383 Kalaimoku Street, Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | (251) 219-4428
Excellent location in the heart of Waikiki, just off the strip and a short walk to the beach
Apartment-style rooms with balconies and up to four bedrooms
All units feature kitchens/kitchenettes and washers and dryers
Dining options include The Market restaurant serving farm-to-table cuisine and sushi restaurant
Dean & Deluca market with gourmet snacks and ingredients for self-catering
Two infinity pools lined by luxe cabanas
Spa offers range of treatments and a fitness center with yoga studio
Wide range of meeting spaces for indoor and outdoor events
Free Wi-Fi throughout
No added resort fees
Valet parking available (for a fee)
On-site Sushi Sho restaurant is pricey
'Ewa Tower pool is tiny
Not directly on the beach
The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach is a luxurious apartment hotel with 552 studios and suites spread across two towers. All of the spacious, inviting units feature apartment-like amenities, including well-equipped kitchens or kitchenettes, living areas with pull-out sofas, plus washing machines and dryers. The property also offers plenty of hotel-like amenities, including multiple restaurants, a gourmet market, a spa for massages and facials, two outdoor infinity pools with views over the city, and a 24-hour fitness center with a yoga studio, not to mention a wide selection of meeting spaces. It's a luxurious property, but rates are high especially considering that it's not on the beach. Travelers shopping around may also want to consider the Moana Surfrider, which has a spot right on the ocean but is busier and a touch less classy.
Scene
Luxurious apartment hotel spread across two towers; popular with tourists and long-term business travelers
The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach is a four-and-a-half pearl apartment hotel that attracts families, couples, and long-term business travelers in search of luxe self-catering lodgings with conveniences such as kitchens and washer/dryers. The whole property is surrounded by greenery, with a lovely open-air lobby that's dressed up with low-slung furniture and a contemporary decor scheme with lots of marble, slate, and wood. Older rooms and facilities are housed in the original 'Ewa Tower, while a second tower, the Diamond Tower, was added to the hotel in late 2018, adding a second pool and additional rooms, meeting spaces, and dining outlets. Overall, the vibe is condo-lite, as the property offers just enough perks to give it a luxe hotel vibe. Still, the atmosphere is altogether less buttoned up than other Ritz-Carlton properties, which is entirely on point in beachy Waikiki.
Location
In the heart of Honolulu's busy Waikiki Beach, a 10-minute walk to Kahanamoku Beach
The property is, as the name suggests, situated right in the heart of Honolulu's Waikiki area, just off the busy Kalakaua Avenue strip, a few blocks from the Hard Rock Cafe. It neighbors Luxury Row, a high-end shopping complex with boutiques like Chanel, Gucci, and Miu Miu. The area is busy day and night, with plenty of restaurants, bars, shops and other hotels. It's about a 10-minute walk to Kahanamoku Beach or 10 minutes by car to Diamond Head Beach Park. The Polynesian Cultural Center is about an hour away by car. It takes around 15 to 20 minutes to drive to the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, or it's about an hour by bus.
Rooms
Handsome apartment-style rooms with balconies, marble bathrooms, kitchens, and washing machines
The Ritz-Carlton Residences offers a wide range of apartment-style lodgings, including Studios, which start at around 400 square feet (37 square meters) and measure up to 743 square feet (70 square meters) as well as one- to four-bedroom suites across three different categories -- Deluxe, Grand, and Premier Level. Decor is pleasantly contemporary and inviting, with lots of light-wood furniture, off-white walls and upholstery, and touches of blue in wall art, on throw cushions, and bedside lamps. Glass sliding doors fill the spaces with natural light and open onto private, furnished balconies. Many units have views of the ocean in the distance that are particularly lovely. Living areas or separate living rooms have sofa beds, plus there are work desks as well as dining areas.Even the entry-level Studios offer excellent amenities, complete with kitchens or kitchenettes featuring -- at a minimum -- chrome-finish microwaves, two-burner stovetops, cookware, and mid-size refrigerators, along with washers and dryers. Some units also have dishwashers. Coffee- and tea-making facilities, bottled water, flat-screen Smart TVs, free Wi-Fi, and safes also come standard, as do pull-out sofas and desks. Large, luxe bathrooms are clad in marble and even the Studios have double vanities along with separate soaking tubs and walk-in showers. Asprey toiletries, robes, magnifying mirrors, and powerful hairdryers are also provided.
Features
Two infinity pools with city views, spa and fitness center plus yoga studio, multiple restaurants, and extensive meeting space
Despite being a residential serviced apartment property, this Ritz-Carlton offers all of the features typical of a standard, high-end hotel, including wellness facilities, restaurants, and extensive meeting spaces. While the hotel is set up for travelers who want to cook their own meals, on-site dining is available at multiple outlets. The most casual option is The Market, which offers all three meals as well as snacks and special weekend brunches. The focus here is on farm-to-table food with locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. There's also a Dean & Deluca for gourmet food and groceries, plus a sit-down sushi spot, Sushi Sho, with two seatings per evening, Monday through Saturday -- but note that it's pricey. Wellness facilities include a spa featuring facials and body treatments, a 24-hour fitness center with high-end cardio and weight training equipment, plus a private yoga studio and regular classes. The 'Ewa Tower features a small but lovely outdoor infinity lap pool with an adjacent whirlpool hot tub and views out over the city skyline; a second, larger pool can be found in the newer Diamond Tower. Luxe cabanas with day beds and flat-screen TVs are available.For business travelers, the hotel offers a wide range of indoor and outdoor meeting spaces, including gardens, poolside decks, theater spaces, and boardrooms. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel and valet parking is available for a fee.