I recently stayed at the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Tower and found it to be the perfect place for families. I had booked a two bedroom, two bath suite for a party of six. The kitchen allowed us to hold down food costs and accommodate the palate of the little ones even while we were away from home. Here are my comments about the facilities and our stay at the condo.

1. Location. The ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Tower is at 2470 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96815. When I first drove to the condo, I could not locate it because I could not find their driveway on Kalakaua Avenue. As it turns out, I wasn’t mistaken. The building and front door is not directly on Kalakaua Avenue. All you will find on Kalakaua is a pedestrian gate that leads to an open-air walkway that ends at the entrance to the condo. The parking garage is only accessible from Liliuokalani Avenue. A Liliuokalani address would have made the condo much easier to find.
2. Oceanfront. The condo is oceanfront in the sense that it is located across the street from the beach. It is not directly on the beach like the Moana Surfrider. Still, it offers easy access to the beach and is also walking distance to the Honolulu Zoo and Waikiki Aquarium.
3. High Speed Internet Access. From the suites, broadband is available via an ethernet connection. I visited with an iPhone, so the ethernet cable did me no good. The condo does offer free wireless high speed internet access in the lobby and pool deck.
4. Complimentary Valet Parking. Most hotels will assess a daily parking charge. At the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Tower, we were not charged for parking.
5. Free Sand Pail Crab. For children, the condo offers a free sand pail crab at check-in. This includes a pail, shovel, rake and sifter (in the shape of a crab). So save your luggage space and leave your child’s beach toys at home.
6. Blender. The blender was underpowered. Tried once to puree food and gave up. Spoiled by the Vita-Mix.
7. Rice Cooker. The kitchens include a rice cooker, an essential appliance for Chinese families. However, cooking rice in a saute pan really isn’t that difficult, especially if you watch enough cooking shows.
8. Kitchen. Our kitchen was well equipped with a microwave, full-size refrigerator, toaster, automatic dishwasher, and range/oven. Pots, pans, plates, bowls, utensils, chopsticks, cooking gadgets were all included. You will also be given a sponge, dish washing liquid, and automatic dishwasher powder. Just buy food and you’ll be set.
9. Washer and Dryer. Our suite had a washer and dryer. This wasn’t an appliance shared by the entire building or our entire floor. Instead, our unit had a washer and dryer stowed inside a closet. This proved to be extremely convenient since I could pack a lot less clothes. Also, if you have children, you don’t have to worry about them running out of clothes. The real surprise was that the condo provided a complimentary single-use box of laundry detergent every day.
10. Wal-Mart. To stock the kitchen, I shopped at the omnipresent ABC stores, Safeway, Costco and finally Wal-Mart. Next time, whenever that may be, I will go to Wal-Mart first. For drinks, bread, cereal, rice and other food staples, Wal-Mart offers great prices and the right quantities. For vegetables, visit one of the many stores in Chinatown.

I really liked the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Tower because they nailed all the little touches. I already had given them an “A” for making a washer and dryer available within our suite. However, the staff got an “A+” for giving us laundry detergent each day. Totally unexpected.

The day before we were to check out, the front desk called and asked if we needed assistance with our luggage. It didn’t even occur to me to ask since I usually drag everything out myself. However, with a large party and kids to keep an eye on, I asked them to return the next day. So, when I left to check out, their staff picked up our luggage, moved our car to the entrance, and loaded all our luggage into our car. An “A” for helping us bring our luggage down. An “A+” for loading into our car without asking. That easily saved me 10-15 minutes. Totally unexpected and totally welcome.