For a memorable stay in Waikiki, especially for first timers, The Royal Hawaiian resort is my first choice! We share our review, pictures, and tips from our recent stay at the resort and iconic Pink Palace!
A trip to Waikiki Beach was a fantastic choice for our family vacation! It was my husband’s first time in Hawaii, and we traveled with my mother and brother to celebrate my husband’s birthday!
And since staying at The Royal Hawaiian Resort in Waikiki was on my travel to-do list, our stay at the historic hotel really was extra special!
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The Royal Hawaiian: Overview
My husband and I stayed at two hotels during our nearly two-week family vacation:
- Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel
- Cirque du Soleil ‘Auana is located at this hotel!
- check back soon for our detailed review and article!
- The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki
We stayed three nights at The Royal Hawaiian resort at the end of our vacation. We would have loved to stay longer at this classic, luxury resort!
- The Royal Hawaiian: Interesting Facts – Did You Know?
- “Recognized as an icon of luxury resort travel since its gala opening in 1927.”
- A member of Historic Hotels of America since 2011.
- “The Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest Historic Hotels.”
- Famous U.S. historic guests include Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, and more.
- Hosted two U.S. presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson.
- Source: https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/the-royal-hawaiian-a-luxury-collection-resort/
The Royal Hawaiian: Resort Highlights
- Pools: two pools
- Malulani Pool:
- small pool exclusively for guests
- Helumoa Pool:
- shared with guests of Sheraton Waikiki Beach Resort. A family-friendly pool area with waterslides and waterfalls
- Malulani Pool:
- Boutique Shops
- several small shops are located in the resort
- The Royal Hawaiian Centre is a shopping mall on the iconic Kalakaua Avenue open to the public.
- Cultural Activities
- open to guests, different activities may be offered such as how to make floral leis and play the ukulele, and more. During our stay, we also saw guests participating in outdoor yoga!
- Additional amenities include the following and more!
- spa
- fitness center
PRO TIP: Since check out is 12 p.m. if you have a late flight, ask if you can use the complimentary “hospitality room” at the front desk! We swam and stayed at the beach all day while the hotel stored our luggage! We were able to use the hospitality room for one hour, showered, and freshened up before we headed to the airport for our evening flight!
The Royal Hawaiian: Arrival & Ambiance
The ambiance at The Royal Hawaiian resort feels grand, elegant, and historic.
Beautiful decor and seating areas are surrounded by lush vegetation and banyan trees. We enjoyed exploring the grounds, shops, and architecture.
“To arrive at The Royal Hawaiian is to take a step back in time…opened in 1927, the resort sits on the lush grounds of the Summer Palace of Hawaiian royalty.”
Source: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/hnllc-the-royal-hawaiian-a-luxury-collection-resort-waikiki/overview/
Check-in time is at 3 p.m. We were greeted warmly at reception and provided an overview.
We received a welcome gift and practical souvenir of two Royal Hawaiian water tumblers!
Since I also emailed the hotel prior to our stay about my husband’s birthday, the hotel gave us a card for complimentary drinks at the Mai Tai Bar or Malulani Pool to help us celebrate! A lovely acknowledgment and gift we appreciated (especially since our first Waikiki hotel did not acknowledge our celebratory vacation)!
After a day of sightseeing and exploring bustling Kalakaua Avenue, the ambiance at The Royal Hawaiian was always so lovely! We loved returning to the beautiful, classic, serene resort!
Notably, we did read other reviews saying the resort can feel outdated. However, keep in mind that this historic hotel first opened in 1927. For us, we loved the architecture and historic charm!
Therefore, although some aspects of the resort could be upgraded, it always felt clean and maintained during our stay.
Overall, although others may call the décor dated, we enjoyed strolling through the historic and elegant feel of the Hawaiian resort.
As such, do your own research like reading reviews like this one, and look at pictures so you can manage your expectations of this historic hotel. We loved our stay!
The Royal Hawaiian: Accommodations
There are two wings to choose from when booking a room at The Royal Hawaiian:
The Historic Wing
- the wing was constructed in 1927 according to the website
- views: resort view, garden view, ocean view
- traditional décor
Mailani Tower
- built in 1969, more than forty years after the original hotel opened in 1927
- more contemporary décor than The Historic Wing
- view: ocean views and ocean front rooms with private balconies
Our Room
For us, it was worth the upgrade for an oceanfront room! And we can recommend staying in the Mailani Tower!
We booked a “Mailani Premier Ocean King” room: oceanfront, high floor, private balcony, king bed. It was spacious enough for our stay and the view did not disappoint!
