![]() ![]() The Waikiki Shore is the only condominium resort directly on the beach in Waikiki. The hotel houses La Mer, one of Hawaii's finest oceanfront restaurants for elegant dining Orchids, an oceanside dining room with a view the House Without a Key, an informal spot that serves light meals and cocktails and provides live Hawaiian music in the evenings and Lewers Lounge, the place for after-dinner drinks. Other amenities include a glass-walled shower and separate soaking tub, top-of-the-line bath products, comfy robes, cable television, wireless Internet and the daily newspaper. The centerpiece of a majority of the rooms is a fabulous ocean view. The guest rooms are the hotel's best feature. Fountains and verdant greenery banish the urban clamor of Waikiki, and the series of courtyards and buildings recalls a rambling estate. To enter the Halekulani from busy Lewers Street is to step into a sanctuary of elegance. In the morning, there is an ample breakfast. Both rooms have televisions and small refrigerators, and one phone line is for guests. The other guest room has both a queen- and full-size bed as well as a lanai with a great view. The bathroom is huge and comes complete with an old-fashioned soaking tub. One of the 2 guest rooms features an enormous koa wood bed and a private lanai that overlooks Diamond Head. A common area includes a large living room and a formal dining room, but the best place for reading and napping is Joanne's enormous lanai. Antiques fill the rooms, and original artwork hangs on every wall. This grand Hawaiian home is set on the flank of Diamond Head crater in a lush tropical garden - a shady oasis from the bustle of Waikiki. This is where the locals come to jog in the park, swim at Sans Souci Beach or barbecue dinner with family and friends. ![]() ![]() However, not enough visitors find time to visit the other end of Waikiki, where 200 acres of parkland wrap around the base of Diamond Head Crater and there's always a quiet spot in the shade. The beach is wide, the water is safe and any beach toy imaginable is available to rent. Next door, the Hilton Hawaiian Village stages hula shows to welcome the weekend and blasts fireworks visible from miles away. It is here where Hawaiian canoe clubs train and stately yachts strut their stuff. It all begins at the yacht harbor where every boat imaginable, from sporty, racing numbers to salty-dog blue cruisers, lines the water. One can walk from one end of the island to the other in 20 minutes, but 20 days is not enough to experience all Waikiki has to offer. From throbbing nightclubs to quiet parks, from long-boarders to the lions at the zoo, Waikiki has something for everyone. These days, however, the playground is of a different sort. Now, cheap hotels and package tours allow just about anyone to visit. More than 100 years have passed since Waikiki was the exclusive playground of Hawaiian royalty and their chosen friends. Waikiki is no longer a paradise just for the upper-crust. ![]()
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