Enjoyed our stay at the Bamboo
Review Submitted: August 26, 2009
Date of Stay: August 2009
This condo worked out well for our (couple with an 8 yo daughter) week-long stay in Oahu. As you would expect for this price in Waikiki, there are some disadvantages, and we'll get to those. But we enjoyed our stay a lot.
The location is very nice: excellent restaurants all around (esp if you like Japanese food), good grocery store (Food Pantry) down the street, good bakery nearby (St Germain), anything you need within walking distance, and of course Waikiki Beach just a few minutes walk. The Bamboo itself is also pretty neat: small-scale with its own decor, style and atmosphere that are not like a generic chain hotel. The pool area/courtyard is very cute. The building is not new (and I would guess it will get some polishing up soon), but we liked it.
Remember that you need your key to get into the building after 10 pm, in case one of you runs off to get something at night and thinks you'll just come back up and knock on the room door. Also, if you snag parking on Ala Wai, do pay attention to the towaway signs when they do street cleaning!
The condo seems reasonably well maintained and looks nice. The kitchenette is indeed new, nice, clean and has all the basic stuff you'll need. (We just used it for breakfast, coffee, snacks and the occasional lunch.) I would suggest that it's probably time for some new towels, dishtowel and sheets for the sofabed - nothing nasty, just would add some extra polish. The sofabed had no top sheet and a scratchy blanket; we were able to appease our daughter by giving her the soft comforter from our bed and taking her blanket (since we had normal sheets). The regular bed was quite comfortable.
Now for the downsides. Obviously there's not a ton of space, but you're unlikely to find a spacious 1 BR in Waikiki for close to this price. It was enough space for us. Secondly, it has a bit of a musty smell when you first come in off the street; it's not a big deal, and is not noticeable after a few minutes. (I've stayed in some hotel rooms that just smelled bad period - it's not like that.) And finally, the "lanai" is not very useful, as it looks right across the alleyway onto another building. So, unless you want to hang out and watch some shirtless dude smoking in bed and watching TV across the way, you probably won't get a lot of use out of it.
We loved Oahu, and all in all this condo was a good deal for us.
Owner's Response: We appreciate all reviews. All suggestions are taken care of promptly. Sometimes wet bamboo mats in the closet can leave a slight mustiness, which is why we replace them often. Our utmost priority is for our guests to have an enjoyable stay.
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