Although the private balcony was small, the view was spectacular! We could see the ocean from the bed!
The view of the beach was everything we imagined for a Waikiki stay! With Diamond Head in the background, it is truly a stunning view!
Our room had a coffee maker and small fridge, stocked with complimentary coffee, tea, and two water bottles.
The bathroom was a good size, with a tub. There is also a closet opposite the sink which we used to hang some clothes.
Lastly, since we recently visited Japan, we appreciated that our bathroom featured a “Toto toilet”! If you know, you know!
The Royal Hawaiian: Restaurants
There are four dining options at The Royal Hawaiian:
- The Royal Hawaiian Bakery: 6:00 AM- 12:30 PM
- Surf Lanai (breakfast)
- Mai Tai Bar
- outdoor restaurant and bar
- Azure Restaurant
- The Royal Hawaiian’s flagship restaurant
- fine dining; offers tasting menu
My husband and I tried all the dining options except Azure restaurant.
The Royal Hawaiian Bakery and Surf Lanai for breakfast were delicious!
Be sure to try the cronut at The Royal Hawaiian Bakery and the famous pink palace pancakes at Surf Lanai!
Check out our Waikiki food recommendations in our article, “Best Foods to Eat in Waikiki! Our Delicious Foodie List!”
We had dinner at the Mai Tai Bar during our stay and received our complimentary drinks! Be sure to book a reservation in advance at this popular restaurant which is open to the public. We enjoyed the live music during our dinner, despite the very busy atmosphere.
Luau at The Royal Hawaiian
Also, the Ahaaina Luau at The Royal Hawaiian is Waikiki’s “only oceanfront luau.”
We did not experience the luau at the hotel since I booked the Chief’s Luau on my husband’s birthday – read my review and article here for Chief’s Luau!
The Royal Hawaiian: Location
The Royal Hawaiian resort is ideally located in Waikiki, especially for first time visitors like us!
Beach Location
Although very busy with people daily, throughout our vacation, the public beach in front of the hotel was great! We loved swimming every day!
The water and soft sand were beautiful. During our stay, you would have to go deeper into the ocean to even get waist high.
All along Waikiki beach, loungers and umbrellas are available to rent by the public, by the hour and for the day.
During our stay, we rented an umbrella and two loungers daily for the day at The Royal Hawaiian. Reservations can be made online and in-person at the resort.
At the time of writing, umbrella set rentals are available from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. It cost us USD$95 plus tax, per day, for one umbrella and two loungers.
Yes, the umbrella set rental is pricey! Notably, most people at Waikiki beach just lay their towels on the sand given the cost.
There is a designated area, farther away from the ocean, for guests of The Royal Hawaiian, which is sectioned off.
However, if you are like me, I prefer to be close to the water, with an ocean view, as I lay on my beach lounger.
There are umbrella sets, rented by The Royal Hawaiian, which are placed closer to, and facing the ocean. These are the beige umbrella sets placed in rows of two or three, but on the very busy, public beach.
It is important to mention that we did get up early to secure a spot for our beach umbrella set rental. Spots on the beach, were first come, first served.
Once our spot was selected, the beach services team documented your spot, and numbered the umbrella, so you could come and go throughout the day.
Nearby Restaurants, Shops, & Attractions
Restaurants, shopping, and attractions were steps aways from The Royal Hawaiian. Read our foodie article here on our favourite eats during our stay in Waikiki!
Nearby attractions, shops, places include:
- Royal Hawaiian Center – restaurants, shops, events
- Cirque du Soleil ‘Auana – steps away, located across the street
- Waikiki Trolley Hop-on Hop-Off – pick-up and drop-off spots close by
- ABC Stores Hawaii – several stores nearby of the locally owned and operated shop for souvenirs, gifts, apparel, and more!
For the Waikiki Trolley, we walked to the Duke Kahanamoku Statue (approximately 10 minute walk) for trolley pick-up – we recommend the Waikiki Trolley Blue Line – read our review here!
The only time we needed a car or transportation was for my husband’s birthday at the Chief’s Luau – read our review here of our fantastic night!
Overall, the location of The Royal Hawaiian is ideal, and the resort provided a relaxing place to retreat to after a day in the bustling, tourist filled city of Waikiki Beach.
TIP: Every Friday, there are fireworks over Waikiki Beach! It took about 20 minutes to walk from The Royal Hawaiian to see the fireworks, located close to Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort! There were many people walking to and from the fireworks! We felt safe walking back in the evening!
Although there is so much to do near the hotel, we also highly recommend leaving The Royal Hawaiian resort and explore Oahu with a tour or sailing tour!
