Here we are at the bottom of Hobron Lane at the Ala Wai Boat Harbor and we're going to be talking about the pros and cons today of the Ilikai vs. the Ilikai Marina.
The Ilikai at 1777 Ala Moana Blvd
Ilikai Condo Entrance off Ala Moana Blvd
The main entrance to the Ilikai is off Ala Moana Blvd at 1777 Ala Moana Blvd. Unlike the Ilikai Marina, you have 2 access points, both on the mauka (mountain) and the makai (ocean) side of the property. We'll take a walk up through the entrance to give you a feeling of the Ilikai.
Ilikai Whale Statue and Waterfall
As you go through the porte cochere and valet parking, you're greeted by a tranquil waterfall and a beautiful statue of humpback whales. Hearing the natural beauty of the water, you come up the stairs and enter a grand lobby. From there, you have the signage as well as the front desk (to your right), which is currently run by Aqua Hotels. As you walk through the seating area, the bank of elevators will be to your left. As you walk further out, you walk towards the marina, where you have some restaurants and awesome retail establishments.
Ilikai Retail Shops
As I'd mentioned, the Ilikai has entrances on both the mauka and makai sides. Here we are now on the makai side near the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Directly behind me is a ramp up to the Ilikai, to access the amenity deck, where you can see the sunset views.
Ilikai Pool and Amenity Deck
When the Ilikai was first built, the swimming pool used to be off the deck where the Modern Hotel is. When they sold the hotel off in the mid-2000's, that pool went with that building. Now, the swimming pool at the Ilikai is going to be on the amenity deck on the east side of the building. That's one of the perks about the Ilikai is at least you do have an amenity deck. It does have a swimming pool. We're going to get into the Ilikai Marina shortly after this and there is no swimming pool there, but you can rent them short term there. We'll get into some of the pros and cons there in a second.
Ilikai Marina at 1765 Ala Moana Blvd.
Ilikai Marina facing Ala Wai Boat Harbor
Now that we've covered the Ilikai, let's talk about Ilikai Marina. It's also an incredible building here on the border of Waikiki and Ala Moana. What it's got going for it is you can rent these units short term and there's a number of third party property management companies that can handle that. They have both a studio and 1 bedroom product. The units in this building are either going to face the marina or you have mauka facing views from other units within the building. It's a great location on the west side of Waikiki, with Ala Moana and Kakaako directly behind (to the west).
Ilikai Marina Restaurants
Unlike the main Ilikai, the Ilikai Marina doesn't have a lot of retail shops, but what it does have going for it are two amazing long time restaurant establishments. Both the Chart House, which is owned by Joey Cabell. Joey Cabell is a legendary surfer that owns (and started) the Chart House. There's great food and a great salad bar. They were known all across the country at one point. You've also got the Harbor Pub, which is a long time establishment for local residents. Especially, for those that are just coming off a long day on the water, with the marina behind us.
Summary
We've come full circle and we're back to the entrance to Hobron Lane to access both the Ilikai and Ilikai Marina. They're both fantastic buildings in their own right. The key takeaways is the Ilikai is a much larger complex. It does have a swimming pool. There's a lot more retail. You're going to have a lot more people going up and down elevators. The Ilikai Marina is going to be more of a boutique building with studios and 1 bedrooms. Whereas, the Ilikai has both 1 and 2 bedroom units.
Both properties can be rented short term and if you want more information on either the Ilikai or the Ilikai Marina, feel free to reach out and give us a shout. Mahalo!