Where do we start? We’ve reviewed every resort in Hawai‘i, and this is the biggest kahuna of them all. On a typical day they’ll have over 6,000 guests serviced by 1,700 employees, which practically qualifies it as a small town. If you’re looking for a pulsating,...
The Royal is one of the premier resorts in Waikiki. Back when they built this place in 1927, there was only one other hotel—the nearby Moana. The Royal’s developers had their pick of where to build, so they chose this part of the beach. And no wonder—this is...
All rooms are studios with clean, simple, island-style modern décor. Since this building is on a relatively busy street, try to get a unit that faces the back of the building, which has less traffic noise. The staff is just as sunny as their pool deck, which...
Well, you found it. This is the most distant hotel in Waikiki that’s technically still in Waikiki. The only thing convenient about the location is that when you’re leaving Waikiki, it’s on the corner on your way out. The rooms are unremarkable at best. The staff at...
This resort used to consist of two towers, but only the original 26-story Ilikai Tower remains. The top four floors and the second floor—201 rooms—are part of the hotel managed by Aqua Resorts. The rest are condos, rentals and timeshares and not included in this...
This older condo building was transformed into a chic, modern, intimate property. Rooms have large showers only, no tubs. Free juice and coffee in the lobby all day. Lots of shopping and restaurants nearby. There is no pool, but you have access to the pool at the...
Great care has been taken to make this place really shine—so much so that we gave it a Real Gem. This resort is set apart from the rest of Waikiki, located at the extreme edge where the Ala Wai Canal meets the ocean. Odds are that whenever you want to wander around...
Typically this resort is ranked among the world’s best hotels—for good reasons. This is probably our favorite O‘ahu resort. It has all the trappings of a big, fun destination resort without any of the annoyances, like waiting in line or crowds. The Kahala isn’t in...
Despite being a long walk from the beach, this is one of the more well-known hotels in the area—especially for local, interisland travelers. The property (with its two towers—the Kona and the Waikiki) sits just outside Waikiki, next door to the Ala Moana Shopping...
Wow! This resort dominates the landscape on this side of the island. We have to admit that we’re not Disney groupies, so we had our own biases going into this review. And it took us longer to see this resort from top to bottom than any other resort in Hawai‘i....