The Royal Hawaiian, Waikiki’s Pink Palace

As published on the resort’s own site, checked Sep 26, 2026. Confirm when you book.

Best for

• CouplesGreatA guests-only pool on the sand and Azure’s oceanfront dinner.
• FamiliesGoodKids under 18 stay free and the shared pool has a slide, but the kids club is next door.
• FriendsGoodMai Tai Bar has live music nightly; a third adult costs extra.
• SoloGoodCentral and walkable, with daily cultural classes in the resort fee.
• GroupsGoodOceanfront lawn and ballroom for weddings and events.

The resort has two buildings, and the choice matters. The Historic Wing is the 1927 original, with pink accents and rooms that start at 300 square feet; most face the gardens, not the ocean. The Mailani Tower, built in 1969, is the contemporary option, and every room in it faces the ocean from a private balcony. Rooms have a mini fridge and coffee, but no kitchen.

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For families, the Historic 3 Bed Family Room sleeps six in 540 square feet, and the two-level Mailani Family Loft Suite puts a king bed upstairs and two doubles below, with a lanai over the pool. At the top are the Prestige Suites, booked by phone, including the 2,000-square-foot Queen Ka’ahumanu Suite. For more family options, see the best hotels on Oahu for families.

Guests get two pools. Malulani Pool is for Royal Hawaiian guests only, a quiet deck that opens onto Waikiki Beach, with cabanas for a fee. The Helumoa Playground, shared with the Sheraton Waikiki, is the one kids want: two pools, a 70-foot water slide and a splash fountain. Royal Hawaiian guests cannot use the Sheraton’s infinity pool. Neither pool has a lifeguard.

Abhasa Spa sits in the Royal Grove Courtyard off the lower lobby, with treatments in an open-air tropical garden. The menu runs from lomi lomi and couples massage in outdoor cabanas to facials and body wraps. Every treatment needs a reservation. The fitness center is open 24 hours.

The hotel fronts Royal Hawaiian Beach in the middle of the Waikiki strip, with Diamond Head in view. The pink umbrella sets out front are the resort’s, for a fee. Waikiki Beach Services runs surf and paddleboard lessons from a stand on property (more in our guide to surf lessons in Waikiki). The city lists no lifeguard tower on this frontage; the nearest is tower 2A at the Moana Surfrider.

The resort fee pays for a daily program. Two guests per room can join one-hour cultural classes such as ukulele, beginner hula, lei making and lauhala weaving, plus morning yoga and a paddleboard demonstration. The Historic Gallery is free, and the historical tour takes reservations. There is no kids club on site; the resort points families to Poppins Keiki Hawaii at the Sheraton next door, a separate booking.

Five venues are open. Azure serves oceanfront dinner Wednesday through Sunday under the hotel’s arches. Mai Tai Bar serves lunch, dinner and the resort’s signature mai tai, with live music every night (it makes our list of the best mai tais on Oahu). Surf Lanai does breakfast only, including the Pink Palace Pancakes. The Royal Hawaiian Bakery sells banana bread until noon. The Aha’aina luau runs on the Ocean Lawn on Monday and Thursday evenings; compare it with the other luaus on Oahu.

The location is the point. Royal Hawaiian Center is next door, with free cultural classes most weekday mornings. Walk east along the beach to Kuhio Beach Park and the Duke Kahanamoku statue, then on to Kapiolani Park. Diamond Head is about 2.5 miles away, and non-residents need an entry reservation. A car is optional here; see whether you need to rent a car on Oahu, and plan the walk with our Waikiki map.

• Pick the wing on purpose. Every Mailani Tower room faces the ocean with a balcony; most Historic Wing rooms overlook the gardens.
• Ask about the renovation. The resort warns of weekday construction sound from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through November 7, 2026, as it upgrades rooms ahead of its centennial.
• Skip the microwave fee. Two free guest microwaves are in the Mailani Tower lobby.
• Not staying? Diners get up to four hours of free parking with a $25 purchase at a resort restaurant or bar.
• See the free history. The Historic Gallery is open daily 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; the historical tour needs a reservation.