Stayed at the Ilikai this month and enjoyed the experience. After living in Hawaii for a number of years and now returning as a tourist the Ilikai is a very familiar landmark
. It has been there since the early 60's. Room renovations ongoing at the property. We got rooms which had recently been renovated and were quite comfortable. We were on upper floor and had delightful views of the Ala Wai yacht harbor, Ala Moana Park and the mighty blue Pacific. It is located at the entrance to Waikiki and not in the heart of things. However it is within walking distance of Ala Moana shopping center ( which they tout as the worlds largest outdoor mall), as well as many great restaurants (the food court at Ala Moana has something for everyone - check it out). The huge Hilton Hawaiian Village complex is right next door with a bunch of food and beverage outlets ranging from fast food to luau's, fireworks every Friday night, Hawaiian music, shopping bazaar, sunset sails, water toys, and the list goes on. On the other side of the Ilikai is The Modern Hotel with Morimoto's, Red Lobster, Outback and across the street is McDonalds. Within two blocks there are Italian, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Chinese and just about any ethnicity you would like. Parking is expensive ($25/day) but there is a convenient trolley that goes throughout Wakiki about every 40 min. for a nominal fare. All in all a good deal with clean, comfortable rooms and public spaces . check it out - or rather -- Check in!

the Ilikai Hotel was the perfect stay for the week before the Christmas holiday. The location is super, alittle out of the way of the mass of Waikiki hotels. There's a beautiful walkway along the beach that leads in front of the other hotels. The deck of the Ilikai overlooks a marina and is just plain gorgeous and so restful. As it is so easy to get around the island it was a bonus to have a bus stop right in front of the hotel. My stay was just plain perfect.

everyone is so friendly and they go out of their way to make you feel: Special
We stayed on a high floor for 3 weeks last November and found the location of the Ilikai was great for walking the beach and shopping --then this year we spent several days just before Christmas and we had the same excellent service and friendships as we celebrated our 50th anniversary
Planning to return again
C&D Texas

We stayed at the Ilikai while attending a conference at the Hawaiian Hilton Village, which worked out perfectly. The hotel staff were very friendly and accommodating. We arrived a few hours early and they were able to put us in a great ocean view room high on the 23rd floor. The housekeeping staff (same woman each day) was wonderful and friendly -- not only did she do a great job cleaning, but did some extra small things that we really appreciated. The rooms were large and very bright, and the balconies are huge.

The price of the hotel room was about $220 incl. per night, and included free high speed wifi, fridge, microwave, coffee maker, beach towels and beach chairs. Although the hotel is not located directly on the beach (the marina is right in front), there is easy access to the beach and lagoon in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The only downside was noise. First, a group of young adult/adolescent basketball players were in rooms around us and above us and one night were partying loudly on their balcony from 1:00 until 2:30 when I finally called security. The young people were so loud that there was no way that security could not hear them if they were checking the halls and patrolling outside. Second, the hotel seems to be doing some work on the grounds all day long, which meant if you were in your room, you could hear jack hammers and other such loud construction noise.

Otherwise, we really enjoyed staying at this hotel, preferred the location (close to Ala Moana shopping center, as well as Ala Moana park), and felt that it provided a good value for the money. I would definitely stay at this hotel again.

As an aside, having stayed at both the Ilikai and the Hyatt on this trip, and visiting a friend in their room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (Diamond Head Tower), it seems that the high-end hotels here are not as swank as you might find on the mainland or in other major cities in the world. All the bathrooms were small and outdated, although some a little better than others. It would be important to set your expectations when you come to Hawaii, if you're used to more modern and updated hotels!