Halekulani Review: It’s Heavenly at This Honolulu Hotel

Halekulani means “house befitting heaven” in Hawaiian.

And the elegant Halekulani hotel in Honolulu certainly qualifies!

Not because of its physical construction – the 453-room resort occupies five relatively standard buildings. But because of the serenity it manages to instill throughout the guest stay.

If you’re planning a Hawaii vacation on Oahu, you should seriously consider booking this beautiful hotel!

Halekulani review

The first thing to mention in our Halekulani review is that the hotel sits on the quiet end of Waikiki Beach (but still tantalizingly close to luxury shops).

It also boasts a gorgeous pool.

One of the delightful pieces of Hawaii trivia is that the pool has a beautiful orchid mosaic made from 1.25 million glass tiles.

Halekulani hotel rooms

The rooms are very Zen-like and calming.

“Seven shades of white” is the theme of the décor.

The carpets and sofa are ivory, sliding louvered doors opening onto the balcony are white, and the palest shade of blue-grey silk wallpaper covers a feature wall, adorned with a silver-framed, sea-themed picture.

Big bathrooms are also tiled in all white with a marble countertop.

A little heavenly pampering

But the service is what really makes you cast off the burdens of the real world outside for a moment when you check in.

You’re personally escorted to your room for the process (no standing in line at a busy front reception desk). And you’ll discover a welcome fruit bowl and box of Halekulani’s own chocolates to sweeten your stay.

WiFi is free too.

We checked into the Halekulani after cruising on a Hawaii UnCruise between some of the Hawaiian islands.

After hiking, canoeing and snorkeling with manta rays on that adventure cruise trip, we were happy to simply chill by Halekulani’s pool.

Beside the pool lies a large expanse of lawn, sprinkled with lounge chairs shaded by swaying palm trees. Attendants make sure you don’t lack for a drink or towel.

The sea-view Orchids dining room is also lovely for brunch (which we enjoyed the next morning).

Think crisp white tablecloths, gracious service by black-jacketed waiters (who shelter you from splashing water with a napkin when pouring ice water from a silver jug) and everything from sashimi to tempting desserts.

One of the best Honolulu hotels

Other guests think Halekulani is pretty heavenly too.

It’s won a string of awards over the years.

For example, it was named the “Best Hotel in Honolulu” for 2022 by U.S. News & World Report.

It also captured the #1 spot for the “Top 20 Resort Hotels in Hawaii” on Travel + Leisure’s 2021 list. And it was ranked #3 in the list of “Top 10 Hotels in Hawaii” in Conde Nast Traveler’s 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards.

You can see more Halekulani reviews on TripAdvisor here.

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We stayed at this luxury Honolulu hotel as media guests for the purposes of writing this Halekulani review. But the opinions expressed in all our hotel reviews are always our own. (Photos are courtesy the Halekulani hotel.)

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Have you been to Honolulu? Do you like to stay on Waikiki Beach?

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