Aqua Hotels and Resorts - Gay-Friendly Hotel Brands

A relatively young hotel brand with a mix of upscale and more budget-oriented hotels throughout Honolulu (most of them within a couple of blocks of the beach in Waikiki), gay-friendly Aqua Hotels and Resorts was begun in 2001. The company has a dozen properties, half of them marketed as hip and stylish Aqua Boutique hotels, and the other half as more affordable, limited-service Aqua Lite hotels.

Many Aqua hotels are in the heart of Waikiki, close to the neighborhood's handful of gay bars. Aqua warmly welcomes GLBT travelers, offering special "Rainbow Romance - Gay Romance Getaway" packages.

Although all Aqua hotels are quite gay-welcoming, the company markets all of its boutique properties and two of its more affordable "lite" hotels (the Park Shore and Waikiki Beachside) to GLBT travelers. Aqua also welcome GLBT guests with copies of the island's gay magazine, Expression, and Aqua is a sponsor of Honolulu's Rainbow Film Festival.

Aqua's Parkshore and Waikiki Beachside hotels are especially handy to Honolulu's famed gay hangout Hula's (and nearby Queen's Surf gay beach. Many of the other Aqua hotels marketed to GLBT community are very close to the other popular gay bars, Angles and Fusion.

Always check the Aqua Hotels home page for the latest details, but as of this writing, Aqua was offering the following great deal to GLBT guests at its boutique properties (Bamboo, Palms, Waikiki Tides, Aloha Surf, Waikiki Wave, Equus, and Best Western Coconut Waikiki) and at two of its "lite" properties, the Park Shore and Waikiki Beachside:

With rates beginning at $198 per night, three-night minimum stay, guests receive room with king or queen bed, 50-minute couples massage, a convertible rental car from Dollar (based on availability), and for an extra $20 per person a Hula's Gay Catamaran Cruise.

Aqua Hotels and Resorts are generally characterized by comfort, reliability, value, and proximity to the beach. Only a couple of properties, the Park Shore Waikiki and Waikiki Beachside, are directly on the beach (actually right on Kalakaua Avenue, but across from the sand); these are two of the "lite" Aqua hotels, which have lower prices, simpler furnishings, and more limited services - but the these two hotels also have great water views from some units and proximity to Hula's gay bar and the famously scenic and cruisy Queen's Surf gay beach. These hotels also have free WiFi in the lobby, and the Park Shore has an on-site restaurant, a pool, and probably the most gay-popular Starbucks in town, too. If you're not planning to spend a ton of time in your room, and you're seeking proximity to the beach and gay scene, these are both excellent options.

Aqua's "boutique" properties are a bit fancier, although none of them is directly across from the beach (the Bamboo is closest, just a block north of Waikiki Beach. Aqua's boutique properties have slick, contemporary furnishings, plus such notable perks as free WiFi in rooms, basic kitchen facilities (microwave, fridge, and/or coffeemakers), complimentary Continental breakfast, and on-site spas.

As location goes, two of the boutique properties (the Equus and Palms) are located close to Ala Moana Shopping Center and Hawaii Convention Center. The advantage is that you're a bit closer to downtown Honolulu. On the flip side, these two hotels are a short cab ride or somewhat longer walk away from Waikiki's gay scene.

The other four boutique properties (Bamboo, Best Western Coconut Waikiki, Aloha Surf, and Waikiki Wave) are either on or within a block of Kuhio Avenue, which runs parallel to Waikiki beach just a block north. In other words, you're very close to the beach, but not right on it, at any of these properties, which are also very close to Waikiki's other main gay nightspots, Angles and Fusion.

You can check Aqua's hotel comparison page to get a nice sense of how these different properties stack up. If it's luxury you're seeking, the Bamboo and Waikiki Wave are probably you're best bets.