Park Shore Waikiki Rating: 3.0 Pearls

Waikiki, Honolulu, Oahu

Entrance to the open-air lobby

After renovations in 2012 (which introduced stylish decor and flat-screen TVs), the Park Shore is considered one of Waikiki's best values. The hotel's best feature -- its location on Waikiki's eastern edge, facing the beach with prime views of both the ocean and Diamond Head -- is a significant advantage over similarly-priced hotels in Waikiki.

The open-air lobby, renovated in 2013, of the 18-story, 226-room high-rise is a nice spot for surfing the free Wi-Fi and relaxing in between trips to the beach. Hawaiian music plays softly, while tropical leaf fans whir overhead; a mix of elderly couples, twentysomethings, and little kids chill out here at various points throughout the day.

The building's ground floor also includes a Starbucks, an ABC convenience store, and the Japanese restaurant Yoshitsune (not affiliated with the hotel). Stairs at the back of the lobby lead to another hallway and the beachfront restaurant Lulu's, which is a popular local hangout.

View on a Larger Map

The hotel is the last building along the eastern end of the Waikiki strip, on the corner of Kalakaua and Kapahulu Avenues facing Kuhio Beach. The Honolulu Zoo and Kapiolani Park are across Kapahulu. With no buildings in the way, the Park Shore has stunning views of Diamond Head crater.

The central section of Kalakaua Avenue is a 10- to 15-minute walk away. Kalakaua, a touristy, milelong stretch of shops, restaurants, and high-rise hotels that runs along Waikiki Beach on Oahu's southeast coast, offers a curious blend of mainland creature comforts and local flavor. On the sidewalks, Japanese tourists intermingle with tanned locals, surfboards under their arms, on their way to the beach to catch a few waves after work. On both sides of the street, high-end retailers -- Tiffany, Cartier, and yes, even an Apple store -- are interspersed with indoor malls and streetside vendors hawking cheap seashell jewelry and T-shirts. Seemingly every midmarket chain restaurant can be found here -- Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, Tony Roma's -- along with more than a handful of Starbucks and fast-food joints. And towering above it all: 40-story, thousand-room hotels dotting the landscape like pins in a cushion.

• Across the street from the Kuhio section of Waikiki Beach
• Wide variety of shopping, dining, and drinking within a 10- to 15-minute walk on Kalakaua
• Kapiolani Park, an oasis of (relative) calm for people-watching and local flavor, is next door
• Honolulu Zoo is next door.
• Two ABC convenience stores within a block
• Starbucks on ground floor
• Cheap and easy to get around Waikiki via "The Bus"
• Honolulu International Airport is a 20- to 25-minute cab ride

A Queen Standard room

The Park Shore offers six room types across its 226 rooms, all of which have received new carpets, fresh paint, custom-designed bedding, new furniture with more drawer space, and a 42-inch flat-screen TV as part of the 2013 renovations. All rooms have free Wi-Fi.

View of "the wall" on the Kuhio section of Waikiki

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 Park Shore Waikiki is located across the street from the Kuhio section, known to some as "the wall," for the 50-yard concrete pier that juts out from the sand at the corner of Kapahulu Avenue. (The kids who jump off the pier are known affectionately as "wall rats.")

Kuhio Beach is broader and far less crowded than its more famous neighbor to the northwest, Queen's Beach. The water is shallow and warm, and because the wall creates an artificial cove of sorts, it's also calm, making Kuhio the best place for kids to swim, according to the lifeguards there. On the other hand, the ocean bottom is a bit rocky, so tread gingerly.

• Public beach
• Ocean bottom is rocky, unlike neighboring Queen's Beach
• 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
• Water sports equipment, like surfboards and boogie boards, available for rental at Star Beach Boys stands
• Respected Hans Hedemann Surf School is near the wall, where Kapahulu Avenue meets the sand

A view from the common balcony

There just aren't many on-site features to recommend this dated high-rise -- sister hotel Aqua Bamboo has a much nicer pool, and Aqua Palms has a small spa and fitness room. But then again, neither of those is a stone's throw from the beach.

• The small, kidney-shaped pool on the third floor has just enough height to have fantastic views of both Diamond Head and the beach, and the plastic lounge chairs we saw during our visit have been replaced with newer, nicer pool furniture.
• Free Wi-Fi throughout, and computers available in the lobby
• Discount on lessons at the Hans Hedemann Surf School, to the immediate left of the hotel
• Valet parking is pricey

The pool

With not particularly large rooms and no dedicated kids program, the Park Shore is not that great for families, though some may like the proximity to a calm beach, the nearby zoo, and Kapiolani Park.

• Connecting rooms are available; families should book larger Ocean Front rooms or suites for more space.
• As is standard in Waikiki, cribs are free and rollaways come with a charge ($30), though they're free in rooms that don't have two double beds.
• Decent, though nothing special, pool, and proximity to kid-friendly Kuhio section of Waikiki Beach
• On-site restaurant Lulu's has a kids' menu; other kid-friendly options like Teddy's Bigger Burgers, McDonald's, and Subway are about a minute away.

Fresh fruit and coconut bowl at Lulu's

Two independent local restaurants -- Lulu's Surf Club and the Japanese Yoshitsune -- are connected to the hotel, though only Lulu's gives guests charging privileges.

• 2nd-floor Lulu's fronts the ocean and is known for fantastic breakfasts; serves casual American fare until 2 a.m.; its bar features nightly live music and lots of local brews
• Yoshitsune is spread across two windowless rooms at the back of the lobby; menu is pricey.
• On-site Starbucks
• Teddy's Bigger Burgers, next door on Kapahulu, is considered one of Waikiki's top burger places.