Hotel Review: The Halekulani

Note: This is a review of a hotel that I’ve stayed in summer 2010 and 2008. All of the pictures below are taken in summer 2010.

The island of Oahu among the Hawaiian Islands is one of my family’s favorite vacation destinations. Beginning with my parents’ honeymoon in 1993, we’ve visited Hawaii a total of 7 times! Among the numerous hotels that we’ve stayed in, including the Kahala Mandarin Oriental,  Moana Surfrider, and the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the Halekulani was an experience like no other.

The Moana Surfrider Google Street View

The Halekulani

Halekulani, meaning “House Benefiting Heaven” in Hawaiian,  is an award-winning hotel located in the heart of Waikiki. Halekulani has been hosting visitors to Waikiki for nearly 100 years.

my brother looking out the window...

 

When we arrived in the room, they had some special welcome treats, including the exclusively made Hawaiian chocolates, fruits, and a welcome note.

The view from our room was gorgeous! From our balcony, we were able to see the beautiful beaches of Waikiki and the courtyard.

The courtyard

The courtyard

 

Lobby Area

Restaurants around the courtyard

Halekulani offers the best pool in Oahu. The bottom of the swimming pool is covered in 1.2 million South African mosaic glass tiles, forming a shape of an orchid.

The Orchids, a restaurant overlooking the beach of Waikiki, offers buffet brunches on Sundays…

Brunch: egg benedict, Hawaiian popovers, etc.

Dessert buffet from the Orchids

The restaurant offers some gorgeous views of the beach!

boutiques around the hotel

boutiques around the hotel...

OVERALL RATINGS (out of 5 stars)

Service- ★★★★★

What distinguishes Halekulani from other hotels in Oahu is definitely their service. From the moment we entered the hotel, we were treated like royalty. Guided by the two staff members, the bellhop and the manager, we had an in-room checkin, without any waiting! As shown above, we were not only treated with the food on the day of arrival. Halekulani provided small gifts on our bed including Hawaiian shells, treats, etc. every time they made our bed!!! One of the most memorable part of their service was that they paid attention to every little detail in our comfort- for instance, when we laid some wet swim suits out on the sun bed in the balcony, they neatly folded them and laid them on our chair inside! Also, when I had my sunglasses by a small table out in the poolside, they even wiped my sunglasses!

Food-★★★

Since I did not dine at the La Mer, I don’t have much to say about the hotel’s food. The room service and the brunch at La Mer was good. But my favorite was definitely the poolside smoothies!

Ambience-★★★★★

I really love the atmosphere of this hotel! As this is a very historic hotel, it kept the old and added a few new qualities, like the interior. I love the Hawaiian touch to everything! This is one of the quietest hotels in Waikiki, as they are not many children around. I didn’t really like the fact that this hotel has “evening attire” regulations allowing no shorts and rubber flip flops. Come on, this is Hawaii!!!