The Historic Royal Hawaiian Hotel
In all of Oahu, there is perhaps nothing more iconic than the luxurious Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach. Opening its doors on February 1, 1927, the “Pink Palace of the Pacific” has been receiving guests for close to a century now. Patrons of the hotel have included everybody from military personnel on R&R during the Second World War, to glamourous Hollywood stars looking for some Hawaiian fun under the sun. In my eyes, there have been no visitors more noteworthy than my very own daughter, Selah Mattie. She had a ball exploring the hotel’s grand halls and corridors while creating a small bit of mischief along the way. Luckily, that rambunctious two-year-old had her daddy close by to help navigate her path.
The iconic Royal Hawaiian Hotel is one of the most recognizable man-made features on Oahu.
A glimpse of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in 1928.
A present-day photo of the pink hotel reveals just how much the landscape in Honolulu has changed over the years.
A vintage postcard shows Royal Hawaiian guests hitting the water on an outrigger canoe.
It comes at no surprise that the Royal Hawaiian Hotel made the list for “Historical Hotels of America”.
During WWII, the U.S. Navy’s Recreation and Morale Office leased the entire hotel and used it for navy personnel to unwind and relax in between deadly combat operations in the Pacific.
Selah found the lush lawn perfect for running her sprints.
The yard surrounding the hotel is a literal tropical oasis.
Palms trees, flowers, and beautiful arches adorn every entrance.
Sometimes a girl wants nothing but to simply hang around.
Valet parking during the roaring twenties.
The open breezeways invite cooling trade winds throughout the entire first floor.
Mommy and Selah take a moment to rest their tired feet on the hotel’s luxurious front porch.
Selah closed her eyes to prevent me from stealing a picture.
An antique phone is placed at the ends of the hall on every floor.
The hotel offers historic garden view or ocean view rooms of various sizes.
This sculpture of a U.S. sailor and his attractive female companion is made entirely of sand!
Storied pictures of the past adorn the walls of this beautiful hotel.
Many of these photos were taken aboard the SS Lurline, a luxurious Matson ocean liner that once transported guests to Hawaii and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
Even Shirley Temple was once a passenger aboard this “Good Ship Lollypop”!
There is much fun to be had simply admiring the hotel’s many diverse window dressings.
The remnants of a 20’s “hula ho’olauna” event
The average price for a wedding ceremony at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel ranges from $3,500-9,500.
Knowledgeable and talented concierges are stationed in the lobby to assist guests in planning their island excursions.
Selah decided to explore the renowned Monarch Room. This 20’s-styled ballroom offers a magnificent view of Diamond Head crater and seats up to 500 guests.
The Monarch Room has been the site for many fashion shows throughout the years.
Of course, Selah has impeccable fashion sense and she always stays up-to-date on the current trends.
This is a photo of the legendary Duke Kahanamoko. He was an Olympic athlete, an actor, and the man who made the Hawaiian sport of surfing popular around the globe.
The Hawaiian people, descendants of the Polynesians, are believed to have first reached the islands in vessels like the ones pictured above.
This plate, dated 1977, was made in honor of the hotel’s fiftieth anniversary.
The Mai Tai is the official adult-beverage of the Hawaiian Islands. This famous cocktail, often garnished with pineapple, consists of rum, orange curacao, lime juice, orgeat syrup, and fresh mint.
Selah wants to go “right there… right there!”
She is like a real-life version of Dora the Explorer.
Please Selah, no running in the halls!
If you don’t own a good fedora than you don’t own a hat.
The Royal Hawaiian Hotel is built on 15 acres of beautiful beachfront property.
At the rear of the “Pink Palace on the Pacific” with the beach and Diamond Head in the background.
Selah inspects the lights along the pathway to ensure they are all up to code.
I need to watch that girl very carefully! She’s trying to slip off into the obscurity of the jungle.
It’s time to go, so naturally she’s trying to stay on the other side of the rope where I can’t reach her.
