Kahala Resort
Wakiki, HI
The Hotel
The 338-room hotel is in the prestigious neighborhood of Kahala, which is 10 mins from Waikiki. This resort is the place to be if you want to stay in a luxurious hotel without the hustle and bustle of Waikiki. The resort is famous for hosting celebrities and every U.S. president from Lyndon Johnson to Obama.
The Room
The Room
The rooms are huge (approx. 550 square feet) and immaculate. This includes a walk-in shower, two sinks, and a beautiful deep soaking tub. We had a room with a Lanai overlooking the golf course and a view of the mountains. Being on the Lanai watching the ground crew preparing the golf course each morning was so relaxing that I don’t know if the more expensive ocean view would be worth it or not.
The VVagal Experience
Truth be told, this wasn’t the first choice of hotel. I wanted the lively neighborhood of Waikiki, but I knew my wife would prefer the serenity of a less crowded beach, so I surprised her for her 50th and chose the Kahala Hotel and Resort. To my surprise, I couldn’t have made a better choice. The legendary hospitality begins the moment you arrive. Upon check-in, the front desk agents explain the amenities and place beads around your neck. One unusual but awesome thing about this hotel is that valet and self-parking are the same price and you can freely go back and forth between the two. The only negative about staying at this hotel is that it's located in a real neighborhood with real people, so if you decide to have breakfast in Waikiki during the week, you’re going to see people doing things like going to work, dropping off kids at school etc., which might or might not take away from the fantasy of vacationing in paradise. On a side note, this hotel was love at first stay but the dinner buffet at Plumeria Beach House starting at $100 per person wasn’t it worth it considering the small number of items on the buffet.
Was it worth the splurge? Absolutely!