The hotel was okay and we didn't expect luxury for what we paid. The room was a decent size, but quite shabby and not particularly clean. Having a fridge and microwave was a definite bonus. The bathroom was tiny and smelly. The walls are very thin, so it can be noisy. The little shop on the 6th floor was very useful and the pool and spa were clean and well kept. There was construction going on at the time of our stay, but we were still able to access the pool.
The front desk staff were quite helpful if advice was needed about anything.
The hotel is in a decent location - not too far from the beach - 10 minute walk. The area did seem a bit dodgy at night, though and the streets further back from the beach front are not very well lit.

A wonderful week on the 22nd floor of the hotel. Had a view of the golf course, ocean, and the canal.
Room amenities were sufficient with a microwave, refrigerator, utensils, and two queen size beds.
Plenty of hot water for the bathtub/shower, and dishwashing sink.
Pool and hot tub on the sixth floor which were grand.
Construction repair was underway during the daylight hours which was the only negative.
Staff was very helpful, especially Robert behind the desk.
Hotel has good security with 24 hour personnel on duty.
Laundry facilities which were very reasonable located on the sixth floor.
Only 3 blocks from Waikiki Beach, restaurants, and shopping.

My husband and I took advantage of some cheap airline flights to Hawaii in February of 2007 and were looking for a clean, comfortable place to stay - just a decent three star hotel to use as a base for our stay on Oahu.

Anyone who's tried to find a mid-range value-for-money place to stay in Waikiki would know that it is a near impossible task - and with good reason, you know it's a tourist area when you decide to visit, so you've gotta take overinflated prices into account! So I was very happy when after much searching I came across (what was then) the Castle Island Colony. I booked online direct through the hotel website and paid around $120US a night for a standard room.

We landed on Oahu after a redeye from Sydney and arrived at the hotel at about 8am. The foyer is open and breezy, and has a very tropical feel to it. Imagine our joy when the lovely lady on reception not only allowed us to check in at that time, but also upgraded our room to one with a kitchenette. This friendly service set the tone for the rest of our stay - everyone was helpful, from the tour desk to the reception staff to the room service people.

Our room was everything we'd hoped for - a basic but clean and comfortable place to call home for five days. The furnishings were of the same "tropical eighties" ilk as is common amongst three star beach hotels the world over - but despite their slightly-garish nature, they were in fairly good condition (the same as pictured on the website). We had two double beds in the room, and the balcony (overlooking the golf course, canal and hill leading to Diamond Head) was spacious and breezy. Our aircon worked just fine, and there were no bugs. The bathroom was a little small but that was no big deal ("small" being a relative term anyway, it was luxurious by Japanese standards). We didn't use the pool but the area around it looked quite tidy and it was a decent size. Having the kitchenette was really handy as it meant we could make breakfast every day. Parking was about $15US a night (sure, a little steep, but it's Waikiki...).

As the hotel (and other reviews) has pointed out - the Island Colony only takes up part of the high-rise it's contained within, so yes, there are permanent residents sharing the facilities with you, but they're not on the same floors. We had a bit of loud music noise carrying through from a guest staying next door to us, we just called across our balcony to ask him to turn it down a bit and he obliged. I think this was more a result of both of us having our balcony doors open late at night than thin walls.

The hotel is in a great location a couple of blocks back from the beach. I can't for the life of me understand why certain reviewers have complained about this (and complained about having difficulty finding their way through the oceanfront-hotels to get to the beach itself? That's got nothing to do with the Island Colony.) The hotel doesn't represent itself as being beachfront, and it's only five minutes walk to the sand through the pedestrian haven that is Waikiki central. It's also a block away from the bus routes taking you to Diamond Head, to the airport and into Honolulu proper. There's lots of convenience stores and restaurants nearby and a well-equipped, reasonably priced (for Waikiki!) supermarket a couple of blocks down the street which we used for buying drinks and snacks.

(The only issue we had with our stay was that we'd booked through Castle when they owned the place and sold it to Aqua without telling any of their outstanding bookings. When we tried to book a room for our return from the Big Island it took three emails to Castle before they let us know they didn't own it anymore. It would have been nice for Castle or Aqua to contact their outstanding bookings to let us know what was going on, as for a few days I wasn't sure whether the hotel even existed anymore).

For overall value and friendliness, you can't go past the Aqua Island Colony in Waikiki. In a city where everything is marked up for tourists, it was great to be able to come back to our room at the end of a long day, sit on the lanai, check out the "ocean glimpses" and relax. What you pay for is what you get at the Island Colony - it's nothing fancy, but it's comfortable. If we return to Oahu, we'd definitely stay here again.

The Aqua Island Colony is a poor excuse for a hotel. Not only is it dirty and infested with bed bugs and roaches, the staff are unhelpful and unfriendly. Upon reporting our bed bug problem to the staff and then later to their corporate body, we received zero help or acknowledgement. They could care less about their problems there. Steer clear from this hotel and any other hotels with the Aqua title.