I have very mixed feelings of this place. Although the "condo" is privately owned, you still need to deal with the Hotel that it is located in. So I will run through some pros and cons and then give a general review.
Location
Pros:
-Walking to distance to everything! I was pretty lazy so I did Uber or Lyft often, but I did walk to the Ala Moana Beach a few times. Just under a mile and it was very easily doable. You can also rent bikes, scooters, etc. There was a bike rental stand like 15 feet away.
-7eleven with snacks and drinks literally in the parking lot next door!
-Waikiki Brewing across the street for beer lovers like me.
-Coffee shop on the other side of the building, as well as a coffee shop/bakery in the building.
Cons:
For me, honestly the only downside was the Hotel the condo was located in. The Waikiki Monarch is in all honestly, a gross and rundown establishment. Literally had elevator issues the entire week I was there. 2 weren't even running for the week. I also got stuck in one. Terrifying experience. Things were not cleaned well, or at all. The EASILY removable rugs in the elvator were not cleaned the entire time I was there and they were FILTHY! The laundry room was pretty gross as well. The pool at least was clean.
Overall located in a good area to access many activities such as shopping, food, or the beach. Not located in a great building.
Room/Cleanliness
Pros:
-Good size
-Great lighting with lots of windows
-Well equipped for a week long stay. Fridge/freezer and microwave were great.
-Bed was quite comfy actually!
-View was wonderful.
-Decently quiet
Cons:
-I will say that this is not directed at Nobu, but his cleaning staff. I can 100% confirm the "hair everywhere" comments in other reviews. When I walked in I first checked the bed and found multiple hairs stuck to the headboard right above my pillows. A quick spritz of cleaning spray and a papertowl is all it would have taken to get rid of that. The baseboards in the bathroom were also FILTHY! I am not talking a bit of dust, but they looked like they had not been cleaned in awhile. That was quite a shock to see as the room was fairly clean for the most part.
-I don't really want to list this as a con as it didn't bother me much, but I know many other people hate bugs. The ants mentioned in other comments were present. Not many and they were tiny. Just don't leave any food out and you should be good. They basically stayed in the kitchen sink.
-The door and keycard! I would estimate that the door opened on the first try maybe 5% of the time. Many times I had to insert it 4-5 times before it worked. I will say that thankfully I only had to get it remagnitized once, but it was still frustrating as I was on the 26th floor and had to go all the way back to the lower level with limited elevators, and they took forever. The door also stuck a little on this unit and the one next to it. The door closed VERY loudly. Thankfully my neighbor seemed to be out around the same times I was but I am sure it bothered him occassionally.
Amenities:
I will say that they are all basically pro's. Not amazing, but good basics.
The pool was accessible from 10A-11PM I believe. It was a nice and simple area, but it was clean! Very quiet when I was there too. There were grills on the deck of the pool. Although I didn't use them, they looked newer and clean.
The laundry room was great due to having sandy and salty swimsuits and such. Although the facility was dirty, the machines worked well. You have to bring your own detergent though!
The ice machine was a nice touch. You could get bags of ice instead of having to bring down a bucket.
The AC was of course wonderful to have. Old unit, but worked well.
The little coffee shop and bakery was amazing! Best coconut macaroons I have every had. Only downside is that they closed at noon!
There was also a bar, 2 restaurants and a little store on site. Don't have much to say about those, but they would be convenient for some.
I didn't use the wifi myself as I have an ipad with data, but I was able to stream Netflix on the TV which was nice.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Not bad for the price and location. Amenities were good. The rental was fine, but the hotel was not. I would rent from Nobu again, but a different property if he has any. The elvators and cleanliness of the hotel just weren't worth it.
Nobu was communicative and quick to respond. He gave great instructions for check-in.