Hotel: Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel

Address: 5000 Kahala Ave., Honolulu, Hawaii

Website: www.mandarinoriental.com/kahla

TraveLife Ranking: 4 Stars

Rooms: 371

Room Rates: $235+

Awards: Regularly voted the best hotel on O’ahu.

Highlights: This is where many television shows have been filmed, including Hawaii 5-0 and Magnum PI. Jack Lord, the actor who played Steve McGarret on the wildly popular Hawaii 5-0 series, liked the hotel and area so much he bought a condo adjacent to the hotel and lived there until he died.

History: The Kahala resort, which occupies 6.5 acres of prime Hawaii real estate, opened in 1964 and was built by legendary hotelier Conrad Hilton. It cost $12 million to build and the room rates back then started at $26 a night. It’s considered one of the grand dames of Hawaiian hotels, one that just keeps getting better with age. It’s located just 10 minutes from Wakiki Beach in Kahala, the most prestigious residential area on O’ahu.

Interior Highlights: The Kahala impresses right from the moment you step into its art deco entrance. The massive chandelier in the lobby area, made from 28,000 multi-colored pieces of lava glass, is absolutely stunning. The public areas are freshened each day with new floral arrangements.

In The Next Room: Baseball icon Joe DiMaggio was one of the hotel’s first important guests but certainly not the last. Every U.S. president from Lyndon Johnson to George W. Bush has laid their heads down on the hotel’s crisp Egyptian cotton linen. Every major star from the entertainment and sports world has at one time or another stayed at the hotel or has been seen in its world renowned Maile restaurant. Even the Queen and Prince Philip have dined here and Prince Charles and Princess Diana once booked 100 rooms for their party's stopover. Imelda Marcos often stopped in for lunch.

The Rooms: Each of the guest rooms comes packed with creature comforts and sets the standard for hotels in Hawaii. Asian accents like Tibetan rugs, teak parquet floors, grass cloth wall coverings and local artwork all add to the rooms’ warm ambience.

Amenities: The beach is the star here, as far as leisure attractions are concerned. All manner of aquatic sporting equipment is available, though the more sedentary may simply prefer a chair and a towel. If the private beach is not private enough for you, you may rent a private covered cabana, and call upon the “Beach Butlers” for cold towels and cool mist. Anyone who is still not impressed might try a swim in the hotel's private lagoon, with dolphins for company. There’s a spa on site that is ranked among the best in the United States.

Restaurants: There are six dining establishments on site, with the Hoku recognized as the hotel’s signature dining location. However, you’ll be hard pressed to beat the relaxed enjoyment of the Plumeria Beach Café, especially for breakfast. The Kahala likes to give its guests a very Hawaiian experience and offers up a lot of traditional meals and drinks. For instance, each year they serve 52,000 pounds of macadamia nut chocolate, 17,000 Mai Tais, 22,000 gallons of the island’s famous Kona coffee, 5,500 pineapples per month and there’s 24 different types of orchids adorning the hotels famed Orchid staircase.

Shopping: The hotel offers shuttle service to the fabulous shopping districts of Waikiki.

Close By All the excitement of Waikiki and its surfer dude beaches as well as some of the best golf courses in the United States.

Tips: Get up early for a swim in the shallow, crescent-shaped beach. It’s small and fills up fast, especially in high season. The water is the perfect depth for kids. Bring your camera to the pool and beach – you’ll want to capture the beautiful rainbows that appear without warning. Enroll the kids in the Dolphin Quest program – they are the people who take care of the hotel’s slippery guests – which allows them to learn and appreciate the graceful sea creatures during two-hour educational programs intended for children 5 to 12. The hotel affords guests great views of Diamond Head. There’s a lovely waterfall in the hotel’s pool area where many people like to have their photographs taken. What many guests don’t know is that the waterfall actually helps cool the hotel’s air conditioning unit.