If you aren't blown away by this hotel then you really need to stay home because you won't be happy any where. This resort is exceptional in terms of rooms, service and ammenities and the extra touches. Yes it is expensive...very expensive in fact and yes the dining options are silly high priced, but if you go there knowing you will pay alot then you will not be disappointed in your stay. The meals themselves are very well prepared and presented so for the very high cost, you are getting quality delicious meals so if you paid the high price and received poor food and service, then it is a real problem. I recommend a trip to a grocery store to purchase snacks, breakfast items, etc. and keep the fridge stocked and then head into the city if you want to find something less expensive for dinner although Honolulu restaurants aren't much cheaper if you want a quality meal. The service was very good from all levels of the resort staff and the property is absolutely stunning! The dolphins add a wonderful touch for families to view even if you dont want to spend the money to do the actual encounter with them. The beach is beautiful and the Kahala area itself is a very upscale neighbourhood. The complimentary shuttle is a real bonus. No need to do a car rental as they are very dependable and always on time (make advance reservations to guarantee a seat). This way you dont have to worry about crazy Honolulu parking or having an extra dinner drink. The rooms are just beautiful, very simple and classy and spotless with HUGE beautiful bathrooms to enjoy. I can't think of a single reason not to stay here, the only down side was the high food costs but as long as you are prepared, there are alternatives.

Our stay at the Kahala Resort at Oahu, Hawaii was a vacation to remember! We were greeted by personable staff, presented leis, and escorted to our Dolphin Lanai suite. The well-appointed room overlooked the Dolphin Lagoon, home of the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins. The beds were exquisite and I loved the deep soaking tub. The "above and beyond" amenities and service included bathrobes/slippers, daily newspaper delivery, and nightly turndown service.

We ate too much at the Plumeria Beach House's fabulous Sunday Brunch, which featured both American and Pacific cuisine. The Plumeria Beach House has and indoor/outdoor feel with its terrace dining area.

Our short stay did not allow us time for the Dolphin Quest experience, but the people we saw interacting with the dolphins seemed to be having a great time. We will save that for our next visit to the Kahala.

We stayed at the Kahala for 5 nights in May, after having been at a conference in Waikiki. My husband stayed here a few years ago, when it was a Mandarin. I very much agree with a lot of the previous reviews--that in general it's a pretty property, and the staff is nice, but it is definitely not a 5 star resort and it falls short in a lot of areas.
--Reservations people were very friendly and alerted you to the renovations, but we weren't bothered at all by construction noise when we were there.
--The front service was great--the bellmen were friendly and welcoming, but then once we got to the front desk, it ended there. It wasn't busy either, but check-in wasn't as good as the front greeting. (we received leis before walking to our room, not as we were checking in) and mid-check in we noticed cold towels on the desk, but it wasn't like, "would you like a fresh cold towel?" Honestly I wasn't sure if we were supposed to touch them because they just suddenly appeared, and they weren't placed near us (I didn't know if they were for another couple next to us, etc etc) I had requested a crib, and reservations told me that I wouldn't have to ask for it upon check-in, that the crib would already be in the room. Well, it wasn't, and it took another hour for it to arrive. (we had our 4 month old with us) So thus the check-in was a bit disjointed.
--Room: My husband remembered the beautiful wood floors and canopy beds when it was a Mandarin, and they have apparently covered over all the wood floors with carpet (?!) He was disappointed when he walked in the room, no "wow factor." We asked the concierge and some other staffers and they told us that all rooms now had carpeting. We were informed that our room was finished being renovated in January...and I think the decorating is beautiful--relaxing, soft colors, frette sheets etc---but the room is already looking beaten up! Stains all over the carpet, and on the chairs, marks on the walls, etc. Yikes. (we stayed in a mountain room) The bathroom was nice, but not big. Great toiletries and chenille robes. Also, the weekly events printout in the room for us was for April, um, hello? You know, the daily classes, restaurant info, various hotel happenings etc. I'd understand if it was May 1st, but for the middle of May--again, they should be on their game better than that.
--housekeeping: staff very nice, but the coffee area was only cleaned and restocked a couple of times (and then we only got decaf). And one day the robes disappeared. Sounds picky, but for the standard you expect, disappointing. Turn-down service was nothing but folding down the sheets and turning lights down-I left suggestions with the mgmt...like what about laying out the robes, orchid petals on the bed, chocolate, or leaving soft music on the cd player? At comparable hotels we've had some great turn-down service, so this wasn't impressive. And how about a free bottle of water (to the previous poster, no the water wasn't free--I hope you checked your bill!!) At least there was a frige, so that was good, didn't have to ask for it. And there was a charge for the internet-give me a break, for $600 a night, charging for internet on Oahu is a joke. New 40" plasma tv's, so that was great. No DVD player, but apparently they will bring one up to your room.
--parking. Valet and self-park is the same price. $25 a day for parking! Ridiculous!
--we only ate once at the Plumeria House, it was good but nothing special.
--The beach is narrow, but it's a good protected area so it's fine for kids, decent swimming, etc (if you want a GREAT kid-friendly beach go to FS Maui/Fairmont/Grand Wailea) It was just too windy when we were there, so there were not a lot of people at either the pool or beach. The pool area is nice, clean, etc but fairly small. And if you want a beach chair with a shade cover, it will cost you $50!
--We're active and always love a good fitness center, but this one could use some improvement. It was often unstaffed. I think they've added new weight machines, so good variety there, but they need new cardio machines. The treadmills, stairmasters, bikes all work, but they're old, sandy, rusty and not cleaned/maintained. And they had one cd on repeat--now that will drive ya nuts (if you're like us and use fitness centers every day) But you could have a good workout, everything worked, and a decent variety of machines, but again, not as nice of a fitness center as you would expect. And fitness classes were all $$ extra. Again, that should be included (unless it's a personal trainer, that's typically extra at properties like this)
-Concierge: We didn't use them often, but each time they were very helpful. Again, staffers very friendly...like an earlier poster said the problems at this hotel are not the fault of the staffers, it's mgmt.
-We did not play golf, but it looks like a nice course and we heard good things about it.

All in all, the staff is nice, it's a beautiful property and a relaxing setting just outside of Waikiki. However, the Kahala needs improvement. We love Maui and Lanai, so I think we'll stick to those islands and their properites. (have yet to go to Kauai/Big Island)

My family and I stayed at the Kahala Hotel and Resort for the first time and for our entire stay of five days, we were pampered like royalty. As soon as we arrived in the driveway we were greeted by name and immediately felt like every one knew us. Mr.Tim Lee the resort manager greeted us personally on arrival and he made sure to say good by to us on our departure. The kahala management should be congratulated for running such Fantastically efficient opeartion and the staff members are some of the most courteous and friendly employees I have ever seen.Kahala resort is located on a private beach in the best part of Honolulu , tucked away from the crowd with it's own Dolphin program, pools, restaurants and sports activities.My son and family had the experince of our life time swimming with the kahala dolphins. We never left the property as everything we needed was available at the hotel.The hotel has great restaurants and service with beautifull rooms and amenities.We will difinitely return to the Kahala soon and recommend it to every one we know.