I took my wife to The Kahala for our brief trip to Hawaii last week. It remains my favorite hotel on the island.
No full review is necessary because the hotel has not changed much from my last review four years ago.
> Full Review: Kahala Hotel & Resort – Honolulu
If you read me regularly, you know I’m a Hyatt guy. So why The Kahala instead of one of Hyatt’s three properties in Honolulu?
While I’m on pace for renewal of my Hyatt Globalist status (55 nights), I simply did not want to stay in Waikiki for this brief trip to Hawaii. All three Hyatt properties: the Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Centric, and Hyatt Place are in that neighborhood.
The Kahala neighborhood of Honolulu is quiet and residential. While the beach is not totally empty, it is essentially empty compared to the crowded beaches of Waikiki (not that you’d ever find me laying on a beach). I wanted a hotel with fewer distractions in a more serene environment.
This is not a cheap hotel, but because I booked through American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts we received free breakfast including gratuity ($100 value) and $150 in resort credit. We were also upgraded, but that required a concession (more on our room in a separate post).
The room was unchanged and beautiful.
We enjoyed a great ocean view:
A few minor changes.
First, the toilets now have bidets and heated seats. I was thrilled, my wife (who dislikes heated toilet seats) rolled her eyes…
Second, no more filtered Starbucks coffee in the room. Instead, there is a Keurig machine with Hawaiian Paradise Kona Blend capsules. The coffee was horrible…though I blame the machine. I have a Keurig machine in my office and also find the coffee is disappointing no matter the capsule.
The good news is the hotel still offers free tea and coffee each morning until 8:30a in the lower lobby. Unlike in the room, this is excellent coffee:
Third, the phone next to the bed now has two USB ports and built in chargers for various wireless devices. This was helpful and appreciated.
Dolphins and Champagne
At check-in the hotel asked if were celebrating anything special and I mentioned we were celebrating our fourth wedding anniversary. While we were out checking the dolphins, chocolate covered strawberries and sparkling wine was delivered to the room.
Speaking of dolphins, my wife loved the grace and beauty of the dolphins the Kahala keeps on-site. Turtles and fish also co-mingle.
Dinner at Hoku’s
We used our resort credit for dinner at Hoku’s. Service at the restaurant was truly exceptional. We were always addressed as “Mr. and Mrs. Klint” and the staff could not have been more professional or kind.
Unless I read the menu wrong, I was disappointed that every single fish entree was breaded. My wife and I love fish and would have enjoyed a freshly-caught grilled or baked fish. Instead, I ordered lamb and my wife ordered chicken. The food was tremendous, though my highlight was the goat cheese salad I had as an appetizer.
Once again, the restaurant recognized our anniversary with a complimentary cake for dessert.
If you’re staying at the hotel, don’t think you are 100% captive to the resort restaurants. There’s a Whole Foods about a mile from the hotel. Heidi and I went shopping there and enjoyed one picnic meal together with groceries purchase from the store.
Breakfast at Plumeria
Breakfast at Plumeria is literally unchanged from previous report. That’s a great thing because the selection remains excellent.
CONCLUSION
I wholeheartedly recommend The Kahala. This property continues to honor its storied legacy and remain a top choice for accommodation in Honolulu.
@ Matthew — Yeah, Keurig coffee is universally horrible. I am moving into a “real” (read: not at home) office next month, and I will miss my drip coffee maker. My co-worker says he is looking forward to using the Keurig machine available on our floor, but I won’t be using it. I’d rather overpay for Starbucks in the lobby. Maybe having to pay for Starbucks will help me cut back on the caffeine!
It’s so bad I bought a Breville machine for my office…
Why does she hate heated toilet seats!?!?!? Does she ENJOYYYYY that first button-pucker of the morning when you sit on a cold toilet seat? When they’re warmed if feels like someone is hugging your ass.
I have no idea. Odd, isn’t it?
It is, but we all have our quirks I suppose. For some reason making my own coffee for the next day (putting the coffee into the filter and filling up the water) hurts my soul…I despise doing it. I drink more coffee in the morning than any of the pods can make, so I have to stick with the traditional method. Go figure…
I don’t think that’s champagne, @Matthew. Though who doesn’t appreciate some complimentary bubbles anyway?
You’re 100% correct here. That’s $11.99 sparkling wine.
Wow that lamb is beautiful. Thank you for your love of rare meat.
Red? It’s raw. And it looks like it still has marks where the jockey was hitting it.
I’m not sure if Matt is being facetious or not, but I do love medium-rare meat.
$12 French champagne.
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Nick, I have one. Just clear the cookies from my site or use a different browser and navigate back to my website. As you scroll down, the pop-up box will appear.
Matthew:
So glad to hear the Kahala stands as a hotel to be celebrated both in the past and today. As a child, my family, living on the West Coast, would venture to the Kahala twice a year — I have added it up and, over the course of my lifetime, have spent over 365 days at the Kahala. The hotel has changed from the days when it opened under the Hilton International banner. Down the grand staircase was the Mobile 5 diamond award winning restaurant The Maile. What is now Hokus used to be an open air patio with shuffleboard — I saw the Jackson 5 playing a game once during a stay.
Arancini used to be the original Plumeria Cafe, which was constructed probably around 1980 to fill a need for a casual lunch and dinner option. What is the Plumeria now was always the main breakfast room, converted to a lunch venue with fashion shows a couple of times a week, and at dinner, featured a Hawaiian dinner show headlined by Danny Kaleikini for over 30 years.
I think what the Kahala doesn’t get enough credit for was the room design, which remains pretty much unchanged. Separate his/hers closets, separate tub and shower, dual sinks on opposite sides of the bathroom — designs that were not replicated until a wave of new hotels hit the islands, starting with the Four Seasons Maui in 1989.
Additionally, young families will love the calm ocean waters which are protected with a coral reef a couple hundred yards from the shore — ensuring the calmest of waters except on windy days. The private Waialae Country Club adjacent was never an option since hotel guests do not have privileges there, but I played a couple of holes until politely asked to leave by a course ranger!!
In the 70’s there were no hot tubs by the pool, no spas in the hotel. But the hotel did have a hair salon and an art gallery featuring the work of then house artist John Young. The hotel ran their own dolphin program (which I believe is now run by Sea Life Park). And yes, the lobby chandeliers and parquet hardwood floors, made of koa wood, remain timeless.
John, thanks for sharing your Kahala memories here. Much appreciated. I look forward to taking my children here one day…and maybe their children too.
And now I have:
https://liveandletsfly.com/kahala-dolphin-lanai-review/