The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki 2259 Kalākaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815

"The service we received while there was some of the best I have ever received and we stay in hotels three to four times per year. From when we arrived at 2 am the bell staff took care of us. The one person on valet our car and took our bags took our room. Our room attendant was attentive to our needs, even on days when we did not want service, she made sure she interacted with us to see if there were other needs. The hotel and its location was great for whatever you wanted to do. It was close to shopping, restaurants, theaters etc. all in walking distance. The beach and the view was amazing."

"We had a 2 double garden facing room. The room was spacious and clean and the staff was nice. Nothing over the top or exceptional here to justify a “luxury” title in my opinion. Gave an overall 3 star rating mainly due to the fact that we picked this hotel because we had access to the Sheraton family pool that has a slide. The pool was almost unusable as it was freezing! At any given time, only a 10th of the guests at the pool were in the pool because it was so cold. There are 2 hot tubs, one that burned upon entering and another that had so many people in it because it was the only “usable” water space that was comfortable. I would recommend the hotel for its great location to the beach, but not for any of the pools. The pool at the Royal Hawaiian is quite small, has very little seating and is also freezing cold. We traveled there this February. We will not stay there again and would be willing to pay a little more to stay at the Kahala with a heated pool and a semi-private, calm beach as we did a day trip there to see the dolphins."

"Stayed in room 342. We felt fortunate to have quiet neighbors because the walls are very thin. Recommend bringing a sound machine for sleeping at night. I recommend the garden view rooms to avoid the street noise for sure. Jackie and Lisa were our housekeepers and went above and beyond with their service and kindness, it was such a pleasure to talk to them everyday. We found the concierge to be dismissive and unhelpful and the bell staff was very pushy about grabbing our bags when we wanted to push them ourselves, an overly friendly bell man also lingered in our room and talked for over ten minutes, we were tired from our flight and needed to use the restroom, also not comfortable having a stranger in our room with door closed. Location could not have been more perfect, close to everything we could ask for. We enjoyed the pool and spa, the man working the pool area was very kind and helpful. Renting beach chairs with umbrella is so worth it. My Mother enjoyed the morning yoga classes. It's an amazing place and I pray I will return one day. Mahalo!"

"What can you say about the Pink Palace of the Pacific (the Pink Lady) — it’s an extraordinary hotel experience in a superb location offering essentially everything you want from a luxury resort. We stayed in the historic section because this is a historic landmark. Our room was excellent and the bed was wonderful. Our ocean view was just what we wanted. I’m confident the adjoining, more modern, high-rise tower offers the same. We had excellent food and service at both the Mai Tai Bar (more a beach cafe than a bar) and Azure Bar & Restaurant (more a restaurant than a bar). There are two pools, one is quite small and the other is shared with the Sheraton, but the draw, of course, is the ocean just steps away outside. Cabanas and beach/pool lounges can be reserved but you should do so in advance because they go quickly. The views are spectacular, with one of the best nighttime views of Waikiki available. The staff members were wonderful without exception. Staying here is not inexpensive but we felt like we got excellent value for what we paid. The nearby shopping opportunities are as good as you’ll find on Waikiki. The only things that weren’t five star were no room service, no true stand alone bar, and a troublesome valet parking experience (it took us almost 30 minutes for our early morning departure because the keys were in a such a tangled ball that we were asked to identify which set was ours (not easy for a rental) and the attendant had real difficulty getting them out of the tangled mess). These things were not enough to detract from our experience. We’d return here without hesitation."

"This place is a MUST stay! My family and I had traveled to Hawaii for the Honolulu marathon and this resort was spectacular, the staff truly go above and beyond to make your stay the best it can be. Although it is situated directly behind the mall it feels so secluded and tucked away from the busy streets but close enough that you can walk everywhere for food, beaches, and entertainment. Lastly, the Christmas decorations were beautiful!"