The first day was a little stressful since our keys weren't activated. We couldn't get into our room right away but our host came to help us as fast as he could. Our place was a mix of hotel guests and condominiums. There were permanent residents and temporary guests. The Hawaiian Monarch offers affordable rates. From word of mouth the rates could go from $65 to $110 a night. So at $84 our rate was about average. One permanent resident said she rents a month for $1400. All facts to be verified. The Hawaiian Monarch does need a little update as I was little scared to see what my actual room would look like. The room looked exactly like the pictures. It was a nicely decorated studio with fresh towels and utensils. Our host really paid attention to detail being that he provided all of the amenities from home. Coffee maker, plates, toilet paper, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, stove, beach towels, etc. You do have to share an entrance with another unit since it is split between unit A and B, which was a little odd. The view was comparable to the pictures. Breathtaking views of the city with ocean view snippets. Overall the interior looked like the pictures so I was happy with that. The Ala Wai canal is next door so at times we would see groups of rowers. I do feel that it is responsible for the swampy smell outside. The parking is $25 at night so keep that in mind if you rent a car. There is a salt water pool, jacuzzi and card operated laundry on level 5 so that was nice. The best attribute of this location is its convenience. There is a 7/11 that sells 89 cent water compared to 99 cents at ABC. Plus you can get all the spam musubis you like. I found the tap water was just as tasty. The Cheeseburger restaurant next door had great HH, service and ambience. There is a car rental and moped rental close by. A ton of shops for souvenirs. The place is about a 30 minute walk if you aren't rushing. Totally bearable compared to the 300+/night to stay on the beach. You can see lots of birds, fruitful trees, flowers and luxury shops on the walk there. There are dive bars downstairs if you need a pick me up. Overall the place was awesome for price, interior, utensils, and convenience. The downsides are the exterior, parking, loud a/c and slight plumbing issues. There were about 3 instances where a plumber and a/c came by to take care of issues accompanied with the owner. We were out and about so it didn't bother us too much.