Waikiki Beach Walk

tip… check in and get 3 hours free in parking. awesome deal-​get drinks somewhere like Ruth Chris during happy hour!

Always fun and bustling with tourists. There are a ton of shops and restaurants in the area so you can totally make a day of it. Or take a romantic stroll at night! I loved this part of Honolulu and can’t wait to go back to explore more of this lovely island. Bring your camera and snap pics!

Yes this is a beautiful beach but it is also very touristy. Expect to find plenty of cigarette buds in the sand, If the sun is out, expect to be able to see sunscreen on the water, yea, there are that many people trying swim at the same time. There is no Victoria’s Secret on the Island, so don’t look for it. They sometimes play movies on the beach on Friday nights. I guess Brittney Spears gave her first concert here. You will see celebrities here, whether they are local celebrities or hollywood celebrities. My advise would be find a different beach not so touristy like one in Waimanalo or Kailua. Have fun!

It is a lot of fun to walk on the Waikiki beach walk on a nice breezy day. There’s plenty of stores, restaurants, and shops. There are a lot of tourists but get to interact with locals too.

Waikiki Beach Walk is Lewers Street «reborn» into a city block of shopping, dining, luxury and family-​oriented hotels and entertainment. The «Beach Walk» runs down Lewers Street and is bordered by Kalakaua Avenue, Kalia and Saratoga Roads.
On Lewers Street, there is both a single-​story and two-​story shopping mall that features surf, beach wear or resort wear boutiques, art galleries, jewelry shops, and restaurants. If you’re looking to stay in Waikiki, The Wyndham Vacation Ownership, Embassy Suites Hotel, Outrigger Reef Hotel and Trump International Hotel & Tower and Ohana Islander Hotel are conveniently located along the Waikiki Beach Walk. During the evenings, the shopping mall sponsors local entertainment by local and Japanese hula halaus, singers and dancers. There is limited street parking available but Unilocal offers a 3-​hour parking deal at the Wyndham. An alternative to parking is at the Fort DeRussy lot at the corner of Kalia and Saratoga Road. But, you’ll need your CAC (Common Access Card) to get Military Discount or parking validation from the Hale Koa Military Hotel that is located about a block down Kalia Road near the Hilton Hawaiian Resort.
If you’re looking for a place to dine… casual to semi-​elegant, Waikiki Beach Walk has it! One of our favorite Italian restaurants, Taormina, is located on Lewers Street across from the Waikiki Beach Walk. Lewers Street offers a variety of dining options such as Yardhouse (brew pub), Ruth’s Chris, Giovanni Pastrami (sports bar/​deli), Roy’s Waikik and Cheeseburger in Paradise, to name a few.
We enjoy strolling down this street sometimes to just people watch or dine at one of Waikiki Beach Walk’s many restaurants (casual to upscale). This shopping mall isn’t only for tourists as it attracts many locals…

My favorite beach in the World!!! Love Hawaii forever :)

Love taking strolls at night here, and the weather is perfect ! There was a guy on the strip dressed as Elmo,(my 19 month old daughter is inlove with Elmo), she was super excited and didn’t wanna leave, we took a pic with him. Along way we seen some tropical macaws (awesome!), a lady playing her guitar, two men dressed as live robots (very intriguing for my daughter) and of course the amazing view of the beach to top it all off

I loveeeee Waikiki! So many faces and shops to go into, day or night always exciting and fun!!! Shop or catch a wave at the beach nearby! We walked and relaxed here today for 3 hrs, it was a blast! :)

The beach walk is basically Waikiki’s Boardwalk. You can see everything from expensive stores to snack stands and souvenir shops. It recently underwent a face-​lift and is very clean and inviting. We enjoyed strolling along the Beach Walk during sunset.

This is the name of a shopping center off Lewers Street, not a sidewalk on Waikiki Beach. Awhile back, Lewers Street had a seedy feel from the old kind of dumpy hotels that use to be here. Today, the Waikik Beach Walk has replaced them. Right in the heart of Waikiki, this place is centrally located. It has many nice shops and some restaurants in here. Glad to see that they really fixed up Lewers.

Halloween, is the only sure time I will be in Waikiki. Is the funnest evening to walk, dine and be with your friends in those crazy costumes. From the beginning to the end of Kalakaua Avenue, a mass crowd of the sexiest, outrageous, creative and funniest costumes comes alive for the evening!
MAJOR traffic in getting into Waikiki. Expect to be in the car for at least 40+ minutes and good luck with parking. Your best bet will be taking a cab and getting drop off near the area and walk and walk and walk… so make sure you have broken in those pretty little shoes or wear some comfortable ones!

The beach walk was ok. It was extremely packed with people and that made it a little hard to enjoy everything it had to offer. The businesses are mostly large, expensive department stores and the restaurants are your typical tourist destination spots. It is hard to rate it lower than a 3star simply because it is impossible not to be in a good mood while in Hawaii. That being said, drive to the north shore for a much more relaxed, local time.

