The Kahala

Honolulu, Oahu

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Diamond Head Ocean View Room
Hoku's
Diamond Head Ocean View Room
Hoku's

The hotel

The Kahala has always been one of Hawaii's top hotels, with a celebrity guest list that's included nearly every president since Richard Nixon! Even Cond Nasté Traveller thinks it has the 'Best Rooms and Restaurants in the US'. And when you get there you'll see why. Your spacious room will overlook either the ocean, mountain or lagoon. There's a beautiful pool area to relax by and even the fitness centre has ocean views to give you a boost. When it comes to eating here, you can choose between four stylish restaurants - the award-winning Hoku's, with its innovative fusion menu, comes highly recommended.

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Spa
  • Swimming Pool
  • Hot tub
  • Kids Club
  • Valet parking
  • Wheelchair access
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Internet Access
  • Beachfront location
  • Restaurant
  • Scuba Diving

Where is it

Nestled on an exclusive crescent ivory sand beach, just east of Diamond Head on the island of Oahu.

Hotel information

338 rooms on 10 floors with 3 lifts. Newly renovated rooms all with air-conditioning, cable TV, complimentary WiFi, telephone, plush bathrobes, large bathrooms with Floris amenities, and hairdryer. Scenic Rooms sleep maximum 2 adults and 1 child (up to 17 years). Only rooms on the ground floor have a terrace.

Ocean View Rooms and Partial Ocean View Rooms, Ocean Front Rooms have a Juliet balcony. Ocean View Lanai Rooms, Ocean Front Lanai Rooms, Scenic with Lanai Rooms and Partial Ocean View Lanai Rooms, have full balconies with furniture and sleep maximum 2 adults and 1 child (up to 17 years).

4 restaurants: Hoku's (fine dining), Plumeria Beach House (à la carte and buffet), The Veranda (afternoon tea) and Seaside Grill. Swimming pool. Use of beachside chi health energy fitness centre with steam rooms, Jacuzzi and dry sauna. Award-winning spa suites. Water sports* including surfing* and scuba diving*. Keiki kids' club*. Guests are welcomed with a cool towel and Aloha lei at check in. Business centre. There is a free shuttle service to Waikiki with its shops, bars and restaurants. Valet or self-parking $32 plus tax per day (payable locally, subject to change).

Wheelchair accessible rooms available on request. Please note that these rooms are subject to availability and may be restricted to specific room categories and bedding arrangements. Rooms and facilities vary between hotels so please check at the time of booking. For more information and contact details please check out our Special Assistance page

*Denotes local charge.

Please note: There's a $8 daily donation for the Koa Tree Planting Fund (payable locally, subject to change).

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (2534)
  • Very good (587)
  • Average (202)
  • Poor (89)
  • Terrible (72)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Kahala.

Sep 22, 2019 Re_Journey

We arrived at night. The check in was easy but we couldn’t help but be surprised by how early the bar was closed. This was the case for each night of our visit, everything shuts too early. When the bar was open and the lobby entertainment was on it was actually pretty good. It was in the lobby, however, where I noticed a bit of a cleanliness… Read more
We arrived at night. The check in was easy but we couldn’t help but be surprised by how early the bar was closed. This was the case for each night of our visit, everything shuts too early. When the bar was open and the lobby entertainment was on it was actually pretty good. It was in the lobby, however, where I noticed a bit of a cleanliness issue with the chair and sofa cushions which were all marked or covered in hair. This was the same for the couch in our room. Talking about the lobby, this is where you can find the reception and concierge. The staff there are kind and helpful, especially ‘Nozomi’. In our room, we had an incredible view with a nice view of the dolphins. Whilst the prices to swim with the dolphins were extortionate, we did manage to get a free experience with them when my hat blew into the water and one of the dolphins took it for a swim. Moving on to breakfast which I feel really lets the resort down big time, so much so that it doesn’t even feel like it’s part of the hotel. Just to name a few issues here, it’s dirty with birds bouncing everywhere and mouth outlines still on glasses. It’s also overpriced with not a lot of food options. The staff are also clueless on the whole. For example, if you ask for a normal thin crape, you are getting a stack of the thickest crapes you’ve ever seen. The only nice staff member at breakfast was ‘Carol’. To round off this review, the hotel also has 3 sources of wi-fi which is always good. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating The Queen Lives!

Sep 19, 2019 karlkimcltc Los Angeles, California

Still the premier hotel on the island. Away form the crowds and bustle of Waikiki, this is what a vacation is supposed to be. From the terrific bell staff, to the super front desk, to the friendly housekeeping staff (who knew my name) to the bar and restaurant staff, the spirit of ALOHA is alive and well at the Kahala. Class, hospitality and… Read more
Still the premier hotel on the island. Away form the crowds and bustle of Waikiki, this is what a vacation is supposed to be. From the terrific bell staff, to the super front desk, to the friendly housekeeping staff (who knew my name) to the bar and restaurant staff, the spirit of ALOHA is alive and well at the Kahala. Class, hospitality and dedication to excellence was exhibited by all. Kudo's to the general manager for a job well done. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Still honeymooning after 35 years!

