Beachside Hostel Waikiki

This hostel has a fun and relaxed vibe, perfectly fitting for a laid-back beach holiday in the heart of a bustling tourist mecca.

The Location

By far and away the best feature of this hostel is the location. Dwarfed in all directions by hotel accommodation at four times the price, the hostel is located one street back from Kalakaua Avenue, the main beach road that hugs the world famous Waikiki beach. It's only a short walk to the beachfront (where swimming, snorkeling, surfing, and sunburn await), miles of shopping, a wealth of restaurants, and the beloved ABC stores that populate the area, providing all the essential items a cheesy tourist could need. It is also only a few minutes' walk to the bus system, an economical $2 ride to see the entire island of Oahu for the traveler with time on his hands. Reception can provide you with a full list of bus routes to all major attractions and discounted tour offers. You have to present an out-of-town ID. There's no curfew so you can come and go as you please -- whether this is abused is up to your roommates.

Rooms and Bathrooms

Reasonably priced, large dorms of six to eight people and small dorms are available, as are female-only dorms -- however, some of rooms have no air-conditioning. Semi-private rooms are available, but these share kitchen and bathroom facilities with the adjoining dorms and although there are balconies in all rooms, dorms with an occupied private room attached won't be able to access them. Basic linen sheets are provided and are all that you'll need in the year-round, humid weather in Hawaii. Rooms are cleaned daily, however sometimes this appears to be quite superficial -- looking under the beds is not recommended. Free local calls are an added bonus in all rooms. Don't get taken in by the free cable TV in each room -- go get a surf lesson instead in the easy beginner waves right outside!

The just-renovated, full-sized kitchens are clean, spacious, and well set up for cooking your own meals if the cost of groceries in Waikiki doesn't put you off first. A wide variety of cooking utensils are included while basic cups appear to have been lost/broken/stolen over time and may be harder to come across. The bathrooms are another story -- generally, they are in dire need of repairs and have various complaints such as blocked drains; a vast collection of old, crusty toiletries; and half-hearted attempts at fixing broken shower curtain rods and peeling laminate are evident everywhere. They are definitely on the lower end of the hosteling scale and not for the faint-hearted.

Common Spaces

An undercover, open-air common space with plenty of seating is located next to reception which for some baffling reason features three sixty-one-inch television screens side by side, all tuned to the same channel. Smoking is not allowed on the premises, but drinking within reason is -- as long as you are over the legal drinking age of twenty-one! One of the greatest aspects of this hostel is the very international and diverse group of travelers it attracts -- anyone from stop-overs to surfers to the military and everything in-between so you'll have no trouble finding a few like-minded individuals to share a rent-a-car to the North Shore. Noise from the street (and at times, the common room) does filter into the rooms at night so ear-plugs may be advisable for light sleepers. There is also an for-pay internet café open twenty-four hours.

Summary

Relatively cheap secure parking is available, but spaces sell out by evening during peak season, so book early in the day. Travelers on a budget will appreciate the free breakfast served from 9 to 10 daily (consisting of toast, jam, peanut butter, and tea or coffee) and the free Wi-Fi access from the common area and some of the lower rooms. With on-site facilities including an ATM, vending machines, cheap body board, surfboard and snorkel rentals, twenty-four-hour front desk, laundry, a storage room, lockers and phone cards, this hostel is well set up for everything you're likely to need during your stay. This hostel is consistently rated the best hostel in Hawaii and appears to be the most fun and safe option of the three hostels located in this exceptional position. Provided that you aren't particular about some of the rundown facilities and a permanent hum of noise reflective of the general atmosphere of Waikiki, it is well worth a visit for your budget Hawaiian holiday.

-- Avis exclusif de Hostelz.com