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Aqua Aloha Surf: Traveler Reviews

Call now to book: 1-800-454-6835 from hotels.com
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating:
  • A summary score based on quality, quantity and age of traveler ratings.
4 of 5 stars 205 reviews
205 Reviews
5.0 of 5 stars
66
4.0 of 5 stars
74
3.0 of 5 stars
29
2.0 of 5 stars
23
1.0 of 5 stars
13
TripAdvisor Popularity Index:
  • Measures overall traveler satisfaction based on ratings, reviews and other sources.
#27 of 86 hotels in Honolulu
Show Hotel DetailsHide Hotel Details
  • Hotel class: 2 of 5
  • Rooms: 202
Description: Family-style 15-story Hotel located 2-1/2 blocks from beach & 11 miles from airport. This description is based on information provided by the hotel.
Address:
444 Kanekapolei Street
Honolulu, Oahu, HI 96815
Check Rates: $158 Avg. Price
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TripAdvisor Traveler Reviews

Reviews of Aqua Aloha Surf

( 18-22 of 205 )
“Friendly staff and convenient location, but cleanliness is questionable”

Aqua Aloha Surf

2 of 5 stars
Durham, NC
May 10, 2008

We stayed at the Aqua Aloha Surf for 3 nights 4/28-5/30. The lobby is very welcoming and so was the front desk attendant. Providing two bottled waters was a nice treat. As people had forewarned, the parking garage was tiny and when we arrived, there were two spaces that had been reserved by phone, but unclaimed. He told me to check back in 30 minutes and if they were still unclaimed, he would give me a permit. He was nice enough to call the room 15 minutes later and inform me that I could have one of the spaces. If we didn't have a reserved space, I could see that parking would be very inconvenient and feel a little unsafe since the external parking is dark.

The room itself is indeed tiny. We had reserved superior city view through expedia so it wasn't the smallest room, but I'd still say that it was definitely smaller than most hotel rooms that I've stayed in. The bathroom clearly needed renovations as it seemed like an old residential bathroom. It needed caulking and had rusty drain fixtures. I'd equate it to a dorm bathroom. It was also very cramped - there was a sliding bathroom door separating the toilet from the sink and the toilet paper was attached to the door. There was also a small "closet" that was separated by a curtain rather than a door. You could clearly hear outdoor noise alhough my husband is a sound sleeper and it didn't bother him. The walls are thin, however. When we were there, they had people from the junior USTA tennis league staying there and we heard them talking and laughing pretty late into the night. The only other complaint I have is that when I woke up to get a drink from the mini fridge, I saw a roach crawling along the wall directly adjacent to my son's pack n play. That was not comforting since I wondered the rest of the time if it would crawl into his bed or our suitcases. I also didn't feel comfortable walking on the carpet without shoes on.

All-in-all, I'd say it was an okay place to stay, minus the roach. I'm surprised that it is ranked as #21 in popularity though by others(I'd rank it much lower and would consider it 2 stars). Here's a summary of the pros and cons.

Positives: Staff are nice, free continental breakfast (though we ended up going to Keoni's after the first day as another reviewer had recommended -- EXCELLENT place for breakfast and much more satisfying!!), reasonable price, mini fridge and microwave are nice to have, very convenient to full grocery store and restaurants and shops, friendly front desk staff, free internet (they even loaned us a new cable at no charge when we forgot ours)

Negatives: Not convenient walk to the beach when you have a child and are carrying things with you, bathroom needs updating, cramped quarters, bugs/cleanliness

Also a note - while the front desk staff are nice, don't bother asking for advice from the Expedia Local Expert in the lobby. I purchased a Honolulu Power Pass from Expedia and thought it would be convenient to run some questions and gain insight from the Expedia local expert. Boy was I wrong, she was unfriendly and I'd say rude. I presented her with the list of activities included on the pass and she wasn't familiar with half of them and pretty much said she coudldn't help me because she didn't know what I was interested in. It was a complete waste of time and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I went back to her a second time to ask another question and she was again, useless. Don't expect a friendly person who knows much about what to see and do in the area.

  • This TripAdvisor Member:
    • Liked — Convenient location
    • Disliked — Uncleanliness
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
nctarheel06's Summary
Date of Stay: April 2008
Traveled with: Family with young children
Visit was for: Quality time with family
Age group: 25-34
Member since: March 08, 2005
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 4 of 5 stars Business service
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
probably not
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, Families with teenagers
I do not recommend this hotel for:
An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Families with young children
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Shopping
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Management Response
alohasurfWaikiki, Hotel Manager
(Management representative)
May 15, 2008
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about your recent stay! I am happy to hear that you thought our staff were friendly and nice, but I am disappointed that you did not feel the same way about the Expedia Local Expert staff. The Expedia desk is meant to assist our guests with their activity needs during their stay and the local experts are not employed directly by the hotel. I will definately look further into this and inform the appropriate person regarding this matter.

I also apologize that you witnessed a "roach" in your room. Unfortunately, being that Hawaii is a tropical destination, it is a challenge for us and most hotels in these climates to keep these types of bugs away. However, the hotel is on a progressive pest control program where the hotel is serviced once a month to prevent and eliminate bugs and insects. We take pride in providing our guests with clean and fresh accommodations, so I am interested in finding out more details about your cleanliness issues.

I am sorry that the the size of the superior room did not suit your needs and you felt "cramped." There are five different room categories in the hotel and the superior room is not the smallest, but there are three different room categories above the superior room that are larger and can accommodate more people. The superior room category is only meant to accommodate two people. If we have the availability, we will always offer the opportunity for a guest to upgrade or move to a more suitable room. If there is anything we can do to assist you in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us directly!

