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Aqua Aloha Surf Hotel
Rating Details »
444 Kanekapolei St
Honolulu, HI 96815
(866) 406-2782
Honolulu, HI 96815
(866) 406-2782
- Price Range:
-
$$
23 reviews for Aqua Aloha Surf Hotel
My boyfriend and I had a really pleasant 7 night stay with Aqua Aloha Surf.
If you want to stay in a budget hotel, this is the best value in Waikiki!
As with other Yelpers, I wasn't quite sure of what to expect on our day of arrival, and was actually quite nervous as we pulled into the hotel entrance, but after our long stay here, we have mostly positive things to say.
The Good:
1) Spacious room - Stayed in Room 1009, Deluxe Partial City View Room with Balcony. We were placed in a corner room on the 10th floor - one king bed, bath tub/shower combo, safe, 20" LCD flat screen TV, kitchenette area (microwave, dishes, sink, and mini fridge), pull-out couch and lanai. Got a package deal through http://Expedia.com and only paid ~$90/night.
2) Free, unlimited beach towels, apples, and lemon water at the front desk.
3) Friendly and accommodating staff.
4) Free wi-fi in lobby and ethernet internet connection in room (ask for a cable at the front desk).
5) Free daytime parking in hotel (register license plate at hotel desk first)
6) Free continental breakfast from 7:00-8:30am. Pancake station, hot oatmeal, juice, cupcakes, mini donuts, PINEAPPLE, bananas, oranges, and lots of different bread (but no jam).
7) Convenient location - on a map, two blocks looks like a far walk to Waikiki Beach, but when you're there, the walk is rather short. We were actually pretty lucky that Food Pantry was nearby with a public parking lot.
The Bad:
1) Inconsistent room cleaning: One day our room attendant washed our dishes in the sink! Sweet! The next day, she did not. Why?? Also, she did a great job of restocking our free bath amenities, but did not do a thorough job cleaning our room on random days - example: cleaning out the shower drain should be an everyday thing.
2) Parking is $20/night in the hotel.
TIP: The public parking/Food Pantry lot next door to the hotel is $12/night, beginning at 6PM and ending at 7AM. Get up at 7AM to move your car to the hotel lot (free day time parking as mentioned in The Good #5) and make your way to breakfast. Forget neighborhood/Ala Wai parking unless you're prone to being lucky - only 2 nights out of 7, we were able to snag a metered space (ends at 6PM & begins at 7AM) on the same block as the hotel.
3) Only two, small, old elevators for the whole hotel = long wait times.
4) Our lanai view looked into the lanais of neighboring apartment complexes. Not a single view of the ocean, but we got to know our neighbors and had a nice view of the rising sun coming over the Koolau Mountains!
5) My biggest complaint: air conditioner run-off from the 11th floor lanai leaked onto our balcony and would occasionally spray us when the winds picked up. Disgusting!
The positives far outweigh the negatives, and for most of our negatives, we were able to make accommodations or deal with it. Hey, you're on vacation - RELAX!
After reading reviews for this hotel on many other sites (including this one) I was a bit nervous as to what to expect when I stayed here last week. I was pleasantly surprised.
The lobby was really nice, with free water, apples and newspapers. All the staff were very helpful and nice.
My boyfriend and I stayed in the moderate partial city view w/ a queen bed on the 14th floor. Yes, it was small, but after I unpacked, there was enough room for us, our suitcases and golf clubs. The only thing i didn't like was the tiny shower. It made me feel a bit claustrophobic.
Oh, and we could see Diamondhead out our window and past the other buildings.
The location was super convenient, just a few short blocks to the main avenue and close to tons of stores and restaurants. We went to the free breakfast for the first few days, but then decided to try a few other places in the area. We also took a dip in the pool, which was small, but there was never anyone in it, as far as I saw.
Overall, I really liked this hotel, and would definitely stay here again the next time I vacation in HI.
