a nice tip for anyone on the island going to hawaii: aston hotels consider guam and saipan residents as "locals" so you can get the kama'aina rate (my cousin michael thinks anyone who can properly pronounce kama'aina should be able to be one). i stayed at the aston at the executive centre hotel, and received an almost 50% discount off the published rate (not including taxes, parking, phone calls, yadda yadda).

if you want to stay out of the fray of waikiki, this is a pretty nice choice. chinatown's nearby, and the aloha tower is just a block away. if you want a little bargain shopping, there's a long's drugs and a ross dress for less at street level. if you are driving, there's always parking available, and ala moana blvd, and the H-1 are close at hand. navigating the one way streets in downtown can drive you crazy, though, as you try to figure out how to get to the correct configuration of the corner the hotel's on! for a minute, i felt like i was playing a chess game--queen to king to bishop....

the rooms are quite spacious--from 500 to 750 square feet--with a separate lounging area or dining area, a mini-kitchenette (no microwaves but you can rent one), central air (an odd rarity in honolulu hotels), and a jacuzzi tub. i would guess the rooms were last renovated in the early nineties, but they are fairly well kept. we first had a room with a single queen sized bed while we waited for a double to open up, and the second room was definitely in better shape than the first. a lot of the units in the building are also condominiums and offices, so you don't really feel all that touristy. which, if you are from guam, are probably not.

but to satisfy the little bit of tourist in you, there are floor to ceiling windows with amazing views (especially from the 37th floor!):