Originally Posted by
bgriff
There was a new-to-me system of issuing cards that can be used to pick up one beach towel per person, and then you have to return the towels and get the cards back, and return the cards at check-out or supposedly you may be charged; I don't know if that's enforced but just one more example of how Hawaii hotels manage to get away with offering a pretty mediocre resort experience in some respects.
Chintzy.
Originally Posted by
bgriff
I did learn from visiting that the Moana hotel was the original building, now the Banyan section, while the Diamond Head rooms and then later the Tower rooms were built as the Surfrider hotel, which were later combined, hence the current name.
The hotels were not particularly high-end properties while separated under the Sheraton flag (pre-renovation). On our first visit to HI in the 80s, I recall attending the Pleasant Hawaiian "briefing breakfast" at the Surfrider. After some meager continental offerings and endless pitches for excursion add-ons, we were herded onto buses for a "city tour" that promptly deposited us at Hilo Hattie's.
Originally Posted by
ElevatorEnthusiast
I have only been here less than 24 hours, and I am reminded at every turn why I returned so quickly. This is an amazing property with some of the best service and an immaculate and bustling aura that shows why guests have flocked here since 1901.
There is something about the breeze flowing through that lobby. Look forward to the details...