I give 3 stars for the room itself but everything else bumps it up another star. The room I got was small but neat and came with fridge, microwave, coffee maker, safe, and internet so quite adequate if you're not spending a lot of time in the room. Why are you in Hawaii if you are? Staff were uniformly polite and helpful. The hotel is located on the Ala Wai Canal so it's about 5 min walk to Waikiki Beach so it's relatively quiet and the Canal can be pretty. There's also a free breakfast which is a notch above continental with someone making pancakes. It's a nice place for a decent price and you'll be satisfied unless you're expecting a Hyatt Resort but then again it cost 3 to 4x as much to stay at the Hyatt Resort.
I stayed here for 7 days and 8 nights for spring break and my mom's birthday a couple weeks ago.
Although the hotel ranks at three stars, with its great location, excellent service, and multitude of free amenities it easily deserves five stars.
The lobby is decorated with a surf / ocean theme which fits the name and area. The front desk is also open 24/7 for guest services.
Each room comes with a 27 inch LG flat panel tv, a mini fridge, a microwave, and a coffeemaker (with real mugs and spoons too).
They also provide free wireless internet access from any of the rooms.
The connection is much stronger if you bring your laptop down to the lobby, but it's bearable from your room.
Another awesome factor is their free continental breakfast.
Typically when I think of continental breakfast it basically includes coffee, prepackaged pastries, and one kind of juice from concentrate.
The breakfast at Aqua Aloha Surf was above and beyond this including: fresh pancakes off the griddle, fresh cut pineapple and oranges, three types of muffins (blueberry, cornbread, banana nut), a huge steaming cauldron of oatmeal (complete with a huge bowl of cinnamon sugar next to it), sliced French bread, white and wheat bread, a tub of margarine and cream cheese, plus coffee, orange juice (albeit very diluted), and lemonade.
There's even a toaster to toast your bread if you'd like.
I received a surprisingly low rate through an online discount travel site and was able to stay for under $60 per night.
Sure we didn't have a view of the ocean, but if you walk around town all day and come back to your room at night.. you can't see the ocean anyway.
Checking-in and checking-out were quick and easy.
We checked in a little past midnight and were the only ones there at the front desk at that time and were greeted with ice cold bottles of Hawaiian water, which was really nice since we were thirsty after the long shuttle ride from the airport.
They give you the option of express check-out where you fill out a card in your room and place your room cards in them and you just drop them off at the front desk upon leaving.
+ lots of amenities, no resort fees
+ friendly and helpful staff
+ quiet location, yet near many things
Me giving this a 3 star is really a stretch. When we arrived, there were 4 HPD cars parked on the opposite side of the hotel. While we were sure there was no police activity in the hotel, I couldn't help but wonder if the flashing blue lights was a warning of things to come in the hotel.
We arrived rather late in the evening. Parking was surprisingly plentiful (in part to the $20 per night charge) and we walked up the 1960s looking red carpet stairs to get into the lobby. There was a minor delay in check in, but we were eventually given the key cards to our room on the 15th floor along with a few bottles of water. We made it to the room which appeared clean but was rather warm WITH the a/c on. The beds were spartan in design and feel. The shower area tiles must have been original to the building and not showing their age gracefully. The pocket door in the bath area was only half concealed only highlighting the lack of detail to the area. The vanity area was upgraded and looked nice but small. The carpet had seen better days (and so did my socks when we left) and while the flat screen TV was nice, something larger than 17" would have been nice.
Breakfast.... oh my! choice of 3 muffins, toast, and TANG tasting orange juice drink stuff. Surprisingly there was someone making pancakes there which was nice, but still everything was a bread product. There is a small sitting area that you can battle the pigeons for a place to sit and "enjoy" your breakfast which is between the "gym" (who knew that a stair master, treadmill and small weight station comprised a gym) and the pool (which is about the size of some hot tubs Ive been in). Translation.... dint waste your time!
