Aqua Bamboo & Spa - Honolulu, Hawaii - Hotel Providing Sanctuary in Waikiki

Originally opened in 1965 and recently renovated at a cost of $2.5 million, the Aqua Bamboo & Spa has transformed itself into an intimate boutique hotel, with contemporary furnishings and personalized customer service. Its avowed goal is to provide guests with a "spa sanctuary'' within the bustling district of Waikiki.

In keeping with this image, the new facelift included the addition of swaying palms around a rock waterfall and salt-water pool, with private cabanas, a hot tub, and sauna. In the lobby reception area, aromatherapy candles and soft music create a Feng Shui inspired ambience. And all 93 of the hotel's guestrooms have been upgraded, too, utilizing fresh bamboo as a part of the dycor.

Accommodations range from moderately priced Courtyard View rooms with a queen or double bed in 170 square feet to the luxury two-bedroom/two-bath Penthouse Suite with one king-sized bed and one queen. The latter covers 1,250 square feet of interior space and offers views of the ocean and beach from a 1,100-square-foot private lanai. It has a full kitchen with stove, oven, refrigerator, coffee maker, toaster, and dinnerware, plus a washer and dryer in-room and a private sauna.

Other units range in size from 214 to 418 square feet, twenty of which are designated as suites. The Luxury One-Bedroom Suite, for example, has two queen beds and a futon sofa bed, a Jacuzzi tub, separate shower, and a kitchenette. Its 570-square-foot lanai looks out over Waikiki and surrounding neighborhoods.

All guestrooms come with a microwave, mini-fridge, coffee maker, free daily coffee packets, free high-speed Internet access, a safe, 32-inch LCD television, and unlimited local and toll-free calls. Exclusive Aqua robes are provided to guests, too, for the length of their stay.

Other special amenities include free coffee and tea service in the lobby 24 hours a day, a daily Continental breakfast, local newspaper delivery, Wi-Fi Internet access in the public areas and free stays for children aged 17 and under, accompanied by parents using existing bedding. Also, one evening each week from 5pm to 6pm, the Manager's Reception is held, serving a complimentary cocktail, "The Bamboozle,'' which has become the hotel's signature drink.

The "spa'' part of the hotel's name derives from its noted AquaSPA, an on-site facility offering facials, body scrubs, and calming massages. The specialty here is a native Hawaiian massage technique called Lomi Lomi. The AquaSPA facilities are located in the hotel's Outer Sanctuary.

Also on the premises is a small business center with computer, fax and copying services. In addition, guests may avail themselves of the outdoor barbecue grill, coin-operated laundry facilities, same-day dry-cleaning service, and the concierge desk, which can arrange activities ranging from shopping, dining and sightseeing to surfing lessons and kayak rentals.

Located at 2425 Kuhio Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815, the Aqua Bamboo & Spa is part of the boutique hotel collection of Aqua Hotels & Resorts, which includes the Aqua Aloha Surf & Spa, Coconut Waikiki Hotel, Aqua Palms & Spa, Aqua Waikiki Pearl, Aqua Waikiki Wave, and the Equus. A covered parking garage with handicap spaces is available to guests free of charge.