Kahala Mandarin Oriental or Halekulani?
 

hello....could some one please tell me thier experiences with iether of these hotels? or any other upscale hotel they would recommend in Oahu....thanks

WIthout a doubt, stay at the Halekulani. It is the most beautifully appointed, best located hotel on Oahu. You will not regret staying at the H for one minute. The Mandarin is old.

BUT the Kahala Mandarin Oriental has been totally renovated in the last couple of years, and is like a new hotel. My sister stayed there, and loved it! But I've never heard anything but good about the Halekulani, of course, either! If you want to be in the middle of everything, do the Halekulani; otherwise, the Mandarin Oriental!

<BR>John, there have been many very detailed recent discussions about these two hotels. Just do a search for Hawaii on here and you'll find lots of info.

Hey thanks for the replies so fast....I have looked on here for comments about these hotels, but found little on Kahala Mandarin, people do seem to like Halekulani( i think i am leaning that way)...Lani says if i want to be in the middle of everything stay at Halekulani, is that area that built up? is it touristy or like office buildings? never been to oahu before...

Believe it or not, even the Hyatt Regency Waikiki is quite nice (and I've stayed at both the Halekulani and Mandarin), if the price is right! And the views from the upper floors are the most beautiful I've seen in ANY hotel on ANY of the islands (if you can stand the crowds, of course -- it's NOT for everyone)!!

I did not like the beach in front of the Halekulani. The stretch of Waikiki where the Hyatt Regency is located is much, much better! And, of course, the beach in front of the Kahala is also wonderful!

Waikiki is known for being an extrememly crowded 'tourist trap', It is wall-to-wall high-rise hotels and condos. Downtown Honolulu is where the office buildings are. <BR> <BR>The Kahala Mandarin is just outside of Waikiki in a much quieter area.

Just came across this: <BR> <BR>"I'm from Hawaii also. So my recommendation is to stay in hotels that are not in Waikiki. Waikiki is VERY expensive. Prices are jacked-up only for the tourists. And it's very crowded, especially with tourists." <BR> <BR>-From: [email protected] <BR>Subject: Re: Honeymoon in Hawaii <BR>Date: 19 Sep 2000 00:00:00 GMT <BR>Message-ID: &lt;[email protected]&gt; <BR>Newsgroups: alt.visa.us.marriage-based <BR> <BR>Many other people say the same thing.

Aloha John: <BR> <BR>Waikiki is not for everyone, certainly, but it compares very favorably to other "city" resort areas: Nice, FR., Miami, FLA., and certainly Los Angeles. None of those have the beautiful water and sand of Waikiki, and all those are infinitely more crowded. <BR> <BR>I would love to see some of the older properties come down and replaced with more green area, like they have been doing in Majorca, and that is in the long-term plans for Waikiki. Still, Waikiki is clean and it hops. It's a great place for people watching and surf lessons. Prices ARE higher than in other shopping areas in Honolulu such as Ward Center, Ala Moana, and Kahala Mall, so if you want to shop, wander elsewhere in the city. <BR> <BR>Back to the question, though. The Halekulani is an elegant, well-appointed hotel with not too much of a beach but with a nice pool. It's a great place to see the moon over Diamond Head. The Kahala Mandarin is more old-style Hawaii, although the rooms have been recently renovated and are beautiful. It boasts a fabulous restaurant, too, and sits on a lovely private beach. And of course there are the dolphins. <BR> <BR>You might want to check the Honolulu "W"'s web site. No pool, though, but nice amenities and room service from the Diamond Head Grill, their on-site restaurant. Also check recent postings here under Honolulu W. Also the Royal Hawaiian. Any way you choose, you'll have fun! <BR> <BR>Aloha, <BR>k <BR>

They're both wonderful hotels but we prefer the Kahala because of the secluded, private location (you almost feel as if you're on a private island!) and the beautiful, superior beach (the stretch in front of the Halekulani is rather unremarkable, sad to say)! And, of course, the food and service are both excellent! I mean, if it's good enough for Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Elvis Presley, etc., then it's quite good enough for you!!

The Halekulani has a lovely lobby with nice plush carpeting. It's located in an area consisting of an over abundance of hotels. I've never been to the Kahala Mandarin but I do like its isolated location although its too far to walk if you wanted to do alot of things in Waikiki proper.