Overall, Sugi's place is a great option for staying in near the ocean in Honolulu! I really appreciated being able to stay there and would go back. There were some pros and cons to be aware of so you can plan accordingly. Not everyone might feel that it meets their traveling needs so while I did enjoy my stay, here is what you need to know before you book.
Value - totally a great deal especially when you consider the cost of staying in the hotels with all those extra fees. On paper Sugi's place might seem similar in cost, but the resort fees at hotels aren't always apparent at first. Sugi's place is a good price and has the benefit of two separate rooms, a kitchen, and included parking AND wifi (not always included at hotels).
Location - About a 15 minute walk from the heart of Waikiki, the location is great! The three block walk to the ocean and Queen's Beach was a treat. Based on what I saw, you can't get much closer to the ocean for this price anywhere else. The bus stop is just up the block (only takes cash) and there are a couple of coffee shops within three blocks. The neighbourhood is very walkable and we always felt safe. A little noisy sometimes but that's to be expected. The apartment is on the second floor and we appreciated being up off the street a bit, but not 5+ stories up like in other apartment buildings. Ideal.
Pros - there are many
• Effective Air Conditioning! This is not the case everywhere in Honolulu! The window units (there are 3) worked very well for cooling and dehumidifying and the three ceiling fans also helped a lot.
• Super clean space. It felt like an open, clean, and good place to call home for a week!
• Two bedrooms was nice for some privacy if you're traveling with friends/colleagues. It makes the listing more sharable when hotel rooms are not. (Note that the french doors on the larger bedroom are glass and didn't have curtains when I was there. Also someone cold sleep on the couch but I can't speak to how that feels).
• Sugi responded very quickly to texts within the Airbnb app. We were grateful for the quick replies.
• The lockbox setup for the one key worked well for us. Just leave it in there and use the code to come and go as needed.
• A full-sized fridge and functional kitchen (Though a couple of potential cons within - see below)
• There is a Safeway grocery north-east on Kapahulu Ave. Real grocery stores are hard to come by in this area so this is a definite pro! 5 minute drive/10 minute bus/25 minute walk
Cons
• At times a little noisy given the busy neighbourhood and not-super-insulated windows (Canadians are used to a thicker window, I guess. haha). It wasn't a big deal for us, but if you're a very light sleeper this might bother you.
• No coffee maker, toaster, or pans. This was a challenge for us as part of our reason for staying in an apartment was to avoid the expensive food costs. I recommended to Sugi that these get added to the kitchen.
• At the time of our stay the toilet was a little tricky. It wanted to back up unexpectedly with normal use. Just be aware of it. I shared this with Sugi, too.
If you are okay with everything I shared, then I'd say you would like your stay here as much as I did. I would definitely book here again, though the coffee maker, toaster, and pans would sweeten the deal. :) Thanks to Sugi and her people for having us and helping us while we were in Honolulu.