The Modern Honolulu

The Modern Honolulu

The Modern Honolulu overlooks the Ala Wai Boat harbour, and boasts more than a generous amount of style and originality. On arrival, I was delighted by the speed of the assistance and greetings we received as we entered the hotel. At first glance, it was obvious that it definitely lives up to its name. Vibrant decor contributes to it's contemporary feel - as we walked in, our eyes were drawn to a spectacular art installation consisting of sliced up, colourful surfboards which sat on a wall behind the reception desk. Behind us, a large bookshelf the width of a room and been tilted open to reveal a stylish bar called the study, which we later discovered is home to fantastic cocktails and great live music.

Aside from The Study, The modern is the home of a handful of impressive restaurants and bars including Morimoto, a renowned restaurant owned by Chef Morimoto from the hit television series The Iron Chef, and one of Honolulu's most exclusive clubbing venues, Addiction Nightclub.

The Modern Honolulu

Not only does The Modern provide a variety of places to eat and drink, it offers an array of amenities such as the adults only Sunset Pool, the all age Sunrise Pool and an airconditioned gym facility that supplies it's guests with complimentary towels, fruit and chilled water. When using the Sunrise Pool, we were offered complimentary sunscreen and also gelato tastings, which certainly added a nice touch to our highly enjoyable experience at The Modern.

The Modern Honolulu

Situated next to the sunrise pool is The Grove, which boasts ocean views, elegant greenery, comfortable furniture, and an array of incredibly delicious meals. We had Avocado Toast on Pumpernickle Rye, accompanied by a berry pitaya smoothie. If you are a lover of coffee, a multitude of specialty coffees are also available on the menu.

During our time at The Modern, we stayed in the City View double room. It was a fairly spacious room embellished with decor that reflected the traditional nature of Hawaii. The beds were comfortable, and once on them, it was extremly hard to get up again. The room contained a great coffee machine (for Australian standards, anyway), as well as a variety of organic tea bags.

The Modern Honolulu

Outside of the hotel, many activities are on offer within the area. The Modern is only a few minutes walk to the ocean, the Lagoon Beach and the Fort DeRussy Board Walk which will lead you into Waikiki's epicentre. Here you will find hundreds of shops, cafes restaurants and bars. If you enjoy shopping, Ala Moana Shopping Centre is also a five minute walk from The Modern.

A quick visit to one of The Modern's elaborate penthouses certainly confirmed our desire to live in the hotel, indefinitely. We were blown away by the incredible city and ocean views from the extended balcony, and the beautifully furnished oversized living quarters.

The Modern Honolulu

If we were to offer any advice to readers, it would be to book through the website, as The Modern will reward those who book through them rather than a hotel booking website. Furthermore, stay as long as you can!

*Written by Lydia Bradshaw for The Holiday and Travel Magazine