Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki Rating: 3.0 Pearls

Waikiki, Honolulu, Oahu

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The main lobby

In most places, 578 rooms in two 28-story towers would make you a pretty imposing player in the local hospitality industry. In Waikiki, it puts you in the middle and, if you play your cards right, in the thick of the competition. The problem with the Hawaii Prince -- the main problem, anyway -- is that it's nowhere near the thick of things. Worse still, it's not even on the beach -- a problem if you're a hotel in Hawaii. Instead it overlooks the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor, in the northwest corner of Waikiki, across the canal from the closest beach.

You'd think the Prince would do something special to compensate for its unfortunate location. A unique amenity, perhaps, or a catchy design theme. Even a cheesy name-brand restaurant like Jimmy Buffett's at the Ohana Beachcomber might help. But the Prince does none of that. While it has two seafood restaurants, plenty of Asian art, and a bilingual staff, it has no identity; nothing makes it stand out. It gives off an aura of a place whose best days are behind it. The lobby, beautiful though it is, is quiet and often empty. Ditto for the lobby bar, the Promenade Deck, and the pool.

The front desk

Not counting Waikiki's luxury hotels, the Prince provides some of the best service in town. I was greeted with a warm oshibori washcloth upon arrival. A bellman offered to take my bags to the room, something that happens surprisingly rarely in Waikiki. And at the Prince Court restaurant, I was addressed as Mr. W____ at every meal by the cadre of young locals who make up the wait staff.

• Nightly turndown is only on request, which slightly defeats the gallantry of it in the first place.
• Concierge is helpful with local recommendations, but he's only on duty till 4 p.m.
• Room service is available for all three meals, courtesy of the Prince Court restaurant.
• No poolside service

View on a Larger Map

The Prince is nestled in the far northwestern corner of Waikiki, where the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor meets the Ala Wai Canal (the unofficial border of Waikiki). The manager of the hotel claimed the area is known as the "gateway to Waikiki," but you have to hike a bit once you've gone through the proverbial gate to reach the restaurants and shopping centers on Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki's main drag. They're a healthy 15 to 25 minutes away by foot (or a quick $5 to $8 taxi). The nearest beach, in Ala Moana Park, is a five- to 10-minute walk (see Beach, below). Basically, it's as far away from the action as you can get while still remaining in the general vicinity. Unless you have business at the Hawaii Convention Center, staying at the Prince could very well make you feel like you're missing the party. If it's the calmer vibe you want, and less street noise, you might as well stay a "little" closer to things at the comparably priced Doubletree or Outrigger Luana.

• Not much nearby except the yacht harbor (pleasant enough) and the next-door Chart House restaurant.
• Hawaii Convention Center is a five- to 10-minute walk.
• Closer to the monstrous Ala Moana Center mall than any hotel in Waikiki.
• Free shuttle to the main areas in Waikiki; once there, the local bus -- known, appropriately, as "The Bus" -- is $2.25 to go any distance.
• Honolulu International Airport is a 20- to 25-minute, $30 to $35 cab ride.
• Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay, and Diamond Head Crater -- three of the most popular tourist sites outside Waikiki -- can all be reached within 30 minutes by car.

The distance from the beach is probably the biggest drawback of the Prince. Unless you're here for a convention, you're most likely coming to Hawaii to spend some time on the beach. The Prince doesn't have one. Your best bet is to walk along the yacht harbor for 10 minutes till you hit the manmade lagoon at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. It's a nice little spot with tons of activities, especially for kids, but for a "real" beach, you'll need to walk five minutes further, to Fort DeRussy Beach. It's not as picturesque as its famous neighbor to the southeast, Queen's Beach, but it's far less crowded. The water is shallow, warm, and calm, making Fort DeRussy a decent place to swim, especially for kids. But the ocean bottom is a bit rocky, so tread gingerly. Lifeguards monitor the beach throughout the day.

For a more sedate beach experience, walk northwest on Ala Moana Boulevard, across the canal, to Ala Moana Beach Park. There you'll find decent sand, calm water, and more locals. There are no concession stands, though, so bring your own food, drinks, and equipment.

• Both beaches are public.
• Free towels provided by the hotel
• At Fort DeRussy, 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.

The Standard Room

Take a standard guest room at a large chain hotel like a Marriott or Hilton, subtract the modern technology, bright colors, and balconies, and that's what you have with the rooms at the Prince. In other words, they do the job. They're spacious (standard rooms are about 425 square feet) and well-appointed with a bench, desk, and multiple stuffed chairs, and feature decent views of the yacht harbor and ocean beyond. But that's about it. You can find equally spacious, far more modern rooms at many other hotels, including the Ilikai right next door. A very soft renovation to the Prince was completed in late 2011, but plans for a major renovation have not yet been finalized.