This is a bare bones bargain basement place that though "refreshed" by the Aqua branding is really nothing that exceptional. Aqua has much better choices in the area and worth exploring.
OOOOH... the a/c NEVER cooled down the room to a comfortable level. Major points off for that!
This hotel is an excellent value, with an excellent location.
They have a serve-the-customer attitude. There is a microwave and small refrigerator in the room, which always adds a star in my book. There is a free wired eithernet connection in the room. You can sign out a couple of beach towels for free, and exchange them for clean ones. Free breakfast downstairs, although it finishes a bit early. There are a couple of $1.25 coin-operated washing machines in the basement. There is an attendant to answer touristy-type questions. My room had a safe that was just big enough to accommodate my medium-sized laptop.
The rooms are bit smallish, but the location, price, and nearby beaches are excellent. Most of the rooms have a balcony, which is a good place to dump sandy surf-boards.
I would definitely come back.
Knowing it's a budget hotel, we didn't really expect much from this hotel, afterall, we went to Hawaii to have a vacation, not to stay in the hotel room all the time. There were some really nice people working there, but when we check it, the guy who helped us kept on trying to sell us the upgrade, which was kinda annoying. Then we proceed to the room, really can't believe what we saw, the room was REALLY small, and to make matter worse, my husband got some bites on his legs and arms, we suspect that they are bedbug bites. To summarize, this is a good priced place to stay, walking distance to the beach, some nice staff, convenient location, but I wouldn't call it a 3 stars HOTEL, and make sure you bring some anti-itch cream with you, just in case!
My hubby and I scored this hotel for $69 a night when we vacationed in Hawaii. It was FANTASTIC...exactly what we needed for our (budget) trip. It definitely is not your upscale, Marriott type of place, but we weren't there for that kind of experience. We spent a lot of time outside of the hotel, so we just needed some place to lie our heads and shower and that was what we got...
With pristine service. The front desk staff was nothing but helpful always giving us great ideas for tours and restaurants, perfection on wake up calls and upgrading us upon arrival. We booked a standard room but ended up in a junior suit with a sitting area, king bed and a WONDERFUL view of downtown Waikiki and though, we could not see the ocean, it was JUST down the block, about 100 yards! :)
I had a wonderful time at this hotel. But, don't go if you want the upscale experience or a big pool - b/c they have neither but we were treated well, had a clean room with a king bed, great view and overall, for $69 had a fantastic weeklong budget-friendly stay!
Excellent for the price. You can find some good deals. I think it was a little over 70 a night. It was also pretty central to all the touristy things in Waikiki.
The hotel itself looks a bit old, but there's new paint and decor. The lobby is nice. It's all open to let that wonderful ocean air in.
One evening we came back from a day out to find the bathroom flooded and yucky backed up slug all over the shower. I frantically called downstairs and we were moved to an upgraded room immediately. What can you do, these things happen with older buildings, but at least we got moved fast.
They also gave us a good tip for cheaper parking a few blocks down for 10 bucks versus the 20 the hotel charges - and there is limited permits.
The breakfast and pool was eh. We didn't go back after the first day.
I agree with other reviewers - you get what you pay for. The rooms are very small, but my feeling is that you don't go to Hawaii for a vacation only to stay in your hotel room the whole time. On the other hand, if you only need a place for a couple of nights then this hotel gets the job done nicely at a reasonable price. The staff was friendly. It's a relatively short walking distance from the main strip and the beaches. But don't expect anything fancy.
I'm not sure what's up with all the negative reviews I thought this place was great. I was in Hawaii for 4 days and 3 nights and Aqua was very accommodating to our needs.
We thought we asked for a 2 beds in our room, but it only came with one. They kindly upgraded us to a 2 bed filled room and at no charge.
The continental breakfast is carb overload. I would just cut through the back parking lot to the Food Pantry (grocery store) and just buy fresh fruits and spam masubi!
I would definitely return!
