Frankly, it’s fun reading. There are plenty of web sites around that describe a destination or a hotel, and allow readers to submit their own review.

Waikiki has plenty of hotels and plenty of reviews. Some are great (as they should be). Most are just blubbery boring (most folks don’t write good). However, there’s gems in some of these reviews.

Here are a few of the best reviews and some savvy commentary to go along…

I’ll start off with a review of one of Waikiki’s most populated hotel and resorts.

Sheraton Waikiki Hotel – “They didn’t give us any of the upgrades associated with honeymooners…the main pool wasn’t much bigger than the friggin kiddy pool.”

“Friggin” kiddy pool?

Ohana Islander Waikiki – “Nice for the price. Not fancy. Very clean and wonderful staff. Pool is small, but ocean is just a 10-minute walk…”

Grammar isn’t everything but it’s nice to know the staff is ‘very clean.’

Aston Waikiki Grand – “Perfect location. Kapiolani Park was across the street. The room was tiny but clean. The lanai was a joke as the view was out the back of the hotel looking at other hotels and a trash dumpster. Incredibly noisy and the trash truck came by early every morning…”

Yes, but was it a colorful and picturesque trash dumpster that we can be proud of?

Hyatt Regency Waikiki – “…in the end we went back to the Hyatt… And believe it or not…many of the staff who had been friendly to us two years earlier not only remembered us…quite a few threw arms around us and planted kisses of welcome on our cheeks…we thought we’d find the aloha spirit of old Hawaii at the Moana or the Royal Hawaiian but we didn’t…that wonderful spirit is HERE, at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki!”

Believe it or not, they throw hugs and plant kisses for anyone. The staff learned that tips are better when they do that. The folks working at the Moana and Royal Hawaiian are to tired to hug and too old to kiss, I guess.

Most of these review sites contain reviews of the major hotels and the “back street” hotels which are off the beach a block or two.

My favorite was the Hokondo Waikiki Beachside Hotel and Hostel. The only review available from TripAdvisor.com:

“Having traveled many places around the world, you will never find a place like Beachside. This hostel offers everything a full service hotel does at a fraction of the price. This place is the cleanest, nicest, and most enjoyable place to stay -especially if your a backpacker like me that is into meeting all sorts of folks. This place rocks!!!”

It’s on Lemon Road, one block off the beach, and one block away from Honolulu Zoo and Kapiolani Park.

But do they have showers? Backpackers carry those moist towelettes, right?

Want to know the best places to eat in Hawaii? Click over to Ono Dining for totally biased reviews on Hawai's best (and not so best) restaurants.