My wife and I have been renting here for about 5 months now. Its nice for the price range, but I don't think I'd see us staying here for more than a couple years.
We are renting a 1 bedroom apartment on a low floor. We were told the apartment is 750 square feet, but I think that included the large lanai, which we hardly use. Our lanai faces Kuhio Ave and the mountains. Our rent is $1250 a month.
:Building Pros:
- Secured parking, secured building. Need a clicker to get into the parking or a FOB for pedestrian entrance. Need the same FOB to enter the common areas, and need the FOB again to access the elevator.
- Really close to the beach. It's just 2 blocks away. Maybe 150 yards. Same distance as if you were staying at the Pacific Beach Hotel.
- Surfboard rack and bike rack.
- Large parking stalls.
- The lobby has a lava rock wall and it is easy to get mail / access the elevator.
- Two elevators, typically always working (I've seen them not working twice, but they were fixed the same day).
- Resident Manager on call / around Monday - Friday during the day, and for an hour on Saturday.
- Paint and other items is decently good repair.
- I'm told there are two Saunas (male and female) and storage lockers/rooms, although I haven't tried to use one.
- On-site laundry on the 3rd floor is $1.00 to wash and $1.00 to dry. About 8 washers and 10 dryers, almost always working (they're quick to repair them).
- Security cameras rolling in the parking lots, entrances, lobby, and laundry room. Can be accessed on your TV.
:Building Cons:
- Can not use the stairway except in emergencies. They charge $25 if you open a stairway door.
- The elevator won't go to the lobby without a key FOB. Only reason this is bothersome is when you have guests leaving, you must walk them to the elevator. On the plus side, its impossible to forget your key FOB. Unless you also forget your keys in your apartment. Then you can't get in your apartment, nor get downstairs. Since you can't use the stairway with a fine either.
- Kuhio exit requires a key FOB to exit. Guests can still leave on Prince Edward St without using a FOB.
- Parking is limited, but there is one stall for every 1 or 2 bedroom. I don't think the studios get parking.
- No guest parking. I haven't found a good place for guests to park except Kapiolani Park.
- Very strict about what is on the lanais. Can only have a table and chairs, and plants under 5 ft.
- Maintenance and repairs happen often, and sometimes requires someone to be home for them to be done. They're always done during the day, so it could hurt if everyone living in the apartment has a day job. Most of the time there's only about 3-5 days notice, but there's always some notice.
- Bike rack and surfboard rack are always very full.
- Parking lot is very cramped and difficult to drive in. The ramp leading up is very steep and requires a quick turn. My friend couldn't get his Silverado truck into the parking lot.
- Noise from Waikiki is bothersome. Its usually okay except when a Harley goes by, or a siren. But some nights (especially friday or saturday) I sleep with ear plugs so sudden noises won't wake me up.
- We get cockroaches. But that's everywhere in Hawaii mostly. An exterminator comes ones a month and will do your apartment for about $28.
:Apartment Pros:
- Rent is cheap for a 1 bedroom of its size in Waikiki.
- Our apartment has nicely painted walls, new appliances, and is great shape.
- The walls are very thick and we can't hear our neighbors nor noise from in the common areas / elevators.
- There is a window A/C in the living room and another in the bedroom, plus a ceiling fan in the bedroom.
- The bathroom is quite large.
- The lanai is big enough for a table that seats 6. But a table seating 4 would be less cramped.
- Kitchen has a lot of cabinet and storage space. Its a little cramped for 2 people at a time, but we can cook in it just fine.
:Apartment Cons:
- Street noise + Jalosy windows. in the dining room. Bedroom and bathroom windows are crank open/close, which muffles some of the sounds if Waikiki.
- Bedroom is pretty tiny. We fit our king size bed in there, but have to suck in our guts to walk around it. Our dressers and stuff are out in the hallway.
- Kitchen is walled off and not open to the rest of the apartment.
- There's an area that looks like its suppose to be the dining room, but its small. We couldn't fit our 6 person table in there without it hanging out into the living room and blocking access to the kitchen. We made it an office though, works great for that.
- 1 Bedroom and Studio apartments are converted from original 2 bedroom apartments. Our 1 bedroom has a large hallway sucking up the square footage and making everything else smaller. The bathroom is large, but very long and narrow, wasting more space. It feels smaller than 750 square feet, but is plenty for 2 of us for the price. read more