The Outrigger Hotel was one of the best we've ever stayed at. Our whole family loved it. The views were spectacular. We witnessed couples renewing their wedding vows on the beach. Restaurants and gift shops were nearby. We love the Hard Rock Cafe which was one block away. Out son's family took surfing lessons behind the hotel. We could see Diamondhead in the distance which we all climbed later.

We enjoyed morning walks on the beach. It was a perfect way to start the day before it got warm and busy with people. The walkway along the beach is also a perfect way to get up to places, such as restaurants and such, more central and northern. Even if you’re not a water person, don’t come to Oahu and not explore Waikiki Beach.

If you like crowds, this is a great beach. You can rent chairs and beach stuff nearby or from the hotels; the beach is relatively clean and the water is warm. But if you like quieter beaches, go to Ala Moana Beach or Magic Beach at the top end of Waikiki Beach. Same nice sand, more grassy areas and trees but farther from the madding crowd.

There’s nothing wrong with Waiki. It’s a nice beach with lots of people and you feel relatively safe. It’s also very close to the city. That being said, I have a hard time giving it full marks because it’s not that special relative to other beaches.

Ive been lucky to have visited Maui 4 times and this was my first time to Oahu. You hear it get run down as a big city with no Aloha left. I found the opposite to be true. So many things to do. From cage diving w/sharks in the North shore to enjoying the uncrowded beaches in South Waikiki, there is something for everyone. We rented E-bikes and road to beautiful Manoa falls area. Even hit a great Kaoroke show at the International Market. With so many restaurants/bars on the strip it isn’t hard to find great happy hour/specials all over town. We did a package from Expedia that was $2000 air and hotel for 5 nights at The Park Shore (see my reviews) Is it a different vibe from Kauai? Yes, but variety is the Spice of Life!! Aloha

I had visited Hawai’i 6 times before deciding that my 7th trip would be to stay on Waikiki and I loved it. Yes, Waikiki is crowded and a bit loud since it is basically part of the city scene. However, the beach is stunningly beautiful. Swimming and seeing Diamond Head in the background is a memory I will always have. Another neat aspect of Waikiki is how far one can walk out at low tide - it must be at least 1,000 ft from shore before the water is above an adult’s head. Plus, even though the beach is crowded, everybody was mostly cordial and polite.

Busy but Beautiful! I guess it’s to be expected, going after Christmas and before New Year that it would be busy. I’ve never seen Waikiki beach so busy. It was still beautiful and enjoyable until someone decided to put their towel right on mine. Can we not respect at least a one foot between people. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for. Personal space people.

Pretty but over hyped. Everythingin the area is designed to separate you from your money. Look at restraunts along the outside edge of the area for good food at cheaper prices. Parking is almost as expensive as a rental car. If you are willing to walking mile or take the bus, rental cars prices drop almost 50%. We did day rental to a old over night parking fees.

View for yourself. Path is wide and well maintained, can do wheelchair along easily. Beachfront/sand is thin and as along main strip of road, gets crowded. Plenty of surf schools for tourist convenience but research slightly outside of Waikiki options. Best area to sit is left past the zoo and Lulu’s. Bring a towel, sand is soft. Turtles are known to stroll in early pre sunrise but I didn’t see any. Beach Volleyball nets along this area. Sunset from Waikiki can be lovely. As soon as it starts dropping, streams of people from hotels run onto the beach.

Can get very crowded at times but always a nice place to hang out. Always enjoy a few hours at the beach. You can rent paddles boards, take surf lessons, snorkel. One end near the zoo is very calm and great for kids.