Honolulu Condos Offer Excellent Ocean Views

Highrise condos in Honolulu offer some of the best ocean views in the world. The condo buildings with the best ocean views are located in Diamond Head, Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kakaako and Downtown Honolulu.

Kakaako Neighborhood in Honolulu - Development Plans Underway for Beach Park

Strong community opposition stopped plans to build condos and shops along the Kakaako Waterfront.

Now, four years later, there's another development effort underway for Kakaako Makai.

It's an area known to be popular for bodysurfing and its beautiful scenic views.

"I seen the park change a lot and just my concern is we want the park to be the best place it can be," said Kanekoa Crabbe with the Point Panic Bodysurfing Club.

Saturday, several community members voiced their concerns on making Kakaako Makai a gathering place while preserving Hawaii's culture.

"This park not only needs to serve not only Kakaako but the rest of Honolulu because the other parks are at capacity on the weekends," said Michelle Matson with the Community Planning Advisory Council.

Back in 2006, hundreds of community members rallied against the plan to build two residential units at the park.

The community's concerns were heard and a law was passed prohibiting the sale of state land while preventing residential development.

Now, the Hawaii Community Development Authority has hired several firms to help draft a plan with the community's input.

"We really want to stimulate the conversation at the community level and help them kind of dissect what the situation might be or what the ultimate plan might be," said Geoff Miasnik with MVE Pacific.

Some ideas presented Saturday include building a bike path, a facility for recreational sports and providing more open space at the park.

"To keep it open for all the people of Honolulu and the visitors as a recreational area with facilities that will serve the public," said Matson.

Some immediate changes already in the works at Kakaako are plans to develop a new cancer center at the U-H John A. Burns School of Medicine, improvements to Fisherman's Wharf and maintenance of the park's restrooms.

"We also believe that the agency in charge of this area has learned a lot in this process and has learned a lot in the value of community based planning," said Matson.

Another meeting to hear community input will be held Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the U-H John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Casino in Waikiki?

For the first time in more than a decade, Hawaiian lawmakers will revisit the issue of permitting gambling in the state, which along with Utah, are the only two U.S. states that outlaw all forms of gambling.

Legislators are currently reviewing a bill that would establish one casino in Waikiki, along with a statewide Gaming Control Commission.

"The issue is tourism, the issue is we need to find ways to get people to come here to Hawaii," said Hawaii lobbyist John Radcliffe.

The measure would grant a 10-year license for one stand-alone casino in Waikiki but not in a hotel........so we won't be seeing Trump Tower Waikiki operating as a Casino, for sure.

"As you know you can't even see a movie in Waikiki now because the theatres are now closed so maybe one of those would be open I don't know," said Radcliffe.

It also establishes the Hawaii Gaming Control Commission which would implement a gambling addiction program.

"We believe that is far stronger among the tourist industry then it was then. We know that we need to be looking of other sources of revenue if we're going to have our state survive," said Radcliffe. "China is the market that frankly we're aiming toward."

"If there's a license that is sold, we pick up so many millions of dollars and so forth, it's just an option on the budget side of the equation," said House Speaker, Rep. Calvin Say.

The casino would create about 4,000 jobs and generate about a half-billion dollars in revenue each year, a similar amount that leaves the state for gaming destinations like Las Vegas.

"$550 million that would be over the last 11 years that's $6 billion plus. If we could have captured just 15 or 20 percent of that we would not be in the shape that we are in the state of Hawaii," said Radcliffe.

Radcliffe says Marketing Resource Group of Michigan is interested in the project. The Ilitch family owns Little Caesar's Pizza, the Detroit Tigers and Redwings as well as several casinos.

Hotels in Waikiki Ready for an Extreme Makeover

Last phase of $1B project will upgrade Kaiulani and revamp beachfront site.........

According to an article written by Robbie Dingeman in the "Honolulu Advertiser" newspaper, "Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts - owner of such Waikīkī landmarks as The Royal Hawaiian and Moana hotels - is gearing up for the final phase of a $1 billion upgrade project that would build the first new oceanfront hotel along the fabled beach in more than 30 years.

The aging Princess Kaiulani hotel also will gain a new tower, demolish two other hotel buildings and revamp an existing hotel tower in an extensive facelift.

The resort company expects to file the final environmental impact statement for the project this week, according to Kyo-ya executive vice president Greg Dickhens.

