Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani

One word...Wow. This placed wowed us when when we first walked in. We’ve been previous guests of the former Parc Hotel. Halepuna is the newly renovated replacement. Although it’s a sister hotel by Halekulani, Halepuna can definitely stand-up by itself. The lobby is truly sets the stage for your wonderful stay. It’s spacious, upscale and inviting. It sets you in vacation mode and warmly hugs you in the hospitality of Hawaii. It’s nice to see the same friendly staff. Out of all the hotels we’ve stayed at through the years, Halepuna’s staff is the best. They are always there to help you, and say hello as if you are a family member. It feels so personable. When you first walk into your room, you are greeted with a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean. The automatic window shades (sheer and blackout shades) are a great touch. Whoever designed the room layout and look did a fantastic job. Spacious and upscale. The amenities in the room are a nice touch...Kreurig coffee maker, Refrigerator, smart Tv, usb chargers, shaving kit, room lighting remote, slippers and robes. They thought of everything. Oh...the Infinity Pool. There are no words to describe how beautiful and breathtaking it is. And it’s huge! You can get your exercise and laps in like Michael Phelps. And the gym...what? Probably the best hotel gym I’ve ever worked out in. It very spacious and the equipment is great and practical. It even has a video wall if you want a workout that makes you sweat. You can pump those muscles up, do cardio and get your HIIT workout in. Love the disposable headphones, bottled water and coconut infused water dispenser. No Resort fee folks! Want to hit the beach? They lend you a nicely packaged beach bag with towels and bottled water. If you want a new, fresh, friendly, excellently-located hotel, this is your place.

The former Waikiki Parc is now a sister hotel to the Halekulani across the street. The Halepuna had a peaceful, upscale boutique vibe and reminded us of the Alohilani in Waikiki but with some even nicer touches and NO resort fee! We stayed in a Waikiki view room with a king-sized bed and were impressed with the serene feel of the room and upscale amenities. I loved the ombre blue wallpaper accent wall behind our bed, the two chairs at the small desk by the window, the automatic sheer and blackout curtain blinds, all the outlets and USB plugs available, and the bluetooth connection on the in-room phone. When we checked in to our room, there was a printed note with four tasty Halekulani Bakery mac nut chocolates on our TV console. Bottled water was replenished twice during our weekend stay. The room had a hot water kettle, ice bucket, Keurig and small refrigerator along with K-cups and tea bags. Ice available on the eighth floor. Complimentary slippers were in our closet along with terry cloth bathrobes for use during your stay. The bathroom has a Toto toilet, marble floor/walls/counters, a scale, hair dryer, Spa Halekulani toiletries and some small sewing, dental, shaving and toiletry kits. A big plus for me was that there was a tub big enough to soak in, which has been really hard to find on a search for most boutique hotels in Waikiki. Also, if you have little kids, you know that a hotel bathroom with only a walk-in shower often doesn't cut it. One downside for us: the bed was too firm for both my husband and I (and he generally prefers a more firm mattress). It could use a pillowtop mattress pad as I woke up a stiff both mornings. I would have also liked a sheet underneath the duvet for when the sheet-covered duvet got too hot. The hotel also provides twice-daily housekeeping. The evening service remade our bed and refreshed the towels and water again (though the attendant also took one dirty bathrobe along with the one unused, clean and still hanging robe in our closet and didn't replace them). Friday night there was a manager's reception in the eighth-floor garden area with wine and light appetizers. A really nice touch along with the glass sculpture art on the walls. It'll be interesting to see how the garden is used. There's a large stretch of astroturf that I'm sure would be good for yoga classes and had a few boho lounge rockers on it when we saw it. But otherwise I'm not sure what it would be used for except small receptions. The pool deck is wonderful. A mid-depth infinity lap pool and a good-sized jacuzzi are surrounded by lounge chairs. Small bed cabanas for two line the edges. Thought they had a unique range of light dishes and snacks on the pool menu, and we had two yummy cocktails while there. Infused water dispensers might be a nice touch and save the pool attendants from having to refill glasses as much. But there was a water bottle refill station, which is great. They also had a reef-friendly sunscreen dispenser at the towel station. We had coffee and pastries at the hotel's bakery side one morning. There were so many delicious-looking breads, pastries and desserts available. We didn't get to try the restaurant during our stay but it looked fairly busy in the morning with its buffet. I think there is supposed to be 24-hour room service eventually. But no room service seemed to have been available when we stayed as there was no menu on our TV hotel information page or in the room. Front desk staff were all extra friendly. Pool attendants also accommodating. I hope the hotel will continue offering a substantial kamaaina discount, which when we stayed in November included free self-parking. Again, the lack of a daily resort fee was amazing and rare in Waikiki. I thought this was an amazing value for the level of service and quality of hotel. Hope to stay here again.