Honolulu is known for its blue skies, big waves and never-ending sunsets – but you can’t spend all your time at the beach. Grab a mai tai and join us for a tour of the best restaurants, bars and hotels on the island.

Where to drink

House Without A Key
This iconic poolside restaurant is famous for its sunset cocktails and live Hawaiian music, both of which you can enjoy at 5pm daily. The mai tai is a must order, made from three types of rum and garnished with an electric purple vanda orchid. The restaurant has outdoor seating that suits the balmy Hawaiian weather, as well as its own stage where you can catch former Miss Universe Brook Lee, along with other Miss Hawaii winners, dance the hula to the gentle sounds of ukulele strumming. The food menu includes super fresh poke bowls and the island’s most popular dessert – a lighter-than-air coconut cake layered with amaretto pastry cream. 

Bar Podmore
This ultra luxe downtown bar serves up creative takes on classic cocktails, with many of the sippers theatrically shaken, stirred and strained at the table. The elegant interiors blend emerald velvet with reflective surfaces and gold trimming, inspired by the English flair of the historic Joseph W. Podmore Building it inhabits. Top orders include The Chung Chow, a Pimm’s cup filled with multi-coloured frozen fruit orbs and the bougie G&T made from a smashed gin sphere with cucumber, lime and mint. Stay for the snacks which include a foie gras parfait and a crackling pork bun. 

Where to eat

Fête
Every night’s a party at this modern American restaurant in historic Chinatown. James Beard award-winning chef Robynne Mai‘i has put together a simple menu that celebrates local ingredients and home-style farm-to-table cooking. Kick off the festivities with the quinoa cakes and the famous twice-fried Ludovico chicken with spicy tomato jam and grits. The Brooklyn-inspired interiors feature exposed brick and reclaimed wood, with blown glass light fixtures and greenery throughout. 

Holey Grail
We’ve discovered the holey grail of Hawaiian doughnuts. This Kaua‘i-based food truck dishes up deep-fried delights in the form of locally-grown taro root doughnuts. The delicious rings are deep fried in coconut oil and iced with Hawaiian vanilla bean glaze, local honey and sea salt, and cardamom and rose. Skip the coffee for a bottle of house-made chocolate mylk blended from almond milk and locally grown Mānoa Chocolate.

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Matsumoto Shave Ice
When it comes to the best ice dessert in Hawaii, it’s a close shave. For the original and the best, join the hour-long queue at Matsumoto Shave Ice in the historic town of Hale-iaw for local specialities like guava, papaya and pickled mango. Closer to town, you can’t beat Uncle Clay’s House of Pure Aloha where the favourite is the Classic Rainbow, flavoured with strawberry, mango and pineapple syrup finished with a scoop of Tahitian vanilla ice cream.

Musabi Cafe
Spam alert! The ubiquitous canned ham gets a Japanese-inspired revamp at Musubi Cafe. For the ultimate post-swim snack, try the spam musubi, a rice onigiri topped with teriyaki-glazed Spam, avocado and tamagoyaki egg omelette. It’s the best parts of a sushi roll and B&E roll in one. 

Where to stay

Halekulani
If you’ve come to Hawaii for the beach, then you’ll appreciate the incredible ocean views at the Halekulani. Nearly all suites at this beachfront hotel have full or partial views across the shimmering waters – drink them in from your balcony with a mai tai in hand. If you need a break from the waves, you can cool down by the hotel’s impressive oval-shaped pool, which has been elaborately tiled with a Cattleya orchid pattern. The location is unbeatable, just five minutes to this plaza and the restaurants and shopping centres lining Kalakaua Avenue. Not that you really need to go out. The hotel is home to three award-winning restaurants, Orchids, La Mer, and the newly renovated House Without A Key, now with a new pool bar.

Halepuna Waikiki
Slightly more affordable than Halekulani is its little sister Halepuna Waikiki across the road. Spacious suites come with luxury amenities with scenic views over Waikiki Beach and nearby volcanic formation Diamond Head. When the downtown crowds get too much, seek sanctuary in the hotel’s Urban Escape area includes an exclusive-use infinity lap pool, hot tub, pool bar, lounge and a private garden. The real drawcard here is the in-house bakery* which produces local passionfruit brioche and banana coconut kouign amann as well as cold brew iced coffees spiked with housemade caramel. 

*The Halekulani Bakery & Restaurant is currently closed.  There are plans to reopen both later this year.

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