Hilton Hawaiian Village

View from Elvis' 14th floor: one of several pools on the property,
Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon and Beach, and former helipad site in the background.

From a lodging perspective, this is a solid four star, highly trafficked 22 acre resort property from which to experience Waikiki. There is more than one of everything (in many cases, several more) - pools, shops, eateries, chapels, towers, floors to the spa - and a firework show every Friday evening.

What you can leave here multiple times without ever hearing is that Duke Kahanamoku (1) grew up on the land under this sprawling resort in a green cottage near the intersection of Kālia and Ena roads.

The story goes that over three acres of land in Kālia was given to his mother's family, the Paoas, in the early 1800s by Queen Ka'ahumanu. The Paoas claimed this land in 1847 (1848?) under the Great Mahele.

The Paoa tract is marked on an 1881 map (PDF) as adjacent to Pi'inaio Stream (the stream is not there anymore, probably thanks to Dillingham's Ala Wai Canal). By 1897, the tract is under someone else's name, and by 1920 the tract appears to have been absorbed by the neighboring landowner John Ena (however, the new exhibit at the hotel says the Kahanamokus held out for years, leasing the land to Kaiser instead of selling).

The Niumalu Hotel opened here in 1928. Burns and Kaiser purchased the hotel and eight acres of the John Ena Estate (of which I believe the Paoa tract was a part of, but have not endeavored to overlay old and current maps to verify) in 1954 and began developing the Hawaiian Village, twenty-four thatched guest houses with hotel amenities. Elvis Presley filmed "Blue Hawaii" here and held a benefit concert for construction of the Arizona Memorial in 1961; he stayed on the 14th floor of the Ali'i Tower, which at the time was the penthouse, and would return in later years. (2)

The geodesic dome Buckminster Fuller designed, Long House, and other structures were built and demolished over the years. The oldest area left is near the banyan tree in the Rainbow Bazaar.

Alfred Apaka, a local musician, was discovered in 1952 by Bob Hope after years of performing across the country. He eventually returned to Hawaii to work for Kaiser, who considered him a son, at the hotel and recorded under Kaiser's record label. Here him sing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAe3HlIrQd4

(1) Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968) was named after his father, who was named after the Duke of Edinburgh (son of Queen Victoria), Alfred Ernest Albert, in commemoration of Albert's visit to Honolulu in 1869, the year Duke's father was born. He won three Olympic gold medals (six total) for swimming at a time when the sport had few Olympic events and despite the occurrence of WWI during his prime. His distinctive swimming style revolutionized the sport. His brother Sam was also an Olympic swimmer. He is considered the father of surfing and "Ambassador of Aloha". He taught Prince (of Wales) Edward to surf in 1920 at a time when surfboards were literally finless wooden boards weighing over a hundred pounds, and also shaped boards. Doris Duke was among the guests at his quiet wedding to Nadine Alexander. Full Hawaiian, he was distantly related to Hawaiian royalty, yet struggled at times gaining entrance to restaurants (and probably Hollywood roles) on the mainland because of his dark skin. He and his brothers and friends hung out under a hau tree in front of where the Royal Hawaiian Hotel is now, and founded Hui Nalu ("surf gathering") there in 1911 after Duke was rejected by an existing club. He appeared in several movies alongside some of the biggest stars of the time, shook the hands of kings, and traveled the world, but did not amass wealth. His less glamorous jobs included stints as water meter reader, drafter at 'Iolani Palace, janitor, gas station operator, and Honolulu Sheriff, the latter a position he held for twenty-five years. He later lived in Kahala. Over 6000 people attended his 77th birthday party not long before he died. The landmark statue of him in Waikiki was commissioned in 1990 for his 100th birthday, but was not the first statue of him ever erected in his honor. (Source: Primarily "Duke: The Story of Duke Kahanamoku" by Joseph L. Brennan.)

More about Duke:

(2) HHV history; also, do not miss the new exhibit near the Tapa Tower about the Hotel's history, which has many great photos and lots of information.
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