The Kahala Resort - Honolulu's luxury hotel reviewed

The Kahala Resort is a luxury hotel where you can relax and unwind in Honolulu. The classic interior design speaks to the hotel’s long history of Hawaiian hospitality.

The resort staff are friendly and welcoming. Guests are greeted with aloha along with a refreshing chilled towel and a lovely lei at check in.

Location

Tucked between a pristine Hawaiian beach and a country club golf course, the Kahala Resort is a peaceful oasis in Honolulu. Its location is unique in that it’s in a such a serene spot, yet only a ten-minute (free) shuttle ride from the shops, restaurants and activities of Waikiki Beach. It’s the best of both worlds. For more information on the location, see this page from the resort’s website.

Rooms

For reference, we stayed in an oceanfront room with a Juliet balcony. The spacious rooms are decorated in a classic style with light earth tones that allow the views from the large windows to be the feature that they should be.

The bathroom has a nice set up for two people to share with two vanities and two closets separated on opposite ends. There’s a nice-sized, step-in shower and a separate tub. The toilet is in its own closet and equipped with a bidet toilet seat.

When I stay in a luxury hotel, I expect luxury linens and the Kahala definitely meets expectations. We had thick, fluffy towels, plush rugs and high quality sheets.

Other notable, in-room amenities include bathrobes, slippers, , mini-fridge, coffee maker, tea kettle and lovely toiletries.

The rooms are very generously sized with room to dine and, if needed, as desk for business needs.

Resort Amenities

Let’s start the resort amenities with a splash at the pool and beach. The resort has an ocean-front, oval-shaped pool surrounded by cushioned loungers and umbrellas. There’s also a shallow kiddie pool and a jacuzzi tub. For the beach, the lounge chairs and towels are available for the beach and lawn areas.

For even more splashing, there’s Dolphin Quest where you have the opportunity to interact with the resident dolphins. Andy and I enjoyed the dolphin experience way back in 2007. Even if you don’t get in the water with the dolphins, they’re delightful to observe at the lagoon.

There’s more wildlife to observe in the salt water pools with juvenile honu (turtle) and tropical fish. It’s a nice way to see fish without getting wet.

The resort has a spa and an exercise center plus beachside exercise classes.

The Kahala Resort is a nice setting for a wedding and is well equipped for wedding services. We saw quite a few brides and grooms during our stay.

Dining at the Kahala Resort

The resort has several restaurants onsite with ocean views.

During our recent, brief stay, we enjoyed afternoon snacks and a truly outstanding breakfast buffet at Plumeria Beach House. Plumeria Beach House also offers a great seafood buffet on Friday and Saturday evenings.

The Kahala offers a delightful tea service and/or cocktails and pupus at The Veranda with both indoor and outdoor seating.

There’s enough restaurant variety at the Kahala that you won’t need to go offsite. If you want more options, the free shuttle service to Waikiki gives access to many more restaurants.

More Notes about the Kahala Resort

The hotel’s veranda (adjacent to the restaurant by the same name) is such a special spot to relax and take in the scenery. I could have been content to sit in one of the many rocking chairs for hours.

The Kahala is definitely a great Honolulu hotel option. Some people find Waikiki, which is also part of Honolulu, to be a bit crowded. The Kahala offers close proximity to Waikiki plus other Oahu attractions, but without crowds. The Kahala is a luxurious respite with room to breath.

During our stay, there were no resort fees. Hurray for that! (Policies like resort fees are always subject to change, so check directly with the resort for any changes.)

Wifi was provided at no charge.

The Kahala Resort makes delicious covered macadamia nuts. They’re available for purchase at the resort or online.

For more reviews of the Kahala Resort, see this link to TripAdvisor.

For more of our photos from our stay, see this link.

Enjoy our short video overview of the Kahala Resort: