Best Western Coconut Waikiki Hotel — Hotel Review Rating: 3.0 Pearls

Oyster Review Summary

Oyster Hotel Photos

Oyster undercover reporters photographed this hotel. See the hotel exactly the way we did when we stayed there. (View All Photos)

Oyster Hotel Review

Reporter: Jessica F.
Updated: October 5, 2009

 Scene

Don't let the name fool you -- this cute, 81-room chain link offers more than the stale, dowdy convenience of your typical Best Western. The funky, modern, key-lime-pie-colored lobby feels more like something you'd find in South Beach than just outside Waikiki's center. You'd be hard-pressed to find another Best Western franchise with a giant stuffed gorilla loitering by the concierge desk (his name is Bosley).

Like Hotel Renew, the Best Western Coconut (run by local hospitality company Aqua Resorts) is one of an increasing number of newer, more stylish value hotels that have been seducing guests away from the polyester bed coverlets and busy floral carpets so ubiquitous in Waikiki hotels. All rooms (and the entire hotel) were renovated during the summer of 2008 and feature incredibly comfortable beds and 40-inch flat-screen TVs.

There are few features -- just a splash-size, kidney-shaped pool and a bright fitness center -- and the beach is a 10- to 15-minute walk away (similar to many budget hotels). To make up for this, the hotel offers some notable perks -- free, speedy Wi-Fi; free breakfast every morning that includes fresh, make-your-own waffles; Thursday night Wii and cocotini cocktail parties in the lobby; a gas grill on the patio for guests to use.

Given all this, the Best Western can be excellent for couples seeking a low-key getaway that's stylishly on par with Hotel Renew -- though the latter has much smaller standard rooms. It's also comparable in room size and amenities to Aqua's Waikiki Pearl (though the latter has no pool, gym, or concierge and noisier rooms).

 Service

It's not hard to find a smile behind the front desk, though the overall services offered are limited and fairly comparable to other budget properties.

• Porter service
• Dedicated concierge armed with plenty of maps and helpful opinions
• Valet parking ($22 a day)
• Free daily newspaper
• Drycleaning and laundry services available
• No poolside drink service; towels provided at the pool
• No room service

 Location

Tucked among other small boutiques, condominium complexes, and older budget properties, the Best Western is in the lower-profile northern border section of Waikiki, a good 10-minute walk from the beach and Kalakaua Ave, Hawaii's main drag. Situated alongside the Ala Wai Canal on Lewers Street, the immediate area around the Best Western is much quieter and more isolated than hotels on Kuhio Avenue, just a block away. But safety shouldn't be an issue.

• Ala Wai Canal is a great place for a morning run or for watching the canoes during morning practices.
• Nearby Kuhio Avenue offers convenience stores, souvenir shops and Waikiki's only pharmacy.
• Three blocks from Waikiki's main drag, Kalakaua Avenue, a touristy milelong stretch of shops, restaurants, and high-rise hotels
• Four blocks from the outdoor International Marketplace, filled with souvenir stands
• Cheap and easy to get around Waikiki via "The Bus" ($2.25 per person to go any distance)
• Honolulu International Airport is a 20-minute, $35 cab ride.

 Beach

The Best Western is an easy, and colorful, 10-minute walk, or three blocks, from Waikiki Beach.

Loosely speaking, the entire 1.5-mile stretch of sand alongside Kalakaua Avenue is known as Waikiki Beach. In reality, it's more like three separate beaches, the borders of which vary depending on whom you ask. The Best Western is located three blocks from the section called Queen's Beach, which is the part you see on postcards of Waikiki: manicured, palm tree-dotted lawns leading to a sunny white-sand beach. Children splash about in the shallow water near the shore, while surfers and standup paddle-boarders (the rad new thing to do) patrol the outer waters.

To summarize Queen's Beach in one word: packed. Packed with energy, packed with activity, packed -- most significantly -- with people. Towels carpet the sand like blankets at a sold-out concert. Families with small children, honeymooning couples, even locals taking lunch breaks -- they all merge here, sunning, swimming, and sandcastle-building, all the while doing their best not to kick sand in each other's faces.

• Public beach
• Warm, shallow water -- a decent place to swim, especially for kids
• Sandy, not rocky, ocean bottom -- unlike neighboring Fort DeRussy to the west and Kuhio (aka "the wall") to the east.
• Lifeguards monitor the beach throughout the day.
• Free towels, provided by the hotel
• Umbrellas and lounge chairs must be rented from one of the many Star Beach Boys stands; chairs are $5 an hour, $20 a day; for two chairs and an umbrella, it's $10 an hour, $50 a day.
• Water sports equipment, like surfboards and boogie boards, available for rental at Star Beach Boys stands

 Rooms

Rooms exude the same easy-spirited modern feel as the lobby, a kind of Ikea-does-Art-Deco look. Standards rooms are fairly spacious, beds are notably more comfortable than at some other budget hotels, and the location on the Ala Wai Canal means they're often quieter. Rooms are comparable in size to those at the Aqua Waikiki Pearl, though the latter's are a bit noisier.

• Standard rooms are 400 square feet and have either two double beds or one king size -- much larger than both Hotel Renew's 280-square-foot standard or the Courtyard Waikiki's 320-square-foot room.
• Suites are funky, with details like a spacious private sundeck or a sky light above a giant soaking tub.
• Comfortable beds have Simmons Felicity pillow-tops
• Large, 40-inch Samsung flat-screen TVs come with cable -- including HBO -- and pay-per-view rentals (about $14 each)
• Kitchenette area with a microwave, mini-fridge, and coffeemaker (coffee is complimentary); no stovetop
• Clean baths with a full bathtub
• Most rooms have small, furnished balconies
• Free in-room Wi-Fi; free safe

 Features

Everything is sparkling and new at the Best Western, a big step up from most other similarly priced Waikiki hotels. Plus, you get more amenities than usual.

• Small "splash" pool (not big enough for real swimming) with tiled pool deck and lounge chairs
• Bright, updated, though small, fitness center with just a few cardio machines and weights
• Free daily breakfast -- more on this below, in the Food section
• Free business center in lobby with two PCs
• Free Wi-Fi in rooms and lobby
• Free Thursday evening cocotini cocktail reception with appetizers and Nintendo Wii

 Family

For a fairly mellow, budget-minded family with kids who can entertain themselves, the Best Western is not a bad choice given the large rooms, free daily breakfast and inexpensive rates. But the lack of kid-focused activities and the 10-minute hike to the beach are drawbacks.

• Small pool (up to 6 feet deep)
• No organized activities; not much for kids to do on-site
• At least a 10-minute walk to the beach -- or longer, with young children
• Suites include full-size pullout sofa beds.
• Cribs and rollaway beds cost $40 per night (cribs are free at many other hotels).

 Cleanliness

Renovated in 2008, the Best Western still looks new.

 Food

Tons of eateries -- from casual to upscale -- are within walking distance.

• Free breakfast served every day from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m., which includes a make-your-own waffle bar
• Plenty of chain eateries on Kuhio Avenue, a block away
• Upscale and chain eateries are three blocks away on Kalakaua Avenue.
• Each room has a mini-fridge and microwave
• Guests can use the gas grill on the pool deck; grilling utensils available at the front desk
• Convenience stores and supermarkets within two blocks

 Bottom Line

Renovated in 2008, this quiet, 81-room hotel is priced like a budget chain, but styled like a boutique. Its large rooms, great beds, free daily breakfast, and funky style rivals Hotel Renew, though the small pool and 10-minute walk to the beach are drawbacks.