Where to Stay - Honolulu, Waikiki and Oahu - page 139

the walls. Access via car (usually tricky on Waikiki's one-way streets) is very convenient from
Ala Wai Boulevard.
445 Seaside Ave. (at Ala Wai Blvd.), Honolulu, HI 96815. www.aquaresorts.com . & 866/406-2782 or 808/923-2345.
Fax [phone] units. $79-$139 double; $109-$129 studio with kitchenette; $149-$229 1-bedroom with kitchen
(sleeps 4). Check for Internet specials. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Parking $18. Bus: 19 or 20. Amenities: Jacuzzi; outdoor
pool; sauna. In room: A/C, TV, high-speed Internet access ($11/day), fridge, hair dryer, full kitchen or kitchenette (some
units).
Holiday Surf Three blocks, or about a 10- to 15-minute walk, from Waikiki Beach lies this
1960s apartment hotel, run since 1964 by the Chun family. Overlooking the Ala Wai Canal, the
six-story building can be noisy, but air-conditioning drowns out the street noise and the loca-
tion is within walking distance of Waikiki attractions, dining, and shopping. The 315-square-
foot studios are composed of an immaculately clean bedroom/living room combo, with a bed
on one side and a full kitchen across the room. The one-bedroom units are larger and have
separate bedrooms (great for families). Some of the rooms have been upgraded, thus the range
in prices.
2303 Ala Wai Blvd. (corner of Nohonani St.), Honolulu, HI 96815. www.holidaysurfhotel.com . & 808/923-8488. Fax 808/
923-1475. 34 units. $77-$90 studio double; $88-$103 1-bedroom double. Extra person $20. AE, MC, V. Parking $13.
Bus: 19 or 20. Amenities: Spa. In room: A/C, TV/VCR/DVD, fridge, Internet access ($12/day), kitchen.
Ohana Waikiki West On the upside, this chain hotel has lots of guest services and facilities,
which include a lounge, room service, and lots of shops (even a pharmacy). All of the rooms
have refrigerators and shower-only bathrooms; some have kitchenettes. The downside is
Waikiki Beach is a 10-minute walk from the hotel and it is located on a very noisy part of
Kuhio Avenue. If you are enamored with the budget price and figure a good pair of ear plugs
will do the trick, go ahead and book. But if you are a light sleeper, we'd suggest picking an-
other property.
2330 Kuhio Ave. (btw. Nahua and Walina sts.), Honolulu, HI 96815. www.ohanahotels.com . & 800/462-6262 or 808/
922-5022. Fax [phone] or 808/924-6414. 661 units. $85-$105 double; $109-$125 double with kitchenette. Check
website for promotions and discounts (seniors and AAA). Extra person $30. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Parking $20. Bus: 19
or 20. Amenities: 2 restaurants (a branch of Chili's and a bakery/deli); 2 bars (1 poolside, 1 country & western); outdoor
pool; room service (Chili's). In room: A/C, TV, free high-speed Internet access, fridge, hair dryer, kitchenette (some units).
Waikiki, Diamond Head End
You'll find all these hotels between Ala Wai Boulevard and the ocean, and between Kaiulani
Street (1 block east of the International Marketplace) and Diamond Head itself.
VERY EXPENSIVE
HyattRegencyWaikiki ★ This is one of Waikiki's biggest hotels, a $100-million project sporting
two 40-story towers and covering nearly an entire city block, just across the street from the
Diamond Head end of Waikiki Beach. Some may love the location, but others will find this
behemoth too big and impersonal—you can get lost just trying to find the registration desk
(which by the way, is not located on the ground level but on the second floor).
The guest rooms are spacious and luxuriously furnished. But, please—when most rooms
go for at least $319, why does the hotel have to charge you an extra couple of bucks for coffee