Best Places for Sunset Watching
Best Places for Hawaiian Sunsets and Cocktails


Hawaii offers the very best sunsets in the world. Bar none!

Each evening, as sunset quietly approaches, visitors and locals alike stop, mesmerized, as the Pacific sun flames out into the turquoise sea. The end of another perfect day in Paradise.

Mai Tai Bar, at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel: This bar without walls is perched a few feet from the sand, with views of the south shore and the Waianae Mountains. Surfers and paddlers ride the waves while Diamond Head acquires a golden sunset halo. This is one of the most pleasing views of Waikiki Beach; sip a mighty mai tai while local groups serenade you.
Everyting about the Royal Hawaiian is PINK. The building is pink, sheets are pink and so are the Mai Tai's.
This has been our favorite spot over the years. We would arrive in Waikiki from the Mainland and head over to celebrate we had made it back to paradise again! (808/923-7311)
Pink Mai Tai at Royal Hawaiian


House Without a Key, at the Halekulani
Sunset cocktails & Hawaiian music - the essence of Oahu. Immortalized in a 1925 Charlie Chan novel, House Without A Key is Halekulani's popular indoor/outdoor gathering spot for cocktails, appetizers and entertainment. One of the favored traditions of the original Halekulani - cocktails and Hawaiian music under the century-old Kiawe tree - has been faithfully preserved here. Even we jaded locals are unable to resist the lure. (808/923-2311)
House Without a Key, at the Halekulani

Duke's Canoe Club, at the Outrigger Waikiki:
It's crowded in the evening, but who can resist
Hawaiian music with Waikiki sand still on your feet?
Come in from the beach or the street -- it's always a
party at Duke's. Entertainment here is tops,
reaching a crescendo at sunset.

BONUS INFO: Best Beach Party on the Island is held here every Sunday from about 4 'till sunset. Join the fun on the sand and party like a local. (808/922-2268)



Jameson's by the Sea: The mai tais here are dubbed the best in surf city, and the view,
though not perfect, doesn't hurt either. Across the street from the harbor, this open-air
roadside oasis is a happy stop for North Shore wave-watchers and sunset-savvy sightseers. (808/637-6272)


Sunset Lanai Lounge, at the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel: The hau tree here shaded Robert Louis Stevenson as he wrote poems to Princess Kaiulani; today, it frames the ocean view from the Sunset Lanai Lounge, next to the Hau Tree Lanai restaurant. This lounge is the favorite watering hole of Diamond Head-area beachgoers, who love Sans Souci beach, the ocean view, the mai tais, and the live music during weekend sunset hours. (808/923-1555)