Before coming to the Plumeria, I had spent some time out in Waianae. Coming to Honolulu was a fairly significant transition. I was trading nature for the city, and I wasn't sure how this was going to go.

My room was similar to the one pictured. Small, but with just enough space to have everything unpacked and stored out of the way. The Plumeria building itself looked like it had been around for a while, and that observation was further enforced when I couldn’t find any three-prong outlets in my room, although there were some available in the common dining space. But, if you have stuff you need to charge overnight, you might want to bring an adapter.

Still I wondered about my thought process that brought me back to the city. After settling in, it was time to log some work, and I had to find a coffee shop. Opened up Yelp, and .. there it was. That's the reason I came to the city.

Pages and pages of coffee shops. Restaurants, bars, the selections felt endless. My stay here was going to be just fine.

A five minute walk away was Spero Spera, a Korean coffee shop that became a daily stop. A little further than that was an excellent little Japanese restaurant, Hakkei. On the backside of the road, Honolulu Burger has some tasty selections. If you can plan far enough in advance to get reservations (I wasn't), I've heard Morio's Sushi is incredible. And just across the street from the Plumeria, a 7/11 and a Zippy's. You can't get much more convenient.

On Saturday, Richard and company put together a little barbecue, and the ribs were amazing. The whole event was really nice, very laid back, and a chance to meet some of your neighbors (of which the Plumeria seems to attract a very diverse and interesting crowd). An enjoyable time. Awesome ribs.

In summary: fantastic location; old building; small, but not too small rooms; great barbecue (if you're lucky, ribs); a very good value.