Oahu, from Waikiki to Ko Olina
Oahu keeps its luxury on two shores – the long beach at Waikiki, where the first hotels went up more than a century ago and Diamond Head closes the view, and the sheltered lagoon at Ko Olina, thirty miles west and an island quieter.
Oahu keeps its luxury on two shores – the long beach at Waikiki, where the first hotels went up more than a century ago and Diamond Head closes the view, and the sheltered lagoon at Ko Olina, thirty miles west and an island quieter. We walked both and kept the island's only five-star hotel together with the three four-star addresses that hold their own beside it. Nothing here was admitted on name alone. Four made the cut.
The collection
4 hotels
“Because nine full-floor suites, each with its own elevator entrance and butler, and a five-star tasting menu downstairs make this the only five-star hotel on Oahu – and the quietest way to stay on Kalakaua Avenue.”
From our editors · ESPACIO The Jewel of Waikiki
The neighborhoods
Good to know
Which part of Oahu should I stay in?
Waikiki is the classic choice – the beach, Kalakaua Avenue's shops and restaurants, and Diamond Head at the end of the view, all on foot. Ko Olina, thirty miles west on the leeward coast, is the resort choice: a sheltered lagoon, calm water and quiet. Three of the four addresses are in Waikiki; the fourth is the reason to go west.
When is the best season for Oahu?
Oahu is warm in every month, so the choice is about crowds rather than weather. Mid-December through March is the busiest stretch, when the winter swells arrive on the North Shore; summer runs full, with families on the beach and the trade winds doing their work. April, May and September into early October are the quiet months, and rates across the collection tend to ease with them.
Do these hotels sit on the water?
Halekulani does – five oceanfront acres on Kalia Road, with House Without a Key beneath its kiawe tree. The Four Seasons fronts Ko Olina's sheltered lagoon. In central Waikiki the sand runs along Kalakaua Avenue itself: ESPACIO stands on the avenue, and the Ritz-Carlton Residences are a five-minute walk from the beach at its gateway end.
How do I reserve a stay?
Enter your dates on any hotel's page to see rates and availability, then book the room or suite you want. A concierge is on hand throughout – to weigh Waikiki against Ko Olina before you book, and to arrange tables, drivers and the rest of the stay once you have.
