A three-minute walk from the beach and only 12k Hyatt points per night, the Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach won me over quickly by placing the three of us in a corner room on the penthouse 20th floor for our three nights.

The lowly Discoverist status that comes with my Hyatt credit card must be what got me the room upgrade, as it did in Milan and Zurich.

The corner room has a window view of Waikiki Beach, and a balcony with a view of the ocean and the Marriott directly across from it.

Upon pulling into the front of the 426-room hotel to check in, a friendly valet gave me the rundown on parking options: Valet park for $32 a night, or there is a garage across the street for $20 cash-only per 24 hours.

Those prices may seem steep, but Waikiki is known for being difficult and expensive to park in, especially for overnight parking.

Additionally, the Hyatt Place doesn’t charge a resort fee like many hotels in the area, so this seems fair to me.

I parked across the street:

The check-in desk was well staffed, so checking in was quick & easy.

I joined an Australian couple in the elevator to head up to my room.

“Which floor,” they asked.

“20 please,” I replied.

We all looked at the options.

“There’s no…” he said.

“Oh, PH then I guess, I’m sorry,” I said as we all shared a hearty chuckle.

Took me a second to realize that PH must stand for penthouse. Hmm.

I’m not fancy, but I was surprised to find a spacious, gorgeous room with awesome views.

The bathroom is on the smaller side, but it has heated toilet seat/bidet setup.

Two firsts for me: Heated toilet seat. Using a bidet. TMI?

How much does it cost?

At 12k Hyatt points per night, this hotel is more affordable than most options in Waikiki, including the 20k/night Hyatt Regency a few blocks over.

In cash, $200-250 per night.

How’s the location?

Very good. Beach, zoo, pretty much any attraction in Waikiki, all walkable from here.

Breakfast?

Yes, free. The food is good, though the coffee and juices were mediocre.

Get there early to avoid the crowd, or bring a tray back to your room.

Watch out for the wind and hungry birds:

Customer service?

Outstanding.

Someone called us a few minutes after getting to our room to make sure everything was okay.

Then I received a text later that evening checking in on us again.

The front desk and housekeeping staff were extremely friendly every time I interacted with them.

Gym?

Yes, a nice one. The hotel provides towels, water and disposable earbuds, believe it or not.

Pool?

Yep. On the third floor with the gym and breakfast area.

Wi-Fi?

Free and flawless.

Pros?

This is a very nice hotel for a comparatively affordable price.

Cons?

They need more elevators. The two they have for the main tower were often packed, with lines to get into them.

Some would consider the $32/night parking a con, but I found it fair.

As a note, I read that there is some free overnight street parking possible on Monsarrat Avenue, about a half mile away, but I didn’t give it a try.

Here are some additional photos:

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Been here? Recommend another Waikiki hotel? I’d love to hear your thoughts!