Suite life with extra value at Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk

Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk offers great amenities and value for a Waikiki vacation. A full, cooked-to-order breakfast and evening cocktail reception is always included in the nightly room rate off this all-suite resort.

Location

Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk is located at 201 Beach Walk in Waikiki. (See this Google Map link to explore the area.) Restaurants, shops and, of course, Waikiki Beach are all within easy walking distance.

Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk isn’t located on the beach. I estimate that walking distance from the hotel to the beach is no more than a five minute walk down the public beach access path between the Halekulani and the Outrigger Reef on the Beach hotels. [Tip: for an uncrowded section of beach, head towards the beach fronting Fort Derussy Beach Park located to the west of Outrigger Reef on the Beach.]

We had a 12th floor room which offered ocean views. If I remember correctly, our floor was about half way up the tower. Rooms on higher floors will have less obstructed ocean views.

The hotel is connected to the shops and restaurants of Waikiki Beach Walk. This shopping center hosts free entertainment and classes. For example, they are currently offering a free hula show, a farmers market and a free yoga class. Check their website for more details on the free entertainment and classes along with the schedule.

The “Rooms”

2020 UPDATE: The rooms at Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk are being renovated. Here’s a look at the new design that is due to be implemented throughout the resort by June 2020.

The following information is from the previous design. Much will be the same in terms of the layout and most of the in-room amenities.

Each “room” at Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk provides a separate living and kitchenette area from the bedroom(s) — giving you room to stretch out.

The living room is furnished with a sleeper sofa, chairs, a flat screen television and a desk/table. The living area can be closed off from the bedrooms by closing the door. This layout worked out well for us because I tend to wake up earlier than Andy when we’re jet lagged. When I woke up, rather than stare at the ceiling in the dark, I was able to go into the other room, close the door, then catch up on my email and watch television.

The kitchenette area off the living room is equipped with a mini-refrigerator, microwave oven, sink and coffee maker.

The bedroom(s) have either one king or two queen beds, a wardrobe, drawer space and a vanity/desk area. Each bedroom has its own flat screen television.

The bathrooms have a combined shower and tub and an oversized, one-sink vanity. A hairdryer, beach towels and Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries were stocked in the bathrooms.

The decor incorporates Hawaiian kapa designs throughout —  in the new carpet, bedspread and shower curtain. The hula dancer lamps also added to the local feel.

As noted earlier, the couch in the living area is actually a pull-out sofa, which offers another sleeping area. When you consider the extra sleeping capacity with the pull-out sofa, here’s how many people the suites can accommodate:

• One-bedroom, king-sized bed suite – up to four people
• Two-bedroom, with two king-sized beds and two bathrooms – up to six people
• Two-bedroom, with one king-sized bed and two queen-sized beds and two bathrooms – up to 8 people.

We had the opportunity to take a peek at the two-bedroom suites. The layout is perfect for couples or family traveling together. The two bedrooms are separated by the living area, which gives each bedroom privacy.

Amenities

Complimentary buffet breakfast is served daily from 6:30am to 10:00am. The buffet features an omelet station where you select your own omelette ingredients into a bowl then present it to the friendly cook to prepare. Other breakfast items include  fresh fruit, cereals, pastries, oatmeal, yogurt, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes plus typical Japanese breakfast items.

The complimentary evening cocktail reception from 5:30pm to 7:30pm offers a pleasant way to unwind before going out to dinner. A great selection cocktails, wine, well drinks, beer, juices and sodas were offered. (You can check out the drink menu here.) Light snacks of pretzels, chips, crudities and dip were also served.

Live entertainment is provided at the evening reception on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The pool deck at Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk is larger than average for Waikiki Beach hotels. It’s also more attractive than most Waikiki hotel pools with a semi-lagoon-shape.

There was a nice variety of seating and a lovely waterfall fountain on the south side of the pool deck.

Other useful amenities include complimentary wireless internet access and free daily newspaper delivered to your room. See a more thorough list of amenities here.

While many Waikiki hotels charge resort fees in the neighborhood of $30 per day, there are no resort fees at all at Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk. Hurray for that!

The staff

The staff at Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk were very friendly and certainly exuded the Aloha Spirit that is so treasured in Hawaii. After a long, stressful day of travel from North Carolina, the registration staff was very welcoming and calming. They offered us a glass of a chilled tropical fruit juice blend. I liked that the check in process is all done while seated instead of standing — a pleasant way to arrive for the travel-weary guests.

On our way to breakfast on the first morning of our stay, a rain shower was passing through. A staff member met us with an umbrella at the entrance to the Grand Lanai and walked with us to the breakfast area.

What Others Say

I’m always excited to check out the annual Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards for Hawaii. The Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk has made the top 25 list for Hawaii hotels. In the most recent 2014 list, the Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk is listed at number 21. I think this is quite a feat considering that this hotel is the only non-beachfront hotel on the list. With a 3.5-star hotel rating, Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk is the only top hotel that’s less than a four-star.

Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk is ranked in the top 10 of TripAdvisor for Honolulu hotels. For more opinions and reviews, read their TripAdvisor reviews.

One morning at breakfast, we overheard a guest speaking to a manager. This gentleman was very complimentary of the staff and the hotel. He said that he was a repeat guest and that he could stay at another hotel in Waikiki Beach with a comped rate, but he would rather stay at the Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk.

What to know when you go: 

– Rates fluctuate by season and demand. After a quick search on Trivago , I’m seeing a rates starting at $241 per night.

– Parking is valet only at $35 per night.

– No resort fees.

More photos and video

See our photos here and view the following video tour.

Disclosure

As a matter of transparency, I’d like to disclose that our two-night stay at Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk was hosted. As always, we only write the same advice and descriptions on Go Visit Hawaii that we would give to our closest friends and family.

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Have you stayed at the Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk? How was your stay?