After busy days exploring Oahu we looked for a place where we could relax with food, cocktails and real live Hawaiian music. We soon found that the perfect place was at the Halekulani hotel, right on the beach at Waikiki. Every evening, for several hours around dinner time, there was a different musical group and hula dancer/s performing. Hawaiian music is beautiful and the Hawaiian version of Hula is as well. Both tell the stories of these fabled islands. You don't have to stay at the hotel to attend, you just book in for dinner at the famous "House Without a Key" restaurant and pick a spot on the outside area with a good view of the stage. The hotel opened in 1907. It was originally called the "Hau Tree" after that beautiful tree which was blown over in a hurricane but just refuses to die. The name "Halekulani" means "House Worthy of Heaven" and evenings there were certainly heavenly. It is the setting for the first Charlie Chan novel (same name as the restaurant) - Dad read the novel and had fun finding out how the Waikiki and Honolulu of today match or don't match the novel. You can guess what the highlight of the evenings was for him.
Labels: beach, concerts, Hawaii
# posted by Bart Bear @ 12:03 pm
