Stopped by Heyday restaurant in White Sands hotel and the dinner was amazing! I heard that the chef here won the James Beard award and it shows!! Mason made me the best Mai Tai I’ve had here too! The ambiance is perfect for Waikiki. I will definitely be back.
I booked a 3-night stay via a discount travel website. Took a chance, based on the cute photos. Turns out, they do not do this place justice. It's a sweet oasis in the middle of all the action of Honolulu. The decor is mid-century, a tiki vibe with lots of unique little touches. But the White Sands lacks nothing where modern conveniences are concerned. Each day you can check out beach chairst, boogie boards, etc., and take a short walk straight over to the beach. Super easy. We did that and after a day of fun and sun, with all the people crowding the beach, it was fantastic to enter the friendly confines of this oasis of a hotel. Soft Hawaiian music, and occasional jazz fills the background. There's a restaurant (Hey Day) and a bar with craft cocktails and yummy food. Bartendars were professional and knew how to make a good drink. Everything about this place made us want to come back even before we left. Little things, like the awesome hot tub tucked away in a lava stone cove, away from the pool area. The koi pond. The tiki torches and ambient lighting. Somehow, they managed to make the atmosphere at the pool suitable for families ( couple with babies) and singles, couples, all at the same time. Just an excellent, chill, mellow vibe all around.…
The White Sands took us in when there was an emergency & we had nowhere else to go. Nohonani St was closed for police activity & our hotel next door only has one entrance, so we couldn't get back in. Lucky for us the White Sands has TWO entrances/exits so we were able to wait out a good portion of the 12-hour standoff at the BEST bar on Oahu. I think our bartender’s name was Mason (apologies if that's wrong) & he made amazing cocktails, the best we had the entire week (trust me, we went to every hotel bar on Waikiki). It was the first bar on the island I was able to get drunk at… all the other resorts/bars served overpriced, mediocre giggle-water. Order their Rum’s the Word - perfection in a glass! Since we were there for a long time, we also tried numerous dishes off the food menu, again, all delicious. The best part of our refugee stay was by far the staff. Our bartender was very understanding & went above & beyond the normal duties of a bartender. He inquired about any available rooms for us in case we couldn’t make it back. We didn’t even ask, he just did it! Wade Takano, operations manager, was also so nice; allowing us to stay, use the bathroom, providing updates, etc. Yes, we were buying drinks/food the entire time, but they could have asked us to leave since we weren’t guests of the hotel. Instead, they choose to be understanding & accommodating in an unusual situation & for that, I'm forever grateful. I know exactly where I’m staying the next time I go to Oahu!…
This hotel is awesome! It is super cute and charming. It is an older property, so know that if you are the type that cannot handle an older property and its quirks. I found it a great alternative to the Marriotts and Hilton corporate hotels that tend to be crowded with lots of people and slow elevators. This is a breath of fresh air! Yes, you have to walk up stairs to get to the second and third floors but I didn't find that a problem. My views were not great from my balcony but that is fine I knew that going in and was not there for the pool or ocean view. The beach is a short walk and you can get chairs and boogie boards at the front desk included in your resort fee. I loved that they have a great bar and restaurant on property and they shut it down at 9-930 pm so that their guests can get some sleep, I loved that. Food and beverages were top notch, we loved the cocktails! The live music was always fun - the vibe was great at night. Be aware that on certain Sundays they have a pool party that takes over the pool area from afternoon to early evening but we were informed at check in so we took that day to drive around to other areas of Oahu and enjoy the island. My room was super cute and clean - housekeeping will clean your room once in seven days and that was just fine with me. You can always change out your towels whenever you need to. I loved the kitchenette, it was perfect for making your own breakfast and coffee in the room. WIFI works great. The housekeeping staff is wonderful and very friendly. The whole staff we met, from the front desk to the bartenders were all super nice and made us feel at home. I loved that split AC - you can really control it and it worked really well, better than most hotel HVAC systems. The ceiling fan was also a great touch you don't usually see in most hotels. The room had everything I needed, I had a desk so that I could get work done and there is also an in room safe. I had no issues with my bathroom, it was great to have all that counter space and the shower is small but we never had an issue with it, it was perfectly functional. The large closet was a plus! As for the safety issues you see in other reviews, there is a slightly sketchy hotel next door to the property but we never felt unsafe, it is mostly people that are hanging out in front of the dive bar in that hotel minding their own business. We would walk by at all hours to get to Kuhio Ave and it was never a bad vibe, just big city life. Waikiki is part of a large metropolitan area. Parking is tricky- you need to reserve it when checking in. They do direct you to a lot across the street at the same price if they don't have parking for you so parking is not a problem, just reserve it if you need it when you arrive. If you are looking for a sweet hotel that feels less corporate and more charming and old Hawaii you will love it at at White Sands! I cannot wait to return! …
Checked in for a short trip from Seattle for New Year’s in Honolulu. Was drawn to the hotel as it is an old school walk-up Tiki style with an amazing bar and pool area. Kudos to the awesome staff—we sat at the bar in swings all night till close. Shout out to amazing bartender Mason (pictured below), Jordan & Dakota. The bar is everything.
