A WAIKIKI OASIS | HALEKULANI

With fall here, I am dreaming about the Hawaiian sunshine, clear blue waters and our luxurious stay we had at the Halekulani where the service was impeccable. Being from Hawaii, I typically do not like to stay in Waikiki, but I have to say, being at the Halekulani I felt like we were on a tropical oasis. Upon check-in, we had a personal escort who gave us a rundown of the property. Having just gotten off a 10-hour flight from New York, we declined their offer to take us to our room and went straight up to the room where a beautiful fresh fruit plate with papaya awaited.

(Courtesy of Halekulani)

We had an amazing view of Diamond Head and the pacific, but also overlooked the roof of a restaurant. We ended up switching to another room that overlooked the pool and crystal blue waters of Hawaii. Our lanai was one of our favorite spots during our stay. We would wake up and watch the sun rise over the calmness of Waikiki, enjoying our warm lemon water and plotting our adventures for the day.

(Courtesy of Halekulani)

The room had a tropical feel with a grandiose bathroom fit for any queen! One of my favorite features was the closet opened up into the bathroom, made it perfect for steaming your dress for dinner that night. I loved the bathroom and the first thing my mother said when she came over was, “Wow, the bathroom is so grand!”

There is a gym I didn’t check out, but my boyfriend had an enjoyable work out. It is stocked with fresh towels, bottled water and bananas. In Hawaii, it is hard for me to be at the gym when there are so many beautiful places to workout while enjoying the outdoors. The SpaHalekulani is one of the best spas to indulge in to pamper yourself. (Read review of spa here)

A little tip if you’re a coffee drinker which my boyfriend is- the business center has a nice coffee set up as well as water, tea, soda and fruit. It’s perfect if you need to get some work done while vacationing.

Every night they have a little sunset session with hula dancing and live Hawaiian music. We were able to catch it our last night there enjoying one o fthe most beautiful sunsets. It could not have been more perfect! It’s a must for anyone that stays here.

If you’re lucky to be there on a Sunday, I would not pass up brunch at Orchid’s. It is not your typical brunch. It is one of the best gourmet brunches I have ever had right up there with the brunch at Four Seasons Santa Barbara.

The grounds of the hotel are spectacular and I can understand why so many brides want to get married here. I could not think of a better back drop for wedding pictures. It has a mid century modern feel, with a minimalist design gives it an ultra-luxury feel.

(Courtesy of Halekulani)

I cannot say enough about the level of service provided, this really makes the Halekulani a notch above the rest. I felt the people truly went over and beyond in a sincere way to give you that 5 star service they are known for. Their staff definitely has that component that Danny Meyer’s talks about in his book, Setting the Table- “hospitality quotients“ which are referred to as the six core emotional skills; kindness, curiosity, work ethic, empathy, self-awareness and integrity. You can tell the staff truly cares and carries this concept for each guest.

One of my favorite touches was in the evening we got a little gift with our turn down service. I looked forward to coming back to the room to see what little token we would be left with for the night. My favorite was a beautiful shell that now sits on my nightstand next to my bed. Until then, dreaming of our next Hawaiian vacation at the Halekulani.

(Courtesy of Halekulani)