Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club, Honolulu
Expert reviews
“In a quieter zone between the Ala Wai Canal and busy Waikiki, the midcentury design Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club charges $29 a day to each room for access to treats like hotel-branded bicycles, free morning coffee in the lobby and use of a beach tote and towels.”
Featured in New York Times’ 36 Hours in Honolulu.
What guests liked
- Excellent location
- Comfortable beds
- Friendly staff
- Great food
All you need to know
Located around the best tourist spots of Honolulu, the Surfjack is within 15-minute walks to Royal Hawaiian Center, Waikiki Aquarium, and other tourist attractions. Free bicycles are provided for easier travel accommodations. With raging reviews and guaranteed satisfaction, this hotel promises gratification
The incentive of having Downtown Honolulu is very near to the hotel is a mere invitation to experience vibrant art and culture. A similar place that exhibits the heritage of the city is Kaka’ako, Chinatown. Arguably Waikiki’s most famous tourist point is The International Market. The nightlife and feasting close to the lodging are likewise worth encountering, and a walk around the Waikiki seashore will leave you yearning a greater amount of the excellent city.
Each enchanting guestroom is intended to completely suit visitors with luxuries, for example, cooling appliances, Wi-Fi, a private gallery, and hand cleanser from The Indigenous Soap Company. Visitors can likewise move up to lodge style rooms updated to provide the true Waikiki experience with contemporary touches and beach culture vibes.
The Swim Club has a sun deck and an open-air pool to house all sorts of social engagements. A well-known Café Mahina and Suns, run by the prestigious chef Ed Kenney offers a more outdoor feel and additionally has a bar.
Location
Recent guest reviews
10 March 2026
Exceptional
It was the perfect place at the perfect price.
10 March 2026
We had a wonderful time — the staff, amenities and the restaurant especially were great!
Property was in a great location!!
The room was a touch small, we had a double bed room. For long stays, suggest you book a suite
9 March 2026
Good vibes & great facilities.
Great vibe. Great location. Clean rooms every day. Nice pool with lots of evening sun. Nice food.
8 March 2026
Relaxed hotel with great pool vibes
- The staff is amazing - Pool area (clean, music, happy hour and towels) - Cool restaurants and cafes nearby - Waikiki beach in walking distance
- No smart tv
5 March 2026
Exceptional
Great vibes! Clean and great location
4 March 2026
Wayfinder
We liked this property, amazing location, nice pool area, the upgraded room was spacious & well maintained.
Sofa 🛋️ in the living room was terribly uncomfortable, same for the mattress in the bedroom! And the biggest drawback of this stay was the room next us, their large dog kept barking Morning & Night! Too bad!
4 March 2026
Wonderful but I can hear the kids yelling.
Location, staff, the pool, and I love the free water!
Walls are thin and there’s no BIG mirror.
2 March 2026
Very good
it was clean. central to downtown waikiki where all the shops are
1 March 2026
Good place to stay
I enjoyed my stay. Great music nice pool area. Good coffee
A little noisy sometimes at night but didn’t really bother me
24 February 2026
Very nice hotel , would give 10 except for the lack of hot water
Large room, nice atmosphere around the pool area, good price, clean
Shower water took a good 10 minutes to get warm enough to use every time over the 3 nights we stayed
21 February 2026
Everything was amazing including the staff
Place was wonderful
19 February 2026
An older style hotel, with character in a great location
Friendly staff. Nice pool area. Close to Waikiki beach and shops. We were upgraded to a suite which was very spacious after being in a ship cabin for two weeks.
19 February 2026
Very enjoyable stay
Staff were extremely helpful and friendly, enjoyed the live music at night
Some things could have been a bit more updated
16 February 2026
Great location and kind staff!
Staff are incredibly kind and they gave us a lovely room upgrade! Location is great with good food and shopping options. We really enjoyed the live music they provided. Love that we could request a microwave and water boiler for the room.
One of the rooms we had had a connecting door to another room. The door was very thin and we could hear everything the next door people were chatting about. It was as if they were in our room.
13 February 2026
Exceptional
The bartender refused to make our drinks just a little bit sweeter than what was on the menu, we simply asked if the drink could add more syrup or sweetener or less alcohol because we liked it sweeter. However the bartender said the flavors had to be balanced and he couldn’t change the drink..
