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  • kaiolu sunrise

    Anyone live in this building or is familar with it (building is located on Kaiolu Street between Kuhio Avenue and Ala Wai Boulevard)? I'd like to know your thoughts on the location of the building in respect to:

    1. transportation
    2. beach
    3. gym
    4. grocery
    5. shopping
    6. restaurants/nightlife

    and I'd also like to have your thoughts on:

    7. neighborhood setting
    8. building look/feel (culture, cleansiness, etc)
    9. daytime noise level (I work from home)


    Thanks! Zin

  • #2
    Re: kaiolu sunrise

    This sounds like someone who is moving (thinking of moving) to Hawaii. First, because, if you live there, you could just drive by and see all this for yourself, and second, the answers should be evident just from knowing Waikiki.

    I'm curious if this building has any unique properties compared to the other 200 buildings in Waikiki. I'll give the answers a shot from my laptop in California. Take it for what it's worth.

    1. transportation
    TheBus runs to and from Waikiki pretty extensively. Kuhio is a main street (one of only three) right past the building.
    2. beach
    Waikiki beach, though full of tourists, is a block and a half away.
    3. gym
    Got me there. No idea. Maybe in the building or in a nearby hotel.
    4. grocery
    I drove to Kahala Mall to go shopping for groceries, but I bet there is a lot closer market. If you don't like the 7-11 type minimarts in Wakiki, ten minute drive will get you to a regular market.
    5. shopping
    Hmmm, you'd probably need to be more specific. I bet you could walk to a place and find shot glasses, tiki bottle openers, ten t-shirts for $20 and a plastic let. I bet your place would fill up pretty quickly with this stuff and you'd soon be in the mood for some more mature fare.
    6. restaurants/nightlife
    I guess if you had to be somewhere for nightlife, Waikiki would be it. Certainly there is a restaurant on every block just about.

    and I'd also like to have your thoughts on:

    7. neighborhood setting
    Where are you from? Have you heard the term "concrete jungle". Could be appealing to the right person.
    8. building look/feel (culture, cleansiness, etc)
    One note, Waikiki is busy, busy, busy. And plenty of tourists walking around. Not that that is a bad thing, but take it for what it is.
    9. daytime noise level (I work from home)
    Hmmm. I would imagine inside any apartment, you shouldn't be able to hear the traffic outside. How high up are you?


    I don't know if that helps you at all, but I had fun writing it. Hope you find what you are looking for.

    -Dru

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    • #3
      Re: kaiolu sunrise

      Here's the website for Kaiolu Sunrise Condominium. The interiors look pretty swanky, but the omission of any exterior shots (of the building or the surrounding area) might be telling.

      It claims: "In a quiet neighborhood just steps from Waikiki's most exclusive shopping area, Kaiolu Sunrise is a boutique condominium ideal for tropical living." Hmm.

      Okay. Well, yes, that end of Waikiki (the west end) is definitely the focus of a lot of new, higher-end retail establishments. Depending on your perspective, this can be a good thing or a bad thing. But Lewers street -- which not too long ago was the regular site of some... colorful incidents -- is only a block away. And you're between Ala Wai and Kuhio and not too far from Kalakaua. I'll concede that particular pocket of Waikiki is more secluded than most (narrow, one way streets, no throughway to Kalakaua), but I don't know if I'd say "quiet." If you're ten floors up and the place is sealed up like a vault with central air? Sure.

      Anyway. As Dru noted, transportation via TheBus shouldn't be bad at all, and if you're getting parking and have a car, you'll be fine. (If you think you'll survive on street parking alone, though, yike.) Your primary concern will be the frequent block parties and parades, that shut down Waikiki or at least make it a nightmare to get into and out of. We lived in Waikiki, but left only as that aspect was just starting to get annoying. Long-time residents will give you an earful.

      Beach? Easy walk. Not our best beaches, but nice enough. Gym? There's a very busy 24 Hour Fitness right on Kalakaua but several blocks east, and I imagine nearby hotels and condos have their own facilities.

      Groceries may be an issue, if you expect reasonable prices within walking distance. If you drive, you'll probably want to go to a "local" supermarket in McCully or at least outside Waikiki.

      Shopping? You're set if you only need sunscreen, loud towels, and chips! Seriously, both Kahala Mall (around Diamond Head) and Ala Moana aren't far away at all.

      Restaurants and nightlife? You won't be starved for options in Waikiki itself. Plenty of decent options for both.

      Good luck! I personally wouldn't sign anything until you've been on the property yourself... and would hope they'd even let you spend a night or two to see what it's really like.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: kaiolu sunrise

        Twenty-five years ago I lived at 2511 Ala Wai...considerably closer to the beach than the Kaiolu Sunrise. The walk to the beach wasn't that short because I surfed at Queen's Beach and at Canoes...and I couldn't go through a hotel with my surfboard to get there. In fact, most beach access is blocked by hotels. If you want to go to the beach at Fort DeRussy, then it's not that far, but you might want a bike...and if you surf...strong arms.
        Also, from this part of Waikiki, Ala Moana Shopping Center is closer than Kahala Mall. And if you want to eat, there are those Food Pantries, Foodland's smallish, urban grocery stores. The prices are OK, and one New Year's Eve I got the best block of ahi I had ever had at the one on Hobron Lane.
        The answers I'd would ponder include how close one is to establishments where bottles are dumped by disgruntled employees into wide-mouthed refuse bins at 3-4 a.m. each morning...that's quite an awakening if you're not used to it. Is the unit air conditioned, so you can block out the noise? Is there an in-unit laundry center so you don't have to sit in a community laundry area to be sure no one steals your clothes?

        Good luck.
        Aloha from Lavagal

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        • #5
          Re: kaiolu sunrise

          The main complaint I've heard from my friends who have lived or vacationed in Waikiki is the early morning noise emanating from the trash trucks. This, of course, is dependent on the construction of the building and floor one lives on. Because, for the most part, all buildings are highrises, the trash truck noise reverberates upward. It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me but it is for others.

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          • #6
            Re: kaiolu sunrise

            it isn't just the trash trucks, its the sound of The Bus passing, stopping and pulling away from the curb. Man those big deisel engines are loud. And 10 floors up isn't that quiet anywhere in Waikiki.

            pax

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            • #7
              Re: kaiolu sunrise

              My good friend rented a nice 1 bdrm. unit in the General Arms on Kaiolu for years over a decade ago. He LOVED IT there. In fact, he regrets not buying in there when the opportunity presented itself.

              As for the neighborhood, the problem with outskirt areas along Ala Wai (such as Kaiolu st.) are the nice buildings can be situated smack next door to low-rise apartments rampant with drugs and prostitution activity.

              Noise level? Waikiki is a concrete jungle, no different than NYC or LA. Expect the same "look ma, no mufflers", sirens and "Jerry Springer" after-midnight street arguments.

              Still, police presence is so profound in Waikiki - 24 hours a day - that overall there's a feeling of safety in the area.

              Especially if you're young and single, ANYWHERE in Waikiki is the ULTIMATE place to live.
              sigpic The Tasty Island

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