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Deluxe Ocean View Room
King bed or 2 Doubles.
A Balcony / Patio and an Ocean View view.
Standard Hotel Room
120 sq. ft with 2 Twins or One Double beds.
A Partial City view view.
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Oyster Review Summary
Photos and review by Kate M., Oyster Expert Hotel Investigator.
Updated: May 4, 2010
Pros
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Cons
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Bottom Line
An ultra-budget option two blocks from the beach on the quiet eastern edge of Waikiki. Some rooms offer superb views, but they're all old and musty. The lobby and on-site restaurant, meanwhile, feel eerily empty much of the time. Try livelier, similarly priced Aqua hotels like the Park Shore or Waikiki Pearl instead.
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Queen Kapiolani Hotel - Oahu, Hawaii
Queen Kapiolani Hotel - Oahu, Hawaii
Rooms at Queen Kapiolani Hotel
Best Price Guarantee
Learn More »
Learn More »
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Deluxe Ocean View Room
King bed or 2 Doubles. A Balcony / Patio and an Ocean View view. |
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Standard Hotel Room
120 sq. ft with 2 Twins or One Double beds. A Partial City view view. |
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Deluxe Room, City View
King bed or 2 Doubles. A Balcony / Patio and a City View view. |
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Deluxe Room - Diamond head View
King bed or 2 Doubles. A Balcony / Patio and a Diamond Head view. |
Oyster Hotel Review
Contents
Scene
Faded and musty, populated by guests looking to save money without compromising on location
The large lobby
Initial thoughts upon entering the Queen Kapiolani: This is the nursing home that time forgot. Many large tropical hotels -- even of the budget variety -- feature open-air lobbies, marble floors, and ceiling fans whirring languidly overhead. This place is choked for air: The lobby's coral walls, seafoam-green carpet, and stained ceilings have seen better days, and the lack of natural light is only exacerbated by the dim brass chandeliers. The overall look might be described as faded grandeur -- though I'm not sure this place was ever grand, even when it opened in 1969.
The Queen Kapiolani consists of 315 rooms and suites spanning 19 floors. The more attractive entrance is on Kapahulu Avenue, directly across from the Honolulu Zoo (a not-so-delightful side effect of this hotel's location: rare bird screeches penetrate into the rooms at odd hours). The vehicular entrance and front desk are off narrow Lemon Street, surrounded by dingy hostels and apartment buildings.
Guests range from Hawaiian families to European couples to twentysomething groups and backpackers. I bonded with a few in the elevator over how queasy we got each time it lurched to a halt.
I paid $80 for a room that was large and had a spectacular view. But it was so musty that it made even breathing unpleasant, and I didn't want to sit on the rusty and threadbare furniture. For around the same price, I got a nicer room, better location, cheaper Internet service, and a much more vibrant atmosphere a block away at the Park Shore Waikiki.
Service
Service is what you'd expect at an ultra-budget hotel: minimal. But the small staff is pleasant and cheerful (this is Hawaii, after all).
Staff members are few and far between at the Queen Kapiolani -- this is definitely a do-it-yourself kind of place -- though everyone I did encounter was friendly and helpful. No bellhops were in sight when I arrived (though I did see them assisting guests on my way out). And when I asked about Wi-Fi service, a clerk just handed me an instruction sheet rather than explain the procedure. The hotel did impress in one respect, though: Housekeeping delivered a stack of fresh towels in under two minutes.
- No room service.
- No concierge (but a separate tour desk)
- No drink service at pool (just a vending machine)
Location
On the quiet eastern edge of Waikiki and a long block from the beach. The zoo is across the street, and hostels are next door.
On the eastern edge of Waikiki, and specifically on Kapahulu Avenue, a block (and about a two-minute walk) from the Kuhio section of Waikiki Beach. With Kapiolani Park across the street and no high-rise neighbors, the hotel has fantastic views of Diamond Head. Cheap hostels and apartment buildings neighbor the hotel.
A long block up Kapahulu is Kalakaua Avenue, a touristy, milelong stretch of shops, restaurants, and high-rise hotels that runs along Waikiki Beach. It 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 mid-market chain restaurant can be found here -- Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, P.F. Chang'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.
- Wide variety of shopping, dining, and drinking all within walking distance
- Honolulu Zoo is right across the street. Rare birds at the zoo can be surprisingly vocal; their calls were easily heard in my 18th-floor room, even with the windows closed.
- 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
A two-minute stroll to one of the world's most famous beaches; Kuhio Beach, aka "the wall," is the closest subsection.
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 Queen Kapiolani is one block 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; 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 the Star Beach Boys stands
- Respected Hans Hedemann Surf School is a block away at the corner of Kapahulu and Kalakaua.
Rooms
Stale, stained, and scratchy; some have fantastic views.
Standard rooms measure just 216 square feet.
Rooms are more "tropical" than the public spaces, but just as worn and stale. The walls have peeling wallpaper; the cheap-looking furniture is a mix of plastic and bamboo; carpets smell so musty I was reluctant to walk barefoot on them; scratchy white sheets are a nylon-cotton-poly blend; and though the view from my room was lovely, filthy windows and rusty balcony chairs made them hard to enjoy.
