Like a diamond on a rhinestone cap, this exceptionally elegant hotel is a standout in the heart of Waikiki. Aptly named, Halekulani means "House Befitting Heaven" in Hawaiian. And like its namesake, this ethereal retreat hovers gracefully above the competition, overshadowing the likes of even the Royal Hawaiian and Moana Surfrider with unmatched personal attention and an atmosphere that is both exotic and residential.
Regularly and fastidiously maintained, the hotel has undergone only a few minor touch-ups since the last inspection, with the most notable being the renovation of the Vera Wang Suite. Behind-the-scenes work has been considerable, including a new kitchen at House Without a Key, but only the chef will see that. However, much of the hotel's renovation budget has been banked for 2008, when designers will descend on the accommodations with new soft goods, furnishings, art and a fresh contemporary look.
For now the hotel's static decor remains in generally fine shape. Guests, all treated like dignitaries, are personally welcomed and then escorted to their rooms for registration. Flowers, fruit and a welcoming tray of hotel-made chocolates await them.
Three lounges and three restaurants are scattered among the five connected buildings. The only structure remaining from the original hotel is the skylighted 1917 building where the superb La Mer restaurant perches above the Lewers Lounge. The latter has an urbane edge that is attracting a younger moneyed
crowd in search of the "it" factor. And this place, with its rich koa accents and chic lighting, has plenty of it.
The beautifully designed dining room, Le Mer, among the finest in the state, has doors to small balconies that survey the ocean and Diamond Head. Ever-changing five-course table d'hote menus showcase beautifully prepared and presented Hawaiian and Provencal exotica. The less formal but equally accomplished Orchids serves all meals as well as a famed Sunday buffet. Its menu incorporates Chinese, Japanese and Thai influences, and a harpist provides background music.
Notable entertainment is presented nightly in a separate building, the famed House Without a Key, where light meals and sunset cocktails are offered under a century-old kiawe tree. A small lawn buffers diners from beach strollers. When room service arrives in the morning, a toaster accompanies the breads and bagels.
More than a million tiles make up the spectacular mosaic of an orchid emblazoned on the bottom of the pool. Next to the pool is the handsomely furnished deck, and beyond is the hotel's thin strip of beach that comes and goes with the tide. The hotel's well-equipped spa has evolved into one of the beach's finest, with seven treatment rooms and a host of regional treatments, saunas, and a salon for facials and pedicures. Active guests have free use of the well-equipped gym.
Golfers benefit from a new program in partnership with Nike that allows guests to rent top-of-the-line golf clubs and equipment so they don't have to bring their own. The ballroom can accommodate 600 people for receptions, and meeting rooms handle up to 360. High-end shops, including Vera Wang, dot the arcade. Parking doesn't come cheap.
Painstaking attention to detail distinguishes Halekulani's lodgings from its neighbors'. All the units boast state-of-the-art electronics while maintaining a cool, tidy and tasteful elan. The oversized rooms are intelligently designed and fitted with enough amenities to satisfy demanding sybarites. Entered through marble foyers, the rooms feature neutral color schemes incorporating multiple shades of white. Spacious sitting areas come with exquisite bamboo loveseats and chairs from the McGuire showroom. Glass-topped cocktail tables and marble-topped desks perch on textured oatmeal carpeting, and spacious lanais afford views ranging from lackluster to dazzling (the best are from premium Diamond Head Ocean Front units in the Ewa Wing). Accoutrements include electronic locks, three phones (cordless models), TVs with DVDs and audio in the baths, CD players, safes, king or twin beds, full-length mirrors and hair dryers.
Baths have stall showers, soaking tubs with hand-held showers, fresh flowers on marble counters, suntan lotion in the amenities baskets, scales, shoehorns and flashlights for emergencies. Minibars were replaced with refrigerators that greet arrivals with complimentary water and juice, and complimentary wireless Internet access raises the high-tech ante here. Many 
ocean view units peep out over rooftops to get that ocean view, and oceanfront units feature louvered closets with doors on two sides to slide open and afford Pacific vistas from the baths. Until the major construction on Lewers is completed, guests may want to spend a little extra cash and reserve one of the ocean-view units.
The 43 suites provide generous wraparound lanais. The extravagant Vera Wang Suite comprises the entire second floor of the oceanfront Ewa Building, and is appointed with nearly $2 million in art. The white lacquered walls (the same paint used on Ferrari's) contrasts nicely with the exotic wood floors and custom designed furniture, some upholstered with Vera's past runway castaways. The bedding is almost unbelievably luxurious, with the 600-thread count sheets approaching the suppleness of the blind-stitch, which was criminalized in China at the turn of the 20th century. The Halekulani's CEO and Vera Wang have created an extravagant one-of-a-kind experience that sees nearly as many celebrities here as fashion shows.
Room service is on call around the clock, and guest histories are stored, often for decades.
Both management and staff are as solid, reliable and professional as they come, and always ready to anticipate every guest's needs. The upper-echelon clientele enjoys near-perfection here as a result.
