We stayed here 3 nights. The location is great, only a couple of blocks from the ocean and all the activity of Waikiki, without the high prices. Our room was clean & in good shape except for the AC units. We had a suite (a free upgrade they gave us) with a master bedroom & twin beds in the main area. The AC unit in the master bedroom made a loud squeeking noise, so we slept in the main room, where its unit was just loud. Our room was on the street, so you heard a lot of traffic all the time. Ask for a poolside room. We also have a full kitchen which meant we could make meals if we wanted.

If you can live with the noise (remember you are in a city), I would recommend the hotel. The pool area is very lovely. They have beach chairs and mats availabe for guest use. Free coffee & tea in the lobby. The staff was very helpful.

If you are on a budget & want to stay near the beach in Waikiki, this is a good option.

Bed was comfortable, however we could not use our balcony as they were working outside, rooms are average, very noisy (even with ac going). Pool area small, but nice. Wifi in lobby is terrible. Property is well located, just very dated.

I stayed at the Aqua Bamboo with my husband for several nights mid-January after reading all of the reviews... and seeing the price compared to other hotels. You are only a block away from all the big oceanfront hotels, so we would walk over there and have lunch or a cocktail, but were happy to retreat back to the Aqua Bamboo.

I requested a courtyard-facing room (looking at pool) and this was honored. I had read many other reviews on Tripadvisor suggesting this and I am glad that I did. The view was great and it was pretty quiet. The renovation noise was pretty distant.

Pros:
Free coffee, tea, ice water and lemonade in lobby
Free newspaper & apples
Beach chairs and beach towels available
Charming pool area
View of ocean from lanai
Wifi at pool

Cons:
The property feels a bit worn and aged despite inside renovations
Wish there was WiFi in the rooms rather than needing a USB cord, but cords are provided free of charge so that's a good thing.

For the price and location, I certainly recommend this room.

Nearby dining suggestion: If you want to the right about half a block there is a great local restaurant called "Ruffage." Excellent smoothies, acai sorbet bowl, and chicken teriyaki bowl all at extremely reasonable prices. Definitely recommend this for some cheap local food!

I also highly recommend going to Roy's if you want to spend more and have a more upscale experience -- best food I have ever had.

Overall, I would recommend Aqua Bamboo for the price, pool and location.

When we checked into the hotel, we were informed that since we were only staying one night, they upgraded us to a suite at no extra charge! And the suite was REALLY nice. There were two private lanais and a small kitchen. The beds (there were two) were very soft. I particularly liked the bathroom: all the towels had orchid flowers tucked in the folds, and the floor of the shower was black river-rock type stuff.

We really stayed a short time, so I can't talk about the location of the hotel. Parking was just next door in another hotel's garage, but was an extra charge - $20 for 24 hours, though you could enter and exit as much as you wanted. The ambiance was as beautiful and relaxing as I had hoped, and the staff were very nice. I would definitely return.