki where there are great restaurants, hotels, great shops, and an international market. What a WONDERFUL place this is to forget your troubles and enjoy life to the fullest! ”

To view more guest’s comments and view rates, specials and availability click on this link Ilikai Hotel and Apartments condo 1530.

1. Visit the Oceanarium Restaurant at Pacific Beach Hotel, where an incredible three-story, 280,000-gallon saltwater fish tank holds hundreds of Hawaii’s tropical fish.
2. Watch the Friday night sail boat races from Magic Island at Ala Moana Beach Park or from the peaceful, 2nd floor courtyard of the Ilikai, overlooking the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor.
3. Stroll through the Hilton Hawaiian Village and see fish ponds, ducks, swans, parrots, and the hotel’s very own penguins and flamingos.  The Ilikai Hotel and Apartments are right nex tdoor.
4. Enjoy the torch lighting ceremony and hula show at Kuhio Beach Park in Waikiki. This is a delightful show filled with traditional Hawaiian music and dancing. This show is on the beach. Shows Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday nights around sunset (around 6:00pm or 6:30pm) depending on the time of year.
5. Learn how to strum an ukulele or dance the hula at the Royal Hawaiian Village.
6. Visit the U.S. Army Museum at Fort DeRussy. Traces the history of ancient Hawaiian warriors to current times.
7. Enjoy the changing of the Guard at King’s Village.
8. Visit the Arizona Memorial.  Take the bus.  View the film and take the water taxi to the memorial.
9. Visit the Surf Museum.  The Honolulu Surfing Museum, located at Jimmy Buffett’s Restaurant and Bar at the OHANA Waikiki Beachcomber. The museum’s collection of unique artifacts, displays and experiences celebrate the Hawaiian heritage.
10. Watch the  sunset  torch lighting and conch blowing ceremony that has been a nightly tradition for over 40 years at the Ilikai.
11. Every friday at sunset listen to the live Hawaiian music and dancers in the Ilikai Courtyard.
12. View the friday night fireworks from the Ilikai’s second floor Courtyard.
13. Snorkel at the shallow ”Hilton Reef” and enjoy the tropical fish.
14. Boogie board at the “wall” (just south of Kuhio Beach).
15. Relax and people watch from the Moana Surfrider Resort’s porch rocking chairs.

And the best bargain in accomodations is my fully furnished one bedroom condo in the Ilikai Hotel.  My condo overlooks the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean.  Check out the latest specials, condo interior and Building amenaties at this Ilikai Unit 1530 link.  Mahalo.

The south shore of Oahu Hawaii has some great surf spots.  Waikiki is a very nice location to learn to surf.  This area break favors the “longboard”.  There are lots of places to rent boards by the hour and hire an instructor.  If you want to rent by the day or by the week I recommend Koa Board Sports on Koa Street in downtown Waikiki (808-923-0189).

A great place to stay is at the oceanfront Ilikai Hotel in my condo unit 1530. This condo unit sleeps 4 and has a full kitchen.  It has recently been added to AlohaCondos.com and I am offering a nice 30% discount for available nights between now and Dec.18, 2009.

The lanai has a nice view  of 2 of my favorite surf spots, Kaisers and Rock Pile.    To the left is Kaiser’s, which has a nice lefts and barrel  rights.  To the right of  Kaiser’s is Rock Pile, with good lefts.

You can view the current south shore surfing conditions by going to Surfline.com.

We live part of the year in our condo apartment at the Ilikai Hotel and Apartments.  We rent out our apartment the  rest of the year.  We offer generous discounts off our regular rates to help “fill in” open nights.  Click on this link ( 1530) for more details on this fully furnished Hawaiian Style Apartment.

Our ocean front Condo apartment is right next to the Hilton Hawaiian Village.   There is a great reef to snorkel in front of the Hilton.  The reef extends from the Atlantis Pier to the jetty.  My wife loves to snorkel and loves the fact that she can see the reef from our Condo’s lanai.  She can see the clarity, condition, and depth of the water to determine when she wants to walk down to snorkel.

This is a shallow reef so you get a great close up view of the fish. At low tide there can be less than 12 inches between the reef and the surface of the water.  My wife uses the Boogie Board to keep her above the sharp coral.   When the surf is up or choppy this area can be cloudy, but when the water is clear it is a great experience.  We have seen Wrasses, Trumpetfishes, Pufferfishes, Needlefishes, Moorish Idol, Gobies, File fishes, Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (Hawaii state fish), Tang, Surgeon fishes, Box fishes, Cornet fish, Dragonets, Goat fishes, Pipe fishes,  Porcupine fishes  and Butterfly fishes, to mention a few.

This is a good link for pictures of these fishes.  We have only seen turtles (honu) once or twice around the reef but they are very common beyond the surf break.

The reef at Hanauma Bay is a spectacular place to snorkel.  Please note that Hanauma Bay is Closed Tuesdays.

We take the bus.  The fare is $2.25 for adults, $1.00 for seniors with a  medicare card, and $1.00 for students.   The bus takes about 60 minutes.  From the Condo, go to the bus stop in front of the Ilikai and take any bus going to Waikiki.  Ask the driver for a transfer.

Get off at the first stop on Kuhio Street.

Then take  bus # 22 to Hanauma .  Give your transfer to the bus driver.  Click this link for bus 22 schedule.  TheBus 22.    This stop on Kuhio is bus # 22′s second stop so you will  be among the first passengers on Bus 22.  There is only one bus an hour so they can get  pretty crowded and even fill up with passengers having to stand in the isle the whole trip.   As the bus goes through Waikiki  it often fills up completely and it will go past regular bus stops until more space is available.  So the closer to the beginning of the route you get on bus 22 the more seats will be available.

We pack a lunch, go early and spend the day at the bay.   We freeze  bottles of water to use as our ice packs and then have cold water to drink with lunch.  When you rent our Condo, unit 1530, we have a soft sided cooler, 2 backpack beach chairs, 3 folding beach chairs, a beach umbrella , 2 snorkel sets and 3 boogie boards for your convenience.  One of the boogie boards does not have a lease.  If you get a seat in the back of the bus there is room behind the “side” seats on either side of the bus to store the boogie board.

When you return from Hanauma Bay on bus 22,  get another transfer and get off at any bus stop on Kuhio street in Waikiki.  Use your transfer to get on a # 8, 19, or 20  and get off at the Ilikai Hotel on the corner of  Hobron and Ala Moana Blvd.  Many of the buses have speaker systems the use gps to announce the next stop, so listen for Hobron and Ilikai.
We invite you to come stay in our beautiful Ilikai condo # 1530 and enjoy the spectacular snorkeling.

Aloha, Terry and Sue