The Best Waikiki Hotels to Book

Fine art collection on-site, great spa, nightly live jazz offered for guests

Halekulani Hotel along Waikiki Beach offers guests understated elegance, and its many returning guests may notice its 2021 refresh to its 453 rooms, suites, and restaurants. Guest room décor leans on a mix of Hawaiian, Asian, and European cultures and also takes inspiration from sea and sky. 

Dining options include French fine-dining cuisine La Mer and outdoor dining at Orchids (including Cattleya wine bar, new in 2021) for Italian coastal cuisine. After dinner, drinks are served at Lewers Lounge, which makes a great Mai Tai to sip while enjoying nightly live jazz. By 2022, more casual House Without A Key will reemerge with an outdoor shaded bar and exhibition-style glass kitchen. 

While there’s no direct beach access—the hotel sits on the water, but not a sandy beach—the outdoor pool scene is lovely. Browse Halekulani’s fine art collection, and for something extra, get a relaxing Polynesian-inspired treatment at SpaHalekulani.

GoPro rental available to guests, weekly yoga classes

Without a beachfront locale or ocean views, White Sands Hotel’s average nightly rate is considerably more affordable than its full-service neighbors. For those looking to spend their days sunbathing on Waikiki Beach—a quick two blocks from the hotel—White Sands is clean, comfortable, and more.

With 91 rooms and three suites, White Sands maximizes design details with whimsical color palettes and quirky touches. White Sands collaborated with local designers to add homegrown personality to typically mundane furnishings like its artsy headboards and shaka (“take it easy” sign) hooks. Its onsite open-air restaurant Heydey serves an eclectic menu with dishes ranging from Filipino vegan lumpia to schnitzel with a side of potato mac salad. Its bar features swing seating, tropical cocktails, and rosé on tap.

Kids' club, wedding chapel on-site, doctors on call

If you want to go not just big, but really big with your family in Waikiki, there’s no place like the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. With some 3,000 rooms, it’s one of the largest hotels in the Hilton portfolio—and one of the largest properties in Honolulu. 

Across its 22 beachfront acres filled with gorgeous gardens, you’ll find five pools including its 5,000 square foot Paradise Pool with one of the only water slides in Waikiki. Its daily activities calendar hosts weekly keiki (children) games and other cultural activities like lei making and hula. The hotel also has an exclusive children's program called Camp Penguin, which teaches children the history of Hawaii while also giving them fun activities. If there is ever a medical emergency, the hotel also has A Doctors on Call center located in the Rainbow Bazaar. An adults-only pool, spa, and weekly fitness classes keep grown ups happy, too.

Nightly entertainment, saltwater pool, trendy gift shop

A typical afternoon at The Laylow might look like a quick workout at their 24-hour fitness center before lounging by the saltwater pool with daily shave ice service. After freshening up in your room (complete with king sized bed, device-connected TV, and Instagrammable wallpaper), and munching on local snacks from your welcome basket, one might head back down for a cocktail around Hideout’s fire pit before transitioning to dinner.

Laylow is part of the Autograph Collection, under the Marriott International umbrella. The hotel is also a participant in Malama Hawaii, a state-wide environmental preservation program. In partnership with The Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative, Laylow guests may book experiences like planting new trees with Gunstock Ranch on the North Shore.

Voyager 47 Club Lounge access with suite or Club room booking, airport transfer shuttle for guests

Catch some of Hawaii’s most beloved local musicians every night at Outrigger Reef Waikiki Resort’s Kani Ka Pila Grille. Kani Ka Pila has hosted contemporary Hawaiian music artists since 2008, and in 2021, the hotel revealed a new stage and revamped seating area as part of a $8 million renovation. Expect slack key guitar and ukulele sounds from a rotating roster of performers including Kawika Kahiapo, Sean Na’auao, and Ho’okena.

Outrigger Reef’s 658 rooms and suites are split between two towers and one five-story oceanfront building offering ocean, city, and resort views. When renovations are complete (anticipated 2022), Monkeypod Kitchen by Chef Peter Merriman will serve casual, Hawaii regional dishes in a 12,000 square foot, beachfront space.

Oceanfront spa, great fitness center, weekend afternoon tea service

A spa treatment at Moana Surfrider, now a Westin hotel and part of Marriott International, is a dreamy experience. As the only oceanfront spa in Waikiki, choose from a selection of traditional Hawaiian-infused treatments like a cooling stone massage using stones from ‘Āpuakēhau, an upland stream that flows beneath the property into the ocean. When you book a spa service, you’ll get all-day access to its sauna, steam room, and a whirlpool that looks out into the ocean. Its relaxation room is outfitted with loungers, infused waters and snacks, and offers similar ocean views.

As the first hotel established in Waikiki in 1901, Moana Surfrider is often referred to as the First Lady of Waikiki. A towering banyan tree anchors its courtyard, which includes an outdoor pool, bar, and direct access to the beach. During weekends, its Veranda restaurant hosts an Victorian-style afternoon tea service. The best seat in the house is out on the covered, wide wraparound lanai—a feature popularized during the 19th century that is now synonymous with local architecture.

Electra cruiser bikes available for guests, stand up paddleboard lessons

Kaimana Beach Hotel’s location at the eastern end of Waikiki makes it a sought after booking for travelers wanting a quieter stay. Its 122 rooms include ocean and mountain views, as well as several suites.

The former New Otani hotel (and before that, Sans Souci hotel where author Robert Louis Stevenson frequented during the 1880s) is also the only boutique hotel located directly on Waikiki Beach. The hotel reintroduced itself in 2021 with a modern bohemian aesthetic and a revamped restaurant serving dishes like miso roasted eggplant and crab ravioli.

Kaimana Beach is often a less-crowded and thus refuge for endangered Hawaiian monk seals to take rest. The beach is family-friendly and the resort fee includes beach chairs, umbrellas rental, and activities like stand up paddle boarding. Another interesting feature nearby is the natatorium, a saltwater swimming pool dedicated as a World War I memorial for Hawaii citizens who volunteered for the war.