Honolulu International Airport (HNL): Approximate driving time is 18 minutes and distance is 10 miles.

Driving directions from Honolulu International Airport: Take the H-1 Fwy heading east. Exit at Nimitz Hwy and follow the signs to Waikiki. Nimitz Hwy becomes Ala Moana Blvd, which merges with Kalakaua Ave. Continue on Kalakaua Ave to the hotel; it's the first building on the left after the intersection with Paoakalani Ave.

Getting there: Shuttles and taxis are both good options from the airport. Shuttles cost $5–15 per person, while taxi fare is $26–35. Rental cars are also available and can be obtained online. All fees subject to change without notice.

Getting around: Loads of shops, restaurants, and attractions surround the hotel, so walking is definitely in order. Many guests also take advantage of the area's excellent public transportation system; a bus stop is located one and a half blocks from the hotel. A single fare is less than $5, while a four-day pass costs $16–25. Fees subject to change without notice. Taxis are also convenient, especially for short trips or during sudden rainstorms. Cabs are usually waiting outside the hotel. If not, they can be called and generally arrive within five minutes. For more extensive travel throughout the island, rental cars are the best bet, and they are available online.

Tikis Grill & Bar - Looking over Waikiki's main street and beyond to the ocean, Tikis offers inside and outside dining and serves moderately priced meals featuring local seafood. Inside, lava-rock walls, splashes of bright colors, and carved figures create a pan-Polynesia ambience.

Wolfgang Puck Express - This restaurant is located on the ground floor, offering sophisticated fast food in a sidewalk café atmosphere; to-go items are available for beachgoers and hotel guests wanting to dine in their rooms. Wolfgang Puck also offers beer and wine for consumption in the restaurant or in the outdoor seating area.

Amenity highlights: Activity centers on the open-air terrace from sunrise to nearly midnight. Mornings, food carts roll out a complimentary "breakfast on the beach" (valid with all room categories except Mauka Tower and Standard room). While a ukulele player or Hawaiian story teller entertains, guests select from an array of packaged foods, pack their choices in complimentary cooler bags, and eat breakfast/brunch in their rooms, by the pool, on excursions around Oahu, or at the beach. Later, sunbathers gather around the pool and take advantage of high-tech shades that permit tanning without the heat. Tikis Grill & Bar at the end of the terrace fills when the first band of the evening begins playing just before sunset. Giant tiki torches around the terrace are lighted. Bands play on until nearly midnight in the moonlight and glow of a 30-foot stylized volcano.

Insider tip: Directly across the street lies Kuhio Beach Park, with an enormous, sand-bottomed, salt-water lagoon protected from surf by a retaining wall. Waikiki Beach is close by—in fact, Kuhio and Waikiki are merely names for short stretches of the same powder-fine strand around the bay fronting the Waikiki district.