Waikiki is not a city, per se, but since it is arguably the most popular tourist destination in all of Hawaii, it kind of merits its own entry on this list of cities. It is, in fact, just one part of the city of Honolulu on the island of Oahu, and it is so popular mainly because of a 1.5 mile stretch of beach that runs along its edge. We are talking, of course, about Waikiki Beach, so it is no wonder that so many people want to holiday in this one specific part of the city. Along with the many high-end high-rise hotels that line the beach, the good news is that there are also some cheap hotels in Waikiki for those of us on more of a budget.
Because it is a relatively small piece of real estate we are talking about here, there is a limited amount of space that cheap hotels in Waikiki can even locate themselves in. And much of the beachfront area of Waikiki is taken up by those luxury hotels, so you will likely have to walk a few blocks to get from your budget hotel to the beach – but again, it is not a big place, so a few blocks is just fine. Do note that hotels tend to come and go quickly in this part of the world, so make sure the information you are getting about hotel listings is up to date.
Even if your entire vacation is centered around Waikiki, you may actually want to explore other parts of the city of Honolulu (no, really!) or even the rest of Oahu. Thankfully, this is the one Hawaiian island with excellent public transportation – TheBus reaches not just Waikiki Beach and the airport but also other major tourist sights around the island. There are other beaches to visit (no, really!), museums, an aquarium and a zoo, and all kinds of shops and restaurants to try.
Some of the cheap hotels in Waikiki you should check out are Royal Grove Hotel (200 yards from beach, weekly rates available, standard rooms & apartments available, paid parking available, outdoor pool, on-site restaurants), Aqua Aloha Surf & Spa (walking distance to beach, 202 rooms, free internet & WiFi access, some rooms with private balcony, some paid parking available, free breakfast, swimming pool, laundry facilities available), Waikiki Sand Villa Hotel (in a quiet part of Waikiki, not far from beach, 214 rooms, free WiFi & internet access, some rooms with balcony, swimming pool, free breakfast, fitness center, laundry facilities), Aqua Continental (walking distance to beach, 143 rooms, free WiFi access, free Royal Kona coffee, some paid parking available, fitness center, laundry facilities), and ResortQuest Waikiki Joy Hotel (walking distance to beach, free breakfast, internet access available, free toy for kids, valet parking available, swimming pool, fitness center & sauna, on-site restaurant, laundry facilities).