The hotel itself was very old and nothing like the pictures on expedia. When i first arrived the service was bad and so was the building, the elevators was probably the first ever installed on the island of Oahu it took atleast 15 minutes for it to arrive. Along with the rediculous wait for the elevator it was also nasty inside and all of the staff was using it also, we were riding the elevator with bags of leaking garbage. The condition of our room at first glance seemed slightly better than the rest of the building until i realized i was sharing the bathroom with a community of tiny red ants. Our room was also the closest to the road and the walls were very thin so i got lulled to sleep by the roar of cars and trucks, i kept checking the windows to make sure they were shut but it was just the poor construction of the building. The worst part of the whole experience was that i had paid for the hotel a month in advance but when i got home from the getaway the hotel had charged me almost 300 dollars, after talking to both expedia and the hotel staff no one could tell me where the charges came from or what they were for somehow they had no record of them but they were still on my card. It was a huge hassle to have the money matters cleared up and the hotel was in the wrong. Over all i do not recommend staying here, spend a little more money to go to a much more reliable hotel.

My boyfriend is stationed at Schofield Barracks so I've been out there 3 times in the past year to visit. The Aqua Equus has by far been the best hotel out of the three I've stayed at. The room was neat and clean, had a very comfy bed and was just overall a nice place to stay. You don't spend much time in your hotel room but it's nice to be able to go back to a clean, quiet hotel room after a long day in the sun. Pro's and Con's . . . .


PROs - Clean, quiet, free continental breakfast (just coffee, juice, and some pastries), very nice TV with computer monitor connected to it (nice for watching DVDs), great location (a bit of a walk to Waikiki beach but nice to be away from the crowd), just a walks distance to the Ala Moana shopping center and a few blocks more to the movie theater and Dave and Busters.

CONs - Elevator takes forever, there are a flight of stairs from the street to the lobby so be ready to lug all your suitcases up those stairs, parking is $18 a day (but for all you military people, park at Fort de Russy using your military ID for a lot cheaper)



Overall, I definitely recommend this hotel over any other. It's reasonably priced and better than other hotels in this price range. And considering how expensive everything can be out in Hawaii, it's nice to find a nice hotel without putting a hole in your pocket.

Like so many others, I read review after review on this and many other properties before finally making the decision to book here. What finally became the deciding factors were the price and pictures of the refurbished rooms. With 6 of us traveling I wanted the most affordable rooms with the greatest comfort. I am pleased to say that we were extremely delighted at the results. For the most part what I have read in others reviews are pretty accurate, but I'd like to break it down.

The rooms are redone (look just like the pictures), about standard size and are clean. The beds are very comfortable with great pillows and comforters. The bathrooms only have a shower but have nice tile work and the pressure wasn't bad (I could actually get the shampoo out of my long hair) . The toilets are really loud when they flush but they do flush, so that's a good thing. There is a small safe in the closet in the bathroom and also a laundry basket (this was nice to have to put dirty clothes in it while we were there). Overall, the room was great.

There ARE stairs from the street up to the front desk, and more than just a couple but not anything overbearing even with luggage for 6 people. It is true, the elevator is in rehab (although while we were there the floor did get finished, now they just need to finish the door panel and put up the new wall paper), but definately not a reason to cross this hotel of your list of prospects. The breakfast is simple with a small varity but very tasty and fresh. The hotel is on a busy, noisey street (but we were on the 3rd floor and had absolutely no problems with noise with the windows closed), there is free WiFi in the rooms but we had trouble connecting. However it is another company that manages the internet vs. the hotel themselves so they gave us the number and we contacted them and finally got connected. The pool was small and unfortunately people had thrown numerous cigarette butts into it, but wait -the hotel next door is also part of the aqua chain and your room key allows you into their pool which is a little larger, more private (it's behind the tennis courts) and has a jacuzzi as well as and outdoor shower. We went over there (45 second walk) and were completely satisfied. As budget hotels go, this one ranks very high.

Finally, the staff was wonderful and very accomodating. We arrived our first night close to midnight after a late flight. When we got to the front desk they greeted me by name like they knew me before I even got a chance to tell them who I was. We checked out the next day because we were flying to another island but were coming back in a week. This time we arrived early before check in and they were able to get us into one of the two rooms early. We stayed the next several days here and all of the staff from the front desk (day or night staff) to the housekeeping department was incredible with a great aloha spirit. On our last day we had a late flight out so we had a late check out and then they stored our bags until it was time to leave for the airport at NO extra cost. They were simply amazing.

Couple of ending thoughts for you who haven't made up your mind, if your nit-picky, think hard about it but if you are willing to have the aloha spirit and looking just to have a good time. I wouldn't hesitate. The hotel is not close to Waikiki but you are only about a block away from The Bus line that will take you anywhere for $2.00 per adult $1.00 per student (under 17) . It's diagonal from the ILIKAI hotel and across the street from the Hawaiian Prince hotel. There are a several restraunts close by including Red Lobster, Outback, Subway, McDonalds and Rainbow Sushi. Not to meantion it only being a little over 5 minutes to walk to the 4 story Ala Moana Shopping Center just down the street with one of the best food courts I've seen. (Japanize, Korean, American, Italian, etc....) Departing note-it is as cheap to rent a limo for your airport tranportation as it is to take a taxi. $28.99+tip (total not per person) will take you and up to 5 guests to or from the Equus to the airport. The cab (minivan) is about the same price give or take a couple of bucks due to traffic. Hope this helps and Aloha!

Hotel is in a great location. The hotel staff are very friendly and personable. The rooms are very clean and comfortable. This is my fourth time staying at this hotel and would recommend.