Hostelling International - Honolulu — Hotel in Honolulu

Although I only stayed here one night, this was a most enjoyable and relaxing place. ||There's a large patio with lounge chairs, tables, and other seating. It was very fun to hang out and meet fellow travelers. (I'd stayed several days at another hostel closer to the "action," and didn't engage in any good conversations there.) One fellow guest had brought his bike from Singapore, and described some of his cycling adventures. Another guest was incredulous. I said to her, we're cyclists. That's what we do.||The women's dorm room has a southern exposure, and it was quite warm when I arrived. But I wasn't there to hang out in the room anyway. ||Nice big shared kitchen and fridge. There's coffee in the morning so I didn't have to go find some. The evening I left, folks were preparing a meal, and they even set a plate in front of me after I'd declined (already ate). It sure looked and smelled good though.||A Biki station is just a couple of blocks away, on campus. (If you're cycling to get groceries, be advised that there are no stations going up the hill. I rode through campus to the Safeway, and then back down the hill to the other Safeway where I could station the bike.) There's a bus stop a block away. ||While this hostel is not right next to the beach, I enjoyed it more. The staffer, Sue, was very pleasant; I'd requested a lower bunk, and she reserved one for me. I could tell that they make it a practice to help people in need (sharing my room was a pair of sisters who'd missed their flight two days previously, and the hostel found space for them). ||There are lockers, and I ended up not using them (despite bringing a padlock). Instead I left my bags in the office during my day tripping. ||Would stay again!||Bicycle parking: abundant,...

READ BEFORE YOU BOOK this hostel is a quiet, limited social hostel. It is tightly managed and designed to be a place for quiet, peaceful coliving.

As I am use to other Hostel International locations and was seeking social experiences and to meet others, this hostel wasn't my favorite in Honolulu. But it does have some redeeming traits. Some things that I was not bit in were the limited access to the kitchen (closes at 11p), no alcoholic beverages allowed here (including beer), and no talking in the one common area which is the patio after 11p.

The hostel is located in a residential area by the university so you might hear college students partying some nights, but the managers of the location are very strict about the rules and limited noise and mess as well. They are interesting people which I like.

Overall, I liked that the hostel was very clean and by time for bed (well before that time even) it was quiet for sleep, but it does severely lack a social environment/component because of all the rules - which is the best part about staying at a hostel.

I recommend a stay closer to Waikiki if looking for social life. And stay here if you just want a bit more solitude and peace. Not to say you can't spark up a conversation and make a new friend, but by 11pm you'll have to go to the street to have a conversation with them - literally.

Note: the check in/out process is strict and a but lengthy as well so be prepared if you have just been traveling for 6,8,12+ hours.

Also the place can be a bit hard to find as it is tucked behind another building so walk the street, follow Google Maps, and look for the...

First the positives: the hostel is located in a perfect location and you can get anywhere on the island (with a car) from there. I also liked that there were a few parking spaces.

Now on the opposite side there is no AC, so be prepared. I would compare my stay as staying with a strict aunt who is always watching you and wants to lecture you. One of the sisters approached me the second day and said that her husband took a long time cleaning the bathroom shower because there were pink hair all over the shower. She did so because my hair is dyed red. She began asking me when exactly did I dye my hair etc. Note, after using the showers I always checked to make sure I left it clean, if there were tons of red hair everywhere I would have cleaned it up. Plus my hair is always tied up and I don’t wash my hair at other people’s places. If there were hair it would have been a few small stray strands. A few days later I received a text from one of the sisters telling me that I needed to call her when I got back to the hostel. When I got back that evening it was the second sister and she said that Sue wanted to talk to everyone because there was sand in the woman’s dorm area and her husband didn’t like how long it took him to sweep it. She even went as far as writing this aggressive message and posting it up. I am someone who has stayed at hostels and air BnBs before ( I travel quite a lot). The passive aggressive behavior I experienced from Sue was not ok. I will not choose this place again. I also clean air bnb houses, if I complained half as much about cleaning, I would have been fired a...