Sep 15, 2019 Patti G Rancho Mirage, California

We celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary last month at the same resort we honeymooned 35 years before. The Kahala is the gift that keeps on giving, and that goes for the staff, the food and the service. The genuine Hawaiian thoughtfulness of everyone once again left a stamp on our hearts in a beautiful way. Mahalo!
Image of the Tripadvisor rating The #1 Ocean-front Resort in the Pacific Rim!

Sep 11, 2019 BambinaRosa Lucerne, Switzerland

Thank you Kahala Team for one of the best vacations of our life! We just returned from an unforgettable experience at The Kahala. We actually were booked at another five-star resort on Oahu and ended up checking out minutes after checking in. I had always heard of The Kahala Resort but had never stayed there. We inquired and Bart, the front… Read more
Thank you Kahala Team for one of the best vacations of our life! We just returned from an unforgettable experience at The Kahala. We actually were booked at another five-star resort on Oahu and ended up checking out minutes after checking in. I had always heard of The Kahala Resort but had never stayed there. We inquired and Bart, the front desk Manager invited us to come and show us several room categories that were available. From the minute we arrived we felt like we were in an Oasis of peace and tranquility in comparison to the other hotel we had booked. Ying and Bart quickly and seamlessly checked us in even though we were a last-minute reservation. Bart brought us personally to the concierge desk to ensure we could get a table at the extremely-booked AranCina restaurant. We decided on a ground-floor ocean-front room with direct access to the flawless and pristine beach. Our luggage arrived immediately thanks to the wonderful Bellman Alex! It was dusk and we immediately jumped into the beautiful ocean during the magical hour of sunset. From that moment on I realized this was the best ocean-front resort I had been to in the North American / Pacific Rim region. Our room was beautiful and elegant. Our Housekeeper Venus was an Angel! She tended to every detail and took such good care of us every day!!! Thanks to Luce and Erlinda also from the Housekeeping team who helped with some special requests. We enjoyed a lovely meal at AranCina. Our Server Alben took extra special care of us and organized a personal customized pizza for us. Guillermo and McKenzie were also very attentive. Fantastic service and food! The Beach Team arrived everyday with smiles to put towels on our chairs. Thank you Amanda, Jenny, and all the team for taking such good care of us! We love good food and Nozomi and Cameron and all the concierge team made some fantastic recommendations including The Kahala Signature restaurant Hokus which we highly recommend. We would like to give special thanks to the Room Service Team! As we had a beach-front room we enjoyed a lot of room service breakfasts and one dinner. Thank you Helena, Eddie, Jay, John, Kwong, and the whole team for all the details and all the genuine smiles!!! So much Aloha in that team!!! The management team were all very engaged and present. During our stay we were graciously greeted by the Resort Manager Joey Ibarra. He had heard about our sudden decision to leave the other hotel and come to The Kahala and wanted to make sure we were enjoying our stay. Oh boy were we ever!! This was one of our favorite beach vacations ever! The Rooms Divistion Manager Steve Tabiolo and the Chief Engineer Pat Silva also made a point to introduce themselves to us and ask if everything was up to our expectations. Our response was: "No, our expectations have not been met, they have been massively surpassed"!! Thank you to the entire Team of The Kahala Resort for your most gracious hospitality and your world-class service with excellence! We look forward to our next visit to our new favorite Hotel /Resort in Hawaii and the Pacific Rim!!! Aloha!!! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Aug/Sep 2019

Sep 9, 2019 JustinDonald Walnut Creek, California

Nice hotel with a storied history. I stayed here because I had family members who were at the adjacent condos. I had never stayed in the Kahala area and I liked it. It has a neighborhood feel, close to a shopping mall, and not too far from Waikiki or Hawaii Kai. During my entire stay the hotel entrance/lobby was transformed into a film set for the… Read more
Nice hotel with a storied history. I stayed here because I had family members who were at the adjacent condos. I had never stayed in the Kahala area and I liked it. It has a neighborhood feel, close to a shopping mall, and not too far from Waikiki or Hawaii Kai. During my entire stay the hotel entrance/lobby was transformed into a film set for the upcoming TV movie “Same Time, Next Christmas,” so I guess this year’s Christmas holiday season started early for me. Not a big deal. I had a comfortable bedroom and spacious bathroom. The hotel has a nice fitness room and men’s steam, sauna, whirlpool relaxation area, although it is separate from the spa treatment area which prevented me from getting a massage. I prefer they be in the same area. Management should know, if they don’t already, that the retail Chi Fitness room has a window that looks directly into the men’s hot tub area which is clothing optional. The window has bamboo blinds but they were open when I walked in. Totally inappropriate. In addition to this voyeur window, the hotel had way too many kids (which I expected since it’s not adults only) and way too many weddings (like 4/day). I had a better time relaxing at the adjacent condo pool area. Read less