Keiki-Friendly Waikiki

By Erin Rottman, 805 Living
January/February 2018

A dramatic transformation has just been completed at the modern ʻAlohilani Resort Waikiki Beach (alohilaniresort.com; from $229), across the street from the keiki-, or kid-friendly, sandy bottom Kuhio Beach.

The hotel was gutted, except for the lobby’s three-story-high oceanarium, a 280,000-gallon saltwater tank stocked with 1,000 tropical fish.  It was decided that the locally beloved icon, which has been part of the hotel since it opened in 1969, simply had to be preserved.  “The children just stand there and they’re mesmerized,” says sales and marketing director Patsy Narimatsu.

The resort has an open, airy feel with high ceilings in the lobby and white and beige furnishings throughout.  Children can enjoy the Monkey Pod Kid’s Club with a bubble jet pool, corn-hole and oversize Jenga games, and movies projected onto an outdoor wall.  A fifth- floor saltwater infinity pool overlooks the beach.

Restaurants Momosan Waikiki and Morimoto Asia Waikiki feature the cuisine of Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto.