Best Value Stay in Waikiki – Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk
Last updated on June 30th, 2023
With pristine beaches and surf waves, world-class dining, entertainment and shopping, and all-around vibrancy emitting the spirit of “aloha”, Waikiki attracts local and international tourists alike. But on this tiny shore that is lined with high-rise hotels, it can be tough to make a decision on where to settle for your Hawaiian vacation. While some of us may get distracted by the big name hotels that have planted their flags on a somewhat beachfront piece of Waikiki, the Embassy Suites by Hilton is meeting the value-driven needs of all its guests. From offering complimentary dining to spacious private living and an ideal location, this all-suite hotel is blowing its competitors out of the water for many reasons.
Embassy Suites Waikiki Location
The Embassy Suites is situated right on Waikiki Beach Walk, a cozy street where live entertainment and local food and art vendors come to display their talents. Just a few steps away from one of the hotel towers’ elevators, you’ll be greeted with a vibrant atmosphere with fantastic local shops and food spots – like Musubi Café Iyasume – and even an ABC Store right across the street if you’re in need for travel necessities, hot foods, snacks and souvenirs.
One block north and you’ll find yourself on Kalakaua Avenue for all the designer shopping and world-class dining. One and a half blocks south and you’ll be dipping your feet in the soft sand and cool waters of Waikiki Beach. And a little up across the street is the Royal Hawaiian Center which you must take time to visit for some mouthwatering cheap eats and nightly live shows.
Premium Oceanview Corner Suite
The Embassy Suites is one of Waikiki’s only all-suites resorts – and the only all-suites Hilton hotel – guaranteeing you a spacious living area throughout your stay. The hotel consists of two towers: the Aloha Tower which sits a little further back and faces the pool, and the Hula Tower which is closer to the water. Both provide ocean view rooms with varying perspectives of Waikiki.
Between the one- and two-bedroom suites on property, you’ll have a cozy private bedroom and separate living space equipped with your own mini kitchen composed of a microwave, mini-fridge, coffee machine, kettle and bar sink. The living room offers a comfortable space to lounge on the wide sofa or dine at the round table while putting on whatever your heart desires on the large flatscreen TV.
The bedroom is very spacious as well and features sizeable storage space in the drawers and wardrobe, an even larger flatscreen TV than in the living room, a work desk and ensuite bathroom. My favourite feature in the room is definitely the hula girl lamp stands that sit on the night tables. All the suites’ living space and bedrooms have been recently renovated, providing a modern and textured touch with various Hawaiian patterns and colours to complement the destination of Oahu.
Our Premium Ocean View King room (#2130) was situated on the top floor of the Hula Tower, and our private balcony spanned the entire corner of our suite for a 270-degree high-vantage point view that felt like ours alone. And I must add that I had some of the best night sleeps on that king-size bed which is dressed with 300 thread count sheets.
Amenities at the Grand Lanai
On the Grand Lanai found on the 4th floor connected by both hotel towers, you’ll find all the resort amenities you’ll need during your stay. We didn’t get a chance to frequent the fitness centre but the poolside welcomed us daily. It’s not an overly large pool and connects to a shallow kids pool and a hot tub while adding curves to the rectangular shape of the pool. It’s also heated just right which makes evening swims and morning dips way more comfortable.
There are four cabanas that you can reserve for however long you’d like depending on availability. We had no issue booking ours for the entire day and our cabana was prepped with fresh towels and a “reserved” sign until we arrived. On a hot and sunny Hawaiian afternoon, we were extremely happy to have our pocket of shade and daybed to completely relax by the pool with some cooled drinks in hand.
The Pakini Bar on the south side of the pool serves amazing drinks. Our favourites were among the Embassy exclusives, but for our day at the cabana, we decided to go with the Tropical Mimosa package which included a bottle of Brut sparkling wine and three delicious Hawaiian Sun nectar drinks to concoct our own mimosas. We certainly didn’t want to part with our cabana after having a few of these on such a beautiful day!
Complimentary Food & Beverage
Though the Pakini Bar is open 12-5pm, an Evening Reception is held daily at 5:30-7:30pm for all guests to enjoy complimentary drinks and packaged snacks! Drink tickets are provided upon hotel check-in and come out to be two per person per night. You can use your complimentary drink tickets on house wine and beer, high balls, shots and a selection of cocktails such as the Blue Hawaiian, Rum Punch and Mai Tai. Be sure to tip the awesome and generous bartender who is working so hard and fast to make drinks for everyone! Packaged snacks are free for the taking on the counter just around the corner from the bar for a light snack before dinner.
As the drinks and snacks were made to go, we would often escape back to our suite with our drinks in hand to take in the crazy sunset that we were blessed with on the west side of the island.
One thing that always has me sold on a resort or hotel is whether they offer a decent complimentary hot breakfast, and Embassy Suites Waikiki is high up on the list for providing a hearty meal to all guests at no additional cost. Breakfast is self-serve and consists of an assortment of staple Western breakfast items: fruit yogurts, potatoes (wedges or hashbrowns), pancakes, waffles, sausages, bacon, mini cupcakes and other continental pastries, toast, cereal, oatmeal, sliced tropical fruit and whole fruits as well. There’s a made-to-order omelette station for those keen to have their breakfast cooked on the spot with customized toppings, and a coffee and fruit juice station is also available to stay or to go.
The breakfast is available from 6:30-9:30am on weekdays and 6:30-10:30am on weekends, and is always situated in the large room on the Grand Lanai on the north side of the pool. No reservations are needed but try to get to breakfast early as complimentary dining tends to invite a busy crowd of guests!
Service
The hospitality we received at Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk was perfect and the staff gave us a warm welcome that made us feel like part of the Embassy Suites ohana. During the craziness of breakfast, the staff managed to be incredibly swift in cleaning, resetting and would ask us if we needed anything else while we were seated and eating. Housekeeping was always so efficient and we only crossed paths once with the lady who cleaned our room and she was incredibly sweet, making sure all our needs were met. The valet attendants were also so quick and kind, never making us wait more than half a minute, even when there was a rush in guests leaving or coming in.
If you’re looking to get gear rentals during your stay in Waikiki, Embassy Suites will have you covered. You can book a Stay & Play package that includes your accommodations and beach rentals including sand chairs, an umbrella, a snorkel set or boogie board which you can pickup at the Honolulu Surf Club and is redeemable for two days. This is really great if you plan to go snorkelling off-site like near the Kaneohe Sandbar and Hanauma Bay!
If you were to take anything away from this article, it’s that Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk is all about keeping their guests satisfied and knowing that their stay was worth every penny. I hope you get to enjoy the “suite” life on your next trip to Waikiki!
This post is written in collaboration with the Embassy Suites Waikiki after a PR stay. As an avid member of the Hilton brand, I am happy to know that this hotel is part of the collection and I cannot wait to be a guest here again.
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