Mahalo,
Courtnay Koski
Hotel Manager
ckoski@aquaresorts.com
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Check Rates
Average price*: $158 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-454-6835 from hotels.com
“Great Value, Comfortable Accomodations”

Aqua Aloha Surf

May 4, 2008

It was clean and comfortable. The staff was VERY accomodating and helpful. The only downside is that the bed was uncomfortable (way too soft) and the continental breakfast was minimal. I would highly recommend this hotel. Good location, great value. Parking was a problem. They do not have enough parking for all the guests, so the first night we had to find alternative parking nearby.

  • This TripAdvisor Member:
    • Liked — Low cost accomodations and friendly service
    • Disliked — Parking, breakfast and the soft bed
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
thetraveller123's Summary
Date of Stay: April 2008
Traveled with: Spouse / significant other
Visit was for: Romantic getaway
Age group: 50-64
Member since: May 04, 2008
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 2 of 5 stars Business service
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Families with young children
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Beach / Sun, Museums / Cultural / Historical sites, Theme / Amusement park, Outdoor / Adventure, Great food / Wine, Shopping, Sporting event
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $158 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-454-6835 from hotels.com
“Above and Beyond The Call Of Duty”

Aqua Aloha Surf

Apr 19, 2008
3/4 found this review helpful

We had 4 nights at the Aloha Surf and had been impressed with the standard of accommodation and level of customer service BUT it was on the last night that we were completely blown away and humbled by a wonderful example of 'human spirit' and kindness from the front desk staff that night. We had returned from a day tour to the north shore. While swimming at Waimea beach we had our back pack stolen, and with it all of our cash, credit cards, phones, watches, sun glasses, camera and clothes.
We asked the front desk staff to book us the cheapest shuttle to the airport for the following morning as we were flying back to Australia the next day. We explained what had happend to us which was why we needed to book the cheapest shuttle possible.
While we were waiting one of the staff took me aside and put some money into my hand. The staff had given us money from their own pocket to help us out. I explained that we had enough money on us to get to the airport and some food but he insisted we take it and they wouldn't take no for an answer. We were deeply moved by their generous and kind act. The fact that these people were prepared to help out complete strangers, really restored our faith in the human spirit. We thank them very much and we fully recommend a stay at the Aloha Surf.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
KiwiAusMelbourne's Summary
Date of Stay: April 2008
Member since: April 19, 2008
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $158 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-454-6835 from hotels.com
“A great value - but with a catch”

Aqua Aloha Surf

3 of 5 stars
San Antonio, Texas
Apr 15, 2008
2/2 found this review helpful

This hotel is not perfect but it is a great value – even offers real discounts for military, AAA, AARP, etc. The pictures do not do it justice and the décor of the entire hotel – lobby to sleeping rooms are definitely above average. Rooms have a safe, fridge, microwave, coffee maker and free internet connection. You definitely want to get a deluxe room with the bed/couch combination. The rooms are much larger, have a great bathroom layout, and a balcony - perfect for a couple. The location was within walking distance of basically everything and the beach was only 3 very short blocks away. The service was very good for the most part, but the front desk has a bad apple or two. Speak to the Asian lady - she is sweet and really goes out of her way to help you. Okay the bad: This hotel has very poor noise insulation thanks to louvered windows. The garbage truck will surely wake you up every morning. It shows up between 6:30am – 7:15am and makes an incredibly loud racket that will rudely awake you. I found it to be a common topic of conversation between guests in the lobby, breakfast area and elevators. The hotel parking lot only has about 15 - 20 spaces. I had to park at a sister Aqua property about 2 blocks away. Not that big a deal because the blocks are super short, but I was still charged the regular rate of $18 a night? Finally at night the last block just before the hotel is a little dark, it made my girlfriend a little uncomfortable. Just know going in that you can’t get a bargain without sacrificing some pleasantries. If you stay here – bring the ear plugs and hope for parking availability.

  • This TripAdvisor Member:
    • Liked — Cheap rates
    • Disliked — Noise from the garbage trucks
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
john_travel21's Summary
Date of Stay: April 2008
Traveled with: Spouse / significant other
Visit was for: Personal event (wedding, ...)
Age group: 25-34
Member since: October 14, 2007
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 3 of 5 stars Business service
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
most likely
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, Families with teenagers
I do not recommend this hotel for:
An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Older travelers, Great pool scene
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Beach / Sun, Outdoor / Adventure
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $158 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-454-6835 from hotels.com
“Great hospitality!”

Aqua Aloha Surf

5 of 5 stars
Port Townsend, WA
Apr 15, 2008
2/3 found this review helpful

We have just returned from Waikiki Beach where we stayed at the Aloha Surf. We want to thank the staff for their hospitality while we were there. My daughter and I went there for spring break and the day after we arrived we were notified that our airline had gone bankrupt and we did not have a flight home. To make a long story short, the Aloha Surf posted a notice that they would provide 3 extra days complimentary to those travelers that had been affected by the airline closures. It took us several days to find flights home and we needed the 3 extra days as we could not get out when originally planned. This hotel went over and above to make our stay pleasant and we met other travelers that came to the Aloha Surf from other hotels that were not so hospitable.
Thank you for what you did for us...we appreciate it very much. It made an unpleasant time much more enjoyable. We would definitely stay again.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
redskinmom's Summary
Date of Stay: April 2008
Member since: October 31, 2007
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $158 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-454-6835 from hotels.com

Reviews of Aqua Aloha Surf

( 18-22 of 205 )
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Aqua Aloha Surf Address

444 Kanekapolei Street, Honolulu, Oahu, HI 96815