Surfbreak HNL (Coliving + Coworking) — Hotel in Honolulu

Great community of people. Good leadership and group values. Beautiful location.

I very much enjoyed my 2 months at Surfbreak. I rented a single bed room and stayed from mid January to mid March 2023. Communication with Surfbreak staff was very good, and I felt comfortable from the start with the application process. The community was welcoming to me when I arrived, and I ended up making some close friendships. It helps that there was simply so much to do on the island. Being able to rent one of the two Surfbreak cars (inexpensive) was also a major plus. It seemed like every other day there was an open invite to join whoever was going surfing, snorkeling, or hiking. It’s both more affordable and more fun to enjoy Hawaii when you live in community.

During my stay, I never had an issue with living in close quarters with the ~20 or so surfbreakers. Quiet hours start at 10pm — weekends are a bit more lax on the rule, but still, everyone is respectful. The common area is big enough and there are enough bathrooms for this size community. Really, they planned this place out well for this sized community. But more importantly, they have built a positive culture that makes this place run smoothly. Shoutout to Daniela for her work in fostering this culture.

A couple things you might like to know — you probably don’t want me just saying I HAD A GOOD TIME in various different ways — listed below:

Rooms are relatively small. I didn’t mind this at all. The rooms fit the things I had well and looked good (what more can you ask for?). They also have beautiful windows, all with terrific views. Even though there are 20ish people and only one kitchen, I thought it worked well. Lots of people eat out, eat at different times, or prepare something simple. I generally meal prepped twice a week and prepared simple stuff for breakfast and lunch. Also nice to have the personal fridge in my room. Ala Moana beach is the closest walk (~10 mins). The more touristy (and slightly swanky?) beach area is a 20 min walk. Great to have the public bikes, as taking them cuts the time in half. Surfbreak covers the public bike fee for you. It’s especially nice to spend sunset at the beach.

Ok, that was my pretty unemotional, hopefully helpful review.

Now my emotional review: COME HERE,...

I travel quite a bit and have mostly have stayed in hostels or hotels- and Surfbreak is the perfect blend of both. It has the social aspect I crave when I go to a new city— the people there are incredibly welcoming and always planning events around the island. It’s so easy to walk into the kitchen and hop onto someone’s plans. At surfbreak, I did countless hikes, waterfall trips, and beach days. I also even did a cage free shark swim and skydiving.

As a person in my late 20’s, I found Surfbreak perfect for my needs. I’m a working professional and need a quiet productive place to work with strong wifi (although It sometimes would have issues, they were so quick to respond). One of the best perks about this place is the sound proof rooms. I also loved working in the kitchen with others.

What surprised me the most - the bathrooms were immaculate. I was worried the bathroom situation would be a bunch of sinks and stalls in one room, but there are 6 individual bathrooms and they are cleaned constantly. Literally, the cleaning crew always seems to be there. Even with sharing these 6 bathrooms with 15-20 people, in my 4.5 months of staying at surfbreak, I never once had to wait for the bathroom.

Last but not least, the staff there truly cares about every one of its members. Daniela is always running around doing everything for surfbreakers and she does it with a huge smile. She is incredibly thoughtful and generous and will go above and beyond to make every single person feel welcomed and content at surfbreak.

Below are my summed up pros and cons

Pros: sound proof rooms clean, individual bathrooms regular cleaning of common areas free food provided (eggs, rice, almond milk, oatmeal etc) hostel like social environment, easy to meet people and make plans great environment for working early hours stunning views of Hawaii from the rooms and common area laundry facilities on the floor with free detergent

Cons: some groups leave the kitchen messier than others. It’s just something I had to come to accept with coliving crowd of people can vary drastically from major party animals or people who are in bed at 9pm on a Saturday. It can get cliquey, but depends on the crowd no free parking gym is complicated to reserve and...

My experience at Surfbreak was unlike any other! It's not an exaggeration when I say that Surfbreak changed my life. I've traveled to many places & stayed in multiple different co-living and hostel situations, but nothing will compare to the community that I found at Surfbreak.

Amenities: Surfbreak is clean, spacious, and homey. The floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room and external bedrooms were my FAV (your guests will be impressed, too :). I woke up to the sunrise over the mountains every morning, and it was a great way to start the day.

There are grocery stores, rental city bikes, gyms, and a Target within walking distance, so you can easily grab what you need without a car or moped.

Ala Moana is a 10-15 minute walk away as well for anyone who loves to skate, run, play volleyball, or take a stroll outside!

Cleanliness: Cleaners come on-site to re-stock bathrooms & clean common spaces + monthly (or maybe it was bi-monthly) room cleanings to keep the space neat. As with any co-living situation, the maintenance of cleanliness will also be the responsibility of you and your cohort - but I was never bothered during my time here!

Community: You will find friends for life here if that’s what you’re looking for! There will be a turn-around of members, so you will meet a lot of people during your time here (as a heads-up to those who may be a bit more introverted). However, the beauty of Surfbreak is that it’s not geared toward one type of person or traveler. I’m confident that anyone can and will find their community here. Because of the 2-month minimum (folx usually stay for longer), you’ll build strong connections.

PLEASE DO THIS: Please take the time to get to know the local communities outside of Surfbreak and learn about Hawaiian history, culture, and language! Surfbreak sets up multiple volunteering + cultural & educational opportunities, and you should 1000% take the time to give back to the island and locals here.

In Conclusion: Book your stay at Surfbreak - seriously, do it! You will not be disappointed. I deliberated on the decision for MONTHS not knowing what to expect, and now, I can’t imagine my life without...