This place is a great deal, but you will be let down if you're staying for more than a couple of days. I was there for a week. The staff is nice and the location is great, but the rooms are ghetto. The most frustrating part for me is that they only change your sheets every 3 days (when you arent checking out for a while) and they ran out of towels while I was there. The staff was honest about it, they said they were still hungover from the holiday party and they hadn't gotten to the wash.
Oh well, you get what you pay for with this one.
We stayed at the Aloha Surf that now is called Aqua Aloha Surf Hotel. The place looked decent in the pictures and the deal was good. We spent 7 nights over there.
At first, I thought the room with a queen bed in the 2nd floor was too small. It was basically 15ft x 15ft (including the bath -no bath tub, closet and the furnitues). It was too tiny for 2 adults walking among luggages that I called the front desk. They said my reservation was for a standard room and it was the best I could get because the hotel was booked up. They offered us an upgrade for $20/night.
After the 1st night, we decided to stay in the same tiny room because we realized we were out most of the time and coming back only for sleeping. The room has an adequate closet size, builky new furnitures, a cooler, safe box,alarm clock and a flat screen TV. The room was renovated and was confortable despite the size. Internet is available at the looby (wireless, but it did not work for my laptop for some reason) and DSL wired at the room (but you have to have a cable for it).
The breakfast was delivered in the room every morning and it was a small muffin, yogurt and canned juice for each adult. Not much of food, but better than nothing. The hotel is surrounded by nice places for breakfast starting on $3.99 and good restaurants for dinner and lunch.
Check the PERRY'S SMORGY restaurant one block from the hotel. Excellent deals on Buffet with simple but good food. The hotel is also located 2 blocks away from Waikiki Beach. Be prepared to know where you are going because the front desk is always busy and has no time to answer inquiries and give suggestions.
I found that some of the staff was not knowledgeable of the vicinities, but nothing I couldn't find using the free internet. Overall, it was a pleasant stay. It was a good deal for the money spent. No luxuries, I admit. If you have a lot of things planned, you will not even bothered by the little inconveniences at the hotel.
Like i said before, the place is excellent for sleeping after a day full of fun. All you need is a confortable bed to crash on. Another thing I liked is the coin laundry at teh basement. Very convenient. Would I stay there again? Sure I would.
I must say, I was pleasantly surprised at how clean our hotel room was! We stayed in Waikiki Beach for 2 nights, and after reading the reviews for this hotel (mostly on Trip Advisor), I wasn't expecting much. I'm a stickler for clean hotel rooms, and it even met my standards. As an architect, I notice a lot more details, and it has definitely been updated recently--but mostly in a cosmetic sense. New pretty curtains on the "closet" and shower, painted "accent" walls in the bathroom...
We were disappointed with a couple things: we got a room on the 2nd floor, which looked over the roof of the pool & and an alley...not very exciting, and no balcony. Also, when we walked into the room we were surprised at how SMALL is was! Two TWIN beds!! So, that was a little disappointing, but nothing that ruined our trip, by any means. The beach towels are a little skimpy, so definitely ask for 2 per person. Point the shower head AWAY (like as far as it will go!) from the curtain, or you will flood the bathroom floor! Oh and every time I showered, throughout my shower, there would be little surges of hot and cold water--quick, but enough to notice. So either their water heaters are overloaded--or they need to pay a little more attention to the toilet flushing system, because it could very well have been doing that every time anyone in the BUILDING flushed a toilet!
Oh, and if you think the pool looks a little small in the pictures on the hotel website--IT IS! Don't expect to spend the day lounging--there are a few chairs scattered around, and it's really about the size of a glorified hot tub. But, the beautiful beach about 4-5 blocks (they say 3, but it's really more like 4--about a 10 minute walk) is all you will need! Just remember, 15 SPF does NOT cut it in Hawaii! Use 30 SPF or more! We learned the hard way!
