This past Wednesday the Mrs. and I were invited to check out the new Breakout Waikiki escape room experience on Beachwalk. To be honest, this isn’t something I ever planned to do, but we had a lot of fun nonetheless!
Escape room fans on Oahu are probably already familiar with Breakout Waikiki, as they’re one of the first escape room experiences on the island. However, their original location was at the now-defunct King’s Village, which was recently torn down to make way for a new Hilton Grand Vacations property. Luckily, they found a new location nearby and are ready to open to the public once again. Their Grand Re-Opening, by the way, happening this Saturday (5/25).
(Full Disclosure: Waikiki Beach Walk and Breakout Waikiki provided us with a free game, paid for our parking, and treated us to a giant cup of gelato so we could experience their new location.)
Location
The new Breakout Waikiki is part of Waikiki Beach Walk (shops & restaurants) on Lewers Street. It’s across the street from the main complex in the Wyndham at Waikiki Beach Walk near Giovanni Pastrami and Taormina Sicilian Cuisine. Oh, and validated parking is available at either the Wyndham or Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk.
Service
What I’ve gathered from the now two escape rooms I’ve done is that the quality of your host is crucial to your experience. If you’ve got an enthusiastic host, you’re more likely to have a good time. And I’m happy to report that all of the hosts on-hand for our event were amazing. Yeah, we were there under special conditions, but I have no reason to believe things would be different when we revisit in the future.
Experience
Now, my experience wasn’t a normal one. Mrs. Island Miler and I were invited to a media preview event by a local ad agency. And, this escape experience is only the second one we’ve ever done. So, I’m by no means an expert on these kinds of things.
For our escape experience, Mrs. Island Miler chose one of the easier rooms, The Hero. In this room, you’re tasked with stopping a mad scientist’s attempt to wipe out most of the world’s population. I won’t go over details of the puzzles you need to solve, but we were told that this is one of the more hands-on rooms.
At the event, we paired up with another couple that, like us, aren’t all that experienced with escape rooms. So, while we tried our best and had loads of fun, we ended up not “escaping.”
By the way, as is usually the case with escape rooms, Breakout Waikiki gives you one hour to attempt your escape. You also get three free hints, though any additional hints you’re given costs you three minutes of your time limit.
Breakout Waikiki Escape Room, Final Thoughts
To be honest, I was hesitant to go to the event. After all, as I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t really a fan of these sorts of activities. I’m glad we did go, though, because we had a great time. And, not only did we have a great time, but we met some great people too.
The big question I’m sure you’re all wondering is if I’d go back to Breakout Waikiki? My answer is a resounding yes! I’d totally pay to give The Hero a try again and to try a different room here. Prices, by the way, run $40 per person for a private room and $30 per person for a public room.