For my birthday this year we wanted to go somewhere relaxing and after binge watching White Lotus, we opted to follow season 1’s footsteps and went to Hawaii!

Rick had been to Oahu before, but I’d only stopped through the airport in Honolulu on the way to Kauai. We decided to escape to Waikiki especially after seeing the hotels available to book with credit card points.

We did use most of our Chase Sapphire Reserve points for this getaway to pay for our hotel and flights, and luckily for us, a great hotel was included in their program: the Park Shore Waikiki hotel!

Park Shore Waikiki hotel review

Neighborhood

The location of the hotel could not be beat – at least not for us. My idea of heaven for this getaway was to relax on the beach and read and swim in the ocean, and this hotel is literally right across the street from the beach. It was a two-minute walk and most of that was spent waiting for the crosswalk light to turn green.

This hotel is at the end of the main strip in Waikiki, but that also meant it was quiet! And that also meant we had an obstructed view of Diamond Head from our room. We could also see into the Honolulu Zoo and could watch the flamboyance of flamingos chill in their pools from our balcony.

We thought the location was perfect and convenient for all the activities we had booked. The only times we took a ride share was into downtown Honolulu for our ghost tour and then back to our hotel. We also took one to get us to Diamond Head for our hike, but we were able to walk back to the hotel from the park and it only took about 25 minutes.

Location: 2586 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815

Accommodations

We had booked an ocean view room but when we checked in, we were told we got a complimentary upgrade! We ended up on the 18th floor (top floor) and got both an ocean view and a view of Diamond Head! There was a spacious balcony that had two chairs and a small table. We could not get enough of the view from our room!

Our suite included a King-sized bed, desk and chair, TV, mini fridge, and coffee maker. There was also an ice machine on our floor.

The bathroom was small, but not like we were spending most of our time in there. Our room had a walk-in shower and they had shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and body lotion already stocked. The quality of the shampoo and conditioner was great and it smelled like vacation (read: coconuts).

Amenities

ABC Store

A major convenience was having an ABC Store attached to the hotel! Even though the hotel offered free sunscreen and aloe vera, we stocked up on our own to take to the beach, as well as get some snacks and drinks to take during the day.

There was an entry to the shop right off the hotel lobby, next to the game room and coffee maker. I will say the coffee from the lobby could be improved as the machine was quite slow and it was mostly just espresso. There was most often a line in the morning for the coffee maker.

Beach Candy Waikiki

Part of our resort fees included complimentary rentals from Beach Candy, which was right next door. We could rent three items free of charge, so each day we got ourselves two beach chairs and an umbrella.

It was super convenient to zip downstairs and pick up our stuff. And after the initial reservation on the first day, we never had to fill in any forms. We just went up to the counter, gave them my name, and told them what we wanted. Rentals were due back by 5 p.m. and we could pick up items as early as 7 a.m.

Fitness Center + Classes

The hotel did have a fitness center and no one was more surprised than I was that I did not go. I came to Hawaii to relax and leave my routine behind and that included my fitness routine for this trip. The gym was on the third floor and had an elliptical, two bikes, free weights, and a weight machine.

We did make use of their offer for a free sunrise yoga class (offered Tuesdays and Fridays) at 7 a.m. The class was an hour and we don’t consider ourselves advanced yogis and enjoyed the class. There was a lot of breath work, meditation, and we held the poses for a good amount of time to really feel the stretch.

Pool

The hotel did have a pool on the third floor but we never went to check it out. Why would we fly all the way to Hawaii to spend our day at the pool when the ocean is right there? There was ample seating around the pool and it looked like there were some nice cabanas and daybeds.

Restaurants

The hotel had a restaurant right off the lobby and was also connected to Lulu’s Waikiki.

Yoshitsune was the restaurant seen from the lobby but we never actually went there. It looked busy and it did look good! But we already had so many other restaurants booked for our getaway.

Lulu’s Waikiki was attached to the hotel and you could order room service from the restaurant if you wanted. We went there our first night as it overlooks the beach and we wanted to watch the sunset from there. We both got loco mocos and I had my fill of mango daiquiris!

We did return to Lulu’s on Wednesday for breakfast and it was amazing. We got a seat right along the bench seating facing the ocean and it was a beautiful view and amazing food. Rick got the Big Kahuna Burger and I got the Spam Fried Rice which was delicious.

Right around the corner was a coffee and waffle shop, as well as a salad and sandwiches quick-serve restaurant. Between the restaurants and ABC Store, we were not going to go hungry on this trip.

Water 

Lastly, an amenity we appreciated was the water station in the lobby where we could fill our water bottles with filtered, cold water. We’d fill up on the way to the beach, go for an afternoon refill, and then stop by at night to rehydrate.

Housekeeping + service

Upon check-in, every member of staff we encountered was friendly and polite. Check-in was super easy and we found out that they had given us a complimentary upgrade so we got to stay on the top floor!

We did put our our Do Not Disturb sign as we don’t need housekeeping services every day, and they even texted Rick asking if we needed any fresh towels or a restock on our coffee, which was very considerate. The day we did opt for housekeeping, they did a fantastic job tidying up our room and providing new towels.

Price

Like I said, we turned in our points for our stay but did do a cost comparison against using points and booking with one of their stay and save packages, where you can save up to 25% off when staying 7+ nights.

On average though, their rates start at around $188 per night.

Overall, we were very, very pleased with this hotel. The location could not be beat, the amenities were great, and we had a lovely stay. Seriously, there were afternoons when we were done at the beach that we went to the ABC store and bought a bottle of wine to enjoy from our balcony as the view was that incredible.