The new 26-story beachfront hotel would be built on the site now occupied by an eight-story hotel that is part of the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort. Dickhens said the new hotel would be managed as a separate entity.

It's likely that Starwood Hotels would continue to manage the property, which could be run under a luxury hotel brand, such as St. Regis or W Hotel, he said.

The resort company has been talking publicly about the extensive renovation project for the past two years and has won the support of the Waikīkī Neighborhood Board.

Dickhens said most of Waikīkī's hotels were built in the 1960s and 1970s. "It's tough to be competitive when your product is 30, 40, 100 years old."

Since the makeover plans first emerged, the company has changed from including a timeshare component to a hotel/condo-hotel/residential mix that includes 61 residential units in the top part of the new Pikake Tower at the Princess Kaiulani site.

The number of traditional hotel rooms would decline from a total of 1,140 to 937; the retail space would go from less than 25,000 square feet to 82,000; and the number of parking spaces will increase by 167.

This is the latest in a series of extensive renovations of the aging resort area, which anchors the state's No. 1 industry. Kyo-ya recently completed a makeover at the Sheraton Waikiki, and had previously done extensive renovations at The Royal Hawaiian and Moana.

Other large-scale projects in recent years include Outrigger's Waikiki Beach Walk, developed at a cost of $535 million, and Kamehameha Schools' $115 million remake of the Royal Hawaiian Center. Other new construction included the Trump Tower and Hilton's Grand Waikikian timeshare resort.

After the final environmental study is reviewed, Dickhens estimates an 18-month process to get the necessary government review and permits.

Waikīkī Neighborhood Board Chair Robert Finley said the project got approved by the citizen board because it proposes knocking down older buildings and simplifying traffic in a congested part of Waikīkī.

"During the recession, it's nice to see them spending money," Finley said. And those who live and work in the area said they like the idea of reducing traffic congestion on busy Ka'iulani Avenue.

He added that the buildings targeted for demolition won't win much support.

He said the Princess Kaiulani redesign gets rid of older buildings and moves the hotel entry traffic onto the property.

Finley said there are more questions and concerns about the new tower proposed along the shore near the Honolulu police station.

"That old building is so nasty looking," he said. "Getting it gone would be nice." But Finley said people are watchful of whatever will be built beachfront and will be paying attention during the government approval process.

"It's going to be right on the water, it's going to be taller than what's there now," Finley said.

He said he could understand some concern from the nearby Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa. "It would block part of their ocean view much like the Hyatt blocked part of the PK's view," Finley said.

Hyatt General Manager David Lewin said his company does not oppose the plan at the Princess Kaiulani part of the project: "It would be a great addition to Waikīkī. While the new tower will impact our 'ewa views, it is a good use of the lot and an upgrade to Kalākaua."

However, Lewin said Hyatt doesn't support the tower next to the Moana for two reasons.

"It does not meet the design requirements of the special district. The height and setback are in direct violation, especially the height," he said.

Dickhens said Kyo-ya is asking for approvals for variances for the project but proposing a taller, thinner design that includes a two-story, open-air entryway that it says will provide ocean views and other amenities that make it worthwhile and an improvement over the shorter "lot line to lot line" footprint of the old building.

Lewin said he thinks the tall tower won't win friends for the visitor industry.

"If approved, it will be another poor reflection on the industry in the eyes of the public," he said.

But Dickhens said the modern design, landscaped green space and increased areas accessible to the public make the overall project an improvement that is winning support.

If approved, Dickhens said he expects the net number of unionized employees to remain about the same in the future because running a new separate high-end hotel will require more workers while the residential units would eliminate positions.

Finley said Kyo-ya has been open to questions and concerns about the project and is proposing a plan that adds some elements that the community likes, including another public pedestrian access from Kalākaua Avenue to Waikīkī Beach; and a $500,000 contribution to the state's plan to replenish sand along the beach.

Dickhens said working with the community, including descendants of the Native Hawaiian families of the area, has been rewarding.

And that's how the project has evolved. "You can't just draw up a lot of pretty pictures and get it approved," he said.

Dickhens also highlighted the new public surfboard racks - about 100 - planned and the opening up of the view of the ocean views from Kalākaua.

Ward Warehousein Kakaakao, Honolulu

This last Tuesday afternoon my friend and I headed over to Ward Warehouse, a mall near Honolulu. Although smaller and less well known than the world famous Ala Moana shopping mall, which is not far from Ward, Ward Warehouse still has much to offer. Also, be careful not to confuse Ward Warehouse with its cousin, Ward Center, which is actually down the street a ways from Ward Center (although it is not that far).