Great restaurants. Good shops. And good parking too if you valet park at Embassy Suites. Doesn’t hurt that with a Unilocal! check-​in its free with validation.

The Waikiki Beach Walk is paradise for tourists with expensive tastes who are looking to splurge on vacation. If I were a local, I would probably avoid the beach walk at all costs. However, as a tourist myself, I knew I had to check out the Waikiki strip at least a few times even if only to browse and people watch. Here are some of my initial thoughts and observations:
PROS:
–Clean. The beach walk is well-​maintained. You aren’t going to find trash lying around at all. If there is ever a smell, it’s the delicious aroma of food cooking at a restaurant.
–Safe. The place is well-​lit, often with tiki torches at night. Take this as a pro or con, but it’s also relatively crowded at both day and night every day of the week, mostly with tourists. Pick-​pocketing doesn’t really seem to be an issue here (though, by all means, be careful anyway). Nothing at all about the beach walk feels janky.
–Diversity. Maybe it’s just me, but I absolutely love walking around and hearing lots of different languages spoken. There are TONS of Japanese tourists, as well as plenty from Australia or the mainland. There are also a lot of street performers here, which keeps things interesting.
CONS:
–Pricey. Very, very pricey. There are a lot of really upscale stores with expensive designer brands. You’re not going to find discounts or sales around here, that’s for sure!
–Not unique. Apart from a few restaurants and souvenir stores, there is not much here that screams «Hawaii.» You will find high-​end stores like these in many, many places, so there’s nothing special about finding them here in Waikiki. It seems like a lot of tourists may use vacation as an excuse to spend lots of $$$$, even for non-​Hawaii items.
I can’t speak for the food because the only thing I consumed here was Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. A lot of it smelled good and there were a few «unique to Honolulu» ones in the mix besides Cheeseburger in Paradise, etc.
Tip: I highly recommend you check out the Aloha Stadium swap meet as a MUCH more affordable option for souvenir shopping. The swap meet has many, many tents filled with all of the exact same items you’ll find at the ABC stores on the Waikiki Beach Walk but for WAY cheaper. Also, you’ll get to meet some locals!

Great selection of stores! A lot of different restaurants and even a food court.
I find the «inside» sections to be really dark, so I prefer walking more towards the street.
Definitely a nice a place to take a breather if you don’t want to be surrounded by so many people.

Newer little mall at the beginning of Waikiki. Mix of touristy and local stores. Nice selection of restaurants, also featuring Hawaii’s only Yardhouse.
I have no idea where you’d park because we always walk here, but the Royal Hawaiian Center’s parking structure is just across the street.

This is a huge place to review with so many options.
You will find italian food, lots of japanese food, and hawaiian fusion.
Some of my favorites are Roy’s, Yardhouse, Arancino’s is decent.
The hotels are cool to walk through and the beach is only a hop, skip, and jump away :)
365 Challenge: #58/​365

It’s hard to review a beach walk because we all have such different expectations. I truly enjoyed the ocean waves and the sound of the surf as we meandered through the area. Mornings are peaceful and empty of all but the earliest runners and surfers. There are plenty of places to rent surfboards and boogie boards, and even places to take sunset party cruises. There are lots of shops — both kitschy and high-​end to satisfy every shopper. The resorts are wonderful to wander through and sample a bite of something delicious or a mai-​tai or even a fruity drink with an umbrella on top. It is very crowded though on the sidewalks and there is quite a bit of homeless activity through the afternoon and evenings. Night time is like a mini-​Las Vegas with street performers and crowds. The shops are open late and there are plenty of places to snack at. But. it’s Waikiki and it’s all beautiful and fun!

While waiting for our table at Yardhouse, we explored the stores and restaurants that this newly renovated area has to offer.
RETAIL: As you might have guessed, most stores cater to tourists and have tourist-​priced items as well. The stores range from your mandatory ABC store, to stores selling Hawaii souvenirs or goods made in Hawaii, to 2 art galleries. In any case, exploring these selection of stores kept us occupied to say the least while waiting.
RESTAURANTS: This is probably the main lure or attraction for locals and tourists alike. Restaurants in this complex include Roy’s Waikiki, Yardhouse restaurant and brewery, Cheeseburger in Paradise, and a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Getting a whiff of the food from Ruth’s Chris was almost enough to make me cancel our table at Yardhouse and ask the host at Ruth’s Chris how long the wait was.
Bottom Line: Tourist stores. Tourist prices. Restaurants worth visiting.

12÷17÷10
I enjoy Strolling down Lewers Street at night when it’s all lit up and lively, especially around Yardhouse. There are quite a few shops and eateries along the way; Roy’s, Giovanni’s, Cheeburger, PF Chang’s, Denny’s, and Subway. I prefer to eat «where the locals eat» whenever I’m in town (Side Street, Jimbo’s, V Lounge, Sweet Home, Mana Bu’s), but Lewers Street is a nice option when you’re in the area and you don’t exactly want fast food from Choi’s Kitchen or Blue Crab Seafood, and you’re not dressed in evening resort attire as required for fine dining at Orchids in the Halekulani.