Ilikai Resort, Waikiki

[georgiacat]

Has anyone stayed at the Ililai Resort, Waikiki?  I have booked a condo there for a few days prior to our POA cruise.

[CruiserBruce]

I would be looking on TripAdvisor.

[georgiacat]

Thanks, I looked but did not find anything helpful.  I suppose I will take my chances.

[princeton123211]

On 12/30/2022 at 1:01 PM, georgiacat said:

Has anyone stayed at the Ililai Resort, Waikiki?  I have booked a condo there for a few days prior to our POA cruise.

Haven't stayed here but have certainly been by it a bunch. It's definitely older. You're not directly on the beach-- you're sort of sandwiched between a boat basin and the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

 

Its run by Aston-- we've stayed at a few of their managed properties around the islands before and they can be hit or miss-- not a luxury experience but certainly not a budget one either. Service is well meaning but you get the impression you are staying in a condo building-- not a hotel. 

 

Personally my preference would be to be a bit more central on Waikiki Beach but if you need a multi bedroom condo and the price is right you'll most likely still enjoy it. This certainly isn't a substitute for someone who's stayed there but since no one answered I thought I would give a bit about our limited experience with the management company. 

[CaribbeanBound]

I've stayed there a few times.  They have a main building and additional units across the street above the parking garage and restaurants. Princeton 123211 pretty much nailed it. More of a condo feel than a resort feel. 

 

Location is good.  There is a city bus stop directly out front of the hotel for busses heading towards Waikiki, and across the street in front of Discovery Bay heading towards Ala Moana and Town. Buses come by very frequently.  It's a pleasant walk to the beach --- either Ala Moana or picking up the beach in starting in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Lagoon (which is also where you can watch the Friday night fireworks --- suggest getting a "plate lunch" and sit out by the lagoon to enjoy a late meal with the fireworks).

[Silver Sweethearts]

On 12/30/2022 at 8:01 AM, georgiacat said:

Has anyone stayed at the Ililai Resort, Waikiki?  I have booked a condo there for a few days prior to our POA cruise.

This won't help you one bit in the information you are seeking, but it has brought back fond memories.Yes,  we have stayed there.  The year was 1967 and we were on our honeymoon.  The place has an interesting background.  Do check its history for fun if nothing else.  

[georgiacat]

I checked out a few YouTube videos and found out that it was built in 1965 and was in the opening pictures of the original Hawaii Five O.  We were hatched before that, so we are older than the condo.

 

We were looking for 2 hotel rooms, hopefully close to beach and with pool and AC for a few days of sightseeing prior to POA cruise.  We needed 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.  We are used to basic condo on beach.  I don't know what a "resort" is.  I don't want to pay resort fees.  Mostly we will be out and about and not in the condo much, but we do have access to kitchen for breakfast (light) and maybe lunch or snacks, and common area.

 

If I have any energy upon return from cruise, I will let you know how it was.  Pricewise, it beats 2 hotel rooms.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

The Ilikai is fine, Princeton's description was a good one.

 

As a complete non-sequitur, in the opening credits of the original Hawaii-5-O you see Jack "Book em Dano" Lord standing on a lanai at the Ilikai. That lanai was actually HIS lanai of the penthouse apartment that he and his wife owned.

[Travelexpert35]

Love the Ilikai. I’ve stayed in two condos there through waikiki beach rentals and it was a very seamless checkin. The units are large studios with a huge balcony. We have stayed on the lagoon side and marina side of the building. My last visit was in Feb 2020. The heated pool is one of the largest pools in Waikiki. Short walk to Ala Moana and various restaurants. I’ve stayed in alot of hotels in Waikiki and will now only stay in these condos. 

[georgiacat]

Thanks, that sounds good.

