Travel

We will stay at the Moana Surfrider on Waikiki Beach. The Moana Hotel opened on March 11, 1901 as Waikiki’s first hotel. It is known as the “First Lady of Waikiki.” The original Moana Hotel was a four-story wood structure which featured an elaborately designed lobby which extended to outdoor lanais, the Banyan Court and the ocean. The Moana’s architecture was influenced by popular European styles with Ionic columns, intricate woodwork and plaster detailing throughout the building. It was designed with a grand porte-cochere on the street side and wide lanais on the ocean side. Some of the original 75 guestrooms had telephones and bathrooms. The hotel featured a billiard room, saloon, main parlor, reception area and a library. The Moana had the first electric-powered elevator in Hawaii which is still in use today. Other design elements of the original structure that survive include extra-wide hallways to accommodate steamer trunks, high ceilings and cross-ventilation windows to cool the rooms (prior to air conditioning). Duke Kahanamoku, the legendary Olympic swimmer and popularizer of the sport of surfing, frequented the Moana Hotel restaurants and private beachfront. The Moana Hotel became a favorite stomping ground for Kahanamoku’s famed group, dubbed the Waikiki Beach Boys. The hotel was the base of operations for about 24 White House staffers who accompanied Barack Obama to his Winter White House at Plantation Estate during Christmas visits.