Hawaii has a dearth of boutique hotels. Most properties are run by super-mammoth companies like Starwood or Hyatt. Many indie hotels are still too big to be boutique, or they are just plain dowdy and underkept. Aqua Hotels and Resorts aims to fill that niche with a string of 10 properties in Waikiki. Six fall under the budget Aqua Lite flag and four are regular boutique hotels. All have modern touches (as in furnishings that don't scream aloha print) and mimic, in style, Mainland chains like Kimpton and Affinia. I've very much liked what I've seen in Aqua rooms, with more muted color tones and angular, modish furniture. None of the Aqua properties have stellar locations but that's part of how they keep their prices down. Several have on-site spas that are likewise affordable. The service offerings are not as comprehensive but that's in part due to Aqua's positioning as well-run condotel's. Our faves -- the Aqua Bamboo and the Aqua Waikiki Wave, both of which have central off-beach locations in the center of Waikiki. Expect a younger crowd in these properties, as well.

Aqua Hotels and Resorts

Related Posts: Palms Cliff House, Old Wailuku Inn

Image: Aqua Waikiki Wave

—Alex, 11/14/06