Pros – Beautiful rooms, wonderful view from our floor (11). Service for everything was great, except that everything came with a price and a tip. The shark, fish and ray pool was nice and they even had an interactive session for $30. Beach access was great to the private calm lagoon. Plenty of chairs and was never very busy. Cabana rentals were available for $35/day, but we just opted for an umbrella and chairs. The restaurants served great food, but the prices were a bit high. The prime rib was AMAZING!! Room service was VERY fast, but again kind of pricey. Complimentary snorkel/fin, kayak and hammock boat rental for 1 hour a day was nice.

Cons - Everything costs extra. You'd think for spending over $500/night you'd get to park your car or access the internet for free. Parking is $30/day for both self parking and valet. Internet is an additional $13/day. $100/day extra for an ocean view room. Tips are somewhat expected for everything. We took advantage of the complimentary hammock boat rental and when I signed the form for the rental the staff made sure they pointed out the “gratuity” line on the form for their help in renting the equipment. Noise from the pool late at night might be a bit much for some, but eliminating it was as simple as closing your sliding doors. The spa is very expensive and didn’t seem worth it. Tennis is available, but again for another price. The pool is small, but I don’t think anyone booked the hotel for the pool. The bar at the pool is a nice touch, but drinks are SOOO expensive. An 8 oz pina colada (or any of their other mixed drinks) is $12.50, plus once again the bar/wait staff expects to be tipped.

Overall – I don’t think we’d stay here again, despite the good service and good food. The price, tip expectations and nickle and diming that takes place was way too much for us.

I'll get to the point. It was my honeymoon. I called several months in advance to find out if they could guarantee me a deluxe ocean view room overlooking the pool. I wanted that view because I've stayed at the Ihilani twice before, and found out that rooms that face north west get exposed to a spot next to the hotel that often has parties during the day and sometimes late at night, playing loud music. I called the hotel directly and they said they could guarantee the deluxe ocean view I wanted if made in advance.

So when I had my dates ready I called reservations and specifically told them the view I wanted. I told them it was my honeymoon and that I knew that there was loud music on the north west side of the hotel. They said they could do it and got even more specific by asking what floor I wanted. I told them the 7th would be fine. I called the hotel directly again about a week later to verify the reservation (though in fairness I don't recall if I again mentioned the specific view I wanted). This was done 3-4 months in advance of my trip. For $417 a night I wanted the same spectacular view I had had in the past. I could step onto the balcony and see the 4 lagoons south of the hotel, and the room was private. Nobody could see into my room from another balcony so I could lay on the bed in my underwear with the windows open getting that awesome ocean breeze.

When I got to my room, and realized it was not overlooking the pool, but instead faced north west, I called the front desk. They told me there were no deluxe ocean view rooms available overlooking the pool with a king bed....only twin beds. Plus, when I told them about my reservation they said there was nothing in the notes of my reservation indicating the view I wanted. So then I called the same number that was on the email from my reservation, and had them look up my reservation. They said there was no mention of my request overlooking pool, and then said that if I had requested the reservation specialist to 'put my request in the notes' then they would have. I said how am I supposed to know that I have to specifically tell them to put my request in the notes. The woman just said that some reservation specialists will just do it on their own, but some won't unless you ask them to. LAME!!!

So for two nights I heard drumming and singing, one until 10pm. And during the day their was a party. Plus the guy next door came out on his balcony and turned around and looked right into our room where my wife and I were laying.

The food at the hotel was excellent. The room was very nice except for the location. The phone system didn't work correctly, so even after I retrieved a phone message, it kept blinking that I had a message. I called the front desk twice and they deleted the message, but it kept blinking so I just left it. The mini fridge was empty and barely cool which made me feel like they were trying to do things on the cheap. The other times I stayed there, it was stocked with drinks and candy bars, etc.

The pool was great. The staff well trained and friendly, especially the concierges.

bottom line: when I go to paradise and pay $417 + 30 (room tax) + 20 (G.E. tax) + 19 (parking tax) = $486 a day, I expect more. I'll try another place next time.

We traveled to the Ihiani with our two teenage children aged 16 years (boy) and 13 years (girl). We all agreed that this is absolutely the very best vacation we have ever had. The staff at the hotel was wonderful and very accommodating. Our room (deluxe ocean view) was very spacious, clean and up to date. The views were gorgeous.The lagoons were calm and easy to swim in. We were able to snorkel and kayak with the rental equipment from the hotel at the beach. The restaurants, though on the pricey side were very good. The hotel is located on a more isolated part of Oahu, so we rented a car and made our way to tourists spots around the island very easily. It took hardly anytime to understand the lay of the land and we were able to make our way around the island quite easily. There is a nice luau in walking distance from the hotel. We were also able to catch a whale watching boat within walking distance from the hotel. Pearl Harbor was a 15-20 minute drive in non traffic time. If you like chain restaurants, cheesy souvenir shops, crowds and the like...stay in downtown Waikiki. If you like peace, serenity, gorgeous views,a toned down crowd and an unspoiled atmosphere, stay at the Ihilani. We have been many places, and on cruises ..etc. Nothing compared to our stay here. We definitely will be back.

I recently stayed for two nights at the lovely Ihilani resort. It was a nice surprise! This is a solid four-star property in a truly great, quiet location. Good-size rooms, spectacular bathrooms, nice views, and decent service. The lagoons are great for kids and adults.

Some complain about the remote location of this hotel, but for me, that is the charm. This is not a typical Oahu hotel. There are lots of things to keep you occoupied, but they are of the more solitary variety. Walking/jogging paths, secluded beaches, nice golf course. I imagine that during holidays and/or the high season there are lots of screaming kids. But during mid-week, low-season, it was heaven. The breakfast buffet was included with our ocena view room rate, and it was very good with lots of variety. We ate at Azul, the on-site Italian place, one night, and Roy's just across the street the other night. Both were very good.

The pool is a low point. Small, with loud music playing around the bar/pool area. But with the beach and lagoon areas, who wants to be by the pool anyway?

We definitely plan to return and take the kids. This is a really good place for a break from Waikiki.