Waikiki Sand Villa — Hotel in Honolulu

Do NOT STAY here. If I could give the hotel 0 stars I would. This is the worst hotel on the island. I booked a room with a queen-sized bed at the federal employee rate for a week for an engagement proposal and was told that my room was unavailable while I was traveling to Hawaii even though I made the reservation months in advance. I was then given a room with 2 full beds pushed together. I was then told by the front-desk that if I fulfilled my whole stay I would receive a room with the queen-sized bed. I was never given the queen-sized bed during my stay and was charged for it anyways. The manager told me that she was doing me a favor by giving me a "Government Employee discount" which is disrespectful since I am an active Federal Employee and reserved the room using that rate and my Identification card. The entire hotel is under renovation until June so there is no Hospitality Room with microwave/bathrooms/tv, Bidet Toilet, aloe, or sunscreen even though the listing online states that it is available. Ladies- they don't even have hair conditioner! Everytime we asked they gave us more shampoo. The elevator floor is made of cardboard, there is no daily room cleanings, and half of the floors were closed. One Sunday afternoon they threw a "private party" at the pool and bar, which became so rowdy the police showed up. It made the hotel look very trashy. The hotel is supposed to be non-smoking, but every single time we tried to enjoy our balcony, the people below us were smoking and it was getting into our room. We leaned over the railing numerous times and saw cigarettes, a lighter, and a cup of cigarette butts. We contacted the front desk almost every day about this and they kept telling us there was no one below us even though if you lean over the railing there are people right there. The front desk has no idea what they are talking about and take no responsibility for anything. They just smile and laugh and say sorry. Completely incompetent and truly do not belong in customer service. The rest of the staff are very friendly (the only positive). I tried to give this place a chance after a previous stay because the staff is very kind, but the management and room quality at this place are worse than a motel. I ended up not...

Cons: WiFi didn't reach the 11th floor. Clock radio was filthy and too dim to read.

Pros: First it might just be easier to say Kelli Nicole Smith's experience (in an earlier review) did not match our own. Mostly because the word "horrible" doesn't describe anything in Waikiki that I could see (there is a real lack of forced labor camps here), much less this very nice hotel. They do not charge extra for coffee beyond the first day, that is untrue and absurd. They do occasionally run out of pool towels, but they have a pool and it's 95 degrees outside: That's going to happen!. Nothing says the towels are available to remove for your own excursions away from the property and I'm not sure it would occur to someone without an exaggerated sense of entitlement that they would be. They charge for unreturned towels? Really? So does every hotel on the planet! You aren't supposed to STEAL the TOWELS IDIOT! Any ABC store in the area sells beach towels and mats for lying on the beach. Of course they charge for parking, again - this is reasonable for a hotel in this area. Overnight parking is way cheaper than hotels I've stayed at on the mainland in way less fun locations. Also, the hotel has a web site and printed information in the room regarding all charges, so they DO tell you about how much they charge for things if you bother to read the information.

Aside from defending this place against spoiled brats, the room was excellent and quite comfortable, the staff are very helpful and friendly. We didn't check out the breakfast buffet since there are dozens of restaurants in the area and I don't think the point of a trip to Hawaii is to stay inside the hotel the whole time (which is why I didn't really care about the WiFi, and who needs a clock radio in the age of smart phones?) However we did get an order of springs rolls from the same restaurant one evening that were the best I've ever had. We had a really good time and would absolutely stay at this...

This hotel definitely has some great features. Our room (standard non smoking) was small, but comfortable. Even the modest view from our balcony allowed us to see the mountains to the NE. We watched fireworks from our bed through the large sliding glass doors that make up most of the exterior walls of the room.

The small restaurant and bar is very cute. Nicely decorated with tons of plants, and an actual atmosphere. The food is expensive, but the drinks are decently priced. Our room included the breakfast buffet, which was very good, although different from what mainland US visitors might expect. It included familiar staples like yogurt, fruit, toast, eggs, and sausage, but also steamed rice, miso soup (delicious!), edamame, and salad.

The pool is truly excellent for such a small, modest hotel. The deck is surrounded by a very well maintained tropical garden, and the pool, hot tub, and surrounding facilities are quite clean. I spent my last full day at the hotel chilling by the pool rather than braving the crowds of the beach, and I had a very relaxing time.

The only things I would suggest to improve are the internet connection and the beach towel situation. The internet comes in and out throughout the day, and at times is pretty much useless. Quite the pain when you're trying to search for things to do on the island. Beach towels must be obtained directly from housekeeping, signed out, and returned each day. I understand not wanting to eat the costs of stolen towels, but there's got to be a more convenient way to deal with that.

One last, minor, complaint: no milk or cream for coffee at the breakfast buffet, just coffee-mate....