There is a hair salon (Bobbi & Guy) here where I sometimes gets my hair cut. Since we decide to wander about, we check out some of the shops, such as the guitar store on the second floor. They have many fine instruments for sale in here, including ukuleles and traditional guitars. Next to the guitar store is a hobby shop featuring board games having to do with wizardry and the like. Strange, but if you need to find 12-sided dice and ceramic dragons, this is the place in Hawaii to go. Also, we found time to stop into the bookstore next to the hair salon, and they have some awesome Hawaiian crafts in here (with prices to match), including drums, fishhook necklaces and shark tooth clubs.

We ate dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory, which opens at 5 pm. This is a national chain restaurant which offers good, cheap Italian food, and, at Ward Center, you can actually get a decent ocean view, too. We sat in a large booth right next to a window looking out over the harbor. I had the spaghetti with Portuguese sausage (local flavor), while my friend ordered the traditional spaghetti and meatballs. We also shared a carafe of red wine.

After that we were ready to walk around the ‘warehouse' some more. There is a juice store next to the Dairy Queen that makes excellent fresh fruit smoothies. For something different, try the Durian! We also stopped in at the As Seen on TV store, where you can see and buy all those nifty gadgets and gizmos advertised on television. Our last stop was the pet store, where they have adorable puppies on display plus all the usual pet supplies. They don't sell fish, but they do carry some aquarium supplies.

One advantage to Ward Warehouse is that it is less crowded overall than Ala Moana. So, next time you're in the mood for some mall action but aren't looking forward to fighting the crowds at Ala Moana, consider checking out Ward Warehouse.

Learn More about Honolulu Neighborhoods

Learn more about Kakaako Neighborhood

See Kakaako Condos For Sale

Another Great Neighborhood in Honolulu, Hawaii - Makiki

Makiki marches up the side of the Ko'olau Mountains in a steady procession of high-rise condos and apartments at the lower elevations to expensive residences toward the top in Makiki Heights. About half way to the top is the stunning Contemporary Arts Museum, one of Honolulu's most novel and cultural places to dine.

Makiki is in the area bounded by Punahou Street and Ward Avenue, and from South King Street to Tantalus and Valley is just 2 miles from downtown Honolulu. Makiki is named for a type of stone Hawaiians used as weights for octopus lures. Makiki is comprised of four neighborhoods - Lower Makiki, Makiki, Lower Punchbowl, a bowl-like extinct volcanic crater which is the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, and Tantalus/Makiki Heights.   

The area is within walking distance of major shopping centers, government services and hospitals.

One of the things that sets Makiki apart from other urban communities is the Makiki Forest Reserve with its miles of hiking trails just minutes away from busy streets.  Follow Tantalus Drive, a switch back road as it winds it's way through the forest reserve land of Makiki Valley to the very top of Mt. Tantalus.  From the observation point here, you'll find some of the most incredible views of Honolulu from downtown to Waikiki, with Diamond Head and the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop.

For many locals, Makiki is a perfect location because it is somewhat removed form the hustle and bustle of busy downtown and Waikiki, providing a little peace and quiet.  On the other hand, you're still just a five minute drive to either downtown or the tropical forests of Mt. Tantalus. 

Attractions: 

Culturally speaking, both the Honolulu Academy of Arts and the Contemporary Museum are located in Makiki.

The Makiki District Park is considered the gathering place of the area. It has a swimming pool, a skateboard park, basketball and volleyball courts, classrooms, public gardens and a community library. 

Makiki Shopping Village on Wilder Avenue is the business center of the community with a coffee shop, take-out restaurants and a wine shop. The tiny Pizza Hut is the smallest restaurant in the chain but one of the busiest, delivering about 1,200 pizzas a week to hungry condo dwellers. 

Quick Facts: 

Population: 29,700

Over 65 years old: 5,500

Median household income (1999) $39,800

First condominium: The Oahuan Tower in 1958

Percentage of residents who walk to work: 6.6

Schools: 10

Churches and temples: 14

City parks: 7

For more detailed information about Makiki condo buildings please visit our website at www.HNLCondos.com.

