A big thanks to the Halepuna Waikiki for hosting our stay so we could provide this detailed review of our experience. Also, this post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. For an explanation of our Advertising Disclosure, visit this page.
If you’ve never heard of the Halepuna Waikiki hotel, I bet you know its sister property situated directly across the street … The Halekulani. The Halekulani is arguably the most prestigious hotel in all of Waikiki. Here’s our review of the Halekulani.
Not many people know of the Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani, myself included, until I received a press release via email. Turns out, the Halepuna Waikiki was originally the Waikiki Parc Hotel. In 2019, it was renovated and the owners changed the name to Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani, which means ‘House of Welcoming Waters’.
Here are 12 reasons to stay at the Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani, next time you’re in Oahu:
1. Location
Like its sister property, the Halepuna Waikiki is in the heart of Waikiki. It’s just a block from the ocean and is surrounded by countless restaurants and shops. It’s also just 11 miles from the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). The view, pictured above, was from our room, overlooking both the Halekulani hotel and the shimmering ocean waters.
2. Rooms
The Halepuna has 284 rooms and four suites. We were in room 2017, which is on the 20th floor (out of 23), in one of their regular rooms, which range in size from 309 square feet to 335 square feet depending on the balcony. Guestrooms have floor to ceiling windows to enjoy your view from.
We had two double (or full size) beds, which we thought were going to be way too small for me and my wife to share with our two little kids (ages 4 and 7) but that wasn’t the case. In fact, with the way my son slept right up against me, we probably could have fit all four of us in one bed! The two double beds turned out to be just fine for a couple of nights.
Our corner room was lovely, decorated in a soothing palette of beach-inspired hues. The beige, blue and white color scheme is pretty and peaceful. My wife commented on how much she liked the wallpaper, an ombré blue that mimicked the sky.
3. Bathrooms
The bathrooms are modern and elegant with porcelain floors, a marble vanity and a deep soaking tub with a shower. They also have those great Japanese toilets which, after one use, make you wonder why you don’t have one at home since it’s so much more sanitary, saves a ton of toilet paper and … well, they’re fun. Once you look up the price of the toilet, you realize why you don’t have one but over time, I think it’s worth it, kind of like solar panels.
One thing I didn’t like about our room was the door to the bathroom – it was just a sliding glass door, which I’m really not a fan of. I’m not sure why some hotels do this – whether it’s a cost-saving tactic or whether the younger generation just doesn’t really care for privacy. But I prefer an old-fashioned door that’s solid, closes fully and locks. Maybe that’s just me, though.
4. Bamboo key card
Okay, this isn’t exactly a reason to choose a hotel to stay at (unless you like collecting hotel key cards like I do), but it’s pretty cool that the room key cards are made out of bamboo. It’s definitely unique.
5. Room amenities
The rooms come with a whole host of amenities including Spa Halekulani bath toiletries, bath robes, slippers, a lighted vanity mirror, a magnifying mirror, a hair dryer, a hot pot, a coffee maker, a 50-inch flat screen television with cable networks, complimentary WiFi, an in-room safe, air conditioning, remote control window shades, a media phone with a built-in alarm clock, radio, charging dock, and USB port, in-room refrigerator and iron and ironing board.
6. Branded reusable water bottles
Each room comes with two brand new, reusable Halepuna water bottles to use while on property and to take home. There are filtered water refilling stations throughout the hotel but I didn’t realize the bottles were gifts for guests so I went to the ABC Store a couple of blocks away and stocked up on bottled water. Noted for next time!
7. Daily maid service
While many hotels have cut back on housekeeping, the Halepuna has not. They have daily maid service, which is always appreciated when you have two little kids. When I travel alone I rarely, if ever, request housekeeping.
8. Pool
The eighth floor at Halepuna Waikiki offers guests an array of amenities including the Vitality Pool and a sun deck with cabanas.
The terry cloth covers in the cabana were so soft and cozy – probably the nicest I’ve ever felt and so much better than regular towels, which are usually used. The lap pool is open between 8am and 6pm and there’s a large hot tub attached. There are plenty of comfortable chaise lounges, complimentary organic sunscreen and waitstaff to take drink orders.
9. The garden and the gym
Also on the eighth floor is a large outdoor space they call The Garden where guests can just chill or hit the state-of-the-art fitness studio, which is open 24 hours.
10. Guest laundry
The eighth floor also has guest laundry, something that my wife and I always appreciate now that we’ve got two little ones. It was nice to be able to wash their airplane clothes and their sandy, wet bathing suits. The laundry room has oversized machines that cost $4.50 each for the washer and the dryer. Instead of downloading the Pay Range App, I went to the front desk and got quarters as the app tries to sucker you into putting more money on there and they charge a $0.25 fee per load.
11. No resort fee
Just like its sister property the Halekulani, the Halepuna Waikiki does not have a resort fee. Like most travelers, I despise resort fees, especially when hotels don’t disclose it upfront when booking online or worse, don’t inform you at check-in or even at check-out. The best way to combat hotels with resort fees is not to stay at them and in Hawaii, it’s very difficult to find a hotel that doesn’t charge one. So this is another big plus for the Halepuna and Halekulani hotels.
12. Halekulani bakery
The hotel has a restaurant in the lobby called Umi by Vikram Garg. They offer daily breakfast and dinner, Wednesday to Sunday evenings. We didn’t eat at the hotel but I went to the Halekulani Bakery, which is located in the building; you need to go outside to enter through a separate entrance to get to it. This bakery smelled, looked and felt like you were in France (and so did the prices – a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth croissant was $6!)
Since we didn’t want to nosh on pastries every morning, I walked to Island Vintage in the Royal Hawaiian Center to get an acai bowl every day. It’s my favorite breakfast in Hawaii and apparently, I’m not alone. The line there always seems to run outside and snake around the corner. But here’s how to beat that line every time!
Good to know: I did not realize this until I checked out and was writing this article but guests of Halepuna Waikiki get complimentary admission to the Honolulu Museum of Art and Bishop Museum. The hotel also has a public art program. Throughout the hotel, there are various works or art that give a sense of place to the hotel. Book your stay at the Halepuna Waikiki here.
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