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Waikiki’s Big Wave
The biggest names in luxury are winning back Honolulu's fabled hood.
Hawaii fans can have a love-hate relationship with Waikiki. They adore its sugary, palm-studded beach but recoil at its drab high-rises and jammed streets. Happily, though, there’s a renaissance brewing that should throw a lot more love this Honolulu hood’s way. The new $535 million, eight-acre Waikiki Beach Walk has pushed back the concrete jungle, allowing for a more pedestrian-friendly complex of lodgings (like Embassy Suites and Wyndham), and restaurants (like Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Roy’s Waikiki).
Nearby, the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center has unveiled its big makeover with such luxury boutiques as Bulgari, Cartier and Hermes; while the Donald is adding his own brand of glitz with the Trump International Hotel & Tower — whose 464 condos reportedly sold out in eight hours, even though they won’t be ready until 2009. Established hotels have also stepped up their game, including the Waikiki Parc, which has emerged from renovation to rival its sister property, the legendary Halekulani. But our favorite entrant to the new Waikiki? Opening May 28, Nobu marks chef Matsuhisa’s first Hawaiian outpost and the 18th restaurant in his worldwide sushi empire.
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