Historic Honolulu hotels: The three grande dames of Waikiki Beach

In the pantheon of revered Hawaiian resort hotels, a trio of landmarks stands out. For decades, the oldest and grandest hostelries on Honolulu’s fabled Waikiki Beach–the Halekulani, Sheraton Moana Surfrider, and Royal Hawaiian–have, with style and grace, fulfilled travelers’ most demanding notions of what a posh South Seas lodging should be.

Rich with tradition yet gussied up by lavish renovations, these three dowager duchesses of Hawaiian hotels are still the places to stay on the island of Oahu. Each possesses a descriptive moniker–a sure sign of their beloved place in island lore.

“Pink Palace of the Pacific”
Moorish-Spanish in architectural style and pink all over, the Royal Hawaiian opened to great fanfare in 1927. Both locals and visitors were all agog with news of this splendid hostelry, and its opening lived up to the hype. A Hawaiian princess stage-managed a re-enactment of the 1795 landing on Waikiki of the Hawaiian royal, Kamehameha, as masses of outrigger canoes–manned by locals in warrior attire–paddled ashore.

This became for a time the islands’ premier resort; for years the likes of Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler, Shirley Temple, and President Franklin Roosevelt came to stay. More recent guests have included Kevin Costner, Harrison Ford, and Michael Caine.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor and onset of World War II stopped the fun for a while, and as barbed wire was stretched across the sands out front, the hotel tucked away its gilded furnishings and leased the place to the Navy for sailors’ R & R. After the war, the Royal Hawaiian regained its footing as one of the best resorts on Waikiki.

In the last decade, a $25-million renovation spruced up the “Pink Palace of the Pacific,” and, like her two dowager-duchess sisters along the beach, she retains the luxe atmosphere of bygone days. Today, guests are treated to fresh-baked banana bread upon arrival; a special pool elevator allows those in beachwear to avoid mixing with the black-tie-and-tails folk as they sally forth for evening engagements; and a most considerate Hospitality Suite exists to accommodate the needs of early check-ins and late departures.

The Monday night Royal Luau–the only oceanfront luau on Waikiki Beach–welcomes guests with leis, mai tais, and an elaborate buffet dinner highlighted by a roasted kalua pig.

Speaking of mai tais, the circular Mai Tai Bar, with excellent views of the beach and Diamond Head, features that well-known tropical drink along with a pink beer made expressly for the resort. Called Royal Hawaiian Sunset, the brew is surprisingly refreshing and popular.

“First lady of Waikiki”
The Sheraton Moana Surfrider is no less wondrous. A $50-million, two-year restoration has made the rambling, snowy-white, Victorian-style edifice gleam. Guests delight in their arrival under the hotel’s imposing grand porte cochere, where they’re greeted by smartly uniformed doormen and staff proffering fresh-flower leis and chilled pineapple juice.

The Moana really launched tourism in the islands when it was erected in 1901 and for years has been fondly known as the “First Lady of Waikiki.” Its lobby and corridors are filled with polished wood floors, sparkling brasses, framed memorabilia, and antique furniture reflecting its early years. The Historical Room, located on the second floor, is stuffed with items donated by former guests who once arrived at the Moana for an extended stay with a brace of servants, luxury cars, and piles of luggage in tow.

Famous former guests such as Edward, Prince of Wales and Amelia Earhart would approve of today’s handsome guest rooms, whose spacious beds sport traditional Hawaiian quilts. There’s also the unequaled beach, mountain, and ocean views that knock your socks off, the restored ballroom, freshwater pools, elaborate afternoon teas, lively beach barbecues, and lushly landscaped grounds where Hawaiian royalty once lived and played. Restaurants include the highly rated Ship’s Tavern, where the chef blends Eastern and Western cuisines into intriguing dishes such as sauteed jumbo shrimp with soy-cilantro vinaigrette.

From 1935 to 1972, the celebrated radio show “Hawaii Calls” was broadcast from the hotel’s Banyan Courtyard; some 600 radio stations worldwide carried the musical program. It’s worth noting, too, that the adjacent Banyan Wing–the Moana’s original section–is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Even if you’re not a guest at the Moana, come for the free, twice-daily historical tours during which the glory and gossip of the hotel’s past are revealed.

“The house befitting heaven”
Millions of dollars were spent a few years back to rebuild and refurbish the swank Halekulani (meaning “house befitting heaven”), a place where author Jack London in the early 1900s was known to enjoy his liquor while tapping out tales on his typewriter. It was here, too, that fellow scribe Earl Derr Biggers created the fictional detective Charlie Chan. The Halekulani’s bar, The House Without a Key, takes its name from the title of the first of six immensely popular Charlie Chan novels published in 1925.

Originally opened in 1907 as the Hau Inn, the hotel then consisted of chummy little bungalows dotted around the property. They have now been replaced by 455 modern, beautifully-accoutred rooms featuring large lanais, separate sitting rooms, and deep-soaking tubs–the color scheme throughout a restful white with gray and blue accents.

Fifty percent of the five-acre site is awash in fountains, pools, and trimmed expanses. The hotel’s Main Building, dating to the 1930s, is topped by a Polynesian longhouse-style roof craftily designed to keep out the rain while welcoming cool island winds.

The Halekulani’s renowned AAA Five-Diamond restaurant, La Mer, is located in this historic edifice and specializes in neoclassic French cuisine. The adjacent Orchids Dining Room (a AAA Four-Diamond winner) is known for its seafood and popular Sunday brunch, where fine china, polished silver, starched linens, and masses of orchids compete with food stations featuring everything from smoked salmon and suckling pig to the hotel’s signature coconut cake.

The Halekulani seems to go out of its way to provide special touches: Guests register in their rooms; a unique memento is left atop your pillow each night; and the “For You, Everything” program arranges for free admission to some of the island’s cultural meccas, like the Honolulu Symphony, Academy of Arts, Bishop Museum, and lolani Palace.

By Susan Bayer Ward

Courtesy of Travel America,  (March-April, 2005)