We arrived around 5:30 pm to check in on the 24th of March. The hotel itself is easy to find but the entrance is chaotic. Trying to turn in to the arrival area was very difficult with the constant pedestrian traffic. We managed to get in without killing anyone and our car was promptly checked into valet parking.
When you first enter it’s not clear which direction to go to find the check in desk but we eventually found it. As you enter it will be on your right. There were only a couple people in front of us so check in went very quick. I booked a Tower Ocean Front room which included breakfast in bed, sparkling wine and chocolate covered strawberries. The rate also included a 4pm check out on availability. When we got to the counter we were quickly and pleasantly greeted and informed that we had been upgraded to a suite. We ended up in room 2104 on the Penthouse level.
The room was very nice and cozy. Bathroom was good sized, double sinks, plenty of towels and nice products (shampoo, conditioner, lotion, mouth wash, and bathsalts). The shower curtain was on the curved rod which my husband loves because he’s rather wide and it doesn’t touch him. Plenty of hot water and the water pressure was great. Everything was nice and clean. Towels could have been softer but that’s my only gripe.
The toilet. Probably one of my most favorite things about this room besides my view….was the toilet seat. The toilet had the ever popular set up with the warm water and warm air to clean and dry with after you conduct your business but this seat took it one step further…..it was HEATED. There is nothing nicer than waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and rather than sitting on a cold plastic seat….your tushy is met with warmth. If I could have figured out how to get that in my over night bag …. I might have considered taking it with me (kidding).
Moving on. The room had a decent sized safe that you could fit a laptop in. Two closets, a sitting area with a flat screen tv, couch and two chairs. The sleeping area had a very comfy king sized bed with comfy bedding and pillows. The lanai opened from the sleeping area and had a table with two chairs as well as two lounger chairs. From our lanai I had a perfect view of Diamond Head which we really enjoyed as we ate our breakfast the next day. Only complaints I have would be that the top floor balcony is back from the edge of the roof so you can’t actually look down below. Other than that the noise from the AC unit below was very loud but it sort of acted as white noise keeping the noise from below from being bothersome.
Eating: We dined at the Beachhouse for dinner and had lunch at the Beachbar.
Dinner: We sat inside by a window by choice. I didn’t want to have to deal with the wind. The view from the window was ok but considering the view from our room, it didn’t matter too much. We dressed up nice for the evening but we saw people in all sorts of attire so there’s no real enforced dress code that I could tell. We started with the Crab cakes and the Lobster Bisque. The crab cakes were pretty much all crab but they were deep fried which I don’t like. Mine seemed a bit “cool” in the middle but my husbands was piping hot. The lobster bisque was ok, but not the best I ever had. He had Scampi and I had the petite fillet. Both of our entrees were cooked perfectly, steaming hot and enjoyable. Everything is ala carte so we also ordered a side of mashed potatoes which were perfectly done. I told them that this was our belated Valentine’s day celebration so they brought us a complimentary Hot Lava cake with ice cream to share. That was the best part of the meal.
Dinner with two glasses of wine and two cocktails ran us about $200.00 USD.
Lunch. I wish I could say it was good but it was just not. I got the Moana Burger and it was cold and dry. The flavor was good but the fact that the burger appeared to have been pre-cooked and dropped on a bun was disappointing. It came with your choice potato salad, cucumber slaw or chips. My husband got an order of regular wings and garlic fries with this chili/ginger ketchup on the side. Again, just ok. At least it was hot.
With tip I spent about $65.00. Wish we had gone elsewhere.
Oh by the way, just FYI: There is no room service for lunch.
The Spa: This was a wonderful, relaxing experience. Check in was prompt and everyone was very friendly. We were escorted to our respective areas to change and wait for our massages. The facilities were wonderful. I was the only one in there which made it even better. There is a hot tub that overlooks the beach area as well as a sauna and steam room. The relaxation room was nice and it also opened up to the beach. You are on the second floor so you can watch the people below and hear the ocean as you relax. Yes you can hear the people below but it really wasn’t disruptive.
On schedule I was escorted to our couples suite where I met my husband. We were set for massages and facials. Our room also had a large Jacuzzi tub that overlooked the beach as well. We were very well taken care of by Monique and Megan. They were very nice and professional and caring. The room overlooks the beach bar and beach area. While you can hear the people below the sound of the waves tends to muffle it so it really didn’t bother us that much. There are blinds so you can have privacy or you can open them while you sit in the tub and watch the people below.
While I got my massage by Monique, Megan worked on my husbands facial. Once that was done, we swapped and Megan did my facial while my husband got his massage. Once that was all done they brought us cold lemon flavored water and left us to relax in the Jacuzzi tub for 25 min. Wonderful experience. Loved that they didn’t try to sell us products and they provided just enough care without being annoying or intrusive. Wonderful overall experience I would recommend for anyone.