Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa – Hotel Review

Is it a mall or is it a hotel? It’s often hard to tell the difference in the huge Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa, where a full-scale shopping experience forms one wing of this enormous Honolulu property. Its size is its drawcard, however, with a slew of on-site features that leaves guests with little room for boredom during their stay. Read on for the full review.

Take a stroll around the twice-weekly farmer’s market lined with tropical fruit from local producers, visit level two’s cultural centre for guidance on pū kani (blowing of the conch shell) or cross the bustle of Kalākaua Avenue and sprawl on the sands of Waikiki. It’s all within reach of your room.

Where is Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa?

Across from the Duke Kahanamoku statue on Waikiki Beach, on the city’s main strip of Kalākaua Avenue. It’s about a 25-minute drive from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

What’s near Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa?

Was it the postcard-perfect Waikiki shore that brought you to Honolulu? It’s about 50 metres from the hotel’s front door. The dramatic scarred crater of Diamond Head also looms nearby, with the hike beginning about 10 minutes away by car. The edge of Kapiʻolani Regional Park — a great place for a seaside stroll or jog — is just around the corner, about 10 minutes on foot from the hotel.

Honolulu Zoo and Waikiki Aquarium are also helpfully close for parents (no more than 15 minutes walk away).

Room types

Room interiors, washed in tones of sand and sky, clearly take their cues from the surrounds. In Ocean View rooms, private balconies offer near-endless views of the Pacific, while City View rooms peer out over Waikiki proper with a backdrop of the Diamond Head peak. Family suites have double the space (92 square metres) of standard rooms but all have desks, balconies, wi-fi and Chromecast TVs.

Restaurants and bars

The hotel’s two main eateries, SHOR and SWIM, are breezy bistro-style restaurants with palm-fringed ocean glimpses. Both serve simple, locally-infused dishes: at SHOR’s buffet breakfast, guests can scoop up lilikoi-butter laced waffles or salads of greens from nearby farms. SWIM’s offerings are heartier and include burgers, ahi sandwiches and artisan pizzas. Pualeilani Atrium Shops, three floors of boutiques and specialty stores, has a sprinkling of snack spots, too, including a café for frappes and juices, plus a sushi bar and Chinese restaurant.

Travel for work

The hotel’s numerous event spaces cater to everything from full-scale conferences to breakout meetings. There’s also a 24-hour business centre on-site and all rooms have full-size desks for convenience.

Spa, gym and pool

While Waikiki remains the spot for swimming, there is a small pool on-site for quick dips. No need to schlep a beach towel in your luggage — the hotel offers beach chairs and beach towels to take across the road to the waves.

Na Ho’ola Spa, which specialises in lomi lomi massage techniques, has its own ocean views, best admired from the relaxation area with zero-gravity chairs positioned towards huge windows with epic views.

Sustainability

The hotel’s sustainability focus is on energy, emissions and waste management. In practice, that meant an extensive replacement of fluorescent lighting for LED throughout the property, kitchen equipment and ice machines to increase energy efficiency and the removal of single-use plastic bottles from guestrooms. The efforts gained the property a Hawaii Green Business Award.

Accessibility

In Hyatt’s ADA-accessible (Americans with Disabilities Act) rooms, there are either roll-in showers or accessible bathtubs, along with other necessities such as grab bars and lowered switches.

What you need to know

If teenagers are trailing along on the trip, steer them towards the attached Pualeilani Atrium shopping mall — there are more than 60 stores to explore, from clothing retailers to ukulele shops.

SEE ALSO: The Best Beach Resorts in Waikiki