10/10 recommend. Stayed here for over one month and Jack & Mias place is as advertised in the Hawaiian Monarch Hotel - a mix of privately owned apartments and hotel. It is a 10 minute walk to the beach at the Hilton. A 10 mi min walk to International Marketplace. 10 minute walk to Ala Moana. I enjoyed sunrises over the canal with a cup of coffee and sunsets from the pool deck or hot tub. There’s plenty of space there for bbq, reading, dancing, you name it. Everyone is respectful and wears a mask in common spaces.
The apartment isn’t huge but enough to spread out while I was working until noon. Decent wifi, hot water, and super comfortable bed. I had no cleaning throughout my stay, I didn’t want to bother the hosts since I cleaned up here and there, if it bothers anyone staying for a month or longer I recommend just asking. I think they’d accommodate that.
I cooked a few times and made coffee almost daily (get 100% Kona coffee from the Walmart or Whole Foods). I also kept yogurt, water or take out in the refrigerator and it kept really well. Utensils, pots pans toaster and one stovetop are all in the apartment. Because I was by myself it was the perfect amount of space and nice touches. The AC works super well and kept the space cool when I didn’t want the windows open.
The building is open and airy. There’s laundry for $3/cycle which was a plus. The walls aren’t super thick but it’s also not loud unless you’re walking in the hallway, you can hear pretty much everything. But in the rooms it’s quieter but I could occasionally hear my neighbors. There’s security 8pm-onwards on the main level and security on the ground level all day. There’s also a small gym that I didn’t use bc it was super tiny and I could see 3-4 people anytime I walked by which wasn’t appealing in the pandemic era. I did run the canal to Diamond head which can be seen from the studio (run walk the canal the whole way and bus back $2.75).
There are so many bus stops that I made use of. But only recommend this if you aren’t in a rush bc they are often late/early and make a lot of local stops. When I couldn’t be bothered to wait or maintain the aloha spirit I’d call an Uber. About $15 within and just outside the Waikiki area. My most expensive Uber was to kauola ranch ($40) and I quite honestly should’ve rented a car for those days. There is parking for $30 at the hotel but ask Mia and she can direct you to one that’s like $10 overnight and a 5 min walk away, convenient when going to the bay, north shore, Pearl Harbor, etc.
The Cream Pot was my weekly brunch treat because the whole menu is amazing - located in the lobby. There is also a coffee shop and burger/sushi place that was ok. Sushi from burgers & sushi or fries are the only thing I recommend. The coffee shop is good if you were working mainland hours like I was (opens 5am) but I honestly preferred to wait until 7 to go to Hiking Hawaii Cafe (best açaí) or the Honolulu Coffee Experience (best coffee) both a 5 minute walk away.
All in all, great stay, amazing hosts and incredible city. Highly recommend 1. Coming to Hawaii and 2. Staying at Jack & Mia’s place, they’re really communicative and make you feel really welcomed.