Halekulani — Hotel Review Rating: 4.5 Pearls

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Oyster Hotel Review

Reporter: Hailey E.
Updated: February 17, 2010

 Scene

Leave the bright colors and the historic trappings to the Royal Hawaiian. Leave the colonial details and the grand old dame title to the Moana Surfrider. Leave the Dolphin Quest and the suburban serenity to the Kahala. If the brand of luxury you're seeking is whitewashed Zen with clean lines and fastidious service, in the center of Waikiki, the Halekulani delivers.

This hotel feels like no other in Waikiki. What started as a two-story house on five acres in 1883 grew to a 115-room inn during Hawaii's postwar years, hosting such luminaries as Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell. In 1981, a Japanese corporation purchased it, and today, 456 rooms are spread across five white, oceanfront buildings, none taller than 17 stories.

There's an open, airy, quietly serene setting -- grassy courtyard, teak-lined reception area, elegant architectural lines, moonflowers hanging from a sunlit trestle in the lobby next to seven-foot-tall Indian marble sculptures. There's no outrigger canoe hanging here, as there is next door at the Outrigger Reef; nor is there a shopping mall attached, as there is at the Royal Hawaiian. While the Polynesian warmth is toned down -- no flower lei greetings -- guests are personally escorted to rooms for check-in and lavished with welcome fruits and chocolates. At best, it all feels Zen-like, but to some it might seem too austere for a Hawaiian vacation. There are dress codes not just for restaurants but for the general resort grounds; guests always look the part.

All pretentions quickly disperse, however, when you step out the front door, and find yourself across from a Denny's and a Roy's restaurant, a popular Hawaiian fusion chain. Just across the street is the start of Lewers Street, a recently redeveloped stretch with swanky shopping and dining; on either side of the hotel are more Waikiki hotels. You may be paying big bucks to stay at the exclusive Halekulani, but you're packed in tightly with everyone else once outside.

 Service

From the moment guests arrive and a receptionist escorts them to their room for check-in, service at the Halekulani is nothing if not formal, discreet, and thorough. From the servers in the restaurants to the concierges, the staff is professional and helpful. But it can be lacking in the Polynesian warmth you'd find at other luxury properties in the area, like the Kahala and the Royal Hawaiian. Those looking for more casual, cuddly service might be happier at one of those properties.

• Check-in takes place in the guest room, though I had to wait a few minutes until someone could escort me.
• Twice-daily housekeeping is especially thorough: shoes are arranged and sundries packed into drawers.
• Turndown includes little gifts -- an elegantly wrapped seashell with a quote or a token with the hotels' signature orchid.
• Pool attendants fit lounge chairs with terry-cloth cushion covers and take food and drink orders -- something you don't get at the Royal Hawaiian or the Kahala.

 Location

A certain irony looms over the Halekulani's location. There's a feeling of quiet exclusivity, but step outside its doors and you're immediately confronted with that most populist of eateries: Denny's. The hotel is tightly flanked on either side by the Sheraton and the Outrigger Reef. For a luxury hotel that's not cramped in with its neighbors, try the Kahala -- 10 to 15 minutes outside of Waikiki.

Within walking distance is Kalakaua Avenue, a touristy, milelong stretch of shops, restaurants, and high-rise hotels that runs along Waikiki Beach on Oahu's southeast coast. It offers a curious blend of mainland creature comforts and local flavor. On the sidewalks, Japanese tourists intermingle with tanned locals, surfboards under their arms, on their way to the beach to catch a few waves after work. On both sides of the street, high-end retailers -- Tiffany, Cartier, and yes, even an Apple store -- are interspersed with indoor malls and streetside vendors hawking cheap seashell jewelry and T-shirts. Seemingly every mid-market chain restaurant can be found here -- Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, Tony Roma's -- along with more than a handful of Starbucks and fast-food joints. And towering above it all: 40-story, thousand-room hotels dotting the landscape like pins in a cushion.

• Wide variety of shopping, dining, and drinking -- all within walking distance
• Kapiolani Park, an oasis of (relative) calm for people-watching and local flavor, is 15 minutes by foot.
• Cheap and easy to get around Waikiki via "The Bus" ($2.25/person to go any distance)
• Honolulu International Airport is a 20-minute, $35 cab ride.

 Beach

The Halekulani boasts direct beach access, via the pool deck, to an extremely small plot of sand no more than 40 feet across and about as wide depending on the tide. Pool attendants provide towels and folding beach chairs for guests to arrange themselves on the sand.

Loosely speaking, the entire 1.5-mile stretch of sand alongside Kalakaua Avenue is known as Waikiki Beach. In reality, it's more like three separate beaches, the borders of which vary depending on whom you ask. For a larger stretch of sand than the Halekulani offers on-site, guests can take a short stroll on an oceanfront walkway to Fort DeRussy, a far less crowded section of Waikiki Beach than its more famous neighbor to the southeast, Queen's Beach. The water is shallow, warm, and calm, making Fort DeRussy a decent place to swim, especially for kids.

• Public beach
• Ocean bottom is rocky, unlike neighboring Queen's Beach.
• Lifeguards monitor the beach throughout the day.
• Free towels, provided by the hotel
• Umbrellas and lounge chairs must be rented from one of the many Star Beach Boys stands; chairs are $5 an hour, $20 a day; for two chairs and an umbrella, it's $10 an hour, $50 a day.
• Water sports equipment like surfboards and boogie boards available for rental at the Star Beach Boys stands

 Rooms

With an understated color scheme, plenty of square footage, upscale bedding, and up-to-date electronics, rooms are luxurious, if a tad less bright and modern-looking than those at the Kahala, just outside of Waikiki. The standard rooms are a generous 420 square feet, plus a 100-square-foot balcony with a table, two chairs and a lounger; bigger than the standard rooms at the Royal Hawaiian, but smaller than those at the Kahala. The upside here is a closet that opens from both sides, so that one can peer through its open doors from the bathtub to the balcony, and out to gorgeous views.

• All rooms have the same layout, just differing views (increasing by about $50 with each better view); "Garden Courtyard" is least expensive; "Ocean Front" with views of Diamond Head is most costly.
• Super-comfortable beds have 100% Egyptian cotton sheets, down duvets, over-size down pillows, featherbeds, and Serta Fiberblock mattresses.
• 40" Sony flat-screen TV with Sony Dream Machine iPod dock
• Nightstand unit controls lights, temperature, and service requests.
• Large, luxurious bathrooms with stand-alone shower, deep-soaking tub (with views), plush rug, padded vanity stool beneath a marble vanity, hotel-branded toiletries, fluffy towels, robes, and amenity kits
• Tropical fruit and the hotel's signature chocolates in room on arrival; turndown gifts on pillows each night
• Mini-fridges stocked with free water, though not restocked during stay
• Free Wi-Fi and wired Internet (the latter much faster) -- Royal Hawaiian and Kahala both charge for it

 Features

The hotel has all the typical hotel amenities one would expect at a full-service resort -- pool, biz center, gym, high-end restaurants -- but, this being the Halekulani, they're all top-notch.

• Oval-shaped pool with more than a million imported glass tiles; pool attendants offer attentive service.
• Pool attendants seat guests at lounge chairs, fit them with terry-cloth covers and take food and drink orders.
• SpaHalekulani has private suites similar to those at the Kahala spa; spagoers get access to private terrace, but the Moana Surfrider's spa offers more extensive day facilities and ocean views.
• Three excellent restaurants with outstanding views
• Nightly sunset show at House Without a Key -- a classic Waikiki experience -- offers former Miss Hawaii dancing the hula underneath an oceanfront kiawe tree.
• Business center with PC and Apple computers; free 30-minute sessions; great selection of coffee and tea
• Attractive hospitality suite with showers and lockers for guest use before check-in or after checkout
• Second-floor fitness center with floor-to-ceiling windows, ocean and pool views, updated cardio machines, bottled water, fruit, towels, and headphones

 Family

The best family-friendly feature at this formal property is the size of standard rooms, which easily accommodate rollaway beds ($40 per night) and cribs (free). The convenient beachfront location and nice pool do draw lots of kids, but the on-site children's activity program has been discontinued (it may start up again). While the atmosphere and restaurants here are a bit formal, the resort is filled with families, many from Japan. But if upscale and kid-friendly is what you're after and you don't mind being a bit outside of Waikiki, you're better off at the Kahala, since it offers more children's features. In town, the Royal Hawaiian also offers more for kids.

• Spacious, 420-square-foot standard rooms; adjoining rooms available
• Free cribs; rollaways are $40 per night
• Orchids and House Without a Key have kids' menus; room service also offers kids' fare
• There's no children's activity program, but the concierge can arrange babysitting service.

 Food

The crown jewel in the Halekulani's restaurant collection is La Mer, a formal, expensive fine-dining restaurant offering fabulous New French fare from a Michelin-star chef amid stunning views of the ocean and grounds from a second-floor dining room. It's open only for dinner, offering set menus, and it's probably one of the few places you'll seen men dining in jackets on the islands. You'll have less formal options for dining at Orchids and House Without a Key, as well as the plethora of restaurants within walking distance.

• Expect expensive set menus and formal service at the dinner-only New French La Mer (from $90 for two courses with dessert).
• Orchids serves Pacific Rim fare in a more casual atmosphere (entrees range from $25 to $35).
• The alfresco House Without a Key is a classic place for cocktails; a former Miss Hawaii dances hula nightly under a beautiful kiawe tree.
• Free breakfast daily: either a buffet at House Without a Key or an American breakfast at Orchids
• Elaborate Sunday brunch ($52) at Orchids means free breakfast at House Without a Key gets crowded on Sundays (a 30-minute wait on one recent visit)
• Lewers Lounge bar serves cocktails in an elegant, dimly lit setting until 1 a.m., with live music most nights; celebrated mixologists are often brought in from outside Hawaii to share their creations.
• Afternoon tea 3 to 5:30 p.m. on the Veranda at Lewers Lounge
• In-room refrigerators come stocked with water (not replenished daily); guests can create a personal bar by ordering from in-room dining (beers from $3, soft drinks for $2, and 50 ml high-end spirits for $8.
• 24-hr room service offers American and Japanese options.
• Private candlelit dinners can be arranged on balcony ($53 to $65 per person).

 Destination Weddings

• Wedding Size: Up to 650 people

• Extra Fees and Requirements: If you don't opt for a package, you'll have to pay for a minister ($300) and the ceremony location ($1,200). Any weddings held on certain holidays such as Memorial Day, Labor Day, Christmas, New Year's, and Thanksgiving are subject to an additional labor fee. You must pay for 90 percent of the entire wedding -- food, drinks, fees, and everything -- 10 days in advance (no refunds).

• Wedding Packages: The basic wedding package costs $3,600 and includes an arrangement of exotic flowers on the gazebo, a white lattice, a bridal bouquet, a boutonniere, a basket of petals, a soloist for the ceremony, a two-tier wedding cake with fresh flowers, bottle of champagne, a photographer or videographer for one hour (24 prints and one DVD), a minister, and a wedding certificate. Alternative packages range from $6,000 (Silver) to $10,000 (Gold) to $14,000 (Platinum).

• Ceremony Location: The garden courtyard, in view of other guests at the hotel (the most popular option)

• Reception Locations: The ballroom, the Hau Terrace, and the garden terrace

• Photographers and Videographers: Photo packages start at $650 for the first hour and cost $400 for each additional hour (includes 24 prints); video packages start at $550 for the first hour, and cost $250 for each additional hour.

• Music: Options for the ceremony include a harpist ($350 to $800), a harpist and a flutist ($500 to $1,000), a Hawaiian duo ($400 to $700), a Hawaiian trio ($600 to $900), a string quartet ($1,200 to $3,400), and a pianist ($300 to $750).

• Food: For smaller parties, you'll have to go with a plated dinner ($48 to $140 per person), but if your party is 75 people or more you can also opt for a buffet ($63 to $69 per person). You can also set up carving stations ($7 to $12 per item or $90 to $850 per station, plus $150 per chef), an oyster bar from $5 per piece, and a sushi bar from $40 per person (minimum of 50 people) or $250 to $650 per 100 pieces, plus an extra $200 sushi chef fee. Kids' and vegetarian menus also available.

• Cocktail Hour: Hors d'oeuvres from $47 to $53 per 12 to 16 pieces, and $250 to $625 per 100 pieces

• Drinks: The hotel doesn't offer an open bar option, so you'll have to either order wine by the glass ($11) or by the bottle ($39 for $96), and champagne ranges $49 to $350 per bottle. You can also order rum punch ($105 per gallon), champagne punch ($115 per gallon). Also, note that there's an additional bar set-up and bartender fee of $150 to $200.

• Cakes: A two-tiered cake (six to nine inches) starts at $300; a three-tiered cake (six to 12 inches) starts at $400.

• Flowers: For a basic wedding, flowers will average about $1,300 for the briadal bouquet and a decorated gazebo and ceremony location. On top of that, expect to pay about another $300 for each bridesmaid's bouquet, $60 for each maile lei, and another $80 for each table centerpiece.

• Spa Treatments: Full menu of services available, including hair styling, makeup, and couples massages (such as the "Romance Remembered" massage for $1,300 per couple)

• Honeymoon Suite: The special "Vera Wang Suite" features an enormous 2,135 square feet of space styled with Vera Wang's collection -- her furnishings, her china, and even her fragrances, but, naturally, not her gowns -- as well as a large tub and a separate shower, a bottle of champagne, breakfast in bed, and a private limousine transfer from the airport.

• Airport Transportation: The hotel does not offer a shuttle to and from the airport; a 20-minute taxi costs about $35.

 Bottom Line

One of the island's best hotels, with 456 large, luxury-packed rooms, top restaurants with gorgeous views, a notable spa, fastidious service, and a former Miss Hawaii dancing the hula nightly. Too bad the property's formal, understated elegance can sometimes feel cold.