Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [105]
Prince Court (944-4494; Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki, 100 Holomoana St; buffet breakfast/brunch/dinner $21/35/44; breakfast 6-10:30am Mon-Sat & 6-8:30am Sun, brunch 10am-1pm Sun, dinner 5:30-9:30pm Fri-Sun) The posh Prince Court restaurant offers serene yacht-harbor views and fully loaded buffets of Asian and American cuisine. Weekend seafood dinner buffets bring out a Vietnamese pho station and tropical desserts. Inside the same generic hotel, Hakone restaurant puts on an authentic Japanese buffet nightly, including shabushabu (hot-pot dishes).
La Mer (923-2311; Halekulani, 2199 Kalia Rd; 2-/3-/4-course dinner $90/120/135, 9-course tasting menu $150; 6-10pm) La Mer boasts a spectacular view of Diamond Head through swaying palms. A neoclassical French menu puts the emphasis on Provençal cuisine and adds fresh Hawaii-grown ingredients. Wines are perfectly paired. Formal is the byword: either a jacket or collared long-sleeved shirt is required for men.
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DRINKING & ENTERTAINMENT
There’s no denying it: Waikiki is tourist central with all the telltale signs: weak alcoholic fruity umbrella drinks and a unique culture sometimes reduced to a coconut bra. But underneath all of the commoditized cheesiness, you’ll find both traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music and hula dancing making a real comeback. Most of these live performances are free too. For LGBT nightlife, Click here.
Hawaiian Music & Hula
Performances are free, unless otherwise noted. All schedules are subject to change.
Kuhio Beach Torch Lighting & Hula Show (843-8002; www.honolulu.gov/moca; Kuhio Beach Park; 1hr show usually starts btwn 6pm & 7pm) Some of O′ahu’s top hula troupes perform at the hula mound near the Duke Kahanamoku Statue on the Waikiki strip. It all starts off with a traditional torch lighting and conch shell ceremony and is accompanied by Hawaiian music.
House Without a Key (923-2311; Halekulani Hotel, 2199 Kalia Rd; 7am-9pm, live music 5:30-8:30pm) Named after a 1925 Charlie Chan novel set in Honolulu, this classy open-air oceanfront bar sprawled beneath a century-old kiawe tree simply has no doors to lock. Come for sunset cocktails, live music and solo hula dancing by two former Miss Hawaii pageant winners.
Banyan Court & Beach Bar (922-3111; Moana Surfrider, 2365 Kalakaua Ave; 10:30am-midnight, live music 6-10pm) Soak up the sounds of contemporary Hawaiian music beneath the same old banyan tree where Hawaii Calls broadcast its nationwide radio show for four decades beginning in 1935. Friday is usually hula dancing, while famous island musicians take over on Saturday and Sunday nights.
Duke’s Waikiki (922-2268; Outrigger Waikiki, 2335 Kalakaua Ave; 4pm-midnight) It’s a raucous, surf-themed party scene mostly for baby boomers, with lots of drunken souvenir photo-taking and vacationland camaraderie. Weekend afternoon concerts featuring big names like Henry Kapono can’t help but spill onto the beach.
Mai Tai Bar (923-7311; Royal Hawaiian Hotel, 2259 Kalakaua Ave; 10:30am-12:30am, live music 6-10pm) At the Royal Hawaiian’s low-key bar (no preppy resort wear required), catch some great island musical groups and a view of the breaking surf down to Diamond Head. The signature Royal mai tai packs a punch.
Tapa Bar (949-4321; Tapa Tower, Hilton Hawaiian Village, 2005 Kalia Rd; 3-11pm, live music 8-11pm) On Friday nights, head to the gargantuan Hilton Hawaiian Village complex, not just for the free beachfront fireworks show, but also to see Jerry Santos and Olomana usually play a few sets.
Rumfire (922-4422; Sheraton Waikiki, 2255 Kalakaua Ave; 4pm-midnight Sun-Thu, to 2am Fri & Sat, live music 5pm-7pm daily) If cabinets full of vintage rum aren’t tempting enough, there are also flirty beachfront fire pits