In the pink at the Royal Hawaiian
I’m in the pink. Literally. Wrapped in a soft cotton candy-striped bathrobe, sitting on a pink-flowered chair in a hotel room with a feature wall of pink-and-gold embossed wallpaper. Around the room there are touches of lolly pink everywhere – on the Do Not Disturb sign for my door, the little paper caps that cover the water glasses, the pink pen beside the phone, and the pink paper bag that my serve of the hotel’s famous banana bread is delivered in.
The Royal Hawaiian hotel in Honolulu is a legend. The Pink Palace, as it’s affectionately called, is a place I’ve always wanted to stay, ever since I first saw it from the beach on my first trip to Hawaii about six years ago.
Lovely Art Deco lines, a salmon-pink paint job, and a beachfront location have made this hotel a much-loved home-away-from-home for holidaymakers since it first opened in 1927. Inside, there are touches of pink everywhere.
As December advances onward, even the lavish Christmas trees are pink. And in the gardens, there are pale pink poinsettias planted everywhere. 
In the beachfront Mai Tai Bar, just down from where the pink sun umbrellas shade the sunbathers, there’s even a signature Pink Mai Tai – with a touch of grenadine!
The Royal Hawaiian is an old-fashioned kind of hotel, but I like it. It’s got character. Little quirky things to find…like the Bathers Elevator along the corridor from my room, so that those heading for the pool or Waikiki Beach don’t have to go through the lobby in their swimmers (or drip through it on the way back). It’s a discreet lift that takes you closer to the water (but I use it all the time because it’s closer than going to the main lifts).
Who can blame them? It’s a perfect pink setting for just about anything. And the bathrobes are so comfortable and soft (and pink) I think I might just buy one to take home with me.
A Glass Half Full travelled to Hawaii as a guest of Hawaiian Airlines.
5 Responses to “In the pink at the Royal Hawaiian”
Do they aim the marketing at the Pink $$? Smart if they do. Sounds a cool place all round.
Actually, you are right. A friend who lives in Hawaii told me just that today – apparently it is a very popular spot for the GBLT market. And why not? Wonderful for anyone.
You sound tickled pink by this place. Nice piece. I love pink.
Me too, Goddess. And all very tastefully done.
Pink is nice color. In Finland we have:
Pink church of Kemi.
It is situated in the North in the town where every winter is rebuild:
World’s Biggest Snow Castle.
Matti.