The New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel

After two nights in a huge hotel complex at the other end of Waikiki, the Otani was a quiet relief for two old child-free WWII babies. No line at the desk and exceptional service from all the staff. Decor, linens in bedroom not as updated as, for instance, the Hilton Hawaiian Village. But comfortable. No coffee pot in room! Free coffee downstairs at 6:30 a.m. The 3rd floor ocean front room aok , apart from loud banging from construction until 5 p.m. the day we moved in, Friday, May 4, 2012. No banging on Saturday, thank goodness. The Hau Tree patio restaurant was very good, as was the bar. LOVE that you can walk from here to Kapiolani (sp?) Park, and wonderful restaurants and shopping.

Helpful staff, beautiful location. Room size good, although not much storage area.

I was basically disappointed by the lack of amenities like some lounge chairs. There is not pool but there is a very nice, somewhat private beach. It was a long walk to the main part of Waikiki civilization.

We wanted to stay outside of the hustle and bustle of Waikiki, the location of this hotel put us exactly where we wanted to be. Close enough to walk and enjoy all Waikiki has to offer but beachfront on a quiet beach with quiet evenings. (We also stayed in Waikiki at another hotel for a conference and were woken by sirens and delivery trucks each night). We stayed in the "less ideal" Diamond Head wing. The rooms were slightly outdated in terms of decoration but were still equipped with flat screen TVs and WiFi and clean. The king bed was the biggest letdown as it was two twins put together. You could feel the seam between beds if you laid in the middle. All in all, a great value. We were very happy with our stay. Please note: The hotel does not have a pool, which may be a deal breaker for some.

When we planned our trip to Hawaii we were super excited as we have never been there. We spent the first 3 nights at the Hotel next door, The Lotus. At the Lotus we received exceptional service. We were greeted every time we walked in or out the door. Our bags were brought to our room and every time we passed through we were asked if we needed anything. Our room was spacious with a fantastic view of both the beach and Diamond Head. I planned to stay in another hotel just to have some added experience. The stay at The Otani was a nightmare. Our bags were not brought up to our room, we had to carry them all up ourselves. I received a call from the front desk that my card was not accepted so I had to go back down to give another card and asked her why it didn't work. She checked her records and said that the card was accepted. Further, we paid for 2 separate beds and there was only 1 bed in the room. Our room was switched with still 1 bed and in that I was already now at this point late for a Polynesian luau because of the runaround, I said let it go. I was at that point told that the room was scheduled to have the beds swapped out?? What does that mean?? The room was extremely small that we had to climb over our luggage to get to the very small bathroom. There was no room for our amenities. I had to call to have a coffee maker delivered even though the specs say that each room has one. We were not made to feel like a guest; instead we were made to feel as though we were lowlifes staying free for a year. I am extremely disappointed and am going to demand a refund in that this stay was not as represented and I would have never stayed there.

You can't beat the staff, they go out of their way! I was disappointed in the room, the photo did not indicate the room I was seeing online, and thought I was getting, was one of the newly renovated ocean-front rooms. The room was very, very small. The San Souci beach is beautiful and we were happy to not be in the middle of the enormous crowds of Wikiki. But you should know that all these beaches are public, Friday was a holiday and even this beach was crowded, as was the weekend. The restaurant under the Hau tree, beautiful, food very nice but high priced. And you need a reservation as many come from the other hotels to eat there. I loved the staff, but probably won't return to this hotel as we were not too comfortable in the room.

This hotel may not have bells and whistles, but if you're planning to stay in a clean environment, with the option of fine dining and amazing scenic views, this will do. Reserve at the lovely restaurant at beach level up to 5 minutes before the desired time and get a front row seat by the beach. You may think this is special, but wait until sunset. The best stay I had in a long time.

It was a weekend getaway! Hotel staff was great.

We really enjoyed our Diamondhead view room of this boutique hotel. Slide open the door to the deck, and let all the tropical air and sounds inside. Walking distance to the entire Waikiki area. Highly recommended for those who want to experience Honolulu without the Disney/consumer feel of the west end of Waikiki. We opted to park on the street, had no problems with metered parking. Hiked Diamondhead, stunning views.

It was o.k.