After a crazy couple of months, Quinn and I decided we needed a mini vacation to refresh, so this past Saturday we drove 30 minutes over the Pali Highway to spend the evening in the big city - Waikiki.

After dodging tourists on Kalakaua Ave and paying $25 to park, we checked in to our Mountain View room at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa.



Personally, I love all the Hyatt properties in Hawaii, and the Hyatt Regency Waikiki is no exception.  As soon as you walk in the lobby, you immediately feel that the resort is huge.  Two main towers, the Ewa Tower and Diamond Head Tower, hold the 1,230 guestrooms, and the hotel has 60 shops, four award-winning restaurants, a fitness center,  Na Ho'ola Spa, a swimming pool, and two hot tubs, as well as a doctor's office and bank right on there on the property.

Our room was large, clean, and furnished nicely, and the bed was really comfortable.  We were on the 31st floor (there are 40 floors), and the view was of the Ko'olau Mountains and the back side of Waikiki - and I could see a glimpse of the ocean if I leaned far enough off the balcony.  If you stay at the Hyatt, however, I recommend upgrading to an oceanview room - it's worth every penny.

The resort is definitely in the heart of Waikiki, within walking distance of great restaurants, shops, nightlife, and steps from the beach.  After dinner, it was really nice to come back to live music on the main stage right at our hotel.  A couple Mai Tais and we called it an evening.

The final review - for a great hotel with all the amenities you could need on your vacation and in the middle of everything, I'd definitely recommend the Hyatt.