Moana Surfrider Westin Hotel
2365 Kalakaua Avenue • Honolulu, HI 96815
808-922-3111
It’s hard to believe that Waikiki, with its tourist-filled streets and high-end shops, was once a quiet back-water beach surrounded by swamps, taro fields, and duck ponds. It was, however, the site of the homes of Hawaiian royalty, and its panoramic beach stretched
for miles before wrapping around the dramatic cone of Diamond Head, providing then and now one of the most iconic vistas of this tropical paradise.
In the late 1800s, visitors to Oahu had to stay in neighboring Honolulu and venture out to the beaches of Waikiki daily because there were few suitable accommodations in the beach area. With more visitors arriving at the islands by steamship at the turn of the 20th century, local resident Walter C. Peacock built Waikiki’s first grand hotel on the beach.
The Moana, which means “broad expanse of ocean,” opened March 11, 1901, with 75 rooms in a six-story wooden structure that architect Oliver Traphagen called “Colonial Style adapted for the tropics.”
The historic hotel, known affectionately as The First Lady of Waikiki, has been expanded several times over the years but has always kept its regal colonial characteristics: a tall-columned portico, porches filled with rocking chairs, white baluster staircases, and a wraparound veranda that overlooks the beach. Guests will be excused for spending an extravagant amount of time perched on that veranda while watching swimmers, paddle boarders, and canoeists enjoying a day on Waikiki’s glorious white-sand beach. Best of all, this may be one of the few spots in the world where diners can enjoy afternoon tea while surfers “hang ten” just meters away.
Special touches include lilikoi (passion fruit) curd with warm scones, delicate haupia (coconut cream) roll cakes, and their signature kafir-lime lemongrass green tea sorbet. Three tea meal choices are offered between 11:30 and 2:30 daily, and reservations are suggested to ensure your choice seat.
The Veranda Tea is a classic afternoon tea service that includes a choice of tea, three assorted finger sandwiches, blueberry orange scone, and a sampling of house-made pastries and petit fours.
The Moana Classic includes a pot of tea, four assorted finger sandwiches, an array of pastries, ginger biscotti, and a miniature pot de crème.
The First Lady Tea expands the Moana Classic with an opening plate of fresh berries with crème fraîche and is served with a glass of sparkling dry rosé.
Darjeeling, rooibos, and jasmine pearl teas are available, along with the hotel’s custom blend tea choices, which include Moana Sunset, featuring a duo of tangy ’Ōhelo berry and sweet mango; Moana Royale, filled with passion fruit, papaya, mango, banana, and coconut; and Veranda Breeze, an aromatic blend of Sri Lankan black tea, vanilla, and caramel.
You might be well-served to select the First Lady Tea because that sumptuous choice includes a souvenir fan that will come in handy as you sip hot tea in this tropical climate.