- Tiny standard rooms average 216 square feet and don't have balconies.
- My 300-square-foot Diamond Head View Room featured a pullout sofa, a balcony, and an undeniably stunning view of Oahu's famous crater.
- 21-inch tube TV with basic cable and pay-per-view movies.
- Small coffeemaker -- coffee is $2 per packet -- and an empty mini-fridge
- Rusty safe costs $3 a day.
- In-room Wi-Fi costs $10.95 a day or $24.95 a week.
- Bathrooms are small and purely functional; my sink had rust.
- Mismatched lotion, bar soap, and conditioning shampoo
Features
A small pool plus sporting-goods rentals; Wi-Fi is $9.95 a day.
The hotel's small pool has great views.
The small swimming pool is on the 3rd floor and offers fantastic views of Diamond Head and the ocean. The tiled pool deck is quite spacious with plenty of lounge chairs, but has little landscaping and is a few feet from a massive power line. The hotel's restaurant, Garden Lanai, is just around the corner, and there's also a Pepsi machine on the pool deck for some quick refreshment.
- Lobby includes a tour office, and souvenir and sports shops.
- Sports shop rents tennis rackets, surfboards (at $15 per day, a good deal), and golf clubs.
- Self-park garage has limited spots for $15 a day.
- Large function space can hold up to 650 people.
- Wi-Fi costs $9.95 a day or $24.95 a week.
- The lobby also has a few computers that cost 20 cents per minute and 75 cents per printed page.
- There is a guest laundry room in the basement; $1.50 per washer, dryer load; detergent packets also cost $1.50.
Family
Low rates, proximity to the beach, and rooms with sleeper sofas
A reasonable but distinctly low-end family option: Rooms are spacious and cheap and the hotel is just a block from the beach and across the street from the Honolulu Zoo. For some families, however, those virtues won't outweigh worn and musty rooms.
- Cribs are available free of charge.
- Suites include kitchenettes and sleeper sofas; all rooms have mini-fridges.
- The lobby shop sells beach toys, and guests can rent boogie boards for $10 a day.
- The affordable restaurant serves kid-friendly grub like burgers, sandwiches, pasta, and French fries.
- On the down side, the pool is quite small, there's no lifeguard on duty, and the pool deck is dirty.
Cleanliness
Housekeeping does its best, but the building and rooms are in desperate need of an update.
Stained carpets and furniture are a major problem.
The housekeeping staff is friendly and attentive, and it's not like there's trash on the floors and overflowing garbage cans everywhere, but this place is old and worn-out. Windows are grimy; furniture is rusty and beat up; wallpaper is peeling; and the carpets smell and feel musty.
Food
The on-site restaurant's menu is affordable and varied, if unexciting.
Breakfast is hearty, tasty, and reasonably priced.
The on-site Garden Lanai restaurant, which serves hearty, tasty, and reasonably priced American fare, probably looks exactly as it did when the hotel opened back in 1969. With faux wood tables and candlelight, the semi-open-air setting is charming and quaint at dinnertime.
- Basic American food like burgers, steak, sandwiches, and pasta, plus a few Hawaiian-inflected dishes like mahi-mahi and chicken katsu.
- Prices are reasonable: A $10.95 dinner includes salad, rolls, and a main course.
- Many restaurants within blocks on Kalakaua and Kuhio Avenues.
Bottom Line
An ultra-budget option two blocks from the beach on the quiet eastern edge of Waikiki. Some rooms offer superb views, but they're all old and musty. The lobby and on-site restaurant, meanwhile, feel eerily empty much of the time. Try livelier, similarly priced Aqua hotels like the Park Shore or Waikiki Pearl instead.
Hotel Features
| Number of Rooms: | 315 |
| Pool: | Yes |
| Fitness Center: | No |
| Spa: | No |
| Internet Access: | Yes |
| Pets Allowed: | No |
| Cribs: | Yes |
| Kids Club: | No |
| Jacuzzi (in room): | No |
| Casino: | No |
Hotel Information
| Location: | Oahu, Hawaii |
| Toll Free Bookings: | 1-888-776-9783 |
| Address: | 150 Kapahula Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815-4097 (See Map) |
Travel Guide
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Things You Should Know About Queen Kapiolani Hotel
Address
- 150 Kapahula Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815-4097
Hotel Is Also Known As...
- Queen Kapiolani Hotel
- Queen Kapiolani Honolulu
- Hotel Queen Kapiolani
- Queen Kapiolani
- Castle Queen Kapiolani Hotel
Room Types
- Standard Hotel Room
- Deluxe Ocean View Room
- Deluxe Room, City View
- City View Hotel Room
- Deluxe Room - Diamond head View
- Ocean View Hotel Room
- Diamond Head View Studio with Kitchenette
- Ocean View Studio with Kitchenette
- Penthouse City View One Bedroom Suite with Kitchenette
- Penthouse Ocean View One Bedroom Suite with Kitchenette
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