For Today’s post we again rely on our Guest Blogger Terri the T-rex.

 

So for my first trip to Hawaii I choose to stay at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki.  This is a very large hotel located in the tourist haven of Waikiki Beach.  Waikiki is located on the island Oahu which is the most densely populated of the Hawaiian island and is also home to Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, and the North Shore (famous for surfing).  Although it is possible to have a relaxing vacation on Waikiki, this is not the place to get away from the crowds or the city.  This area is about as urban as beach areas can get, which can also be an advantage depending on the type of vacation you are looking for.

 

I was fortunate to receive an upgrade to an oceanview suite on the 34th floor of this 40 story hotel. The room was a little strange as it was indeed a suite with two rooms,  but rather than one bedroom and a living room,  this was essentially two ocean view rooms connected.  It was nice to have the extra space, but in truth the suite itself was not that impressive.

 

However, the ocean view from balcony of the 34th floor was amazing and made up for the shortcomings of the suite

This hotel has a regency club located on the third floor that provide a nice complimentary Breakfast and Evening Happy Hour service for guests staying in Regency Club rooms and Diamond members of Hyatt’s loyalty program.

 

Overall this is one of the nicer hotels in Waikiki as long you understand there are some compromises.  First, the pool is strangely quite small for such a large hotel, currently I think the Sheraton Waikiki seems to have the best beach facilities in Waikiki.  Second, the beach access for this hotel is across the street and the hotel does not have a dedicated beach area, if this is important to you I might recommend you check out the Royal Hawaiian which has beachside chairs and umbrellas for guests, but is also quite a bit pricier.

Despite some compromises, this hotel can be quite a value.  My room was $152, and I was comped the resort fee as a Diamond Member of the Hyatt Gold Passport Program.  That is a bargain for this level of hotel in Hawaii.

Stay tuned for my next blog post about my dining experience at the hotel’s Japengo restaurant.