Want to stay at one of the world’s best hotels? Well, if you are thinking of Honolulu, Hawaii, then the Trump Waikiki should be on your list. This award-winning property has once again been named as the only Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Hotel on the island of Oahu—for the fourth consecutive year in a row. This stellar hotel in Oahu guarantees you silken service and cashmere care.
We had wanted to stay at this hotel for many years, having heard about its excellent reputation. Following our recent getaway with Crystal Cruises — an extended sailing of 25 days where “luxe” is everyday—we flew to Oahu to enjoy the island. At the Trump Waikiki we were impressed, to say the very least. (And having become accustomed to the luxury aboard Crystal Cruises, that’s saying a lot.)
The first thing we noticed was the hotel’s “go-the-extra-mile” attitude. After checking in, for example, I visited the gym to spend a few minutes on the treadmill. The TV was not working, so I mentioned this to the spa manager, who said she would make sure a technician came by to repair it. Now, at most hotels, you have to wait a couple of days for service such as this, if it ever comes. Well, here, faster than you can say, “Don’t sweat it,” a service technician entered the gym and fixed the problem within five minutes.
From our personal experience, the hotel deserves its reputation, for other seemingly “little” things we noticed. All staffers—whether housekeepers or concierges—are extremely friendly, helpful and polite, no matter where you see them, even in the halls and elevators.
Then there is the matter of the beach bags. We absolutely loved the fact that the hotel provides complimentary logo bags, every day, filled with bottled water, towels and various fruits. When I casually mentioned one day that I had a sore throat, the staffer at the desk added extra oranges, for an added boost of Vitamin C, also asking if they should include some honey tea too. This extremely high level of attention to detail and guest service was a prevalent theme during this stay. No matter what was requested, an ever-polite staffer uniformly suggested something else they might offer us, to make our stay more pleasant. (For the record, the beach is just a one-minute walk across the street, and the hotel does not have a resort fee.) Here, desires are intuited and requests are anticipated, making your stay the best it can be.
When you want to relax after that, head to the sublime spa in the hotel and order up the gemstone massage, with specialty oils made in Dubai.
Rooms To Rave About…
Trump Waikiki is a great place for families and multi-generational travel, as they offer a wealth of one, two, and three-bedroom condo suites that can accommodate up to eight people. In fact, the luxury travel network Virtuoso recently reported that multigenerational travel is this year’s top travel trend. We can personally recommend one of the six two-bedroom penthouse suites, with a huge outdoor deck, where you and your entire family can watch the weekly Friday-night fireworks on the beachfront in Waikiki. If a Fido is part of your family, make sure to bring him or her, too—the Trump is one of the only Forbes five-star hotels in Waikiki to allow pets.
We were happily ensconced in a two-bedroom suite, with a full gourmet granite kitchen filled with Wolf, Sub-Zero and Bosch appliances (complete with a wine fridge), and this fully-equipped, state-of-the-art kitchen made all the difference over our five-day stay. (If you wish, at the Trump Waikiki you can also order a custom-stocked refrigerator.) You can also be pampered by the Trump in-house chef, who will make you dinner in your suite. (Housekeeping comes in every day to wash and dry the dishes and put them back on the shelves.) So with all this spacious luxury at the Trump Waikiki, why stuff yourself in a cramped, traditional one-unit hotel room? Trump’s 462 guest rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows — many with lanai (balconies), luxurious Italian marble bathrooms (with separate rooms featuring heated toilet seats), deep soaking tubs and open showers. Plus there’s a posh pillow menu.
Traveling with children? The Trump Attaché program has everything kids could possibly want. It includes a wealth of complimentary amenities such as crib with plush linen, baby bath time kit, swimming diapers, baby bathtub and safety covers for electrical outlets. And wouldn’t Junior just love a kid-sized robe and slippers with the embroidered logo? They’ll also love the special stuffed animals and the family-friendly DVD library.
As to the Trump Waikiki’s location, you can’t beat it. The hotel is within close proximity to Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki’s main avenue featuring vibrant entertainment, shopping, the newly designed International Marketplace filled with scores of shops from prestige designers and the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. And make sure to walk to the ever-popular Duke’s Restaurant fronting Waikiki Beach, where everyone in the family will thrill to great food and all things related to Duke Kahanamoku, the father of Hawaiian surfing.
At the end of the day, head to the Trump Waikiki’s bar for the hotel’s famous Ilikea’s Mai Tai. It was named the World’s Best at the 2011 International Mai Tai Competition on the island of Hawaii (topped with pineapple Bacardi sorbet).
Learn More: www.trumphotels.com/waikiki
