I looked at the posted photos read most of the reviews and still thought I'd give this place a try. I should have realized this hotel was not up to par when, upon arriving at 11 pm, several locals were working on a car right out front. Then we enter the lobby and hear an employee asking the front desk man what the various room charges are! Huh?! This was probably once a very nice place to stay. Unfortunately, the lack of upkeep shows. The only reason I gave it two stars was because the employees were very nice.
Pros: nice employees; centrally located; safe in closet; large room; lemon water in lobby; big fridge and stove in kitchen area of our room.
Cons: very loud a/c; bathroom window slats couldn't close so it got very warm in there; no "continental" breakfast; coffee machine out of order with only black coffee being free (cream was $1.00); three other entry doors to our room with cheap push in door locks-did not feel safe and told desk clerk; flimsy sliding door locks; kitchen drain plug broken; pool tiles were slimy and I slipped twice upon entry. The entire place needs upgrading. SEE PHOTOS

We recently stayed at the Aqua Bamboo in Waikiki from Oct 5-13, 2019 in room 807.
Family of 2 adults and 2 children (ages 4 and 13). The room was a one bedroom suite with a queen bed in the bedroom and a queen pullout in the living area. Perfect sleeping arrangements for me and my family. We had a kitchen and were able to take full advantage of this during our stay. Coming from Canada, the CDN dollar doesn't fair well in the USA so this was very welcomed to save us a little $$$ and we took full advantage of this amenity.
The hotel staff were extremely accommodating to any and all of our requests.
The swimming pool is an incredible little oasis right in the middle of busy Waikiki! You'd never know you were in the middle of a city. We enjoyed the pool daily as there was always nice shaded areas to give the kids a break from the sun. Once the pool-side bar construction is complete, this will only add to the value of this area of the hotel.

Pleasant surprise amenities:
- Espresso machine in the lobby. Free cafe americano which we had every day and only $1.00 for specialty coffees like latte and $1.00 hot chocolate.
- Complimentary beach chairs, float devices, body boards available to guests to take down to the beach.
- Complimentary beach towel service
- Movie rental machine in lobby, free of charge and included video games as there was a PlayStation in the room. This came in handy on the one and only day we had rain pretty much all day. Movies were nice to have at night when our day had wrapped up.
- Washer/Dryers located on floors 4, 8 and 12 (from memory).

The biggest PLUS with this hotel is the location. 1.5 blocks to the beach!! we were there in about 4 mins every day and it is so central we weren't far from whatever amenities we needed. We had rented a car for the week to explore the island but aside from that there was no need for a car. Next time we will skip that expense now that we know the hotel is so close to all we need.

We would not hesitate to recommend this hotel to anyone, it suits all types of travelers.