Pacific Marina Inn: Affordable Honolulu Airport Hotel Day Room – An Honest Review

If you’re looking for an affordable day use hotel room near the Honolulu International Airport, then Pacific Marina Inn is a great solution.

Let me be clear right off the bat. Would I stay in this hotel if I was traveling to the area for a night? No. It’s old. It’s outdated. It’s in an industrial area. And the reviews are abysmal.

However, after a long red eye flight from Rarotonga to Hawaii that landed at 6AM, this hotel was a godsend. We landed exhausted and desperate to find somewhere to sleep and shower during our 8 hour layover. Pacific Marina Inn made it is easy.

Keep reading for more information about the Pacific Marina Inn and how to book it as a Honolulu Airport day room.

Pacific Marina Inn: The Hotel

The Pacific Marina Inn is a three-story motel style 2-star hotel right on the outskirts of the eastern side of the Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Although it basically borders airport property, it is about a 5-10 minute drive to departures and arrivals depending on traffic.

It’s located in a very industrial area, which honestly was pretty unappealing and probably feels a bit sketchy at night. We arrived in the early morning on a rainy day, and did feel a little weird driving through this area. Our Uber also had a hard time finding the hotel and its entrance.

With that being said, the property wasn’t terrible. The property had nice landscaping and some cute appealing outdoor spaces, plus a pool which seemed to be well-maintained. The lobby was clean and decently decorated, and the staff was friendly, although we did see some questionable clientele.

The hotel offers a convenient airport location, an affordable rate, 24-7 front desk, on-site security, complimentary coffee, a swimming pool, Dish TV and wifi, as well as an elevator.

For food and drink options, the hotel offers an on-site bar Canoe Hut, on-site Lagoon Chinese Restaurant, and an on-site convenience store. There is also a complimentary 24/7 round-trip shuttle service to the airport and free parking for one vehicle per room.

Overall the hotel is an affordable option that would probably be appealing to budget travelers who are used to this quality of accommodation. In fact is is advertised as a affordable backpacker hotel option in addition to being a transit hotel option for travelers.

Pacific Marina Inn: The Room

The Pacific Marina Inn offers multiple room types, including Standard with Queen, Standard with Two Twins, Quad Hotel Room, Hotel Suite, Diamond Suite, and Family Room. The largest room can sleep up to six and there is an ADA room option. We stayed in the Standard with Queen room.

The rooms at the Pacific Marina Inn are very basic. The room was extremely small had had a Queen bed, nightstand, desk, mini-fridge, microwave, and a small mirror. What you see pictured is basically the entire room. But, we were there to sleep, not use amenities in the room.

I will note the rooms are not quiet. It’s an old building so construction quality is terrible and there are gaps along the door letting light and sound in. There was construction nearby and the air conditioner unit is very loud. This didn’t bother us though, because we can sleep through anything when tired.

Bath amenities include full-size hand soap, face soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. There is a hair dryer as well.

Overall, the rooms are very aged and dingy. I think the photos hide a lot of wear and tear you see in person. However, it was very clean, and that’s the most important part. We didn’t feel sketched out sleeping in the bed. And we were able to sleep for several hours and take a shower, so this day use room did it’s job.

How to Book A Day Room

Why book a day room? Day rooms are perfect for long early morning and daytime layovers where all you want to do is sleep and shower. Unfortunately the main challenge in this situations as hotels do not allow check in until around 3PM. In such cases you will need to find a day use room.

After landing in Honolulu at 6AM, we found Pacific Marina Inn via a bleary-eyed Google search 6AM. We weren’t really having any luck finding anything, though we did see quite a few people discussing day rooms at a few locations, one of which was Pacific Marina Inn.

We called the hotel and they confirmed they do offer day rooms depending on occupancy and availability. The hotel staff instructed to stop by to check availability. Interestingly, they are not able to book these via phone or online. Ten minutes later, we were at the property and checked in. Easy!

Cost of a Room at Pacific Marina Inn

What is the cost of a Honolulu Airport hotel day room? Nightly room rates typically run around $90 – $175/night depending on which size room you get. Note, they do add taxes and a $20 amenity fee to the bill.

We stayed for about six hours and our final bill came to $117.96 including taxes and fees. This does mean the day use room rates run about the same as a regular night stay. We felt the rate was fair and it was a bonus to not have to pay for an Uber back to the airport.

Overall, would we recommend Pacific Marina Inn? As a day room, sure. This room really helped two tired travelers out. To backpackers and travelers who normally frequent budget accommodations and hostels? Sure.

We’re not backpackers or budget travelers though. So if you’re like us, this hotel will probably only serve you as a day room, and I would recommend looking for something nicer in the airport area for an overnight transit stay.

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