After a brief chase and capture, she’s been confined to her stroller and she’s no longer a happy camper.
From majestic palms to Rainbow Eucalyptus, the Hawaiian islands contain some of the most beautiful and diverse trees to be found anywhere in the world. Guests of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel can admire many of the island trees while walking through its magnificent gardens.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures I posted of this beautiful, iconic hotel. Thank you for visiting my site and please come back to Big John’s Adventures in Travel soon.
Aloha and happy travels,
Big John
Posted in Adventurous Places, Historical Journeys, North America and tagged Hawaii, Oahu, pink hotel, Pink Palace of the Pacific, Royal Hawaiian hotel, Waikiki by Big John with no comments yet.
Selah Lou Who goes to Helen for Christmas
For Selah’s very first Christmas in the continental United States, we decided to leave the continent and fly to Bavaria, Germany… well no, not really, but she’s not even two-years-old so we took her to Georgia instead. She didn’t know the difference.
Alpine Helen, Georgia only has a population of around 430 residents, yet it is the state’s third most visited city. If you visit this charming little town, you will see why it so good at packing a crowd. Helen is a recreated Bavarian Alpine village with the Chattahoochee River flowing gently through its center. Helen first began as a home to the Cherokee Indians before European settlers eventually arrived for the gold and the timber. When Selah Lou Who came to town, she was simply there to see Christmas.
After lunch, Selah Lou Who got buckled in all nice and cozy and napped most of the ride home. While she probably won’t remember much of our two-day bavarian getaway, her daddy and mommy sure will. Memories like these are what makes life precious, especially when they’re still full of so much innocence and wonder. Thank you for visiting my site and I hope your holidays are spent joyfully with family and friends.
Happy travels,
Big John
Posted in Adventurous Places, Great Dining, North America and tagged christmas in dixie, Georgia, Helen by Big John with no comments yet.
Outrigger Canoe Paddling in Pearl Harbor
Canoeing has been a part of Hawaii’s history and culture since ancient times; and in my opinion, there is truly no better way to experience Hawaii than from the seat of an outrigger canoe. I had the privilege of getting my oars wet for the first time when I, along with a team of my coworkers, recently met at Rainbow Bay Marina in Honolulu. The Rainbow Bay Marina is a Morale, Wefare, and Recreation (MWR) facility for military members and their familes stationed on the island of Oahu. The marina, located just outside the Arizona Memorial on Pearl Harbor, offers a variety of boats and other activities for fun times on the water.
These canoes weigh roughly 900 pounds each!
I think one of the most challenging things about outrigger canoes is just getting them launched into the water. We were lucky that we had a pretty large paddling crew to all lend a hand. These canoes weigh roughly 900 pounds each!
Our paddling instructor, who was also our Na Ho’okele (steerer) kept our team operating like a well-oiled machine… Well she tried her best, considering what it was that she had to work with!
The key to outrigger canoe paddling is that every stroke be made in perfect unison. Yeah, that wasn’t always the situation inside of our canoe.
A beautiful sunrise over Pearl Harbor
We won the race easily… seeing how there was nobody else in the water.
We probably would have paddled a whole lot better but that guy in the black shirt actually forgot to grab an oar.
…not to mention the guy in the lead seat on the port side was snapping selfies the entire time.
All in all we did pretty well and most would say I rowed the best… regardless if I paid them to say that.
There’s that guy in the black shirt again. We are all finished rowing now and he’s still looking for an oar.
I think we’re all about ready for the big leagues now!
Outrigger canoe paddling is not only fun, it is a fantastic way to get some quality exercise with family and friends. If you like water sports and enjoy working as part of a team, than this is definitely a sport that I would highly recommend!
Happy travels,
Big John
Posted in Adventure Fitness, North America and tagged Hawaii, Oahu, outrigger canoe, pearl harbor by Big John with no comments yet.