Current Makiki Condo Listings

Other Honolulu Neighborhoods

Ala Moana and Kaka'ako - Two Great Neighborhoods in Honolulu

The mostly high-rise condominium and low-rise apartment communities of Ala Moana-Kaka'ako are Oahu's major shopping and cultural centers. Ala Moana is home to Ala Moana Center, Hawaii's largest shopping megalopolis, with over 200 shops and restaurants in a setting of lush landscaping and colorful fish ponds.

Kaka'ako is Oahu's cultural headquarters. The fine arts collections of the Honolulu Academy of Arts are here, as well as Hawaii's leading entertainment complex. Showcased at Blaisdell Center, Concert Hall and Exhibition Hall are the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, live broadway shows, major concerts and exhibits and trade shows of all kinds.

The Kaka'ako waterfront is now the focus of highly significant, image-setting state activity. In the planning stages are a world-class aquarium, gathering place, Ocean Science Center and ocean park.

Wide, tree-lined Kapi'olani Boulevard, with its affluent condominiums, office buildings and elegant auto dealerships, is the focal point of Kapi'olani. Affordable low-rise apartments and older homes lie in a criss-cross of streets mauka (toward the mountain) of the boulevard.

For more detailed information about Ala Moana and Kaka'ako condo buildings please visit our website at www.HNLCondos.com.

Current Ala Moana Condo Listings

Current Kaka'ako Condo Listings

Honolulu's Chinatown

"A search for Identity in Chinatown", book on cultural centers across nation finds most diversity, change on Oahu.

When Bonnie Tsui was a girl growing up in Flushing, N.Y., her family made frequent trips to Manhattan's Chinatown, then the cultural center for Chinese in the Big Apple.

Like most young people, she sometimes chafed at having to spend her weekends or evenings at family banquets or at her grandparents' home.

But later, as a young adult living in the East Village and working as a freelance writer, she began returning to Chinatown of her own volition. "I began to question why I still went there when I wasn't being dragged there," she said.

"There's still something about Chinatown. It's an anchor, it gives you ... an identity. And that's actually a pretty important thing to have, not just for Chinese."

The fact that others in her generation found themselves doing the same thing, led eventually to her first book, "American Chinatown" (Free Press), which she calls a "contemporary cultural history."

She profiles five Chinatowns through the eyes of multigenerational people who live and work there, grew up there or go there often. Among these is O'ahu's Chinatown, where she talks story with an art gallery owner (Fong Chan), a restaurateur (Glenn Chu), a student and resident (Grace Tan) and others.

Here, said Tsui, now a San Francisco resident, she found perhaps the most progressive and multicultural Chinatown of all five. It's progressive in that Chinatown has chosen to accept and interact with a community of artists, filmmakers, performers, non-Chinese restaurateurs - and, of course, newer immigrants from the Philippines, Vietnam and the South Pacific.

"I think Honolulu's Chinatown has been the most successful at reinventing itself; there's a lot of new and exciting stuff going on," she said.

In particular, "there are ways to get younger people engaged."

But, she said, most striking to her was the way that Chinatown reflects all of Hawai'i: a place where people and cultures and customs mix, largely in spirit of tolerance and even celebration.

She calls the first O'ahu segment "Kapakahi Chinatown," in the sense of "mixed up." (This is in itself a mixed-up definition of the word, which means crooked or one-sided; the pidgin kalakoa - which refers to fabric of mixed colors - might have been a better choice.)

While everyone with an immigrant family history - which includes the bulk of people in the U.S. - may get a certain frisson from going back to their parents' or grandparents' old neighborhood, or visiting Ellis Island, she said, few of these communities remain as vibrant as Chinatowns.

"These communities, where people often live above their shops, or in courtyards behind them, still serve as points of entry for new citizens, not just as tourist destinations in the manner of, say, New York's Little Italy, where few Italians now live, she said.

Tsui continues to collect stories via her Web site, www.americanchinatown.com.

Many Chinese Americans, and even some non-Chinese, have responded with their own family histories. (One was a Caucasian who grew up in a Chinatown, speaking perfect Cantonese and not having one non-Chinese friend in childhood.)

Tsui doesn't ignore the complex issues that face many Chinatowns - crime, rising costs, problems of new immigrants, land values. Grace Tam, who lives in O'ahu's Chinatown, speaks passionately in the book about the need for modernization; the community shouldn't be a cultural theme park, frozen in time.

