This place was okay, and it may work for you, but it didn’t work very well for us. I think it’s best for 1-2 VERY VERY good friends coming here on a weekend trip, who are only in the room to sleep. Unfortunately, I had to WTF, so I was in the room a lot and it isn’t outfitted with things to make that comfortable.
We were here an entire week, so this is from that perspective, so please take it with a grain of salt if you’re just looking for a weekend getaway. I think it would work for weekenders really well, but I wouldn’t recommend long stays or anyone who wants to WFH in paradise.
THE KITCHEN:
Includes a mini-fridge, and a cabinet with a couple of plates, cups, and silverware. There wasn’t 4 of everything, but we made due by washing things frequently. There’s also pots and pans and a hot plate (low, med, high), so enough small kitchenware items to suffice if you’re cooking a few light meals. There’s nowhere to get affordable groceries within walking distance, so I recommend a trip to Target or Walmart, which is only a short bus ride away (2-3 miles, I think?)
THE BEDS:
While the full/queen sized bed was okay for two people, the futon was bad, according to my friend. By day 3 she was reporting neck pains, and by day 5, pretty moderate pain. The mattress was so creaky that every time she shifted, I woke up. And she was so uncomfortable she shifted all night. This happened every night for 7 nights, and according to my smart watch, about half the time, I slept less than 5 hours, and the other days, it was restless/light sleep. Needless to say, I was exhausted.
THE AREA:
There’s a sign in the elevator saying construction should have been complete by Nov, but we were there in Dec and it was still going strong. I can’t say how much longer it will go on. If this had been mentioned in the initial listing, I honestly wouldn't have booked, because I would have known it would keep me up.
It went on Monday-Friday, starting at 7am every day and once at 6:30am. They were cutting something, and it was so loud we were all awake up 7:05am. I tried ear buds, but they fell out, and I tried headphones, but they hurt my ears too much. But hey, at least it started at 9am on the weekends.
It’s super safe for even a single girl to walk around. There’s plenty of food, restuarants, and the beach within 10 minutes and more if you’re willing to walk 20-30 minutes away. The Holo bus stop is across the street, so easy access if you’re going around the island.
THE BATHROOM:
The bathroom offers no privacy. The toilet and shower share a small room that is connected by a sliding slat door and about ½-1” of space around the entire door frame. It leaves the sink open and easily accessible if someone is also in the bathroom. (They did offer a hair dryer, which was a plus for my friend.) They also offer shampoo, conditioner, plenty of towels, etc. And the water pressure gets hot and is nice, which is a huge plus!
Anytime someone used the bathroom, you could smell it and hear it. That means when someone had to go in the middle of the night and they flushed the toilet, the roar of the flush was loud enough to wake us all up. I’m a shy pee’er and literally had to play music every time I used the bathroom LOL.
Tl; dr
Pros:
- If there wasn’t construction going on, it would have been very quiet.
- Super safe area for us to walk, as girls, alone or late at night.
-Plenty of towels and they were SOFT and comfortable.
-Fridge worked well the entire time.
-Extra TP and cleaning supplies were provided for us to self-clean as-needed.
-Janin, or whoever I talked to, was SUPER nice and communicative. They responded within a few minutes, and they seemed genuinely concerned about making the experience as good as possible.
-Awesome location, near tons of restaurants and the beach, too.
Cons:
-Construction was so so loud we were awake every day at 7am. Not sleeping for a week can really mess with your head.
-The bathroom offers no privacy, so I hope you’re not embarrassed for everyone to hear and smell you use it lmao.
-Sofa bed was uncomfortable, creaky, and not made for an adult body.
-A lack of surfaces to hang wet clothes. I was expecting the rain, but after covering every conceivable surface with went clothes, it would have been nice to have a drying rack.
-The person in the sleeper sofa got cold every night, so she would often turn down the AC… Then everyone else was hot.
Neutral, but FYI:
-No desk if you need to work. I guess you could use the little table, but the barstools don’t provide any back support.
-Water was contaminated, so the hotel provided filtered water downstairs, so you don’t need to keep buying water.
Some tips:
-ABC stores are your friend. They have anything from cans of beer to pre-packed foods. However, it’s honestly cheaper to just buy food at restaurants, or head a few miles away to Target.
-Bring cash to the ABC store on the corner to get a Holo pass, I think it’s $5 or so in cash? And then once you register it, you can pay for everything else online.
- Great places to eat: Marugame Udon for noodles, Musubi Café Iyasume for spam musubi (super cheap and only a couple $), Aloha Melt Waikiki, and my favorite coffee shop, Kona that had incredible breakfast foods and coffee.
-Places to visit: Luliuokalani Gardens and Coconut Island, Lokahi Brewing, Hana Koa Brewing, Diamondhead Trail