After promising my wife a trip to Hawaii, I went out and tried to find a nice place to stay. I enjoy a place at the beach that overlooks the ocean so I can just sit on the balcony (Lani in Hawaii) and look out at the waves and ocean activity. The pictures that the host has posted don't really do a great job of "showing" the view. I'm not sure why the host lists this property as the "Penthouse," it's on the 35th floor of a building with 38 floors, so you are not on the penthouse. However, the balcony off the larger bedroom suite has a spectacular view of the ocean front about 3.5 blocks away. You can see Diamond Head on one side all the way past the Ilikai hotel and beyond up the southern shore to the western side of the island. Just be warned, enjoy the view in the morning or evening as the afternoon sun makes using this balcony very hot. The balcony off the living/dining room offers a fantastic view the city and mountains as well as the northern side of Waikiki beach. As the morning clouds/rain floats over the mountains, we enjoyed wonderful rainbows each day.
Location: This property is in the middle of Waikiki beach. The beach is about 3.5 blocks, shops are everywhere within walking distance including a Ross Department store, convenience stores are everywhere. About 1.5 miles away is a WalMart, Target and other shopping where we picked up groceries (we used the full kitchen for breakfast and lunch). You are 2 blocks from the high end shops and about 5 blocks from the Duke Kahanamoku statue, who popularized the sport of surfing and it's stage that hosts twice weekly shows on Wednesday and Friday. The balcony off the bedroom suite provides a great view of the Friday evening fireworks show from the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Restaurants are everywhere within walking distance, both family and high end restaurants. The international mall a few blocks down Kuhio Avenue has a great mix of shops and on the upper floors eateries, a market and restaurants.
In addition to the full kitchen, the property has two bathrooms and two bedrooms (two queen beds) plus a queen and bunk beds. Both bedrooms have TVs in addition to the large TV in the living/dining room. The furniture is dated but completely useable. Internet service is good; however, I had to take a picture of the router (located under the TV) for the login details. The owner should invest in a few items such as an operating fan in the hall bath and badly needed minor maintenance (baseboard missing in the kitchen) and a new paint job for the entire suite. It's just a bit "used" looking.
Overall, would we book at this location again, YES. We felt it was a great location and good value.