Toes in the sand, palm trees overhead, plastic cups in hand. Hale Koa is the military's beachfront hotel, but the Barefoot Bar opens to anyone who walks up off the beach — and the mai tais are half the price of the resorts next door.
The Waikiki cheat code. The Hale Koa is the military's beachfront hotel, but the Barefoot Bar sits on a beachfront lawn that anybody can stroll onto from the sand. The mai tais are made with three rums and cost half of what the Pink Palace next door charges. Live Hawaiian music plays under the palms most nights. If you don't need the white-glove resort thing, this is the most honest oceanfront drink in Waikiki.
An open-air tiki-leaning bar on the Ilima Lawn of the Hale Koa, the U.S. Department of Defense's "Armed Forces Recreation Center" hotel — but practically open to anyone who walks up off Waikiki Beach. The room itself is unfussy: thatch, picnic tables, ocean-facing barstools, palms, the Pacific behind you, Diamond Head over your shoulder. Pricing is the headline. Even at full retail it undercuts every nearby Halekulani/Royal Hawaiian by 30-50%, and active-duty, retirees, and DoD personnel get a further discount. The Hale Koa Mai Tai is made from scratch with three rums and orgeat, and locals will quietly tell you it's the best mai tai-for-the-money in Waikiki.
The Specialty Drink of the Day during the 11:30 AM-5 PM window. Pours run strong and the price beats every neighboring beach bar by a wide margin.
A from-scratch three-rum mai tai at a fraction of the Halekulani or Royal Hawaiian price, plus oceanfront access most tourists don't know is available to civilians.
Walk up from the beach side around 4:30 PM Friday-Sunday to catch the live music start and ride it through sunset.
Just walk up from Waikiki Beach
The discount is real — about $2.50 off per drink
Grab food from Happy's or Bibas inside the resort
Rideshare or walk from the Hilton lagoon side
No resort-charge if you're not staying
Live island music: Mon-Thu 6:45-9:45 PM, Fri-Sun 4:30-9:45 PM.
Pulled from Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google, and local Hawaii blogs. We don't sugar-coat.
Curated highlights from each section, last checked 2026-05-20. Prices and items change frequently — always verify with the venue before you go.
Bookmark this page. Show up. Have a night you'll text people about tomorrow.