The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach

A two-tower, 552-unit Ritz-Carlton development completed in Waikiki with the 2016 opening of the 'Ewa Tower and the 2018 opening of the Diamond Head Tower. Both towers rise 38 storeys at 383 Kalaimoku Street. The 'Ewa Tower, the first to open in the summer of 2016, holds 307 units, and the Diamond Head Tower, which opened on 15 October 2018, adds 245 more. Together they make up Oahu's first Ritz-Carlton Residences, a mix of hotel accommodation and residences with studios, one- to four-bedroom units and penthouses, all with ocean views.

The place

383 Kalaimoku Street, Honolulu, in Waikiki, near the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor.

The resort is not directly on the beach, but the water is about a five-minute stroll away, and Kalakaua Avenue's luxury shopping and the district's restaurants and entertainment are on the same walk. The towers' height is the point of the location: units look over the Pacific and Fort DeRussy park, and the infinity pools on the 7th and 8th floors are among the highest in the area.

The concept

A genuine new-build rather than a conversion, delivered in two phases: the 'Ewa Tower opened in summer 2016, and the Diamond Head Tower completed the resort in October 2018.

The accommodations are residential in character. Both towers offer studio, one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units and penthouses, all with ocean views, private lanais, kitchens with premium appliances or kitchenettes and in-residence washers and dryers. The resort frames the stay as a more residential way to experience Oahu, and the 'Ewa Tower has since been renewed with a sky-to-sea design narrative drawing on the island's natural elements.

The Diamond Head Tower added a 2,900-square-foot infinity pool with private cabanas fitted with smart televisions, refrigerators and day beds, and an expanded spa with four treatment rooms and a relaxation lounge; each tower has its own infinity pool. The Ritz-Carlton Spa builds its menu on Hawaiian healing methods and ingredients. For events, the Diamond Head Tower opened with ten meeting and event spaces, including a boardroom, a movie theatre, the Horizon Terrace and Lanai, and the 22,000-square-foot Lau'ula Park, which can host a reception for up to 800 guests. A ground-level promenade with two performance stages and nearly two acres of landscaping completes the podium.

Dining & wellness

Sushi Sho, an outpost of Tokyo sushi master Keiji Nakazawa's restaurant, is the destination venue, serving an intimate multi-course omakase dinner in two nightly seatings. Quiora, an Italian restaurant, completes the dining line-up, and the resort has also been listed with a ground-level market and café offering morning coffee and pastries.

In-residence kitchens mean many guests cook for themselves, which is a large part of the appeal for families and long stays.