After a long winter, which started early in the Sierra’s this year, a springtime break to Hawai’i is a nice getaway. Our favorite, easy, no rental car, walk everywhere, no stress holiday in Hawaii is a week at the Moana Surfrider on Waikiki Beach. This grand hotel, known as the “First Lady of Waikiki” built in 1901 marked the beginning of tourism on Waikiki. Built to welcome guests that would arrive for the season on passenger steamships from the US and Europe the Moana offered never before amenities such as in-suite baths and telephones. During WWII it housed soldiers and sailors providing a place for rest and recreation.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places the Moana has been remodeled over the years and consists of the original structures with two additional wings. Guided tours detailing the history of the hotel and Hawaiian culture are offered twice a week and are highly recommended. Restored to its original splendor, it is truly a wonderful place to stay on Oahu and is one of our favorite hotels in the islands.
Once you settle in at the Moana you can dine in their wonderful Veranda restaurant that overlooks the ocean, under the banyan tree or beside the pool. Any number of restaurants and beach bars are within walking distance along Kalakaua Avenue and offer a variety of local and international cuisines.
Probably the best part of the day is happy hour watching the sunset after a day lounging in a cabana on the beach reading, talking and taking a swim. These pictures attempt to capture the beauty that is the essence of any Hawaiian holiday. Staying at the Moana just adds to the experience with the beautiful “Hawaiian Gothic” architecture influenced by European styles popular at the time with Ionic columns and intricate woodwork and plaster detailing throughout. The historic Moana Surfrider is simply a fantastic place to visit or stay when in Oahu.
All images were taken with Fuji X100f with 23mm f2.0 lens in RAW format, processed in Lightroom Classic CC 11.0.1 w/ Topaz DeNoise AI plug-in