Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Waikiki, Honolulu, Oahu

The beach

With a stately porte-cochere, wooden rocking chairs on the front porch, a brass elevator and ornately carved wooden columns in the lobby, the Moana (pronounced mo-awna) Surfrider exudes the kind of grandeur and elegance you might expect on a Virginia plantation. The glass vases of orchids, birds of paradise, and torch ginger throughout the lobby are the only details giving away its tropical setting -- oh, and its location in the dead center of Waikiki.

Built in the late 19th century and opened in 1901, the "First Lady of Waikiki" was designed by Oliver Traphagen and was the first large hotel to open in town, beating the Royal Hawaiian by more than 25 years. The original 75-room hotel underwent several extensive renovations and expansions since then, and now encompasses 795 rooms. The property's storied history is shared during hourlong, thrice-weekly historical tours.

Although it sits on a rare stretch of Waikiki oceanfront, don't expect peace, quiet, or seclusion -- it's packed. Even the sections the hotel cordons off for its guests get crowded quickly. In fact, the hotel itself can get filled with non-guests dropping in for drinks under the courtyard's popular sweeping, 75-foot banyan tree. (One complaint heard from several guests is that they felt anyone could hang at the Moana -- ostensibly booking a budget room elsewhere and heading here for pool time or drinks without getting caught.)

Much of the relaxed, unassuming charm revolves around the banyan tree, which once hosted the likes of Frank Sinatra and Joe DiMaggio, and now spans 150 feet. Afternoon tea is served on the veranda from 1 to 3 p.m., and live Hawaiian music and hula dancing (and the occasional acoustic singer-songwriter playing stuck-in-your-head cover songs like James Taylor's "Fire and Rain,") competes with the sound of waves in the evenings. You'll likely hear as much Japanese as English spoken -- between five and seven Japanese weddings take place here each day, and many of the hotel's staff members speak Japanese.

The front desk

Service is warm -- and ubiquitous -- but sometimes a little slow. The platoon of bellmen and valets beneath the porte-cochere goes out of its way to welcome guests with an aloha, an orchid lei, and a glass of lemongrass tea at the front desk (though I was somehow overlooked for this ritual). It took 40 minutes for a repairman to show up to investigate a leak in my room, and 15 minutes for security to let me into my room after losing my key, though I was told they'd be "right up."

• Room service available from 6 to 11 a.m. and from 4 to 11 p.m.
• Efficient daily housekeeping
• Turndown service only on request
• Service on the veranda and at the Beach Bar couldn't be be nicer and is relatively quick.

The Banyan Classic City Room

You're not paying for size at the Moana Surfrider, you're paying for the overall elegance and cachet of staying at the oldest hotel in Waikiki. Rooms are split between three wings: the Banyan, Diamond, and Tower. The Banyan is the original, thus older, of the three wings and rooms have more charm, but they're also the smallest -- between 210 and 264 square feet -- and few have balconies. Rooms in the Diamond wing are slightly larger and usually come with balconies, but they don't have comparable views or as much space as the newer, but usually more expensive, 21-story Tower wing, where rooms average 324 square feet. An upgrade from the standard Banyan wing room to one in the Tower wing is worth it, and you'll likely get a better view.

• The brand's signature "Heavenly" beds live up to the hype: pillow-top mattress, goose-down pillows, Egyptian cotton sheets, and a thick, duvet better suited for a Northeastern climate (order your own king ensemble for just $3,200).
• Bathrooms in the Banyan wing are well-lighted, but cramped, and the shower is poorly designed -- it's nearly impossible to emerge without flooding part of the bathroom with water; Tower wing baths are larger.
• Hotel-brand white tea aloe toiletries and two orchid leis hanging on the bathroom door are nice touches.
• Closets are small in standard rooms, and there's virtually no drawer space except in side tables; additional storage is available under the daybed, but it's not covered.
• 32" LG flat-screen TVs with a respectable 50+ cable channels, plus on-demand movies
• No in-room Wi-Fi, only wired at an expensive daily rate of $14, $19 or $25 per day, depending on speed
• In-room safe in the closet is big enough for a laptop.
• Separate receptacle for recyclables -- a rarity in Waikiki

Moana Lani Spa

The Moana Surfrider has features that stand above its competition -- including a huge fitness center, the only oceanfront spa in Waikiki, the Moana Lani Spa, and elegant restaurants. But the packed pool here is bested by the more elaborate one festooned with boulders at the Sheraton Waikiki.

• The small, crowded pool is a kid magnet, so don't expect quiet time unless you go early or late in the day; the shallow end is roped off for kids in the daytime.
• 1,400-square-foot, 24-hour fitness center has excellent, new equipment. For more, see the spa section.
• Luxurious, 17,000-square-foot, oceanfront Moana Lani Spa opened in 2008. For more, see the spa section.
• Thrice weekly historical tour covering the property's history
• No free Internet; Wi-Fi in lobby, hard-wired in rooms charged depending on connection speed.
• 24-hour business center offers computers and Internet access for a fee.

View on a Larger Map

Walter C. Peacock planted his flag for what was then called the Moana Hotel in 1901, and he chose one of the choices pieces of real estate in Waikiki. With an entrance on the south side of Kalakaua and a backside on the sand, you're in the heart of it all. This section of Waikiki Beach gets rather crowded however, even in the areas roped off for Moana guests. The Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach is immediately next door and the Hyatt Regency is kitty-corner.

Kalakaua Avenue, a touristy, milelong stretch of shops, restaurants, and high-rise hotels that runs along Waikiki Beach on Oahu's southeast coast, 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
• Next to the Royal Hawaiian Center complex of shops and restaurants
• Cheap and easy to get around Waikiki via "The Bus"
• Honolulu International Airport is a 20-minute cab ride.

The beach

The Moana Surfrider is located on arguably one of the nicest stretches of Waikiki Beach -- it's sandy and relatively clean, but it's packed. Really packed. The hotel is one of a handful of hotels with a small area of the beach to cordon off and call its own. Chairs are crammed in shoulder to shoulder, but the white rope does keep out some of the riffraff from the public beach just beyond. Guests reserve free towels, chairs, and umbrellas at the pool desk on a first-come-first-served basis.

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. The Moana Surfrider is on a section of Queen's Beach, which is the part you see on postcards of Waikiki: manicured, palm tree-dotted lawns leading to a sunny white-sand beach. Children splash about in the shallow water near the shore, while surfers and stand-up paddle-boarders (the rad new thing to do) patrol the outer waters.

To summarize Queen's Beach in one word: packed. Packed with energy, packed with activity, packed -- most significantly -- with people. Towels carpet the sand like blankets at a sold-out concert. Families with small children, honeymooning couples, even locals taking lunch breaks -- they all merge here, sunning, swimming, and sandcastle-building, all the while doing their best not to kick sand in each other's faces.

• Public beach
• Warm, shallow water -- a decent place to swim, especially for kids
• Sandy, not rocky, ocean bottom -- unlike neighboring Fort DeRussy to the west and Kuhio (aka "the wall") to the east.
• 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
• Water sports equipment, like surfboards and boogie boards, available for rental at Star Beach Boys stands

Moana Lani Spa

The enormous, full-service Moana Lani Spa opened in September 2008 as the only oceanfront spa in Waikiki, and is by far one of the best in town. While other comparable spas can be found at the Kahala and next door at the Royal Hawaiian, neither are as big.

• Huge, at 17,000 square feet; 16 treatment rooms; two couples treatment suites with private balconies; Vichy shower hydrotherapy room; salon for manicures and pedicures
• Men's and women's steam rooms and dry sauna areas
• Offers traditional Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage; signature Rollerssage treatment uses heated crystalline spheres.
• Treatments can be expensive
• Bright, 24-hour, 1,400-square-foot fitness center overlooking Kalakaua Avenue; all but one cardio machine has a personal monitor; full set of weights and machines, yoga mats, balls

The pool

With pools, dedicated beach area, and kids menus, it's family-friendly in nature, but small rooms take away from an ideal family getaway. Rooms in the Banyan wing start at a tiny 210 square feet, leaving no room for a rollaway and not much for a crib -- both offered free of charge. Thus, families are best served by booking the Tower wing, where standard rooms run 324 square feet and come with a king or two doubles; rooms bump up to 800 square feet in a significantly more expensive suite. A better all-around option for families is the nearby Sheraton Waikiki -- same beachfront location with bigger rooms, a bigger pool with fountains and slides, and a kids' camp where every counselor is bilingual and has a teaching degree.

• No designated kids' activities
• The pool is a kid magnet, though its trumped by the one at the Sheraton Waikiki.
• Plenty of kid-friendly eats at the Snack Bar, and the hotel is perfectly located on the beach, 10 minutes from the Honolulu Zoo and about 15 minutes from the Waikiki Aquarium.
• Lots of fast-food and child-friendly eateries a few minutes' walk on Kalakaua.

Aside from the usual problem areas -- mildew in the shower and a few stains on the room carpet -- the hotel is immaculate and well maintained. There are no stray towels, room service trays or other debris anywhere.

A dish at the Beachhouse

Pricey fare is offered in both a casual setting -- the Snack Bar and Beach Bar -- and in the fancier, indoor-outdoor Veranda, which turns into the Beachhouse at the Moana for dinner.

• It's hard to beat the romantic, oceanside dinner-only Beachhouse at the Moana, where it's all about the waterside location; entrees can be pricey.
• The pleasant Veranda serves breakfast and afternoon tea.
• The Beach Bar beneath the banyan tree is a good spot for less expensive grub, delicious cocktails and an interesting beer list.
• Steep competition from lots of nearby restaurants within walking distance -- from chains to fine dining

The Diamond Lawn, one of several ceremony locations

• Wedding Size: Up to 260 guests; two to three weddings daily

• Extra Fees and Restrictions: To book a reception space, site fees range, and there's an extra charge in rentals and setup fees for a beachfront ceremony. To book a wedding, you'll need to submit a nonrefundable deposit, and prepay for the food, rooms, and all the site fees at least 30 days before the wedding date (there's a steep minimum for food and beverages).

• Wedding Packages: There are two basic wedding packages. In the least expensive package, the cost covers 30 guests and it includes a minister, a vocalist for the ceremony, the help of a wedding coordinator, uncovered gold chairs, a bridal bouquet, a boutonniere, and some floral decorations.

• Ceremony Locations: The terrace and Diamond Lawn combined, the Roof Garden, the Parlor, or the Lani Kai Room

• Reception Locations: The ballroom, the Lani Kai Room, the terrace and Diamond Lawn, or the roof garden

• Photographers and Videographers: Photo packages for one-hour of coverage and 45 prints; video packages; outside artists permitted at no extra fee

• Music: A DJ, a live band; outside bands permitted at no extra fee

• Food: Buffets per person for two hours of service (minimum 50 guests); plated dinners (minimum 30 guests); special menus available for kosher, vegan, and gluten-free diets, as well as kids' menus

• Drinks: An open bar is priced depending on the quality of the alcohol; also, note that there's only one bartender per 100 guests and an extra bartender fee.

• Cocktail Hour: Hors d'ouevres come in 100 piece sets

• Cakes: Three-tier cake available

• Flowers and Decorations: The hotel can handle the basics, such as a table centerpiece for $50 and additional briadesmaids' bouquets for $60 each.

• Spa Treatments: A full menu of spa treatments, including waxing ($20 to $75), makeup ($65), and an assortment of up-dos (call for pricing)

• Freebies: All receptions include a free bottle of sparkling wine for the wedding couple at the head table, five candles, and skirting on the bridal table. If you buy a certain worth of food, the bride and groom get a free oceanfront suite for the evening of the reception and a free breakfast the next morning.

• Honeymoon Suite: There's no special honeymoon suite, but most newlyweds opt for the oceanfront suite.

• Airport Transportation: There's no shuttle service from Honolulu International Airport.