Ilikai Marina 1781 City View Studio

Hotel Description

Look, I’ll be straight with you about the Ilikai Marina – this isn’t some fancy resort experience, but honestly? That’s exactly why it works so well. The city view studio I stayed in was basically what you’d expect from a solid 3-star spot in Waikiki, except the location is actually pretty sweet if you know what you’re getting into.

First thing you notice walking in is that classic Hawaii condo vibe – you know, the kind where it feels like someone’s aunt decorated it in the 80s and just kept it clean ever since. The studio itself is compact but functional, and that city view actually gives you some decent glimpses of the action without the premium ocean view price tag. What I really appreciated was how quiet it stays at night, especially compared to some of the places right on Kalakaua Avenue where the street noise never really stops. The building sits back just enough that you get the convenience of being close to everything without feeling like you’re sleeping above a nightclub.

Here’s what actually matters though – you’re literally a five minute walk to the beach, and I mean the good part of Waikiki Beach, not the crazy crowded section by the Royal Hawaiian. The Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon is right there too, which most tourists completely miss but it’s perfect if you want to paddleboard or just float around without dealing with waves. And honestly, the parking situation is way better than most places in the area – there’s actually space and it doesn’t cost you a fortune every day. The front desk folks are pretty laid back, check-in was smooth, and they know the area well enough to point you toward the less touristy spots if you ask. I mean, you’re not getting room service or daily housekeeping or anything fancy, but the kitchenette works fine and there’s a decent grocery store (Foodland) just down Ala Moana Boulevard if you want to save money on meals. The whole setup just feels more like staying somewhere real rather than being trapped in a tourist bubble, which is exactly what I was looking for.

Rooms

• Apartment with 1 sofa bed and 1 large double bed for 2 adults

Reviews

• Mariia from United States (9/10)

  This was a great location, close to the beach and boats, buses that could take you anywhere, and close to the mall (easy to go to Target to get cheaper food than at local ABC store!). Two minutes away, there was somewhere we found where we could book tours and activities (snorkeling, island tour, sunset cruise, luau). Better location than at central noisy busy Waikiki! Many good restaurants nearby, 1-2 minutes away. The elevators in the building worked great and were quick. The furniture was very comfortable, it was great to have a couch. I have a sensitive back, but still had no complaints about the bed. It was very clean, very quiet (no outside noise or noise from the building!), there were no cockroaches, and the view from the windows were great! We could watch Friday fireworks from the building. Very happy about the kitchen – it met all of our needs and allowed us to save some money on food too. We had some questions, and the property was able to quickly answer all of them. Happy that we were also able to stay a few extra hours after checkout for a small fee, so that we could spend more time on the beach before our flight. As a bonus, when we checked in we found someone had left a beach umbrella there that we used on the beach (the property says they keep these things for future tenants).

• Devlieger from Belgium (8/10)

  De locatie was zeer goed. Ook goede informatie vooraf. We hebben veel met de bus gereisd.

• Ayaka from Japan (9/10)

  部屋が綺麗でロケーションもいい！

• Peter from Germany (9/10)

  Apartment war gut ausgestattet und die Küche ein großes Plus für uns.
  Ausserdem hat uns die Lage gut gefallen.

• Arroww from Italy (9/10)

  La posizione vicinissima alla spiaggia, parcheggio pubblico sotto l’hotel (anche se caro, 28 euro al giorno, suggeriamo una convenzione per gli ospiti dell’hotel).

• Lionel from Argentina (9/10)

  Todo

• Alejandro from United States (7/10)

• Sasha from United States (9/10)

• Jürgen from Austria (8/10)

• Atsushi from Japan (7/10)

SURROUNDINGS

Facilities