Although I’ve been visiting Honolulu for 40+ years, this was my first time staying in Chinatown, & Wade’s apartment was a great home base for exploring that rapidly evolving part of the city.
While (as in my own home town of San Francisco) there’s a fair number of homeless or mentally ill people on the streets, I never felt in danger, & the range & quality of restaurants, craft bars & shops was an impressive contrast to the more generic tourist spots in Waikiki.
The Aston was beautifully maintained, with plenty of security & friendly staff in the lobby & parking garage, & the apartment itself was great. Having an en-suite washer/dryer allows packing far fewer clothes, & if you wanted to cook rather than dine out, the full kitchen & several nearby grocery stores (Safeway, Walmart & 7-11) makes that totally do-able.