The free breakfast was nice in the mornings--we grabbed toast, bagels, croissants, bananas, etc to go in the mornings (no, they aren't amazing pastries, etc, by any means, but it's FREE!). If you're looking for more than that, though, go elsewhere! We were just psyched that it was free...
All in all, it was fine, and I might even recommend it to a friend looking for a budget stay, but I think next time I would splurge a little more for one of the beach hotels!
The Aqua Hotel sucks because their hotel cleaning staff are thieves. My girlfriend, Pamela forgot her designer outfit in the hotel room when she checked out.
I physically visited the hotel countless times attempting to retrieve Pamela's outfit. The hotel manager only returned the pants and did not return Pamela's blouse after the fifth time visiting the hotel.
Please do not leave ANYTHING at this hotel and make certain you bring your valuables with you during your stay at this hotel. I do not trust the hotel staff at all! Please lock your suitcases with your clothes inside the suitcase, including your toiletries.
I refuse to give this hotel a rating due to the thievery, but since I must put some sort of rating, I guess I have to put one star. Actually, I will give this hotel a NEGATIVE 100!
Please note I do NOT recommend anyone stay at this hotel! You would be better off staying at Hokondo Hostel on Orange Street in Waikiki and for considerable less money! The management staff are totally incompetent , very rude, and lack management leadership skills!
BTW: I will not waste my time displaying a pic for this hotel because Aqua has pond scum, hotel thieves! Not displaying a pic historically for a business is a first for me!
Pee-Ess . . . Aqua's parking sucks because they charged me an arm and a leg each time I tried top retrieve Pamela's designer outfit! Hotel money-grubbing jerks!
We stayed there for 7 days and felt it was great for the price.
They accommodated the man, myself and the child quite well. After we put away our luggage and settled in, there was plenty of space for the kid to play in. The room we got was a superior room with a partial city view. It was 2 1/2 blocks to the beach and centrally located. There wasn't decent food nearby, but for the price, this hotel couldn't be beat.
They have a complimentary breakfast every day from 7 am to 8:30 am. It was your basic fare budget hotel fare, which was okay considering how much we paid for our stay there. Hotel parking cost us $20 a night, but for the location, we figured it was par for the course.
In all, the staff was helpful, our room was cleaned daily, and we slept comfortably every night. I'd definitely visit again.
Just what I was afraid of when I decided to be frugal and try some budget hotels.
Its not gross, just weak. Really really really weak.
Yeah I don't even know what to say about this place other than: avoid it.
Luckily I only stayed one night and I got through it fine by pretending I was staying in a dorm room ; )
PS for the same price you can stay at its sister hotel Aqua Wave and that one is not bad.
So I arrived at the Aloha Surf after a 5.5-hour flight from Portland. I had just sat next to a cranky and gassy preschooler for an extended period of time, fought the hordes for a taxi at the Honolulu Airport, had some sort of tropical storm dumped on my head, and hauled four pieces of luggage, a carseat, and sleeping small child up the stairs. It was 12:32pm. My room was not ready until 3. I was about ready to scream. The Aloha Surf, god bless 'em, upgraded me for FREE to a room that WAS ready. Plus, they gifted me with two bottles of water and the ubiquitous chocolate-covered macadamia box package upon arrival. Plus, the nice woman working the front desk helped haul my luggage up to my room, while I hauled sleeping small child.
Big deal, right? This is the sort of service you should expect at any resort hotel. However, the Aloha Surf is a budget hotel - by Waikiki standards anyways. My updated room with one double and one twin bed, couch, flat-panel telly, free internet connection, and mini-kitchen, with a 5-minute walk to the beach: $100/night. OK, the freebie continental breakfast consists of bad coffee, decent juice, and greasy Costco pastries; the pool is so small it's laughable; and there's no restaurant or bar or anything. BUT, the open-air lobby is super comfy and has wi-fi, and I love that free bowl of apples at reception. Apples! Minus one point for a bordering on scungy shower.