10 February 2026
Very good
Excellent location. Lovely balcony overlooking the pool. Great music in the evening.
Corridors very dark.
9 February 2026
Exceptional
Great location. Very nice staff. Clean comfortable rooms. The laid back vibe around the pool. The bar and restaurant was very good also.
9 February 2026
Good
Location
Cost
8 February 2026
Great stay
Clean rooms and great staff
N/A
4 February 2026
Fabulous
Great location, comfortable bed and quiet effective air conditioning.
Tea and coffee not available in the room.
3 February 2026
We had an awesome time there. Me and my girlfriend stayed there for 5 nights and it was close to everything, and the exp
Awesome location, staff, and amenities.
31 January 2026
Surfjack 26
The location was central to everything and the hotel was beautiful. It was so calm and relaxing. We loved the restaurant and coffee shop at the hotel and there were so many places to lounge.
The parking situation is not the most ideal but pick up and drop off in front of the hotel was convenient.
31 January 2026
Very good
Great location, nice amenities, convenient cafe et restaurant on site, live music
Building is a little old, view on car park, restaurant under staffed
29 January 2026
Excellent!
Super location! Near restaurants, shops. NO amenity fee! Bar on premises
Nada
27 January 2026
Fabulous
Nice place in the middle of Waikiki - we enjoyed the vibe, the pool and proximity to beach / cafes / shops.
26 January 2026
If your priority is on price, it’s a good choice.
good location and staff were very pensionable
The inside of room is so old, and smells like moldy. The TV is not smart, and no Type C charger.
26 January 2026
Exceptional
Very clean friendly staff guest stay to them selves
N/a-pool wasn’t 24hrs
24 January 2026
It was great! We’ll be back!
Retro style and staff
17 January 2026
A Gem
This was our third time and we really like it here. This smaller, less pretentious and less expensive, low-key boutique hotel has a retro, relaxed vibe and is within easy 10-minute walk to the Waikiki beach and also close to tons of grocery stores and shops, but without the hordes of tourists. Our local friends stay here with their pooch and told us about it; its half the price of the bigger skyscrapers the beach! Big pluses are the coffee shop right next door, the cute pool, attached restaurant, and nightly live music (acoustic crooners and the like). We tried a giant hotel last time and we're back to Surfjack!
The shower pressure and aim wasn't A+, but we were on the 8th floor (and we were upgraded, an awesome surprise ) so no real complaints!
4 January 2026
Great hotel to stay at
Great hotel and got it at a great price. Close to shops and walking distance to the beach. Room was clean. Friendly staff
Nothing :)
3 January 2026
Had a great stay
Staff was phenomenal, especially our housekeeping lady, maintenance guys and our bartender! Good location. Loved the night entertainment by pool.
Mattress not great, hallway sounds were loud in room. Especially with dogs barking. Front staff not particularly helpful finding parking structure
1 January 2026
Very good
Great communal facilities & lovely room with a balcony. The staff were lovely, we were even offered a Christmas cupcake at reception ☺️
N/A
1 January 2026
Excellent hotel with helpful staff, many amenities and a positive vibe.
Accommodated a large group well. Positive vibe, comfortable. Many amenities including life music daily.
Mattresses and pillows were a little hard.
31 December 2025
Lots of good, some inconveniences
The location was convenient, large lanai overlooking the pool, comfortable and plentiful shared seating areas, quiet room, they brought up a microwave so we could reheat leftovers. Nice water refill station. Comfortable pillows. No carpet in the room!!! No "resort fee." Clean. Friendly staff.
The pool was so cold we couldn't go into it, which made the whole point of finding a hotel with a pool irrelevant. No great places to hang towels, swimsuits, etc. Strong smell of bathroom/portapotty type cleaner on the way to the elevators. Bed was very soft--neither a pro nor a con but something to be aware of. Hot water very slow to arrive.
20 December 2025
Great quick stay.
Whitney was exceptionally helpful.
Room was a little worn and need of some repairs.
18 December 2025
Would recommend
Awesome pool! Nice additional touches - e.g. free bags, cabanas, events. Cool water in lobby area. Great location.
Some staff members were a bit grumpy, one day our room wasn't cleaned, no safe or much storage in the room.
