Starbucks is synonymous with great coffee, but I'm sure that's debatable amongst the masses. I know I do come here from time to time, but for different reasons. I do love their tea lemonades and their assorted baked goods - among other things.
There are 2 Starbucks locations in Hawaii Kai, one being here at the Hawaii Kai towne center and the other at the Koko Marina shopping center (that I know of). Often times, I would come here with friends to play Pokémon Go here during recent visits, since there is a virtual gym in the game that we all can gather and play. Other times, I like to come to Starbucks HKTC just to unwind and just enjoy the serenity and serendipity of life outside of work. Most of the time, I buy my tea lemonades and have the occasional baked goods and the scone to recalibrate and recapture life as it was meant to be - blessed and cherished. With that said, my last visit here to this Starbucks location was usually good. I would get a green tea lemonade and would get a seat to surf the web on Starbucks' free WiFi, powered by Google. Yes, folks, free WiFi for your enjoyment whether you're purchase anything from Starbucks or not. Just don't be an annoyance and / or safety hazard to everyone in the store and you'll be okay. I could spend hours here at this particular Starbucks just because it's too inviting and a nice space to just work on writing reviews for yelp, finding cheap deals on airline tickets, or just about anything that the internet has to offer.
I do love the WiFi to stream videos on YouTube when my data plan goes over and need that fast connection that Starbucks' WiFi can provide. Starbucks can be your library for studying and I've seen many students open up their textbooks here and have a session. It's like a library but you can study better with coffee, WiFi, and nice Indy music to keep your mind from wandering. This Starbucks itself is clean and groomed meticulously for your satisfaction. The service here is good and average at the same time. They do acknowledge you, smile, and asks what you want. Same stuff you can get anywhere Starbucks is. The wait time to get your drinks is usually around 5 minutes or less. While the prices here at Starbucks are generally kind of pricey for what you can get elsewhere, it's like a status symbol in today's global climate to have a Starbucks cup in hand or at the very least, one that it is next to you. For the most part though, my experience at Starbucks in Hawaii kai has always been generally good and a nice spot to park at whenever you need a drink. The good thing about Starbucks is that the hours are very good, especially when they open at like 4:30am. Yikes! That's early!
This Starbucks location is located conveniently at the Hawaii Kai towne center on Keahole Street. Nearby is Costco wholesale, which is the big anchor for the shopping center as a whole. Starbucks accepts major credit cards, which is always a good thing - as well as cash and gift cards. They sell gift cards too. The mobile app you can set up and reload it as much times as you want, makes it awesome to order food and drinks while you are at the store but had forgotten your wallet in the car or at home. The ambiance of this Starbucks is quiet, yet calming since they play Indy music from time to time just because it's a cafe and it's usually nice to sit and just chill out on a nice non descript Saturday morning. There is plenty of parking here at the Hawaii Kai towne center to suit your needs and can park right next to the store, if need to. If you are like me, the bus routes 1, 1L, 22, and 24 come through this part of paradise, so you can get your Starbucks groove on whenever you need to. Plus, Uber and lyft are viable choices too. I usually have a nice time here and it is a good alternative to a library, if you want that library feel but need to be in a Starbucks for your studies. For others, it's a nice place to meet up with friends, colleagues, or even have business meeting here. I've seen those happen while having my tea lemonades. Whatever you do, come to Starbucks, it'll brighten your day.
4.5 stars for the overall experience. 4.0 stars for the service and the food.
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