Implementation of Hex Grids
redblobgames.com
redblobgames.com
Also, this problem has some relevance outside of games: http://vincentwoo.com/2013/03/08/above-and-beyond-the-affirm...
https://github.com/adam-arold/hexameter
I've also used axial coordinates. Most of the features are working but some advanced ones are not yet complete.