The White Sands is a charming and updated 1960’s hotel in the heart of Waikiki. Well maintained, with cute pool area. EXCELLENT RESTAURANT/BAR called “Hey Day.” But… it sounded like there were jackhammers coming from every side of the property during the day. I’d planned to work remotely from my room for part of each day. Impossible with the noise nearby. To be clear, the noise isn’t on property, rather, a stone’s throw from the rooms. Would’ve loved to get some sun at the pool but it was so very loud. Hotel should give out earplugs. I had to buy resort passes each day to nearby hotels to get some quiet and help my migraine die down after morning jackhammers. The noises is only during the day—10 to 4—but that eliminates pool time. All that said, the room was comfortable and I loved the set up of the hotel. If you are immune compromised or Covid cautious, this could be a great hotel option with open air check in, terraces on each hotel room, and each room with a separate A/C. I will definitely be back after the neighbors quiet down.…
I made a reservation at this hotel through Booking.com with free cancellation option. The hotel charged a deposit (almost $190) for the first night, which I expected as it was mentioned in the policies. My plans changed and I later canceled the reservation and now the hotel is unresponsive and is not refunding me the money. It’s been many days already. I don’t recommend doing any business with this property.
I booked this hotel on the Costco travel site. It's was supposed to be boutique small hotel. First of all it's on a very sketchy side street. Lobby and pool area with bar is nice. First night we were checked in on third floor . Being tired from trip we four went to bed around 10pm. At 1 am we are awakened with a large group of people migrating to one room across from us laughing and being loud . They were having some kind of after party. Now our room was next to the door that leads outside so that door kept slamming from those people in and out. The hotel claims they have security. Well he must of been asleep that night. The hotel claims that fines will be issued if anyone smokes In the room . All the rooms half about an inch and half gap opening on bottom of doors so along with being awake to this mess we also had smoke coming in our rooms. Awful. We didn't call security because we can hear their conversations and we didn't know if they would find out that it was us. The party finally ended at 3 am At 7am I and my adult daughter marched downstairs to lobby to complain We got a "I'm sorry" and a 50.00 credit. They moved us to second floor The second day on second floor we start hearing a man singing in his shower ( rooms are very old and bathrooms are smaller than a closet with old rusty metal vents back to back with next door bathroom And mold on the walls) Anyways at 1 am that morning this man was drunker than drunk and was making loud funny noises and yelling. We tried to call front desk with our room phone twice but the phone doesn't work so we had to use our cell phone. Security was there within 2 minutes. Next day we are getting ready for dinner and a cockroach big as a fifty cent piece roams in our door from the big gap under doors. The hallway doors are unlocked and open all the time and non hotel guest can just let themselves on along with mice and cockroaches. I could not sleep at night after all that. On our seventh night I spotted a baby cockroach on the wall near my bed. Carpet is dirty and sticky. Just awful I will never book through Costco ever again and will never stay at White Sands again. I have been to Hawaii over 20 times Our 8 night stay was $2400.00 Motel 6 would of been better.…
I loved my stay here and would 100% return! We had a double twin room with a pool view. The room was a bit dated but absolutely fine, very comfortable. The view from the balcony of the garden and pool was great. They only clean your room once in a 7 day stay but you can request new towels etc if needed. The pool and bar area is amazing. I spent a few very lazy afternoons on a sun lounger drinking margaritas, it was the best! I actually returned to the bar even after we had checked out as I liked it so much. The location was excellent, easy walking distance to the beach and everything else in Waikiki. I honestly couldnt fault the place.
White Sands hosted a welcome reception for 40+ wedding guests. Bartenders Zach, Mason, Dakota, Jordan and Chef Luis knocked it out of the park. The pool and bar area is beautiful, the drinks and food are da bomb and the staff genuinely cares!
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