We enjoyed our two week stay at Brian’s Waikiki condo. Everything was as described in the listing. All you need to go to the beach or stay in and have a home cooked meal was there. My wife said the bed was uncomfortable, but I had no issues with it— it may be a little firm for those who like softer mattresses.
Free Parking is always the first thing I look for in listings on Oahu, as it is usually a luxury. Brian’s place had a dedicated COVERED parking spot in the garage, which is right around the corner from the elevator. Parking is a tad tight, as there’s a wall on one side and the cars parked across from his spot are close, but with a little patience you can get in there just fine. We had a midsize SUV and had plenty of room on either door and hatch. The first time getting INTO the garage itself was a bit confusing due to the one way roads and Google Maps taking us everywhere we didn’t need to go. More on that below.
Laundry access was amazing. Every floor has their own laundry at the end of the hallway. Laundry was well priced and the machines did a good job. Make sure you have cash (ones would be optimal) to reload the laundry pay-card. $1.25 dry/$1.75 wash and about 40min for each cycle.
This is a slight disclaimer to light sleepers or families with young children/babies who have never stayed in Waikiki— it gets noisy outside. Sirens, outdoor music, vehicle noise, people hollering. There’s an outdoor music venue right outside the Marine Surf facility. It did not bother us, but if we brought our kids we’d have had to figure a way to drown out the sound. Maybe bring a white noise/sound machine.
The only real “con” is the lanai. Water drips from lanai above. Pretty sure it’s a perpetual drip from all the ac units above and continues below us. Some days it was bone dry without dripping, others there was a puddle and splashing on the handrail that made it unbearable to sit. We spent most of the day at the beach or driving around the island, but there were days we wanted to sit on the lanai but the dripping kept us from doing so.
*THIS INFO IS FOR AFTER YOU’VE RECEIVED YOUR KEY*:
Do yourself a favor. Don’t type marine surf or the address into your gps/map app, as it may not take you to the side with parking garage access. It was a bit confusing for me, and it may be for you as well. Instead, search for H&M on Kalakaua/Seaside and go up one block. You will see the parking garage entrance ramp on the left, which looks like you will be going the wrong way, but it is both an exit and an entrance. Just make sure there’s not a car trying to exit the garage before you pull in. You will need your access key before you can get into the garage. Brian will send you a detailed message about that portion prior to check in.
All in all, the condo was great. Especially considering the price the surrounding condos were listed at. We would definitely stay here again.