Inside the Club Lounge at the Westin Moana Surfrider on Waikiki Beach

Even if you book a hotel with points, food costs can sneak up on you, especially if you travel with a hungry family. I'm a sucker for hotels that will feed us for free -- even though we love exploring local food. An easy way to eat in a hotel -- potentially for free -- is the club lounge. On a recent stay at the Westin Moana Surfrider on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii, my Marriott Platinum status conveyed club lounge access for the duration of our stay. Since I know club lounge offerings matter to many fellow points travelers as much as they do to me, here's a look at what the club lounge at the Westin Moana Surfrider had to offer.

Known as the Beach Club, and located on the lobby level next to the ocean, the Moana Surfrider's club lounge is open to those who are in suites and penthouse rooms, those with Marriott Platinum status and above (one room only; additional rooms 50% off) or those who pay extra for club-level access.

Tip: Marriott credit cards help you earn elite status faster. Here's a guide to choosing the right one for you.

The Beach Club at the Moana Surfrider is open from 6am-10pm. Breakfast is served from 6am-10am, snacks from 10:30am-4:30pm, appetizers and drinks are out from 5p -8pm and there are late evening hours from 8pm-10pm. During the breakfast and appetizer portions of the day, there is often an attendant checking people in and out of the lounge; your key card is usually all you need for admission other times of the day.

The space itself is quite large, with a very nice view of the ocean.

You can sit indoors or outdoors on the patio -- and I highly recommend outdoors if you can find a spot because indoors smells a bit musty -- probably from wet feet on the carpet. The ceiling is also not exactly awe-inspiring. They would be well-served to pull out the carpet and install hard flooring.

Breakfast in Westin Moana Surfrider Club Lounge

Decor aside, at breakfast we found solid hot offerings that included scrambled eggs, bacon and French toast.

Pastries included croissants, banana bread and Danish. You could toast yourself a bagel or piece of bread.

Naturally, there's also a coffee bar to get you going. The Hawaiian time zone means your body clock may call for two cups of coffee before midday.

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The breakfast fare also included yogurt, sliced meats, cheese and fruits that included strawberry, melon, grapefruit and pineapple.

Evening Appetizers at the Moana Surfrider Club Lounge

In the evening, there was a salad bar, more fruit, meat and cheese, sliced vegetables, fried rice, edamame and miso soup. You could also pick up a brownie or piece of cake for dessert. If your goal was to avoid spending money on dinner, you could accomplish that as long as you weren't too picky.

Free evening drinks in the lounge included cabernet, chardonnay or Hawaii Primo beer on tap. Not every club lounge provides evening drinks for free, so this was a nice touch, though you can't take drinks out of the lounge.

Midday Snacks at the Westin Moana Club Lounge

Midday offerings are sparse -- cookies, a nut mix and dried fruits.

Since we had free breakfast at the hotel's restaurant and enjoyed "kids eat free" under the banyan tree for dinner, we didn't do a lot of eating in the lounge. My favorite features of this particular lounge were the fridge of bottled water and the soda/juice fountain. Those beverage supplies alone saved us some cash.

Bottom Line

I was grateful for my Marriott Platinum status which gave my family admission to the Beach Club at the Westin Moana Surfrider. It isn't my favorite club lounge in Hawaii (I actually like the Regency Club at the Hyatt across the street better) and I wouldn't recommend paying extra for access, but if you can gain entry with your status or room type, then you can easily save a little on food and drink.

All photos by the author.