We had a wonderful snorkel and sail excursion one morning – we booked this excursion on a catamaran which left from Waikiki Beach, behind the Duke Kahanamoku Statue! We did not need to take a taxi to the harbour like other boat tours! Check back soon for our detailed article and review!
These two snorkel trips, highly rated and shown below, leave directly from Waikiki Beach:
The Royal Hawaiian: Awards
According to the hotel’s official website, The Royal Hawaiian awards include the following recent accolades, and more (https://www.royal-hawaiian.com/awards-accolades/):
- 2025:
- Luxury Travel Advisor:
- most Instagrammable Hotel in the World In North America (#2):
- Luxury Travel Advisor:
- 2024:
- Hawai‘i Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards
- Resort for a Wedding (#1)
- Luxury Resort (#2)
- Hotel for Romance (#3)
- USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards
- Best Resort in Hawaii (#5)
- Best Historic Hotel/Resort (#7)
- Hawai‘i Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards
The Royal Hawaiian: Sustainability
I really appreciate The Royal Hawaiian resort efforts for sustainability including the following and more:
- water filling stations
- reef-safe sunscreen was available by the pool (complimentary)
- rooftop solar thermal system of the Mailani Tower
- electric vehicle charging stations (additional fee) in the parking lot for guests
- eliminated single-use plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in hotel room showers
We loved the two stainless steel water bottles that we were given at check-in!
I think every hotel should provide guests with reusable stainless steel water bottles, placing water stations throughout the property!
These efforts are obviously not only better for the environment, but guests also save money by not having to purchase single-use plastic water bottles!
Sustainability recognition includes the following and more:
- LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Gold, U.S. Green Building Council
- Energy Star certification
- State of Hawaii Green Business Program Award
The Royal Hawaiian: Additional Information & Tips
- Daily Resort Charge
- during our stay our bill reflected a daily “Resort Charge.” Therefore, be sure to take advantage of the resort’s various amenities!
- Walkability: excellent location to explore central Waikiki!
- Beach Service:
- book your umbrella and chairs in advance or as soon as you arrive as they can sell out
- you do have to wake up early to secure your spot on the beach (in the first row)
- Also note, since it is a public beach, and during a busy time of year for tourists and beach lovers, people would literally lay their towels on the sand, directly in front of our loungers, or behind! It is not roped or sectioned off strictly for The Royal Hawaiian guests.
- It was a bit surprising as families would set up for their beach day, extremely close to our loungers. I never came across this in my Waikiki beach research before our trip – I think it is worth mentioning as this was a first for us, despite our extensive beach travels! Waikiki beach can get extremely busy on the weekends!
- no beach service for drinks and food
- Pools:
- we did not use the pools
- people did wake up early to save a spot with their towels! Every morning we had to walk by the Malulani Pool to get to the beach and loungers were always saved by guests early.
PRO TIP: The Royal Hawaiian resort offers a one-hour Historic Tour, complimentary for guests. The tour starts at The Royal Hawaiian Bakery. Confirm availability and schedule! Reservation required.
Conclusion
There are always particular places that you want to experience first-hand. In Honolulu, The Royal Hawaiian resort was always my first choice of where to stay!
After months of planning this trip in advance, our stay at the iconic “Pink Palace of the Pacific” became a reality – I am so happy I finally stayed at this resort and with my husband!
Notably, given the hotel opened in 1927, the historic hotel may not meet everyone’s expectations of a “luxury hotel”! And of course, there are newer hotels in Waikiki which offer modern luxury, like the Ritz-Carlton and Halekulani Hotel.
However, for me, I knew what to expect from my research, and we really enjoyed our stay at The Royal Hawaiian!
Ultimately, our experience at The Royal Hawaiian, in an Oceanfront room in the Mailani Tower was wonderful! If you can, book the oceanfront room for a memorable stay! Being able to look at Diamond Head and the gorgeous Waikiki Beach is worth it!
The Royal Hawaiian resort is a beautiful, historic hotel.
Happy travels! Enjoy Hawaii!
Waikiki – Popular Tours
Explore popular tours in Waikiki with positive reviews:
Hawaii Resources
Other websites you may find useful in researching your trip:
Oʻahu Visitors Bureau
- contracted by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) for leisure destination marketing in the United States.
- website: https://www.hvcb.org/about-hvcb/island-chapters/oahu-visitors-bureau/
Hawaii Tourism Authority
- “…the state’s official source for information on tourism market research, partnership opportunities, industry news and timely updates during emergency situations.”
- website: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/
The hotel stay described in this article was self-funded.
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