My husband and I headed to Hawaii for our 30th wedding anniversary. We were taking a cruise of the islands but wanted to arrive a few days in advance to acclimate to the time change (6 hours for us). On the basis of the reviews here at TripAdvisor we booked the Aqua Lotus. However, we also booked one night at a Waikiki resort hotel on the back end of the cruise. The difference was night and day!

The Aqua Lotus staff must have been trained by Ritz Carlton personnel. They were amazing and did everything they could to make our stay special. The rooms are beautiful - sliding shutter doors instead of drapes, full length mirror, big bathroom / nice sized shower - a kind of "modern design meets the Island" feel. The wood laminate flooring might night satisfy everyone's tastes but it provides for a clean, cool and comfortable living space. The beach is right behind the hotel just a couple of minutes walk away. A few more minutes down the beach is Queen's Surf Cafe and Lanai where you can enjoy a relatively inexpensive meal right on the beach or take a short stroll in the morning and drink a quality cup of coffee or espresso while watching the morning surf. Everything about the location and the hotel is relatively peaceful. And the crowds of Waikiki are a 10 - 15 minute walk away if you need to be in the thick of things. Once a month local artists sell their work in Kapiolani Park, across the street from the hotel. We were fortunate enough that our stay corresponded to a show weekend. (Tip: buy your souvenirs at local arts shows if you want genuine articles made in Hawaii. Hilo Hatties and the ABC stores are selling items made in the Philippines and China so check carefully.) The number of rooms in the hotel is limited so you don't have to deal with the relentless masses of the resort hotels in Waikiki. Complementary coffee in the morning and wine in the evening is a nice touch.

After our experience (4 days, 3 nights at the Aqua Lotus and one overnight at the resort hotel) I am so grateful we took the reviews here seriously and booked with Aqua Lotus. The resort hotel was so depressing in comparison. So crowded, wildly expensive and a little phoney / faux Hawaiian. (A word about valet parking. It was $20 at the Aqua Lotus, $30 at the big resort hotel. Service at the Aqua Lotus was instantaneous, at the big resort hotel we had to wait as long as 10 minutes for our car.) If we are ever fortunate enough to visit these gracious islands again, we would definitely book again with Aqua Lotus.

Thanks to the Staff for making this milestone vacation so special for us!

Our room was spacious and had a warm relaxing feeling. The terrace was nice too, bedding amazingly comfortable. We would say a perfect room for relaxing holiday. As others have written, away from the noise of Waikiki, yet a good beach next door, and close enough to walk into the centre of town. Ivy

As many reviewers have indicated Aqua Lotus sets itself apart from the mega chain hotels on Waikiki. Placed between a beautiful city park and a small beautiful beach we found it to be a perfect location. If you need to be in the center of all the "action" this definitely wouldn't be the hotel for you however if you enjoy a 15 minute walk to breakfast or a stroll at night back to your room this is perfect. The free bikes also made a great impression being able to check out the local neighborhood first hand instead out of a car window. The complimentary coffee and evening wine was also a very nice touch.

If you like to be away from the hustle and close to a residential experience. Aqua Lotus is excellent. The staff is very helpful and friendly There is an excellent beach 100 yards from the hotel where locals and tourists swim.. There is complimentary coffee in the morning and wine in the afternoon, however the hotel does not have a restaurant and that is the only deficit that reduces the star rating. If they just had a croissant and scone in the AM and some fruit in the PM would help. There is a restaurant next door in the New Otani. I prefer the ambiance of a laid back hotel because the guests tend to be laid back. It is a 15 min beautiful walk along the waterfront to Waikiki shopping . The feeling is one of relationship building between hotel and guests, that is hard to do in a commercial center like Honolulu. The Aqua Lotus is committed to service, value and hospitality. Try Tokkuri Tei sushi reasonably close by and Diamond Head Grill for breakfast scones.