Definitely agree that this is a fine hotel if you are looking for a place to store your stuff and sleep, but disappointing if you are looking for a romantic resort type deal. Our room was billed as a single, and was TINY. Queen sized bed with a lumpy mattress and pretty thin blankets. We were facing out towards the street and every morning got woken up at 6am by the garbage trucks driving by, because the windows don't close all of the way.
Their "fitness center" consists of a half broken treadmill and a stationary bike, along with a bowflex type machine. It's right next to the lobby, so everyone can see you working out. It's also partially exposed to the elements, which is probably what broke the treadmill in the first place.
However, they are centrally located and you'll be within easy walking distance of the International Market, Waikiki beach and the main shopping drag of Waikiki. We were in Hawaii for eight days, and so it was fine for us to be staying in a cheaper hotel if it meant we got to spend more on going out to dinner and our other activities.
This budget hotel is good for its price, usually under $100/night. It is centrally located in Waikiki, so you can walk to the beach in about 5 minutes. The rooms are renovated with a modern look, each having a flat screen television. The rooms are a little small, but you're not going to be indoors most of the day anyways.
The staff was friendly and helpful. When I checked in to my room. My window faced construction work on the front of hotel. I could literally see the workers walking past my window on their scaffold. When I asked to change my room, they apologized and upgraded me to the deluxe room. If you're going to make reservations, make sure you don't get the side where the constructions at. They will be at it for a couple of months.
Parking is $15/day for your car rental, but that is the norm at most hotels. The biggest problem was the air conditioner, which would intermittently buzz loudly. I got use to it, but may bother others.
I would definitely stay here again. Its a great deal for what you get. If you're trying to be wine and dine a girl/guy or you're on your honeymoon, maybe staying on the beach would be a better choice.
This is a mediocre hotel. You basically get what you pay for. Hawaii hotels are relatively pricey, so the fact that this hotel does not have some of the features as the swankier ones accounts for this fact.
NOTES:
- microwave (yay!), flatware, silverware, coffeemaker, blowdryer, iron etc - these features were important to me as I was here for an interview
- spa in hotel - did not try it out
- room smells a little like mildew
- the pool is kidney-shaped and is about as big as your actual kidneys
- continental breakfast consists of as many small muffins, pineapple juice, apples/bananas/oranges as you like
- maid service is friendly, front desk okay
- they have those computer flat screen tv monitors (don't know the name) - but no movies
ugghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh sniffs
this was my third choice
yay i'm in hawaii and i'm checking in at the brightly colored check-in counter. all is good, aloha and smiles.
i get to my deluxe room that has a sofa, two full sized beds, kitchenette and small flat screen tv. at first glance it's a cute budget hotel decorated ikea-style with shades of pastel greens and fishy decorations.
let's walk around. hm. floor seems a bit damp and dingy, making my footsies black. well ok. wear flip flops in room always.
let's pull open the curtains that span the whole room. oh! aloha, my neighbors! i'm now part of a Hawaiian version of Rear Window except that they're even closer to my window than the one Jimmy Stewart peered out of. the Hawaiian sun can't shine in. i can see everyone's business and they can see mine. free show! er. No.
pulled off the bed comforter and on the pillow is a long strand of black hair coiled perfectly as though to greet me hello. laughed a little but then, hey there was another long hair coiled around the shower head. and on my towels. and on the tile floor stuck in some small bits of gummy residue.
wait, oh. there's mildew in spots in the dark shower with old tile. hey shower, you're scarier than my dorm shower from college.
*sigh*
as much as i wanted to like the hotel, it was difficult to get on board. parking is also a bit of a problem. they have a small lot that fit only compact cars. if their lot is full, they can hook you up with their sister properties a couple blocks away and the parking garages there. while it is nice they are doing their best to accommodate, the convenience factor is taken down a bit.
upon an unscheduled check-out the next morning, they did offer to move me to a different room but i was throughly enveloped in the willies and sought solace at a different hotel.
