Wayfinder Waikiki

It’s a long way, both literally and figuratively, from Rhode Island to Hawaii. But the sequel to the original Wayfinder in Newport finds itself in Honolulu, a city which, for all its charms, hasn’t seen a hotel this hip in half a century or more. Wayfinder Waikiki is set on the canal side of the Waikiki Beach strip, a short walk from the beach itself, in a midcentury building that used to house a more conventional hotel.

What’s inside, of course, is far from conventional. Waikiki Wayfinder’s interiors, by local design firm The Vanguard Theory, are warmer and more organic than the quasi-Brutalist building might lead you to suspect. And while the style is unusual and eclectic, it’s perfectly tailored to the location, and feels authentically Hawaiian in a fresh and cliché-free way.

And there’s more to Honolulu than just the beach. This city is a crossroads of cultures, and is home to some remarkable food as a result — and the Wayfinder is correspondingly home to some impressive flavors, from the B-Side Coffee Bar to Redfish, a very fine poke restaurant; Lost + Found, the speakeasy-style lounge and pool bar, is coming soon.