Peter Shaindlin
Chief Operating Officer
Halekulani Corporation
Photo by: Thaddeus Harden
Welcome to Waikiki, one of the world’s most exciting and unique vacation playgrounds! I have the luxury of “working” here every day but still, it’s hard for me to comprehend the real depth and variety that this fabulous area has to offer.
Imagine that just yards from the world’s most iconic surfing beach, you can eat a burger or sample five-diamond French cuisine; stroll in your bathing suit down incredible palm-shaded Kalakaua Avenue and shop literally hundreds of fine boutiques; see a live hula show in a grassy glade and then return to your hotel for spa treatments or perhaps a legendary Mai Tai. But even for all of the unsurpassed lifestyle amenities Waikiki boasts, it also represents a remarkable cultural history that is so idyllic and enchanted, it’s almost hard to truly comprehend: these same shores in prior centuries were once a scenic blend of marshes, farm fields and fishing villages going back to ancient times when the early Hawaiian people lived an exotic, yet simple life framed by an almost musical language. They drew food from the earth and sea, and bathed in “holy” waters from a natural spring at the site where today, Halekulani’s famed 140-year-old kiawe tree provides a natural sun roof above our daily sunset hula performances.
Through all of these years, what hasn’t changed is the genuine and profound “Spirit of Aloha” espoused by the thousands of residents and tourism professionals here daily to ensure that your Hawaiian experience is a compelling and memorable one. We hope that you’ll enjoy a transformational experience here in Hawai‘i and that you might become our next “ambassador” of aloha! Thank you for coming and have a wonderful trip!
