Jul 25, 2010

Where to stay in Waikiki ~ Queen Kapiolani Hotel

 Where to stay in Waikiki ~ Queen Kapiolani Hotel 

Queen Kapiolani Hotel General description:

• The Queen Kapiolani Hotel was originally built in 1969 at the very end of Waikiki just across the street form the Honolulu Zoo and the Kapiolani Park.
• The Queen Kapiolani Hotel has 19 floors and over 300 rooms, with a fairly large common area including a decent size lobby, shops, restaurant, bar, banquet facilities and pool.
• Due to the close proximity to the Restaurant Hula’s, the Queen Kapiolani Hotel along with the Waikiki Grand Hotel and the Park Shore Hotel (all next to each other), are slowly becoming a very lively and popular hub. 

What we like about the Queen Kapiolani Hotel:

• Most of the rooms at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel have bathtubs something not very common in one star rating hotels.
• Even though the Queen Kapiolani Hotel is somewhat far from the center of Waikiki, it is very close to the beach and Kapiolani Park is an excellent public recreation area, particularly if you have kids or if you are fond of green areas and walks. Kapiolani Park is also home of the Honolulu Shell where many concerts take place, the Honolulu Zoo, the Royal Hawaiian Band Stand, archery targets and public tennis courts.

What you may not like about the Queen Kapiolani Hotel:

• Even though the Queen Kapiolani Hotel has been extremely popular with the locals, it is in dire need of renovation what was once a nice 2 star hotel, now is barely a one star, it has the potential to go back to it’s former glory but unless a major renovation project is undertaken, it will remain a 1 star and you should not expect too much from it. If you need to be in the area you may want to consider the Park Shore it is located at the very corner of Kalakaua and Kapahulu, it is a nicer option.
• Even though about 80% of the rooms at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel have balconies, these are very small.
• You may want to stay away from Standard rooms at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel, most have no balconies and are VERY small, particularly those with room numbers ending in 21.
• Since the lobby of the Queen Kapiolani Hotel is about 6 feet higher than the sidewalk you will need to negotiate either a ramp or several steps what may represent a problem if anybody in your party has mobility problems.