• Furniture is old, stained, and dinged up, and the decor both bland and outdated; artwork looks faded.
• The nightstands feature '70s-style built-in AM/FM radios with knob tuners. Very retro.
• The Hitachi tube TVs are small (20 inches) and only show about 20 English-speaking channels.
• Wired Internet (there's no Wi-Fi) costs $13 a day.
• Beds, like most in Waikiki, have cheap coverlets rather than duvets; the Simmons Beautyrest 350 Chadfield Luxury mattress is a bit firm (and certainly not "Luxury"); the 200-thread-count sheets (a 55% cotton/45% poly blend) feel scratchy
• Bathrooms are a highlight: separate showers and tubs, light-up vanity mirrors, light-knit, waffle-comb bathrobes, free slippers, typical hotel-brand toiletries, but shower water pressure is weak.

The pool

The array of amenities is, along with the service, the best reason to stay at the Prince. But taken individually, none of them stands out. The best feature of all might very well be the $50-per-day resort credit, which, since it can be used even on food, essentially knocks $50 off the room rate. According to the manager, the Prince will be handing them out until at least October, and possibly through the winter. In this economy, the smart $50 is on the latter.

The other unique feature is the golf course. Sort of. The Prince claims to be the only hotel in Waikiki with its own golf course. The truth is that the Prince has laid claim to the 27-hole course 20 miles away in Hawaii Ewa much the way the U.S. laid claim to Hawaii: by saying it's theirs. It's actually 35 minutes away, but to validate its claim on the course, the Prince offers free shuttle transportation and discounted rates. Go nuts. Or just drive five minutes to the public Ala Wai Golf Course and tee it up there.

• Nice pool, but nothing special: the Promenade Deck boasts picturesque, yacht harbor views at sunset and the coolest aspect is its distinctive shape -- sort of a keyhole with a tumor or a one-armed angel.
• Jacuzzi looks a little sad: jets turned off, not enough water, faded tiles, and grout corroded by mildew.
• The fitness room is two rooms -- two converted guest rooms, to be precise -- and small; equipment is pretty modern, though, especially compared to the technology on the rest of the property (see Rooms).
• The business center is just four computers against the wall in the 2nd-floor lobby; Internet costs $.20 a minute (there's no Wi-Fi); in-room wired Internet is $13 a day.
• The Yamano Dayspa & Beauty Salon is, like most hotel spas in Hawaii, independently owned and operated; Prince guests get discounted treatments. For a complete list of treatments and prices, click here.
• Free shuttle/discounted rates to Arnold Palmer/Ed Seay-designed golf course

The buffet is half price for kids

Unless you have a reason to be in this part of Waikiki, you're better off at one of these more family-friendly options, several of which are even cheaper than the Prince and have dedicated kids' programs. There's not much focus on kids here.

• No child-centered amenities or programs
• Free cribs (as is common in Waikiki); rollaways cost $40 per night; either make the standard room feel tight.
• Restaurants don't have children's menus, but buffets are half price for kids ages six to 10.
• Nice pool, but nothing special

The Jacuzzi

The Prince's last renovation was in 2005, and that was only a partial update (some furniture and technology, etc.). The hotelunderwent a soft renovation in late 2011, but no major renovations have been planned so far. Although there were no disturbing cleanliness issues, this is a case of a hotel past its prime and slightly understaffed. It sorely needs a renovation.

• Tiling on the Jacuzzi sported serious mildew.
• Soiled furniture needs to be replaced -- check out this stain.
• My room was quite rough around the edges -- literally -- and smelled of smoke despite the nonsmoking policy.
• Stray towels by the pool

Dinner at Prince Court

I hope you like seafood. The Prince offers both a sushi place and a seafood buffet. Other than that, there's not a whole lot more here or in the nearby vicinity.

• Prince Court is primarily a buffet -- in theory you could buffet your way through the day given the breakfast and lunch spreads -- but there's also an la carte lunch menu and three prix fixe dinner options. Either way it's expensive here: buffets are $40 to $45, half that for children ages six to10; prix fixe starts at $37.
• Hakone serves Japanese cuisine (the Prince knows who butters its lobster tails), and it's just as pricey as the Court -- $45 for the sushi buffet.
• The only budget option on-site is the snack bar in the lobby.
• You get more for your money if you head off campus, though there's not much nearby: next door is the Chart House restaurant; nearby are a few chains (Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster, IHOP).
• It's a 10- to 15-minute walk (or a $5 cab) into the heart of Waikiki for many more options.