Her primary goal, however, was to gather the stories that will lead to conversations like one she had with a young Chinese American student. The girl said that, in the histories and textbooks, Chinese people arrive and "sort of disappear." After the girl took a part-time job in a Chinese cultural organization, however, she learned that "we've been here a long time and we have contributed a lot."

Since Downtown Honolulu and Chinatown are right next to each other, or some would say that China town is downtown, locations are often intermixed.  For details on this vibrant neighborhood, visit the Chinatown, Downtown sections of our Honolulu Condos website.

One of My Favorite Neighborhoods in Honolulu, Hawaii - Diamond Head, also known as the Gold Coast

If there is one landmark that everyone remembers from Oahu, it's probably Diamond Head.  

The condominiums near the oceanside base of Diamond Head crater are highly desirable for unobstructed beachfront ocean views.

Island residents and returning visitors refer to the coastal strip, at the foot of Diamond Head, from the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel to the Kainalu residential apartment building as the "Gold Coast", because the real estate is considered "as good as gold."

The neighborhood is located at the base of Diamond Head, near the Waikiki Aquarium, across from Kapiolani Park, on the beautiful Pacific Ocean, and within walking distance of Waikiki and its attractions.

Nicely secluded from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu by the expansive open acreage of Kapiolani Park, Diamond Head is only about a ten minute drive from downtown.

The Gold Coast consists of residential condominiums and cooperatives built in the late '50s and '60s.  Many of the buildings have Kapiolani Park as a front yard, and all of the buildings have the Pacific Ocean as a back yard.

Most everyone agrees that those views are worth their weight in gold!!!

Attractions:

Diamond Head Crater - Trail
A popular hiking trail of the old military compound with fantastic ocean and city views at the top.

Parks:

Kapiolani Park
A beautiful 500 acre park at the base of Diamondhead.

Restaurants:

Michael's Restaurant
A world famous restaurant, serving American food,  with fantastic ocean views located in the lobby of Colony Surf.  

Weather:

Diamond Head weather is pretty is ideal year round, with a nice cool breeze and moderate temperatures.  You'll find less rain in Diamond Head than on the Windward side in Kailua or Kaneohe, and the wind is not as strong either.  Diamond Head, and really most of East Oahu, offers ideal weather with a dryer climate than the Windward side, but cooler than the west side.

For listings of Condos for sale in the Diamond Head, Gold Coast area of Honolulu, please see the Honolulu Featured condos on our website at www.HNLCondos.com.

.

Kakaako Master Plan Moves Forward

Kakaako is a great neighborhood located just west of the Waikiki area and Ala Moana Park and Shopping Center.  One of the most valuable areas in this urban neighborhood is the Kewalo Basin, whcih is prime waterfront land.

The effort to create a community-based master plan for 31.5 acres of mostly vacant state property next to Kewalo Basin in Kaka'ako will take another important step tomorrow, introducing a design consultant to the planning process.

Representatives of design firm MVE will be at a meeting tomorrow with a community advisory council and the Hawai'i Community Development Authority.

The public is encouraged to attend the meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. at HCDA's offices at 677 Ala Moana.

The agency earlier this year approved spending $600,000 to create a master plan for the land three years after the cancellation of an ambitious yet controversial plan from Alexander & Baldwin Inc. to redevelop much of the Kaka'ako peninsula with a mix of high-rise condominiums, retail and public attractions.

MVE is an experienced design firm based in California with a Honolulu office. The firm has been involved in a variety of Hawai'i projects, including an affordable housing community on the Big Island and the planned affordable high-rise tower Halekauwila Place in Kaka'ako. The firm also was involved in design work for a Kaka'ako Peninsula plan by local developer Stanford Carr that was third runner-up to the A&B plan selected by HCDA.

Ron Iwami, chairman of the 50-member Kaka'ako Makai Community Planning Advisory Council, said the group needs more residents to help shape the new master plan for the site that now prohibits housing.

The council has produced a set of guiding principles that include expanding the area's shoreline parks, preserving open view planes, providing a shoreline promenade and including cultural facilities such as museums and a community center.

Some restaurants, cafes and small shops are also part of the group's vision to complement public facilities.

Actual conceptual design features will be a product of work between the HCDA, the public and the design consultant.

Planning meetings with the council are held on the first Tuesday of each month. A series of planning workshops are also slated for Jan. 29 to 31. A final master plan is anticipated to be finished in June 2010.

More information can be found at http://www.hcdaweb.org.