ʻAlohilani Resort: The Waikiki Hotel With an Oceanarium

Fees, parking, times and pet rules from the hotel’s own FAQ and Policies pages, checked Sep 27, 2026.

Best for

• CouplesGoodInfinity pool, Spa Uʻilani and Morimoto Asia, but a big resort with nightly DJs.
• FamiliesGoodKids 17 and under stay free and the Kuhio basin is calm; check the pool’s age rule.
• FriendsGreatSWELL’s pool bar, Momosan’s beer garden and rooftop courts in the fee.
• SoloGoodFree daily fitness classes and first-come seating at Momosan.
• GroupsGreat839 rooms, 22,000 square feet of meeting space and 8-person cabanas.

The ʻAlohilani is the former Pacific Beach Hotel, remade by Rockwell Group into 839 rooms in two towers, Beachside and Seascape. Every standard room is about 330 square feet with a lanai and a king or two queens; the six categories differ only by view. Book Premier Ocean Front or Diamond Head Ocean View if the view matters. Kids 17 and under stay free in existing beds.

The one-bedroom suites run about 660 to 700 square feet with a dining nook, wet bar and soaking tub; the two-bedroom is about 1,300. The Longboard Club lounge adds breakfast and an evening pour with made-to-order pasta, through a package or an upgrade on arrival.

The deck is 17,000 square feet over Kalakaua: a saltwater infinity pool, a hot tub, cabanas for up to eight and day beds, open 8 AM to 10 PM, with live music or DJs at night. Cabana prices are not published. Families should read the rule first: the Policies page opens the pool and hot tub to adults and to children 5 to 12 with an adult, and there is no lifeguard.

Spa Uʻilani (Seascape Tower, third floor) does massages and facials from 9 AM to 6 PM, and the resort fee adds a free enhancement if you ask when you book. The $54 fee, plus tax, also covers FIT Waikiki classes, rooftop tennis and pickleball courts, daily Hawaiian cultural classes in the lobby, the Oceanarium program and Wi-Fi.

Cross Kalakaua at the light and you are on Kuhio Beach, opposite city lifeguard tower 2C. The seawall and breakwater enclose a shallow, usually calm swim basin, one of the gentler spots in Waikiki for kids. The state plans sand work on these basins starting in fall 2026, so expect equipment or fencing on part of the beach. There is no hotel beach service; each room gets three rental credits a day at Beach Candy, a block east, for boards, chairs and umbrellas. Lessons cost extra (see our Waikiki surf lessons guide), and Waikiki’s beaches, section by section covers the rest.

Three restaurants and a coffee bar, all open to non-guests. Two belong to Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, and the hotel bills them as the only Morimoto restaurants on Oahu; their diners get 3 hours of free parking.

Morimoto AsiaPan-Asian

Morimoto Asia is the signature room, across Kalakaua from the beach, where Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s menu draws on China, Korea, Japan and Thailand. It serves dinner daily. The resort lists its specialties: Peking duck, sticky ribs, Korean kalbi, dim sum and wok-fried plates. No dress code is published, and reservations are highly recommended at (808) 922-0022. It suits a group sharing plates or a celebration dinner. Tip: hours and days can change, so call ahead, and have the host validate parking.

MomosanRamen and sake

Momosan Ramen and Sake is Morimoto’s casual room, open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Order the tonkotsu or Tokyo chicken ramen, or tsukemen dipping noodles, with small plates such as pork gyoza and the chef’s take on garlic shrimp. The outdoor beer garden, which the hotel calls the only one in Waikiki, pours sake and local craft beer at communal tables. Seating is first come, first served. It suits a quick lunch or a relaxed sunset drink. Tip: with no room service in the hotel, Momosan is the easy walk-in dinner.

SWELLPool bar and restaurant

SWELL is the bar and restaurant on the 17,000-square-foot pool deck. Breakfast runs 7 to 10 a.m. (banana bread French toast, $22), then lunch and dinner from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., with ahi poke nachos ($28) and skirt steak frites ($48), prices as of Sep 2026. Happy hour is 3 to 5 p.m., and local musicians or DJs play nightly. It suits friends. Tip: it stands in for room service with knock-and-drop delivery at (808) 441-4891, and a $30 spend earns 3 hours of free self-parking. For a drink elsewhere, see the best mai tais on Oahu.

The Duke Kahanamoku statue is about 3 minutes west, the Honolulu Zoo and Kapiolani Park 5 to 10 minutes east, and the free Kuhio Beach hula show is across the street. For the drive in, see Honolulu airport to Waikiki. Comparing? The Hyatt Regency Waikiki is the bigger resort on the same stretch, the Moana Surfrider charges the same $54 fee on the sand, and the Kaimana Beach Hotel is the quieter beachfront pick past the park. The best Waikiki hotels at every budget lines up the rest.

• Hyatt Regency Waikiki faces the same Kuhio swim basin, and its $55 resort fee is waived on World of Hyatt award stays. The fee covers beach chairs, beach toys and daily lei, hula and ukulele classes.
• Kaimana Beach Hotel is the pick for stepping straight onto the sand: a small hotel on the beach at the Diamond Head end, with a city lifeguard tower and a $45 resort fee, but no pool.
• Moana Surfrider puts you on a lifeguarded stretch of sand in central Waikiki for the same $54 resort fee, with every room renovated by May 2026. Parking is valet only, at $65 a day.

• Time the lobby. Fish feedings in the Oceanarium run at 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM daily.
• Use the rental credits. Three a day per room at Beach Candy, a block east at the Twin Fin.
• Ask for the spa add-on when you book. The free enhancement has to be requested at booking.
• Pay cash to skip the 2%. The processing fee applies only to card transactions.
• Dine for parking. Morimoto Asia and Momosan diners get 3 hours of free parking.