We stayed at the Royal Garden from 2/24/08 - 3/06/08. We bidded on priceline for 70.00 a night for a three star hotel (yeah right). After I won the auction I went and google the website and was pretty happy with my bid.

Ok, fast forward to the 24th at check-in. I was still empressed with the lobby. It looking like it was made out of marble and well kept. Then we got into the elevator, we were on the 10th floor, and it was like we just step through the door to the twilight zone. The hallway looked so gross. Right in front of the elevator doors, the carpet had these huge stains (water maybe). As we walked out of the elevator the carpet looked like it was pieced together, green and pick with logo, then all green and then brown, the green.

We we're given a room around the corner to the left. There were only three rooms on that side. We got to the room and it looks like the pink rooms on the website. The room it self was ok. The carpet, which was WHITE (who ever thought to put white carpet in a hotel room should have been fire!!) had a few stains but it wasn't to bad. Looked like someone spilt a coke. The beds were so hard it wasn't funny. My husband and I would fight for the soft side of the bed and I would win but still wake up with a back ache.LOL If by chance the owner reads these reviews, please you need NEW beds. There were black marks on the wall behind the doors. We couldn't figure out how those got there.

The bathroom was DIRTY. Pubic hair in the bathtub and two hairs on the wall above the towel rack next to the sink. We called down to have them clean it again. We told them where the hair was located and to please remove it. When we returned to the room the tub was clean, no hair there. But those to peices of hair that made an x on the wall was. So the next morning we called down again and complain about the hair. Do you know those two peices of hair were still on the wall when we left (ten days later). ;
THEY NEED TO FIRE THE CLEANING PEOPLE.

The balacony was really nice. We had a water/city view (if thats what you call it). Over all the room was just ok. There were no bugs to be found (thank god). Next time when we go I'll pick a different hotel.

This hotel was a great bargain.

The hotel does look much nicer than it actually is, but it's not bad at all. We found our room to be very clean and the staff to be very courteous and helpful.

This hotel is a very short walk from the beach, a five minute stroll through Fort DeRussy Park gets you to resort central and hotels that are twice the price (at least).

The location is great - you can walk anywhere in Waikiki from here. Since the price you pay is so much less than comparable hotels a block closer to the beach, you don't mind shelling out the extra $18/ day for valet parking.

I have only two minor complaints about this place.

1 - There is no on site restaurant. Do not be foold into thinking the breakfast buffet offered here is worth trying. We did - and it was terrible! On the upside, less than a block south is a great restaurant serving great food all day (Vit's), and many more great restaurants are also close. It is still worth staying here - we just would have preferred to have breakfast and a dinner or two without having to leave the hotel.

2 - The bathroom door is a plantation-style louvre door. Now the designer may have thought this looks nice but it's not great for sound attenuation if you know what I mean. My husband and I thought it was kind of an odd choice for a bathroom door. To further this design error, the bathroom door is three feet from th side of the bed; so if you stay here make sure it is with someone you are very comfortable with because it is impossible to have any privacy without someone leaving the hotel room.

Those two minor issues aside, we were very happy with this hotel and would definitely stay here again due to the price, comfort, and location in comparison to the rest of Waikiki.

If you're planning on reserving the $100.00 standard room be warned.. you are going to get what you pay for. All but gone are the cheapo value hotel rooms in Waikiki so before you consider what these previous reviewers are saying please understand that the average $100 hotel room will include one or all of the following:

1. Musty smell
2. Dirty Carpets
3. Old Mattresses and sheets/blankets (possibly with bedbugs)
4. Old Furniture
5. 24 inch sanyo cathode ray tube television
6. noise, noise, noise

Now as a veteran visitor of Waikiki let me set the record straight on behalf of the hard working hotel staffers across the island who depend on your hard earned bucks to get by.

Of course your room is going to be musty and dirty, 9 out of 10 tourists do not use the public showers after they go to the beach.. instead they take the beach back to the room with them including towels soaked in seawater and god knows what else if they went to Waikiki beach. Sadly the budget hotels simply aren't making enough money to update that often and normally they will do the same thing that Royal Garden does which is maintain their suites and penthouses before refurbishing the cheaper rooms.

The solution is simple: Go down to the downtown Honolulu Wal-Mart and get yourself some disenfectant sprays, fabreeze, and bleach and give the room a quick cleaning the first day you get there. The go out and play for awhile because.. you're on vacation.. Everything will be fine after you get back. If the noise is really getting to you then you may want to consider staying at one of the $300.00 a night resorts like Turtle Bay or the Ko Olina because thanks to a major population boom Oahu is PACKED with people who live there now which suprisingly has had it's effect on the Waikiki traffic.

Me, my Wife and my 8mo. old Daughter were fortunately upgraded to a Superior room upon arrival since the standard rooms were overbooked. The room was alot cleaner than mentioned in previous comments and it appears that the Superior rooms are now refurbished as the furniture and marble floors in the bathroom/bar area were brand new. Carpet has maybe a few more years left and the beds albeit very comfy were probably the oldest things in the room. Room was typical Waikiki musty so we just left the window open for an hour and that did the trick. All in all we were very happy with the room and fantastic service from the staff who were more than happy to help us out with our needs. We didn't wait more than 3 minutes for the Valet and found the hotel in reasonable walking distance from the beach via the Hilton Hawaiian Resort.

Walk into the lobby and you'll wonder how you found such a luxurious hotel at a discount price. Then, take the elevator to your floor and note the unpleasant odor as you step off. Insert the keycard in your door, swing it open and reveal the reason you're paying $100/night.

Our room was so pitifully small, the bed was literally four inches from the bathroom door. The air conditioner was not running and did not work through the first evening. Front desk staff was hit or miss - some kind staff and others who were almost rude. Though their website advertises a hot tub and two pools, one small pool with limited lounge chairs were all that exist. Desk attendant declared that it wasn't their fault the website had not been updated in the six years since the other amenities were closed. Parking was advertised at $9/night, but the actual price is $18/night. Valet attendants were spectacular, especially the manager (I believe his name was Ted.)

BAD: room, desk attendant, pool, deceptive advertising
GOOD: valet service, price

Overall, the only way I would recommend the Royal Garden is if you are set on staying in Waikiki and won't be spending ANY time in the room, except to sleep.