Bumping this as we have just booked our second visit to Hawaii and went through quite a number of options as to what to do accom wise.
For first timers, I think Waikiki is still best. Yep, do the big tourist resort and get your bearings. However, rent a car and get out and explore Oahu. North Shore is a must. Go to other less-crowded beaches and local eating spots in towns and villages outside of Honolulu.
Going back for our second visit, we wanted to explore further and try not to be ‘one of the masses’. We booked a week on Maui - but not in a resort. The prices for the resorts were ridiculous, even though most reviews/reports said a lot a fairly old now and run down (except one or two that on price alone we decided we didn’t really need a marble bathroom for a visit to Hawaii...) Found a great, private BnB (that was still quite expensive) but gave us the freedom to do what we wanted (go to different beaches and local eating places). Booked a car and now we are all set.
We still wanted to spend a few days on Oahu before coming home to visit the outlets and our second-fav beach in the world (so far). We grappled with booking a big resort in Waikiki or going somewhere else around the island.
We've only stayed on the north shore so all my recommendations are for up there.
Spewing I didn’t see this earlier as I did a fair bit of looking and didn’t find what we wanted on the North Shore. Didn’t want Turtle Bay (will visit for golf, but figured if we wanted to stay at a resort, we’ll do Waikiki). Looked at lot of little hotels/motels around the island but nothing really stood out or were comparable in prices to Waikiki. Again, same deal with AirBnB and home stays.
In the end, we asked ourselves what are we actually going to do on Oahu - the Aussie tourist pilgrimage to the outlets and sit around and drink Mai Tais (and a couple of visits to the beach). With that realisation, a resort at Waikiki was probably the best option. Booked the cheapest room at the Royal Hawaiian - we got an absolute bargain - so right in the thick of it. We use a room to sleep and shower, not hang around in, so this will do us nicely.
On our first visit we stayed at the Sheraton Waikiki. Again, did the job, but holey moley it was big. We felt like being part of an ant colony... Probably would stay here again, for the right price, but the Royal Hawaiian deal was just too good to refuse.
Currently looking at a day visit to the Big Island for a helicopter tour of the volcanoes. Our initial thinking is to just book our own flights and rental car and spend our own day on the island with a helicopter tour booked on its own. There are other options inlcluding flight from HNL and guided tours all day, but not sure if it is for us. If anyone has any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.
Lastly, enjoy Hawaii. It really is a great holiday destination. Get outside Waikiki and see it. Just consider whether what you are planning on doing in Hawaii could be done in a similar setting and a lot cheaper on the Gold Coast....