Captain Cook Resorts was a wonderful host, and made our trip to Waikiki convenient and absolutely comfortable. Big shout out to James who was able to get us checked in an hour or two early so we had a place to store our bags and hit the beach as soon as possible. He was so kind, and so welcoming and friendly. Here are the more nitty gritty details:
Pros:
- Location cannot be beat. It's two blocks from Waikiki Beach, so if that is a big focus for your Hawaiian trip, then you will be thrilled with this place! It is also very close to plenty of convenience/general stores, the more touristy restaurants (there wasn't a lot of real "local" food that was walkable from this unit), and of course, shopping.
- Unit looks JUST like the photos. The pictures and the description were totally accurate, they do a very good just fairly representing the property and amenities.
- View from the balcony is amazing! Hard right and you see the beach and wonderfully blue ocean waters. You also get a great nighttime view of the city when the sun goes down and the lights go on.
- Unit provided beach chairs, umbrella, and beach towels; all of which came in handy. We bought a cooler and some inner tubes, which we left behind. So now there is a small lunch cooler and a tube for anyone's use.
- Rooftop pool (although we did not use) is more or less as pictured. It's quite small, so we definitely recommend just swimming in that beautiful ocean.
- The locks on the door to the unit were numerical code based. So you didn't have to worry about bringing keys everywhere with you. Very convenient!
Cons:
- Lobby is very dated; but this seemed like a theme in all of Waikiki to be honest, everything seemed kind of old. This did not reflect in my overall review (still gave them 5 stars!!) but if you're looking for something ritzy and modern and renovated or whatever, I would look elsewhere.
- AC was passable at best. I think this goes with the general theme of everything being somewhat dated in Oahu, but the AC was a wall unit that sat near the floor next to the bed. Consequently, one person gets blasted with cold air (almost to the point of being cold) while the other remains warm. The studio thusly, while certainly cooler than outside or in the lobby, never really got totally chill and cooled. If having a strong AC is really important you, rather than just something that slightly takes the edge of the heat, I would look elsewhere. It was good enough for us, but we certainly would have been more comfortable with central air and a truly air-conditioned space. Not their fault, the building is dated so you can't just install your own air ducts haha, so this did not affect my 5 star review, but again, if you are sensitive to heat and need a strong AC, this is not the unit for you.
- Kitchen did have some basic cooking utensils, which is a pro, but there isn't a whole lot else it provides. It would have been nice to see some basics--like oil, salt, and pepper. But, recognizing that is somewhat entitled, this also did not affect the overall review.
- Bring an extension cable, there is one outlet near one side of the bed, but if you need your phone plugged in next to your bed at night, and there are two of you, then you will definitely need an extension.
- The unit provided some small travel sized body wash, lotion, shampoo, and conditioner. However, if you're stay more than just a few days this will not be sufficient. They fully explain this in the description but just reinforcing that you should bring your own toiletries.
Overall, if you plan to spend the majority of your time out and about, then this place is a great choice if you can tolerate the limited airconditioning. We spent the majority of our days out and about, and came back each day around dusk, cranked the AC, and were fully satisfied.