A retro escape at Waikiki’s Laylow hotel

There was once a time in my life where I booked a hotel solely based on price. I was a broke college student and all I wanted to do was travel the world. I figured there was no use in spending a ton of money on a room if I was going to spend all day out exploring and only sleeping in it.

Now that I’m older, more established, and have a baby, I tend to search for hotels based on comfort and quality. If the property comes with chic decor and caters to my inner interior designer, even better. I don’t know what rabbit hole I fell down when I came across Marriott’s Autograph Collection’s newest hotel, The Laylow. I was scrolling through Instagram late one night and was instantly enamored with the bright palm wallpaper of the hotel’s bedrooms. A quick internet search yielded photos of stunning mid-century modern decor (my favorite!), in-room ukuleles, a retro coffee shop, and a vibrant tiki bar. I was instantly sold.

As you know, we’ll take any excuse to visit Hawaii. Our latest trip took us to Oahu to film a secret project (details coming!) that we’re so excited to share with you. Once the project wrapped, we had a week on the island and decided that it was the perfect time to stay in one of Waikiki’s newest and hottest hotels.

We only had one night available to spend in Waikiki and knew that it had to be at The Laylow. Check-in was a breeze and we definitely felt the aloha with the vintage hula dancers greeting us at the counter. I think I need a wall like this in our home.

Chris wasn’t exactly thrilled at spending only one night at a hotel. I told him to trust me and that it would be worth it. Boy, did I show him. He was instantly enamored with the cool vibe of our room and the special touches that made it feel like a home away from home. The bookshelves actually had books on them (which shouldn’t be an anomaly when you think about it) and the ice bucket was accompanied by a stylish golden pineapple (which are so in right now). Our room also came with a working ukulele. I was able to knock out the three songs I can play and Holden obliged us with a little dancing. Thanks for the confidence boost, kiddo.

All in all, if we were to ever be fortunate enough to live in Hawaii, I’d want to decorate our home with the same aesthetic of The Laylow.

While we were perfectly situated near the beaches and nightlife of Waikiki, we only left the hotel to eat dinner. Other than that, we literally hid out at the aptly named hotel bar, The Hideout, and spent time in the pool. It was exactly the break that we needed from our busy filming schedule the week before. And bonus: Holden actually voluntarily got in the pool. He saw Chris swimming and I could barely throw his swim diapers on him before he practically tossed himself in. You guys, we finally have a water baby!

And our stay at The Laylow wouldn’t be complete without trying coffee from The Hideout. We should have known it was going to be delicious as soon as we heard that the beans come from Stumptown Roasters. My latte was perfect. So perfect that I put it on my list of top five coffees I’ve ever had. That’s high praise coming from someone who hunts down java around the world and lives and breathes the stuff.

The Laylow is definitely a hotel that we’ll stay in again. We really enjoyed the retro laid back vibe and how you truly feel that you’re escaping the hustle and bustle of Waikiki. Even with the mid-century modern touches and stand-out decor, we found our room to be incredibly child friendly. There was very little that Holden could get into. In fact, we simply pushed the drink tray back from its perch on the tv stand, and we were good to go.

The Laylow is win-win for those that want to be near all of the fun and sun of Waikiki, yet have the option of a calm and relaxing escape. We stuck with the latter and have no regrets. With a room as cute and comfortable as ours, why would you want to leave?