Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
fashion, and specialty stores, our picks of the mall's best and brightest are
RichesKahala,
a
tiny kiosk with a big, bold selection of jewelry; the
CompleatKitchen;
and
Aveda,
with its lo-
tions and potions. Monday through Saturday 10am to 9pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm.
4211 Waialae
RoyalHawaiianShoppingCenter
The Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center recently spent 2 years
and $115 million renovating; the result is a new, larger, upscale shopping center with 110
shops, restaurants, a nightclub and theater, and a garden grove of 70 coconut trees with an
entertainment area. Totaling 310,000 square feet (17,000 sq. ft. larger than before), and with
activities on four levels, including shopping and dining (the second level has a nine-restaurant
food court), the mall stretches three blocks in the heart of Waikiki. But instead of clusters of
stores, one right next to another, the renovated open-air mall is filled with space, lots of light,
big windows, and breezeways between shops. The most exciting addition is the $15 million,
760-seat theater, with moving stages and acrobatic rigging. (The central performance area also
features a landscaped courtyard with a pond, artesian fountain, stream, and a statue of Prin-
cess Bernice Pauahi Bishop.) Perhaps the biggest change, though, is the exterior finish, with a
Polynesian-kapa look and an open-air bridge that connects the central area to the wings of the
mall (with a panoramic view of the Royal Hawaiian hotel). Upscale is the operative word here.
Although there are drugstores, lei stands, restaurants, and food kiosks, the most conspicuous
stores are the European designer boutiques (
Cartier,Hermès,L'Occitane,Fendi,KateSpade,
Bvlgari,SalvatoreFerragamo,
and more) that cater largely to visitors from Japan. Daily 10am
