Description: Nicely positioned at the end of a chain of Waikiki hotels, the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel is close to everything. The beach is a few steps away, the Honolulu Zoo is practically next-door, and it is swallowed by nightlife.
My husband and I chose this hotel because it is one of few in the Honolulu/Waikiki area that has a gym and complimentary breakfast. When we arrived, the actual entrance was a little difficult to find- you pull into the valet parking area on the corner of Paoakalani Ave and Kalakaua Ave. Another point that might be of interest- we were required to pay $27/day for valet parking. This seemed pretty typical when we were researching hotels in the area. Throughout the check-in process the staff was very friendly. When we got to the room we were pleasantly surprised with color and spaciousness. Be careful though- when we booked through Orbitz we could not choose a king bed. So when we arrived, our room had two double beds. The staff was happy to change our room. The showerheads were very low. I am just over five feet tall and it was right at the level of my head. This may be a problem for someone very tall.
The next morning we woke and went downstairs to check out breakfast. We were a little disappointed. The menu included a variety of sugary cereals, sugary pastries/muffins, tropical fruit, miso soup with a few tofu pieces, and milk/tea/coffee/juice to drink. There were omelets available but cost $5. Aside from the fact that we had to pay for the protein in out breakfast, it was very crowded. The breakfast is served beside the pool and guests are expected to bring their "lunchbox" from the room to take their breakfast out to the beach. So my husband and I usually ended up taking out breakfast back to the room to eat.
Despite the little irritating quirks during our stay, we had a great time and pros definitely outweighed the cons. The location was in walking distance to everything, property staff was always cleaning something, the fitness center was well equipped (cardio equipment, free weights, and ab balls), and there was a huge area downstairs to help guests plan activities. Also, there were several places to eat quick on the bottom level- Subway, Cold Stone Creamery, and Wolfgang Puck Express.
My last words of advice- don’t go to the shopette on the lower level of the hotel property. It is very expensive. The ABC Store around the corner to the left sells the same things and is much more reasonable.
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