Now THIS is Waikiki (i.e. Waikiki on the cheap)
Written: Jan 12 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Prime location on Waikiki Beach, breakfast was included, on-premises parking, Oceanarium!
Cons: Not many ocean view rooms, decor was a little over-the-top
The Bottom Line: Recommended for all travellers, even those with children!
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| magnatran's Full Review: Pacific Beach Hotel |
My wife and I traveled to Hawaii in November of 2001 to visit friends to lived in Wahiawa on the island on Oahu. My buddy is in the Army and was stationed at Schofield Barracks. We stayed with our friends on the base for most of the trip, but we wanted to experience staying in a richy-rich hotel on Waikiki Beach for two nights, and the Pacific Beach Hotel fit the bill. We wanted a hotel on the beach, but we didn't want a hotel that was built for Bill Gates and Donald Trump, and we didn't want Joe's Hawaiian Motel, either. We found a deal for this particular hotel on Travelocity.com, and jumped at the chance to taste the good life, even if it was for only two nights.
The Pacific Beach Hotel is located near the Diamond Head end (Southeast end) of the Waikiki strip, across the street from the beach. The hotel is made up of two towers, the Oceanarium Tower and the Beach Tower. The Beach Tower is smaller (i.e. shorter), and closest to the beach itself. It also includes all of the hotel's ocean view rooms, which makes them more expensive. Rooms in the Oceanarium Tower are partial ocean views, but are mostly city views.
Hotel Amenities. One of the neatest features of this hotel is the Oceanarium. It's a giant 280,000 gallon "fish tank" that had all sorts of salt water marine life, including rays, sharks, and many types of butterfly fish. It's really more than just a "fish tank", because its nothing like any fish tank I've seen (other than the New England Aquarium or the Living Seas at Disney World, I suppose). The Oceanarium is next to the lobby and main desk, so if you're in Waikiki, you can stroll in and peek at the Oceanarium for yourself.
Other hotel amenities include on-site parking (special rates apply for guests - make sure you ask for a pass at the desk when you check in), an outdoor pool (with a beach 50 feet away? Perhaps for land-lubbers!), three restaurants (seafood, Japanese, and a traditional US restaurant next to the Oceanarium tank!), some expensive shops, and room service.
Decor and Interior. I described this as "over-the-top" because of its gaudy red rugs and plastic-wood-looking walls, and the giant chandelier in the lobby. The rooms were very modern, however, and were similar in size and appearance to other mid-range hotels (like Marriott or Courtyard). The bathrooms were small but adequate. Each room had a lanai, which is the Hawaiian word for balcony or porch, that you can walk out onto to survey your view of Waikiki.
Location, Location, Location. They don't call it the Pacific Beach Hotel because it's two miles inland. When you walk out of the hotel, you're greeted by the Pacific Ocean stretched out before you. Because the hotel is right on the Waikiki Beach strip, you can walk to anywhere from there. There is a nice public park only a three minute walk away. Walking Northwest along Kalakaua Avenue there are all sorts of shops and restaurants along the way to stop into. There are ABC stores (convenience stores selling liquor, soda, beach towels and souvenirs) every 50 feet along the way, and their prices are very low (80 cents for a 20 oz. bottle of Coke). Keep walking and you'll pass Nike Town and eventually the Hard Rock Cafe, situated near the Honolulu Convention Center. There are shuttle buses that will take you around Waikiki, and also to the Ala Moana Shopping Center (which is quite a walk). There is also local bus service (coincidentally called "The Bus") that can take you where you want to go (you can arrange shuttles and get bus information from the activities counter near the hotel lobby).
The View. Since we had a city view room, we could see Waikiki at night, and boy it was absolutely beautiful. And if you lean over your railing (not too far!) you could see the sunset and the ocean stretching out until it touched the horizon. We had a really nice view from our room because we were on the 32nd floor - you should request a room near the top to get the best view. However, other hotels nearby block some of the ocean view from the Oceanarium Tower.
The Price. Ocean view rooms range near $300 per night, a little to rich for my taste. The room we stayed in was about $160 per night, with a special rate through Travelocity. It was a "renovation special, run-of-the-house" rate. We may have been able to get more of a break on the price if we checked after 9/11 (we booked the rooms in July of 2001). The price of the room also included a breakfast buffet for two in the Oceanarium Restaurant for each morning we stayed there (the food in the buffet was really above average, so it's worth getting up early to sample it).
During our time there, Waikiki was not very crowded, even on weekend nights. I guess we saw first hand the effects of 9/11 on the tourism industry. Also, November is off-season for Hawaii tourists, so we really weren't fighting crowds.
Overall, I thought the Pacific Beach Hotel was well worth the cost. We got to stay in a hotel on the beach, without feeling like we were out of place. My wife and I rarely stay at moderate to high-end hotels when we travel, and we didn't feel out-of-place while staying here. The staff was courteous and helpful, and our stay was very enjoyable. I would recommend this hotel for all types of vacationers, including those with children (they will be enthralled by the Oceanarium).
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
magnatran
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Location: Millbury, Massachusetts
Reviews written: 22
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
Gators are ornery cause theys got all those teeth and no toothbrush...
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