The First Lady of Waikiki, opened 1901. The banyan tree in the courtyard is the same one. History you can actually book.
The Moana Surfrider opened in 1901 as the first hotel on Waikiki Beach — a Colonial Revival building at the water's edge that was, for decades, the most luxurious accommodation in the Pacific. The original building's veranda, which faces the beach and the ocean, and the massive banyan tree planted in the inner courtyard in 1904, are among the most photographed hotel features in Hawaii. The hotel is now operated as a Westin property under Marriott's portfolio.
The hotel complex includes the original Banyan Wing (the 1901 building), the Tower Wing (a 1950s addition), and the Diamond Wing. The Banyan Wing rooms are smaller but architecturally authentic; the Tower and Diamond rooms are larger and more contemporary. Ocean-facing rooms in all wings have direct beach views. The hotel's beachfront location — directly on Kalakaua Avenue, with chairs on the sand immediately accessible — is among the best beach-access positions on Waikiki.
The Beachhouse at the Moana, the hotel's oceanfront restaurant, serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner on a terrace that essentially constitutes a dining room on the beach. The afternoon tea service in the Banyan Veranda — with the tree as the backdrop — is Waikiki's most charming ritual. The Moana Lani Spa, in a dedicated building behind the main hotel, is fully equipped and well-managed.
The Moana Surfrider produces anniversary stays at a price point below the Royal Hawaiian and Halekulani, with a historic setting that both those hotels can match but not exceed. The Banyan Wing rooms, the afternoon tea in the Veranda, and the oldest hotel beach in Waikiki combine to produce an anniversary experience that is genuinely rooted in Hawaii's history. See all anniversary hotels →
The Moana's beachfront location and its children's programme — the Moana Junior Detectives, the sand castle competitions, and the traditional Hawaiian craft workshops — make it the best family hotel in central Waikiki. The hotel's Tower and Diamond wings have connecting room configurations that suit families of four to six. The beach immediately in front is the safest swimming beach in the Waikiki corridor. See all family holiday hotels →
From $300/night. Check availability.
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