Just came back from a wonderful stay at the Moana Surfrider, a Westin Resort.
I was immediately recognized as a Plat ^ and was upgraded to a wonderful suite on the 4th floor, with an incredible view of Waikiki and a partial view of Diamond Head. From my private lanai, it feels like I can reach out and touch the ocean!
My suite also has a Murphy bed which came in really handy for my 2 sons since my wife and I took the King bed in the bedroom. The bathroom was OK, marble and all that, but with a detacheable shower head instead of the usual double shower heads Heavenly Bath setup - water pressure was good. Toiletries were standard Westin-issues, nothing special. The toilet was equipped with the Japanese-style bum washer and dryer which my wife and kids liked a lot
^
I was in the Tower section and the conversion of that section to Westin standard has been completed as clublounger pointed out, and I agree that they did a fantastic job in making the Moana Surfrider the place to stay now on Waikiki.
The club lounge for Plat members and other high paying guests was OK, but weak by Westin standards: simple continental breakfast in the morning (their pineapple and papaya were extraordinarily sweet) with non-crusty croissants and interesting jams (like guava for ex), juice and coffee. No water bottle as they have a fresh water dispenser. In the evening, they put out a cheese and veggie tray to go with the complimentary white and red wines (California and/or Australia, but not much to write home about) and beers - there is a limit of 3 drinks. They do ask for your room number, and a friend of mine who was not a Plat was billed $10 for eating their lame continental breakfast there.
The club lounge has 2 PCs with high speed Internet connection attached to a printer, so it was easy to print out directions and things like that.
The Beach Cafe restaurant serves an OK buffet, but it's nothing special.
The decent workout room is in the historic section and there, the rooms looked very old and tired - do not accept a room in that section if you can help it. The middle Banyan section is closed for renovation at the moment.
There is a coin-operated laundry room in the basement of the historic section, which is surprising for a luxury hotel, but it came in very handy for us to do our laundry before going home.
The pool is small but OK, and the roped off area on the beach reserved for Westin guest is a very nice touch, complete with umbrellas and chairs. I must admit that I was surprised at how much I liked Waikiki this trip and how much I liked taking dips in the ocean. And the weather was perfect during our stay last week.
Self parking at $15 per night was at the Princess Kaiulani across the street, not even a 5 minutes walk from the lobby.
We like to be in the middle of the action, so we loved the location of the Moana Surfrider on bustling Kalakaua Avenue, where you can walk across the street to buy water, wine, beer, beach supplies, etc from the ubiquitous ABC Stores, as well as burn your money on all the luxury shops on Kalakaua Avenue catering to the Japanese tourists (can you say Konichiwa?): think Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Ferragamo, Christian Dior, Cartier, you get the picture...
But this hotel will not be for those seeking quiet and relaxation - the noise and dins (aka excitement) of Waikiki is omni present.
All in all, it was a great stay at the Moana Surfrider and we will definitely be back. It was a fantastic vacation for us, with rounds of golf at the superb Ko'olau and Ko Olina courses and the superb weather and beach, and the location of the Moana as well as the suite upgrade contributed a lot to our enjoyment.