Honolulu Hostels

Knowing that our flight was landing early morning, we emailed the hostel on a couple of occasions in advance to ask whether there was any possibility of an earlier check in than the usual 2pm. The hostel did not have the decency to respond to any of our emails which was disappointing, especially as we could see the email system open at reception when we arrived (so it’s clear it wasn’t just an unchecked mailbox). While I appreciate that an early check in may not always be possible, the least I would expect from any hostel would be a response to confirm the position either way so that alternative arrangements could be made if necessary. Given the lack of response, we proceeded on the reasonable assumption that we would be allowed check in as soon as the room was free and cleaned which, in most other hostels we’ve stayed in, has been earlier than the stated check in time. When we landed in Hawaii, my partner was very ill. Upon arrival, we informed the guy at the desk of this and asked nicely if there was any chance we could get in to our room as early as possible (acknowledging that the hostel was full and rooms needed to be cleaned). The response was abrupt (and the guy was generally unsympathetic and unhelpful) that the check in was 2pm, no exceptions. We were told to just wait on one of the wooden seats (in 30 degree heat) out the back for when the room was ready. As my partner began to feel even worse (to the point where she needed a doctor) around 11.30 pm (30 mins after check out time) I asked whether there was any possibility that the hostel could ask the cleaning staff to prioritise our room given the circumstances. The response was ‘no’ with zero explanation, which is difficult to understand. The only logical conclusion is that the hostel simply weren’t bothered helping us. We eventually got access to our room just minutes before the 2pm check in time. I would have expected a lot better from a hostel (and particularly this one considering the prices they charge for a very modest room). The room itself isn’t much better than the customer service, small, dark and dingy with an ancient and dusty air con system. Another guest walked into our room during our stay which was also less than ideal. The guest appeared to be checking in - not sure why they weren’t shown to the correct room like we were.

A friend found this hidden gem for us. At 1st glance you'd think oh no lol. We stayed in a 8 bed all female dorm with air conditioning that worked and fans. There were 5 of us for 5 nights and cost us $190usd each. We were all 50+ yrs old. We were lucky enough not to have anyone else join us. Brooke was great at check in, very patient as we were checked in 1 at a time. You're given clean sheets/pillowcase and towel. We got to our room and unfortunately discovered there was rubbish underneath the beds, weren't very impressed with that and one of our friends mentioned this and whilst we were out having lunch Dan was in cleaning the whole room, very impressed. We also got an apology from the manager explaining there was a miscommunication of cleaning the room. The room had 8 individual lockers for valuables only but you have to buy a padlock for them. Our dorm had mini fridge, microwave, elements plus ensuite with shower in a bath and toilet. Unfortunately the toilet didn't always flush straight away but we sussed it out. The security was great, opened the door with GOKI app on phone. Parking is terrible though we had to park sometimes up to 1km for free parking or you can park in the Honolulu Zoo across the road for $1.50 per hour for maximum 4hrs. One of the best parts about the location is a 5min walk to the BEACH. Hostel provides tubes, chairs to take down which we used a few times, we saw sunrises and sunsets just beautiful. 2nd best thing is the amazing young staff, nothing a bother whatsoever so great to see. So overall would us over 50/60yr olds stay here again? 💯 You have to think smarter, and from NZ our dollar was 56c in USD. We made it work, would highly recommend 👌 and spent our accommodation savings at ROSS stores 😁

I booked a long-term 15-night stay with Waikiki Beachside and had an amazing time! Front-desk staff were the friendliest & really helpful! Shout out to DeVon and Az for your warmth + great hospitality. The daily coffee + ease of accessing the place was a plus. I’ll def be back! Until then, mahalo