My husband & I were in Honolulu for 8 days on business and booked ourselves into the Halekulani which is a very upscale elegant hotel in Waikiki. The first two days there was no hot water in the hotel, some boiler problem and we felt the management did not properly respond to our concerns so we moved to the New Otani which was approximately half the cost. We were delighted we changed. The Halekulani is definitely fancier and more elegant but in many ways the New Otani was much more to our taste. Being enclosed in buildings and people in Waikiki is not our style so we appreciated the distance. One could still walk there or take the bus if needed. To us an important part of the Hawaii experience is the beach and the New Otani sits right on an excellent beach with good swimming. The hotel has beach towels, mats, chairs, and flippers available. We booked an ocean view deluxe room which hung out over the beach. The floor to ceiling windows and sliding glass doors provided a wrap-around view of the ocean and Waikiki. From the lanai we could also see Diamond Head. We loved it so much we chose to have breakfast and cocktails on our lanai rather than in the restaurant which can get crowded and what could be more romantic than that stunning view. The food was very good; many local people come to the charming outdoor restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner occasions. The hotel could use some sprucing up as it is a bit dated in decor but it certainly made up for it in location and views. And, there was hot water!
- New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel
- New Otani Kaimana Beach Honolulu
- Kaimana Beach Hotel
- New Otani Hawaii
