Royal Kuhio

My wife and I stayed here Dec 2008. We are Vacation Internationale Resort owners and they have some of the condos in this condo building. This is not a resort. Most of the condos are privately owned.

Our condo was small (VI Resorts was very clear about that before we booked). We stayed in a 1 bedroom. No more than 1 person can be in the kitchen at a time. The bathroom is small; the bedroom is small. 4 people could stay here, but I think that would be too much for me. Outside of the smallness issue, the place is pretty nice. The unit was very clean; the full kitchen is well stocked; the bed was comfortable; the units are non smoking and they smelled fresh. The unit has A/C.

The first 6 floors are a secure parking garage. Parking is free - very rare in Honolulu. FYI on inconvenience - our assigned parking was on the 6th floor. We then took and elevtor to the 1st floor, crossed the lobby, used our key to get through secure doors to another set of elevators to go up to our unit on the 8th floor. I understand that this is for security, but when you are lugging suitcases around to check in and later check out, it is a pain.

A very nice pool with plenty of lounge chairs is on the 7th floor. There is not a washer/dryer in the unit but there is a very large laundry room on the 7th floor. Good fitness room on the 7th floor, too.

No restaurant on site, but plenty within a quick walk. The International Market is just a few blocks away. Waikiki Beach is 5 blocks away. It is easier to walk to it than to try and find parking space near the beach. This is a decent place that is very convenient to the things to do in Honolulu. It is just a bit cramped.

The location is great, however, the owner of the unit I stayed in did not take care of it. Cigarette smoke permeated the entire unit...carpet, furniture, etc. I had a friend help me try to eliminate the stench. I got no help from the staff (different company from the site office) but did not receive any assistance. We couldn't use the pool because of construction. I did see a unit owned by the site office back in May and it was well kept.

We have stayed at the Royal Kuhio, the location is nice, you can walk to beach a few blocks away, stores within a block, night life within blocks, but if you do have a car they also have free parking for you. Condo is small but fine for two people. Staff was very helpful and friendly.

sharon