We recently spent a 3 night stopover at the Miramar on our way to Canada. The rooms were comfortable and clean and good value for money. We were a little worried we were going to be too far away from the beach and main town when our transfer bus made us the last stop on the drop off but needn't have been worried. While we didn't have beachfront views we could still see the ocean from our balcony and it was really a short walk to both the beach and the shopping. In fact the location was great. We like to just pick up a few extras such as snacks and there is a convenience store just a street or two away which served the purpose. Also was handy to some of the Trolley Tour pickups.

A pleasant experience for the start of our 5 week tour.

The staff: Everyone we encountered were pleasant and helpful. The maid staff was excellent.
Rooms: We are smokers so we were on a smoking floor (18). We were there when it was quite windy and some of the other people on our floor didn't quite grasp the fact that if you left the lanai door open during the wind the ceiling tiles would bang and the front door would slam shut. So there was some late night banging on a few nights. Someone at the front desk must have figured out the culprit because a phone rang and the banging stopped. The rooms themselves were fine. It is nice to have a mini fridge.
Elevators: Just a note, if you are on a high floor there is quite a wait for the elevator in the morning so plan your morning accordingly.
The pool: Plenty of chairs and lounges. The pool is heated by the sun, so since it can get shady in the late afternoon it is a little chilly. The pool bar has a daily special and the bartenders are all quite nice. The bar closes at the vague time of "sunset", but they all asked if we wanted anything before they left for the day. (tip) bring your ice bucket down with you and fill it before you head back up to the room. The ice machine is on the 5th floor with the pool and restaurant.
Location: Aside from the staff this is the hotel's best feature. Easy walk to the beach. You can get to Duke's thru the International Marketplace very easily (if you aren't distracted by shopping that is).
Lobby: We did a few mornings of waiting in the lobby for family and it is spacious with plenty of seating.
Parking: We didn't have a car, but when my cousin came in from the North side he was able to park in the lot for a reasonable amount. The lot is tight, but apparently that is the norm in Honolulu.
All in all a very pleasant stay!

Our family went on holidays to Oahu from January 1 - 9, 2008. There were 14 of us, aged 5 to 66 years-old.

It is easy to fly to Oahu with a great selection of airlines/price as well as non-stop flights. The airport is well-organized and it took us about 15 minutes to get our luggage and leave. Some of our group purchased an airport transfer which included a 'lei greeting'. Unfortunately, they ran out of leis so many people didn't get them.

We stayed at the Miramar at Waikiki Hotel. It is 15 minutes from the airport. Some of us took a taxi which cost $35 ($30 transportation and $5 luggage fee). There are many shuttles that you can book to and from the airport (cost $8-9 per person). We have heard that Robertson's is the most reliable. DON'T use Ohana Express Shuttle (we booked them for when we left and they didn't come to get us. We phoned them twice to remind them on the evening of our departure. In the end, we ended up taking a taxi to the airport 45 minutes after our scheduled pick-up time with Ohana!).

The check-in at the Miramar was done in less than 5 minutes. We stayed on the 15th floor with partial ocean views. The hotel wallpaper and carpets are old but it was otherwise fine. The rooms had 2 double or 1 king-size bed, 2 night stands, 1 table with 2 chairs, 2 dressers, a small fridge, coffee maker, TV, safe, iron/ironing board, hairdryer and a balconey with 2 chairs and small table. There is some traffic noise that you can hear but it didn't bother us.

The hotel has 3 restaurants but we didn't try them as there are so many other places to eat. There is a grocery store right across the street which also serves deli sandwiches, sushi and fresh creampuffs. The Denny's at the hotel is extremely busy. Despite that, we never had to wait longer than 15 minutes to get seating for 14 people. We also ate at Perry's (buffet, 1 block away), IHOP (family fare/pancakes, 3 blocks away) and Chili's (TexMex, across the street). For fine dining, we went to Keoni's (Thai/Seafood, very good, 1 block away), Cheesecake Factory (variety, excellent, 2 blocks away - very busy so eat early as wait-times are over 1 hour by 7 p.m.) and the Hula Grill (variety, above Duke's on the beach, excellent food, beautiful view, 2 blocks away). For lunch, we tried Duke's (beach bar so you can go in your swimsuit/bare feet if you want) and Cheeseburger in Paradise (excellent burgers and good portions but very overpriced/no view). The Hyatt Snack Bar on the beach is excellent. Reasonable prices, good variety and large portion sizes.

The hotel pool is a good size and well-maintained. About a quarter of the pool area gets direct sun and the rest is in shade. Waikiki Beach is only 1 and a half blocks away. There are many activities to try there or you can swim/soak up the sun. There are 2 enormous turtles that live in the reef at Waikiki and you can see them swimming throughout the day.

The International Market Place is at the base of the hotel. We found that the vendors overprice their merchandise and then sell it to you for about 40% of what they asked. Duke's Lane is 2 blocks over and has many vendors with cheaper prices. ABC stores are every block in Waikiki and sell almost anything you want at reasonable prices.

At night, there are street performers 1 block from the hotel. It was fun for the family to walk the street and see them. There is also a live band on the beach at 6:30 p.m. each night about 4 blocks from the hotel. The hotel has a lounge but we didn't go in. We did go to Coconut Willy's Bar and Grill above the marketplace. It has a live band every night. We also went over to The Yard House (a sports bar and restaurant). They have 110 beer/ale, a good menu and multiple flat-screen TVs with different programming on. There are prostitutes out in the late evening about 1 block from the hotel (near Ohana East Hotel).

There is lots to do in Waikiki, Honolulu area and on Oahu. These have been well-reviewed in the travel guides and trip reviews here so I won't go over it again. I would strongly encourage people to rent a car as it only takes 40 minutes to go to other side of the island to less-crowded, fun, beautiful beachs.

We had a lot of fun on Oahu and would definitely go back. Miramar Hotel has a perfect location for families and I would highly recommend it.

The Miramar has a great location. It opens up into the International Marketplace and has lots of great shopping nearby. It is about a 10 minute walk to the beach, so if you plan on lounging on the beach, look elsewhere. The staff was very friendly. The rooms looked like they were in need of some renovations. Our "ocean view" really wasn't. It was more like a Partial ocean view because there were buildings blocking the view. The balconies have a thin separator and you can hear the people outside next to you. The breakfast buffet is ok. I think it could use a few more items. I think a big selling point for this place is the location.

Overall this property is a great value. If you are on a budget or are just looking for a place to rest your head at night, this is the place for you. If you would rather be closer to the beach and have alittle more money to spend, look elsewhere.