Thursday 12 May 2016

FAMILY HOLIDAY
PART ONE
The Halekulani Hotel
Honolulu - Oahu


When a family of 11 undertake a holiday together, it's got to be organised!  I had never been to Hawaii and am now a huge fan!

I think the 9-hour flight is a big plus as most destinations are so very far away from Australia.

The first hotel we stayed at was the legendary Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki which was fabulous!  



The photo above is the very first photo I took... it was my first impression of this wonderful hotel.  Having never visited before,  I was keen to discover more about the history.  The Halekulani - meaning "house befitting heaven" sits on 5 acres and has 453 rooms.  The original hotel consisted of an informal group of bungalows surrounded by simple gardens which were unpretentious. With views to Diamond Head and the proximity to Gray's beach, the site was very appealing.  Originally opened as the Hau Tree Hotel and owned by Robert Lewers, the hotel has been in existence for 109 years!  The Kimball family purchased the hotel in 1917 and owned it for 45 years before selling it on to the Clapp family, in 1962.  The current owners bought the hotel in 1981 and after a huge renovation, it re-opened in its present incarnation in 1984.  

A fashionable gathering under the Kiawe tree. Visitors of the era sailed to Hawaii on luxury liners, sometimes bringing along their own cars and staff.

Halekulani’s Main Building, guest cottages and tropical grounds in the early 1950s. The automobiles are parked in the area that today forms the serene Courtyard.

We spent four nights at the Halekulani Hotel.  The evenings were spent on the lawns, facing the ocean and the magnificent century-old Kiawe tree.  The little girls loved the freedom of running around and the magic of the warm balmy evenings was accompanied by charming Hawaiian music and Hula dancing.  The sunsets were spectacular.












The photo above was of the view from our room.  The pool at the Halekulani is rather special.  The oval pool is graced by more than a million glass tiles designed and made in Italy.  Each tile was numbered and they were laid as if putting together a jigsaw puzzle. The magnificent Cattleya Orchid on the floor of the pool, is just visible on this photo.


The lawns around the pool have plenty of loungers to enjoy and I spent a happy day here with the little girls while others visited Pearl Harbour


Busy little people

Gray's beach - seen above, is directly accessible from the Halekulani Hotel.   This beach  has been known for its healing waters and many Hawaiians have sought relief from ailments in these waters! We had a few swims there in the late afternoons and the light and water temperatures were truly glorious!  In the very early days,  Waikiki was made up of coconut groves and fishponds and this reef-protected beach allowed ease of travel for the Hawaiian canoes.  As we swam here, I tried to imagine how peaceful and beautiful it must have been.  When Waikiki started to change and give over to residential use in the 1800s, private homes for Hawaiian royalty and Westerners were built along these shores and one of them was owned by the original owner Robert Lewers.

Below are more photos of this fabulous hotel. 

















 From the beautiful gardens, buildings and courtyards, floral displays, excellent service and white shutters in the bedrooms, my whole experience at the Halekulani was blissful.  I cannot wait to visit this beautiful establishment again soon.   From Oahu Island, we made our way to Maui.   Stay tuned!!







22 comments:

  1. Now you have me pining for a tropical holiday! It looks beautiful. I haven't been to Hawaii since I was 17, but I remember the atmosphere well. We stayed at the Pink Palace/ Royal Hawaiian on that trip and it was lovely. I still remember the delicious pancakes for breakfast with grilled fresh pineapple on top! But Hawaii is such a lovely destination, and as you say not so far from Sydney... Sounds like a wonderful choice for a family holiday x

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    1. Heidi it was glorious ... I really cannot wait to go there again.. so restful and I loved the Hawaiian people. The food was sensational - especially the fish. There atmosphere would be very hard to forget and I'm not surprised you remember it as you do. The grilled pineapple is something one

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  2. Looks so beautiful - and what a wonderful name. Sounds like a perfect family get-away. Also such an interesting history. Love the idea of travelling with one's own servants. Wouldn't that be grand! You'd never have to lift a suitcase and could take as many as you liked. No worries about having to restrict to capsule packs. In the old days they took heaps of trunks - remember reading about the couple from "The Sheltering Sky" (can't remember their names - he was Paul ?): apparently she took two trunks just for shoes! Hard to believe nowadays.
    When we lived in Sri Lanka we had a nanny (as well as a cook, butler equivalent, gardener, wash nanny and night watchman). It's what you did in those days, particularly if you had a lot entertaining to do. I usually took our nanny to the local movies with us and also to the pool. But not really for her to do any work. It was a great treat and she loved it. Best wishes, Pammie

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    1. What a wonderful life you must have lived in Sri Lanka Pammie!! xx

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  3. In a word- Paradise. I have been to Hawaii some years ago with my mother,sister and daughter and your lovely photos brought back wonderful memories of warm days and warm water, relaxing by the pool and the happy generous, smiling locals who could not do enough for you.
    I remember the first time I saw the view- felt totally in love and at ease and it only got better every day.
    It is as you say, such a wonderful spot for a family holdiay.
    Best Wishes
    Marilyn

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    1. I honestly cannot praise it highly enough Marilyn xxx

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  4. We have always wanted a big family holiday and Hawaii was where we all wanted to go. Never eventuated, but, you never know...I'll keep Halekaluni in mind just in case this dream comes true.
    thank you. Linda C.

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    1. One of my future posts will be our other Hawaii destinations Linda - which might suit the family more! Thanks for stopping by xx

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  5. Wonderful post. I have only come across your blog so will be doing some reading to catch up. I have not been to Hawai, never had the urge but will make a stopover there next time. Best Lillian

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    1. Hello Lillian - so pleased you've found The Lime Walk! Thanks so much for commenting! xx

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  6. Nothing better than a family holiday. Love your shots but especially the one with your 3 grand daughters. Priceless. About 2 hours before I read this post, my friends send me photos from Hawaii where 25 have gathered to celebrate a big birthday. The view from my friend's Hilton ocean front room is amazingly similar to your last photo. I did a double take, so I went back and looked at me friend's photos just to confirm I wasn't imagining things! Thanks for sharing & for all your Bowral tIps. Den xx

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    1. Hi Den - hope the Bowral tips work for you guys! How funny that your friends were staying in the same hotel! xx

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  7. Your first line made me smile, as I could never understand the attraction of Hawaii until we visited in October. Now I'm a huge fan too! I have only visited the big Island and Oahu, but I look forward to a trip to Maui, perhaps in February. The hotel in which you stayed looks wonderful, and I am going to do some investigating online.

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    1. Hello Pondside - We visited 'the big island' as well as Maui and I plan to post about our experiences there as well. My personal favourite was the Halekulani though!! xx

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  8. Glad you enjoyed your family holiday. Gotta love those girls hats. Lovely views I must admit my favourite holiday is one by the sea. Thank you once again for sharing

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  9. awesome place. looks so wonderful. We have a great collection of African fabrics. Visit us hope you guys love them.
    Sequin Fabrics

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  10. I'm so glad you were able to spend time here and post about the history as well as the hotel's present state. The Halekulani holds a special place in my heart. My family have spent a lot of time in Honolulu and this hotel is a favourite destination- drinks at dusk watching the dancing is fabulous! I was lucky enough to celebrate my 18th birthday here too- such lovely memories. Thank you for sharing.
    Kind regards,
    Belle Kemmis x

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  12. The place has gone through multiple makeovers over the years. It always looks perfect.
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