Waikiki - Latest and Greatest - The Military Frequent Flyer

My wife and I lived in Honolulu from 2010-13 and like to go back about once a year. It has been fun to see the developments that have taken place over time. On this recent trip, I noted a number of improvements around Waikiki that you might want to check out for yourself on an upcoming trip.

The biggest news in my view is completion of the International Market which had been undergoing a complete renovation for the last three years. I’ll write a whole post on this tomorrow, but you should definitely make a visit to shop or dine here on your next visit.

The Ritz-Carlson’s Residences finally opened the first tower with more to come. Looks pretty classy from the outside, but still lot of work to do to finish the whole project.

You can see in the last photo that they are working on the second tower. Expect some construction noise if you stay here. I thought of staying here to check it out since I have those three free nights from the Ritz-Carlton credit card. Looking at the Marriot website, you can see it is a pretty expensive property and would be a great value for those free nights.

But get this caveat:

So no-go on certs, points or any way other than cash to get a room here. Plus you won’t earn anything!

Another new hotel option may be this one that is under construction on the backside of the International Market. The little sign at the corner lends me to believe that this will be an expansion of the Holiday Inn Resort that is currently on the main drag, Kalakaua. Could be a good option when it is done in about three months or so.

Another new item is the opening of an upscale market called Coco Café on Kalakaua near the Holiday Inn. This is definitely a step above the ubiquitous ABC stores. My tip to lower your cost of staying in Waikiki is to get some of your meals at this store since they have quality sushi, sandwiches, and other fresh food items. There are other stores like this in Honolulu, but none as convenient a location of this store.