I lived here (in the residential side) from 2002 to 2004. I loved the char of Downtown. During the week, you had the business professionals at day and the Merchant Street girls at night. On the weekends, it was quiet and beautiful with a few residential peeps walking their pets in town. I loved the fact that we didn't have to drive to Chinatown. It was a matter of a 8 minute walk to enjoy the robust culture of the Maunakea and Hotel Street..
We were on the 31st floor and the view was spectacular. From time to time, large cruises parked in the port at Aloha Tower. It was fun to sit at the window of our condo with binoculars to see what they were doing on the ship until one day, I saw a guy doing the same thing, sitting down with his binoculars looking our way. LoL.
They have an infinity pool on the 14th floor with a nice size gym, along with a gazebo and a meeting room. The sunset was spectacular from here. The Jacuzzi is also a nice touch. The building is pet friendly but I believe there are certain size and number limitations. There's a small grass patch in front of Kumukahua Theatre but make sure to pick up after them.
Parking is a b!tch because you have to drive up 12 floors (or technically it's 24 half floors/turns). It's part of the price for living in such a beautiful building. Honestly, it was worth it to me. After a week of going in and out at least twice a day and you'll have those turns down in no time.
The walls are very thick so we never heard our neighbors. We never really saw them either. The elevators were state of the art and the fastest elevators I've been in. Those things whizzes you right up to the 31st floor in a matter of seconds. It always made my ears pop.
These condos also have a pretty large second bedroom. The bathroom counters are made out of marble and it was a pain in the butt to keep pristine. The bathtubs were beautiful and large (I'm a big bath-taker). The water pressure and hot water system was great. Much better than other condos I've lived in. Back in 2002, they were selling these units for $500K+. In 2005, I know the condos appreciated to near $900K. Not sure where it is now. It's beautiful place to live!! Common area fees and maintenance fees are VERY pricey. read more