My husband and I enjoyed a 3-week stay at the Ilikai Marina. First of all, the communication with Rocco, the person who handled the reservation, was fantastic. He was so responsive, so easy to work with, and we really appreciated this. The view from the condo was absolutely gorgeous. Overlooking the harbor, the unit offered a perfect vantage point for the Friday night fireworks at the Hilton, which is just a few buildings away. Since the unit faces the harbor instead of the street, it was much quieter than another condo across the street where we’d stayed in previously that faced the road. Every morning and evening, I had the pleasure of taking in this beautiful sight to start and end my day in paradise.
The location is super convenient, especially if you want easy access to grocery stores like Foodland (more upscale) and Don Quijote (cheaper), each of which are just 15-20 minutes away. Ala Moana Mall (very large outdoor mall that includes major stores like Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Target, as well as all your little retail stores) is close by as well (10 minutes), and I especially loved my morning walks around nearby Magic Island Park (10 minutes). Of course, Waikiki is right there as well, making this an ideal spot to stay.
The condo is well-equipped and very comfortable, with a very functional layout, perfect for two people. It included thoughtful extras like beach gear (boogie boards, chairs, small cooler, etc.), though we didn’t end up using them. The kitchen had everything we needed—plenty of dishes, pots and pans, utensils, and plastic food containers for leftovers. We used the rice cooker often, and appreciated the refrigerator with filtered water and an ice maker. There was also an electric stove, which we used occasionally, and a microwave mounted above it. A dishwasher was available as well, though it appeared to be installed incorrectly as the door hit the side of the cabinet — so we didn't use it - we flagged this to the property manager and hope it’s since been resolved. The bathroom fan was tied to the bathroom light - but the fan was very noisy, so I always made sure to close the door before turning on the light. The A/C worked wonderfully, so that was a huge plus.
There was construction noise on many a days starting at 10 am, but luckily it only lasted a few hours at a time. I'm not sure we were told about this as we had booked it some months back, but a good reminder for us to check first before booking next time at the Ilikai Marina.
I do wish there had been in-unit laundry, but the shared washers and dryers (7 of each but a few had signs indicating they didn't work) just one floor up - these were convenient ($3.25 per load). It did get busy at times, but wasn't too difficult for us to find an empty washer/dryer. Washers all used an app called PayRange, and dryers used a combo of PayRange and direct credit card slides.
The Ilikai Marina balconies are not great. There was a tiny table and 2 little chairs out there, but the balcony was very narrow (maybe 3 ft?) and the sliding glass door was quite old and hard to open and close. The balcony is really more for show, not for use in my opinion.
Since we didn’t rent a car, I can’t comment on the parking, and although there are a few restaurants just downstairs, we didn’t try them. Public transportation was easily accessible, with bus stops within a half block away. One of my favorite parts of the stay was being so close to the Hilton Lagoon which was 5 to 7 minutes away. I went there every morning for some yoga or strength exercise, then enjoyed a leisurely walk around Waikiki or over to Magic Island.
There were many pros but a few cons for this unit and for Ilikai Marina, but I would say that overall it was a good experience and we would return for a stay.