17 December 2025
The coolest vibe in Waikīkī!
Amid the high rise hotels and tackiness of Waikiki, Surfjack stands out for its mega cool vibe. As a dog lover, the pro dogs policy is a big plus.
Not applicable
17 December 2025
Exceptional
Can't say enough good things about this hotel! We really enjoyed our stay. The staff are welcoming and accommodating, it's in a great location and the facilities are lovely.
12 December 2025
A truly welcoming stay in Waikiki
The location is excellent – perfect for walking around Waikiki and exploring the area on foot. Parking is conveniently arranged in a nearby garage just two streets away, which actually makes for a very pleasant short walk from the hotel to the car. The staff at the reception – and in general throughout the hotel – are incredibly friendly, helpful, and welcoming. Every morning there is complimentary coffee or tea in the lobby, which is a great way to start the day. In my opinion, the value for money is more than excellent. We had a small issue with the room on the first day, but the staff reacted immediately and professionally and arranged a new room for us without any hassle. Perfect service. The hotel was exceptionally clean, which is very important to us. As a nice bonus, there is a food truck across the street with excellent burgers. Overall, the friendliness and attitude of the staff truly exceeded all expectations – a level of hospitality that is very hard to find in Europe.
Absolutely nothing
11 December 2025
Great
Location, clean room, kind staffs
No hot water. Sometimes hot water didn't work and had to take a shower with cold water.
10 December 2025
Exceptional
Location, very friendly staff, cleanliness, style/design
7 December 2025
Very good
Location
27 November 2025
Perfect Hotel for Honolulu city trip
We enjoyed our stay very much, the hotel itself and where it’s located is perfect for a city stay. We loved our room with balcony, very clean and cozy. But we also enjoyed the facilities like the pool and the bar very much during our stay. 100% recommend and we will definitely come back!
Nothing we had a great stay
25 November 2025
Best place to stay in Waikiki is the Surfjack
Everything. The staff are so friendly. The front desk, maintenance workers, house keeping. Everyone is just great and so accommodating. There’s a pool and amazing bar/restaurant on the property. The best tiki drinks I’ve ever had. The bartenders feel like they’re your friends. Also it’s a great location. They give you towels for the beach. Cheapest parking for your car. Also it’s dog friendly! So there’s always cute pups walking around.
I like everything
25 November 2025
Unexpectedly awesome.
The pool was spectacular
24 November 2025
Great location - would stay here again!
Location was great, friendly staff. Daily housekeeping was appreciated.
No issues
24 November 2025
Exceptional
Great vibe. I liked the location to get most anywhere. An oasis off a busy street. Great Happy Hour and my room was super comfortable, including fridge and ceiling fans. a/c good. front desk helpful, fresh water station. Very safe city!!
17 November 2025
We Miss the Surfjack Already
Awesome overall layout and vibe. Central pool surrounded by onsite coffeeshop, great tiki bar, and restaurant. Rooms are minimalist and great, and ours had an enormous patio.
17 November 2025
We will be back again!
Comfortable and convenient. Great staff!
Parking off site but not bad!
Hotel facilities
Food & Drink
- - Restaurant
- - Bar
- - Wine/champagne (additional charge)
- - Coffee house on site
Services
- - Room service
- - 24-hour front desk
- - Dry cleaning (additional charge)
- - Luggage storage
- - ATM/cash machine on site
- - Daily housekeeping
General
- - Non-smoking rooms
- - Facilities for disabled guests
- - Family rooms
- - Lift
- - Non-smoking throughout
- - Air conditioning
- - Designated smoking area
- - Paid WiFi
Outdoors
- - Outdoor pool
- - Outdoor pool (all year)
- - Outdoor furniture
Activities
- - Nightclub/DJ
- - Evening entertainment
- - Happy hour (additional charge)
- - Live music/performance
Parking
- - Parking garage
- - Accessible parking
Accessibility
- - Wheelchair accessible
- - Toilet with grab rails
- - Lower bathroom sink
Pool and wellness
- - Pool bar
- - Shallow end
- - Sun loungers or beach chairs
- - Swimming pool
- - Swimming pool
Miscellaneous
- - Key card access
- - Smoke alarms
- - Fire extinguishers
- - Access to health care professionals

More photos

11 March 2026
Very good