[SilkySal]

@georgiacatOur family will be staying at one of the condos at the Ilikai this September, post Hawaii cruise. I booked the condo through AirBnB (first time doing this) and just hope it's not a big scam! The 2BR condo pictured looks gorgeous, so hope it looks as good as pictured! The views it shows looks like the condo is high up, maybe even a penthouse, though not sure. Have you cruised and stayed there yet? If possible, after you do, please let us know how it was, so my stress level decreases! LOL! Thanks in advance. My email is tnskuhn@gmail.com and I would love to hear how your stay went, as well as the cruise! Cheers!

[georgiacat]

Our cruise is in May.  We have booked at the Ilikai condo for 3 days prior to the cruise.  I will let you know how it goes.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

The Ilikai is great, but I'd never use Airbnb or Vrbo, I'd use a local agency like Ali'i Beach Rentals or Waikiki Beach Rentals,

 

https://www.aliibeachrentals.com/

https://waikikibeachrentals.com/

 

Local rules and laws have gotten too complex for national sites like Vrbo to keep up with them. The national sites are also charging way too many fees these days.

[monykalyn]

For easy walk to beach (not beach front) but no resort fees try SurfJack hotel-they call the rooms "bungalows"-2 room units, balcony and has parking (offsite). Reasonably priced without the extra fees the big resorts charge

[SilkySal]

On 1/24/2023 at 1:34 PM, georgiacat said:

Our cruise is in May.  We have booked at the Ilikai condo for 3 days prior to the cruise.  I will let you know how it goes.

How was your cruise and your stay at the Ilikai? Interested in any updates! Thanks!

[georgiacat]

They were both great.  I put 2 short reviews on the Hawaii and NCL threads.  Look for them.  I will be glad to answer any questions.  We would choose both the hotel and the Pride of America again.

[SilkySal]

On 7/6/2023 at 12:50 PM, georgiacat said:

They were both great.  I put 2 short reviews on the Hawaii and NCL threads.  Look for them.  I will be glad to answer any questions.  We would choose both the hotel and the Pride of America again.

Thanks for your reply; however, after searching, I was unable to find your reviews. Maybe you can attach them here for me to read? If not, my questions are more about your stay at the Ilikai. We rented a condo at the Ilikai through AirBnB from a person named Taylor; did you do the same or get your room directly through the hotel? I'm just hoping our rental is legit and not a scam! We've never done AirBnB before but our son always uses them, whereever he travels with no problems. Thanks again!

Edited July 7, 2023 by SilkySal
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[KeepCalmBearOn]

4 hours ago, SilkySal said:

Thanks for your reply; however, after searching, I was unable to find your reviews.

 

 

[georgiacat]

SilkySal, did you see the reply above?  I will be glad to answer questions.

 

We booked with Waikiki Beach Rentals.  After I put in the request, the owner (I assume) answered and dealt with our reservation.  All was  easy.  Note:  rental money is not refundable.  Read the fine print.  We were very pleased with our condo.

 

Thanks Scottca075 for posting links to my reports.  I don't think I know how to do that.

[SilkySal]

On 7/8/2023 at 8:33 AM, georgiacat said:

SilkySal, did you see the reply above?  I will be glad to answer questions.

 

We booked with Waikiki Beach Rentals.  After I put in the request, the owner (I assume) answered and dealt with our reservation.  All was  easy.  Note:  rental money is not refundable.  Read the fine print.  We were very pleased with our condo.

 

Thanks Scottca075 for posting links to my reports.  I don't think I know how to do that.

Yes, I just read your reviews. Thanks for sharing your experience at the Ilikai. I found ours through the AirBnB site and paid a deposit to reserve it for our 5 night stay post-cruise. The pictures that Taylor emailed me are absolutely gorgeous, and hope that it really does look that great in person! It shows panoramic views of the ocean, and the kitchen has granite "waterfall" counters, which is stunning! We also reserved a 2BR/2BA condo. Big thanks to @scottca075 for restaurant suggestions, as we'll definitely try out those burgers! Last time we were there, we also found the best dessert ever at Duke's on Waikiki; hula pie!! Definitely plan on going back there, maybe more than once during our stay!

 

Thanks to both of you for the info! Mahalo!

Edited July 9, 2023 by SilkySal
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