Ranch & Coast Magazine

June 2023

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e outdoor eatery now has an open-kitchen design. ere's a health-conscious menu and freshly-baked flatbreads. Natch, the bar has a great mai tai, as well as a "Coconut Cake Martini." Ernest Hemingway fans can reserve Table 97 at House Without A Key. e legendary author was a frequent Halekulani guest during the 1940s. Papa's regular table is near the ocean and offers a clear view down the coastline of the Diamond Head volcanic tuff cone. All beaches in Waikiki are public, but Halekulani has its own small swath of sand that's primarily used by hotel guests. e resort is cleverly ensconced by its street location. It's easy to spend days and nights in your suite's beach-facing patio — overlooking the pool and the Pacific, enjoying tunes wafting up from ukulele- backed singers at Earl's — and forget the Waikiki entertainment district is just blocks away. My wife and I venture out into bustling Waikiki. We dine at Queensbreak on the pool deck level of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. It's a delightfully uptempo experience. e first thing we encounter is a traditional Hawaiian fire dancer. e menu is a pleaser from apps to mains: fresh-caught halibut fish tacos, mushroom flatbread with locally grown 'shrooms, Kauai Shrimp Pad ai, drunken clams in a lobster broth. We counterbalance a foray into Waikiki with a morning offering from SpaHalekulani. e Walking Meditation Fitness Class is a low-impact guided beach stroll. e kicker: Talking while walking is discouraged. We follow the rule. I'll admit what should seem abundantly obvious: You see much more with your eyes when your mouth isn't moving. Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina is 45 minutes north and a world away from Waikiki. In Ko Olina, the view from our suite's double-wide lanai is all Pacific Ocean and lush, rugged coastline. Few commercial boats dot the water. And there aren't ABC convenience stores every two blocks. In fact, there aren't any. To pinpoint the location, here's a landmark: e Four Seasons is adjacent to Aulani, the Disney resort. e two properties share a coral-free lagoon. Post-pandemic, Four Seasons is doubling down on wellbeing. My wife and I pay multiple visits to the Naupaka Spa & Wellness Centre. We're treated to the parallel pampering of a couples massage. And we rise and shine for a morning Sunrise Yoga class. Our downward dogging transpires on the spa's sixth-floor rooftop. ere are also tennis and pickleball courts up here (coexisting in a blissful state of noncompetitive tranquility). ere's a long list of on-property health and fitness options. Along with standard exercise machines, Peloton bikes are available in Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina. It's north of Waikiki and occupies a stretch of Oahu's western coastline. I'm eager to glimpse Hawaii's post-COVID recovery. What I remember about bygone visits: Omnipresent ukulele music. Rum drinks dressed up like flowery pieces of art. Constant sunshine, interrupted by rain sprinkles that last two minutes. Time to soak up some self-care. e Halekulani is Waikiki's second oldest hotel. Its 1917 bungalow look is largely unrecognizable now. Fans of the original Hawaii Five-0 may recall Det. Steve McGarrett ( Jack Lord) being summoned to the property in episodes that ran between 1968 and 1980. e property got a major revamp in 1984. Hotel management also used the recent timeout to do an upgrade to common areas and rooms. Notably, guestrooms now have Toto smart toilet technology (with a Zen-inducing seat-warmer function). New: Earl's Pool Bar, within the House Without A Key restaurant. e bar and restaurant are adjacent to the resort's photogenic pool, designed with a strikingly beautiful mosaic of an orchid on the bottom made up of 1.25 million African glass tiles. e new bar is named in homage to Earl Derr Biggers, the 20th century novelist who wrote e House Without a Key while vacationing in Hawaii. >> @ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE JUNE 2023 79 Halekulani's House Without A Key entertainers Halekulani signature oceanfront guest room

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