ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Reviewd

Where: Oahu || Grouped in: Oahu Hotels

Aloha, Bruce here from Hawaii-Aloha.Com Last weekend we stayed at the Resortquest Waikiki Beach Hotel. Located on the far eastern end of Waikiki close to Kapiolani Park on Kalakaua Avenue, this property is just a few steps from a good part of Waikiki Beach where the sand is wider and a long promenade passes by the shore. The big outdoor movies take place right across the street where buff folks play volleyball in the daylight hours. The great thing about this location is that although the hotel is not right on the beach, it overlooks it. So there are no hotels or obstructions opposite the properly providing easy access to the beach.

The hotel has a nostalgic feel, and you almost feel like you’re about to enter a Disneyland exhibit when you arrive because you enter on the ground floor and then take an escalator to the lobby just like a E-ticket ride. At the top of the escalator is the main lobby which has an awful lot going on in a pretty small space; it’s home to the pool, reception area, activity booths and the signature restaurant at the property called Tiki’s Bar and Grill. The daily “Breakfast on the Beach” offering is set up there in the morning. While this hotel went through a multimillion dollar renovation in 2001 the property recently went through a soft renovation as well. The hotel itself seems nicely maintained. Cleaning and maintenance takes place in areas that need daily cleaning. The walls, hallways, common areas, lighting fixtures and upholstered furniture in the lower lobby which all get a lot of public traffic and were very clean. Remember, whenever I do a review I go unannounced so that I can report back to you objectively. Our check-in went smoothly and the front desk clerk Geri was all smiles and very accommodating. She noted that our room was not ready and rather than have us wait she offered us a free upgrade to a Jr. suite and also gave us free parking which of course we accepted! Once we got up to our room (suite) we got a courtesy call from the front desk asking if everything met up to our satisfaction, this was a nice touch, something I never experience before in a ResortQuest property. Getting a Jr. suite was obviously larger than the standard hotel rooms (about twice the size) but the bathroom and amenities are the same in all the rooms. All of the décor in the hotel is done in 50’s and 60’s Hawaiian style, bold colors and lots of faux Hawaiiana and teak furniture. The bed was done in the stereotypical red Hawaiian floral pattern with wood sconces hanging on both sides. there was a nice table for eating, a flat screen TV and a striped red and orange couch that opens up to a bed. The bed was excellent for sleeping, really nice and firm. You’ll find similar bedding at any 5-star in Hawaii. The Jr. Suite features 2 balconies with spectacular views of the ocean. Mostly all the rooms that face North Have nice ocean views and even the rooms on the Diamond Head side, the partial oceanview rooms (facing South), have some sort of view. The bathrooms are very small, but clean with nice amenities including shampoos and body conditioner.. Ceilings in the rooms are low and the rooms are definitely on the boxy side. Walls are thin so make sure you aren't landing next to a loud party. In the morning we woke up to get “ Breakfast on the Beach” which is offered to most guests staying on the property and takes place in the lobby/pool area. It is open from 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM. You get two coolers which are used to get breakfast items “to go” which are served from kiosks. For the most part, I recommend staying away from the American Breakfast -- cold eggs, French toast sticks and bacon. There were some great yogurts and fresh pineapple and the Asian fare was good, I had some miso soup which was great and a oriental salad I saved for later. Talking into consideration that this property is a sold as a solid 3 -Star, is in a excellent location and seems fairly well managed I think the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach hotels is a good value. They run specials which include free nights and have a decent kids program making it appealing to families. I give the ResortQuest Wakiki Beach Hotel 3.5 Shakas