Best Value Hotels in Honolulu

Renovated in 2016, this quiet 81-room hotel is priced like a budget chain, but styled like a boutique, with funky and modern decor. Rooms exude the same easy-spirited modern feel as the lobby, a kind of Ikea-does-Art-Deco look. Standards rooms are fairly spacious (400 square feet), beds are notably more comfortable than at some other budget hotels, and the location on the Ala Wai Canal means they're often quieter. Flat-screen TVs, coffeemakers, mini-fridges and safes are included in each room. 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, such as free breakfast, free Wi-Fi, free popcorn throughout the day, and free beach towels, beach chairs, and umbrellas.

Located a five-minute walk from Waikiki Beach, the 125-room Vive Hotel Waikiki is a mid-range chain with a friendly staff and large, open lobby -- home to a daily breakfast buffet with fruit, pastries, and coffee. Modern and minimal rooms (some with ocean views) start on the seventh floor; they have flat-screen TVs and updated bathrooms. While Coconut Waikiki has both a pool and fitness center, Vive is lacking both features. 

Along with Coconut Waikiki, Hotel Renew is one of an increasing number of more stylish value hotels that have been seducing guests away from the polyester bed coverlets and busy floral carpets so ubiquitous in Waikiki hotels. At this 72-room boutique hotel on the quieter, eastern end of Waikiki, you get a lot for your money -- designer rooms, free breakfast, and proximity to the beach. Of course, you can't have everything. There's no pool, on-site restaurant, business center, or fitness facility, but the hotel's clientele, mostly twenty- and thirtysomething singles and couples, don't seem to care. Guests may want to compare Renew to the Shoreline Hotel Waikiki, which is similarly priced and has a small rooftop pool.

Shoreline Hotel Waikiki is an upper-middle-range property located two blocks away from Kalakaua Avenue, less than a five-minute walk from Waikiki Beach. With retro furniture and bright, colorful artwork the hotel has a cute, 70s-inspired look and feel. All 125 rooms have coffeemakers with Kona coffee, flat-screen TVs, and free Wi-Fi, plus free bottled water on arrival. Some rooms have microwaves and mini-fridges. There aren’t a lot of extras (a small rooftop pool and bright lobby with free coffee and tea), but the hotel does provide an excellent location for an affordable price. The nearby Coconut Waikiki is slightly less expensive, but farther from the beach.

After renovations in 2012 and 2013 (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. However, there just aren't many features other than the third-floor pool and free Wi-Fi to recommend this dated high-rise. 

This 30-story high rise at the southern end of Waikiki is a five-minute walk from the waterfront and offers a combination of hotel-managed suites and privately owned and rented condominiums. Because of the mixed ownership, there is less centralized regulation over construction happening in the building, which some guests have complained can be intermittently loud. It is popular with guests seeking longer stays, including families and large groups, because of the option to rent suites with kitchens. The property itself has seen better days since its cameo in the opening credits of "Hawaii Five-0", but guests have fairly consistently commented on the cleanliness of rooms, and the renovated rooms are sleek and modern.

With a connection to the ultra-luxe Halekulani Hotel across the street, the 297-room Waikiki Parc Hotel is one of Waikiki's more intriguing boutique-like properties. Yet the staff has little attitude, and rates can be very attractive -- not bad for a quiet location across the street from the beach. Some may find rooms to be a bit tired, but overall the hotel is a convenient, quiet, affordable alternative for those aspiring to the much pricier Halekulani, even offering charging privileges there (but forbidding access to its beach and pools). Rooms are decked out with private balconies, air-conditioning, coffeemakers with free Kona coffees and teas, and free Wi-Fi.

For tourists wanting a Waikiki location without major resort prices, this 67-room hotel is a decent two-and-a-half-pearl find. However, the hotel has a bit of an identity crisis, with an equestrian theme that doesn’t make sense for beachy Waikiki. The dated interiors and minuscule pool also diminish some of the shine. However, the beach is less than a 10-minute walk away, and the Ala Moana Center is nearby for shopping and conventions. Compact rooms are pleasant and clean, but old school, and include free Wi-Fi and air-conditioning. Noise from the road can be an issue. There are no resort fees here, but parking comes with a steep price tag.