Oahu hotel review: Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach

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Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach offers good value for an oceanfront hotel in the heart of Hawaii’s most iconic beach. This resort offers great amenities and complimentary cultural activities with no resort fees.

Location

Though there are many hotels to choose from in Waikiki Beach, only eight hotels are located on prime oceanfront property. Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach is one of the eight.

A view of Waikiki Beach from the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach
A view of Waikiki Beach from the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach

While there are nice restaurants and shops onsite, there are plenty more places to dine and shop within very easy walking distance.

The central Kalakaua Avenue location is ideal for a Waikiki vacation. See this Google Map to explore more about the location.

Rooms

The rooms at Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach have recently been redecorated with new carpet, bedding, window dressings and upholstered items. The green, gold and maroon hues remind me of the colors one might see while hiking in a Hawaii rainforest.

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There was more than enough drawer space to keep clothing and accessories tidy during an extended vacation stay.

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The lanais are somewhat small but definitely on par with most other Waikiki hotels. The lanais are furnished with a small table and two chairs.

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A lanai with a partial ocean view

The vanity area of the bath has a sink on one side with the other side used for the coffee maker and supplies. A mini-fridge was located under the countertop.

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The closet area is open into the bathroom. It includes an iron, ironing board, hairdryer and a safe.

Our bathroom only had a step in shower. Some of the oceanfront rooms have spa tubs.

If your budget allows, I recommend booking one of the oceanfront rooms for great views. See this link for a diagram the guest room views.

Guest activities

Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach offers a great selection of Hawaiian cultural classes and activities each weekday. These complimentary classes include hula lessons, ukulele lessons, lei making and more.

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If you are visiting Waikiki to celebrate an anniversary, complimentary Hawaiian vow renewal ceremonies are offered to hotel guests. They are currently conducted two mornings per week. In 2009, Andy and I stayed at Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach’s sister resort, Outrigger Reef on the Beach, where we took part of the Hawaiian vow renewal ceremony. Incidentally, we really like the Outrigger Reef on the Beach, too.

Dining

Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach houses some great oceanfront restaurants. We really like Hula Grill and Duke’s Waikiki which are two excellent casual dining restaurants. We didn’t get a chance to dine at Chuck’s Steak House on this last visit, but we hope to for our next visit as their view of Diamond Head is amazing.

In addition to the onsite restaurants, there are dozens of other eateries located within a short walking distance.

More mentionables

– The hotel has an oceanfront pool.

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– Guests are given coupon books when they arrive. There are  some pretty useful coupons for dining, shopping and activities.

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– The upper lobby features a spectacular wooden outrigger canoe that was originally built in the late 1800s and has been beautifully restored.

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The Kaukahi outrigger canoe on display in the upper lobby

– This property is considered to be a four-star hotel on TripAdvisor and a three-diamond hotel with AAA.

– Wifi access is free.

– Onsite parking is valet only at a current cost of $35 per night.

– The best deal that’s currently available that I could find is via the hotel’s own website for $207 per night for a city view room, which is a really good deal for an oceanfront resort. You can check for special offers on this page.

More photos and video tour

Feel free to check out more photos from our stay at Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach. We visited in December so the hotel was decorated for the Christmas season.

View our short (1 minute 22 second) video tour of Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach.

Disclosure

As a matter of transparency, I’d like to disclose that our three-night stay at Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach was hosted. As always, we only write the same advice and descriptions on Go Visit Hawaii that we would give to our closest friends and family.
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For more opinions and reviews, see this link TripAdvisor reviews of Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach. The Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach is currently ranked in the top 10 hotels in Honolulu.

Have you stayed at Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach? How was your stay?

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