Call it Hawaii's own version of the Big Dig in Boston. The $625 million Waikiki Beach Walk Project has disrupted traffic, made a handful of Waikiki hotels far less habitable, kicked up dust and turned up the volume so loud that the western end of this beach resort sounded like a pile driving convention. It's not done yet as Donald Trump still needs to build his tower and the Beach Walk Project has lots of rough edges. But the first hotel is opening and this is a rare total retro-fit in Waikiki where renovations have largely meant slapping lipstick on a pig and ditching the tropical drapes

. From the press release:

The 21-story Embassy Suites-Waikiki Beach Walk consists of two all-suite towers, the Hula Tower and the Aloha Tower, each featuring both one and two-bedroom suites - many with stunning ocean views. The hotel's Grand Lanai, which connects the two towers, boasts a spacious sundeck, swimming pool and waterfall, and features a covered terrace where guests can enjoy Embassy Suites' signature, complimentary, cooked-to-order breakfast each morning, an evening manager's reception,* serving both complimentary alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages with appetizers, and a daily, farewell ceremony sung by the staff for departing guests

Considering the general state of hotel infrastructure in Waikiki, this new effort should be a slam dunk success. This hotel is not on the beach but its pretty dang close. So you'll definitely get a much nicer ride if you grab the view, which probably means a room high in the 21-story towers. A suite hotel in Waikiki close to the beach is an excellent addition as options for families have largely comprised condos or double hotel rooms (most of the hotel buildings are too old to actually have planned suites). At any rate, I'll run a more extensive review when I get down there to see it. I am looking forward to checking it out.

Related posts: Hilton Hawaii Village, Aqua Hotels

—Alex, 12/18/06