When you enter the bright lobby of the Aqua Palms Waikiki and are greeted by the friendly staff who will become like family during your stay, you’ll get that true aloha experience. On the second floor you’ll find a wading pool, sundeck, and gas barbecue grill. If you’re there for the Manager’s Reception on Wednesdays, you can sample their signature cocktail, The Sway. After drinking one or two, you might find yourself swaying like a coconut tree.
Truth to tell, I had some qualms about staying in a place so far away from the "action" of Wakiiki Beach itself, even though it is directly across from the Hilton Hawaiian Villager and Fort de Russy. But we needn't have worried. The room was spacious, opened up directly to Diamond Head (we were on the 6th level), had been renovated with ample storage space, modernised bathroom, even a micro wave above the bar fridge! The area around abounds in cheap eat places and - better yet - the hotel offers guests a free shuttle to Ala Moana shopping centre and to the Waikiki Beach area. The rooms aren't double-glazed, but the thick curtains shut out most of the traffic noise below. There's parking, a guest laundry 24/7 and a 10% discount at the adjoining Wailana Coiffee House (breakfast, lunch and dinner). It was a real find and the staff were uniformly pleasant and approachable. It was a pleasure to stay there!
Cosy hotel
We stayed for 10 days. Arrived early for check in as our flight arrived in the morning and our room was ready. Staff were very friendly and helpful. There was the added bonus of the friendly Expedia team in the lobby to help booking activities and any recommendations. Great location close to the beach and free shuttle to Ala Moana and Waikiki Beach. Lovely place to stay.
Convenient location
CarolG1141
(Chandler, Arizona)
I enjoyed the stay at the Aqua Palms. If you want a two beds to a room, you need to plan ahead and phone ahead. There is a discount for returning patrons which is nice. There is a small refrigerator and a microwave in the room. It’s an older hotel. When you are in HI, you don’t really need to be in your room anyways
Great location, needs some love
Hannah M
(Pouce Coupe, Canada)
We just stayed for a week with our young daughter, and it was a good, but certainly not great stay.
The staff were all lovely, very helpful, and the location was fantastic, outside of the noise.
They have reef-safe sunscreen 'on-tap' and fresh apples and lemon water in the lobby and your resort fee does get you hotel towels, umbrellas, and beach chairs to borrow.
The pool is very family friendly, no deeper than 4ft and quite small, but nice. The pool deck has a barbecue, and tables and chairs and lounge chairs, which is nice, but there is absolutely no shade and no protection from the rain if you are trying to barbecue. It could really use umbrellas or another option for shade.
The room we had overlooked the Hilton, and this partial ocean view, so that was lovely, but Ala Moana is one busy, LOUD street. Constant traffic noise and sirens every 5 minutes, and the balcony door did not shut all the way at the bottom, so the noise never really stopped.
The room itself was fine, reasonable sized and very clean when we arrived, if a bit worn at the edges. The lampshade was torn, the towels were fraying and the ceiling had a multitude of tiny holes just above the bed, but it was clean so we just moved on.
Unfortunately as the week progressed, housekeeping deteriorated. On the final full day, they did not even bother to make up the sofa bed our daughter was sleeping on and they left a dirty rag on the little coffee area. Our sheets they put on had stains more than once and large parts of the floor never ended up getting vacuumed, as evidenced by the very obvious crumbs left from a small spill on day 3 that were there when we left on day 6.
The room was very clean on the first 2 days, so I am not sure what happened after that, but it didn't inspire a lot of confidence after that point.
The room was in need of some minor repairs, as both the sink and the tap plug did not work and the bathroom fan sounded like a chainsaw, but considering how attentive the maintenance staff was for other issues, I would expect they will be fixed shortly.
The location really couldn't be better, there is a grocery store on the back of the block, there are great restaurants all around and it is a very short walk to both Waikiki and the Ala Moana shopping centre.
I would still recommend this hotel, especially to travellers on a budget, or with children, just be persistent if there are an issues with housekeeping.
Quick Overnight Stay
where2next2010
(Chico, CA)
We needed a hotel for an overnight stay after our Hawaiian Cruise. The Aqua Palms Waikiki fit what we needed. We had great service from all the staff we met. The location was awesome being walking distance to the beach, shopping and plenty of restaurants. The room was large with a balcony with a view of the ocean. The furnishings were from the 1970s (or older) but were still in pretty good shape (except the mattress on one of the beds). Waikiki is loud with traffic late into the night and starting early in the morning, but I think it was worth the noise to be in this location.
