The Alohilani Resort opened in 2018 after a comprehensive renovation, changing ownership and shedding the old Pacific Beach hotel moniker. Entering the beautiful lobby with heigh ceilings, it feels like walking into an entirely new hotel. I loved the large coral sculpture behind the front desk that signals ‘aloha, you’re on Hawaii’ to every guest. We were greeted with the traditional symbol of Hawaiian hospitality, a beautiful fresh flower lei, not one of those almost plastic knockoffs that some hotels try to pass of as a lei. It was difficult not to keep staring at the Alohilani’s eyecatcher, the gigantic two story ‘oceanarium’ full of native Hawaiian fish. The fish are fed twice a day and it is a sight to behold!
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LOCATION //
The Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach is located on the southern end of Waikiki, across the street of one of the most beautiful stretches of Waikiki Beach and steps away from the Honolulu Zoo and aquarium, almost at the foot of the iconic Diamond Head crater. It is close enough to walk to all of Waikiki’s shops and restaurants, but much quieter with less traffic than in the busiest part of Waikiki.
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ROOM //
The Alohilani is a much larger resort than it appears, with over 800 rooms and suites. The upside of this size is that it allows the Alohilani to offer an amazing amount of luxury features and services that smaller hotels have a difficult time matching, but I will get to that. We stayed at a Premier Ocean Front Beachside room with unobstructed ocean views and a private lanai (terrace). The room was decorated in light, soft colors with some wood touches that provided a serene and beachy vibe.
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The bathroom is relatively small but has everything you need, comes with free Malie Organics toiletries, all natural and organic, and has a terrific Japanese toilet. Another one of those ‘new luxury’ features are the bedside USB ports that I love, because it allows me to travel with less adapters and still keep my phone charged. Another great sustainability feature I loved, are the refillable water containers for every guest, that can be filled for free with purified water at the filling stations.
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FOOD //
The hotel has no less than five different dining options, varying from small plates and light fare at the O Bar, to the truly spectacular Morimoto Asia restaurant by Iron Chef star Masahuru Morimoto. He serves the most inventive pan-Asian dishes with an emphasis on China, Korea, Japan and Thailand, which happen to be the cuisines I love! If it weren’t for the tips of our excellent waiter, we would probably not have been able to choose. We had the famous Ahi pizza, chefs signature Buri bop (where hot stone bowl is used to sear the hamachi tuna), an exquisite fish dish and the chocolate sphere for desert. I loved the table side preparation of some of the dishes. I could go on and on about the Morimoto Asia, but do make sure to have dinner here when you visit Oahu – and only have a light lunch on that day.
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