While I was initially booked to stay in a hotel near Waikiki, when I rechecked prices a couple of days before departing for my Hawaii trip last month, I found out that the Pacific Marina Inn Honolulu hotel near the airport got cheaper than when I checked the first time.
Booking the Room & Getting to the Hotel
Given that I had an early inter-island flight to catch on my second day in Honolulu, I decided to cancel my original reservation. And, instead, I booked the airport hotel for about 90 USD a night through Hotels.com.
As for getting to the hotel, I called them beforehand to check the details of the shuttle. I was told to call them using one of the courtesy phones in the baggage claim area upon my arrival. And so, that was the first thing I did after I picked up my bags.
The shuttle bus came within about 15 minutes of calling, and ten minutes later, I was dropped off in front of the hotel. In the other direction, the shuttle departs twice per hour – at 00 and 30 minutes – around the clock.
Reception Area & Check-In
The reception area is quite small and has a couple of sofas to sit on while waiting. Since I arrived at the hotel about two hours before the official check-in time, I inquired about the possibility of an early check-in.
I was told to hold on a bit, and after about 15 minutes, I was given my room key. This was the first of a couple of encounters I had with the staff throughout my stay (including one where I lost my key card), and all throughout the Pacific Marina Inn staff was extremely nice.
Guest Room
The hallways of the hotel are open air. My room was on the second floor on the parking lot side. Given the noise from the parking lot, rooms facing the inner yard might be a bit better. In either case, the noise was quite bad. And, to be honest, I got a quieter night of sleep at Kansai airport the night after my arrival.
The room interior – just like the hotel in general – was very simple, if not a bit dated. The bed itself itself took a large part of the room.
Besides that, there was a working desk with a wooden chair which was unusable unless you put a pillow on it. On the positive side, there was plenty of power outlets under the desk.
There was also a luggage rack and a TV on the wall across from the bed.
Finally, there was a very simple bathroom. It only had a shower and not a bathtub. As for amenities, only soap bars and shampoo were provided.
On-Site Facilities
In terms of facilities, the hotel has a patio in the middle of the towers with guest rooms.
There is some seating there, as well as a pool.
Besides that, there is also a Chinese restaurant on the site. However, I didn’t have a chance to eat there as every time I tried to go it was already after the opening hours. Instead, I got quite a few things from the vending machines that were located adjacent to the patio.
Pacific Marina Inn Honolulu Airport Hotel Summary
Overall, the Pacific Marina Inn hotel is an average place to stay. If you have an early morning flight and are looking for a (relatively) cheap option around the airport, it is a good choice. Especially given the round-the-clock shuttle and very friendly staff.
However, the facilities are a bit outdated and the rooms (at least the ones facing the parking lot) can get quite noisy.
As such, next time I’m in Honolulu, I will likely use this hotel again if I have a 5AM or 6AM flight out of the airport. But otherwise, I will probably look for other options.
