Waikiki has only improved with age ... and planning

The sand and surf of Waikiki seem so distant after dark, when the frantic street-scene beat takes over, the shades come off and a new spectacle awaits discovery on every corner.

A kid on a scooter spontaneously high-fives pedestrians as he wings past. The "love guru" offers to predict your (amorous) future. Tourists pose with macaws on their heads while the birds' owner snaps photos.

A one-man-band strikes up, Peruvians wield flutes and guitars, brides walk by in white, and sharp-eyed time-share hucksters lay in wait. Be wary of wearing a Duck hat -- it's a target, even under a tiki torch's flickering light.

"Hey, we have the Oregon special today," he calls after us. "You guys from Oregon?"

It's hard not to get caught up in Waikiki's thrall, especially after billions of dollars in new construction and renovations to hotels and shopping areas. We sampled one new hotel, the Waikiki Edition (since renamed The Modern Honolulu), and three hotels that have gone through big renovations -- the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach, Moana Surfrider and the Royal Hawaiian.
All are beautiful in their own way, and in or near the heart of Waikiki, that intense square mile along a crescent beach that contains more than 95 percent of the resorts on the entire island of Oahu.

"It took us a good decade to get the planning done," says Nancy Daniels, director of public relations for Outrigger Enterprises Group, a big player in Oahu's hotel, shopping and dining scene. "But the Waikiki you see today is the best it has been in decades."

While the sun's out, there's always a lot happening on and under the clear blue-green water, from diving to snorkeling to swimming with dolphins to stand-up paddle-boarding. You'll just need to store up some solar power for later.

Eat like royalty 
The modern-day heart of Waikiki started beating in 1901 with construction of the Moana, since placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and renamed the Moana Surfrider. The Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach is wedged between the Moana and another grand dame of Waikiki, the Royal Hawaiian.

All three properties have undergone significant improvements over the past decade, the most extensive being that of the Royal Hawaiian, which closed for seven months in 2008 and 2009 for $85 million in renovations.

The Modern Honolulu holds the advantage of being new, but by being on Waikiki's northern fringe has a more quiet vibe. Which isn't a bad thing. But if you want to be wedged right between the busiest stretch of beach and the vibrant shopping and street scene on Kalakaua Avenue, your best bets are the Moana Surfrider, Outrigger Waikiki or the Royal Hawaiian.

The Moana Surfrider is a stately place with the most beautiful spot on the beach -- under the massive banyan tree at the Beach Bar. Just walking around the place feels like time travel to a colonial mansion.

The Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach has modern Polynesian-style rooms, friendly service and unbeatable views of the beach and Diamond Head.

A stay at the Royal Hawaiian is like visiting a 1920s-era Mediterranean palace. The elegant, high-ceilinged rooms have been modernized, the grounds are lush and expansive, and guests get visiting rights to the much-better Sheraton Waikiki pool next door.

You can eat like Hawaiian royalty in Waikiki as well, without leaving your hotel, or just a few steps away.

At the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach, the Hula Grill has a picture-perfect open-air beachfront setting. Start with a fresh tomato and Maui onion salad, then move onto tender grilled fish (try opah or monchong if available).
It would be tempting to think of Kai Market at the Sheraton Waikiki (neighboring the Royal Hawaiian) as a buffet, but feast would probably be the better word. The flavors are from Hawaii and beyond: buttery sashimi, steamed snow crab legs, crispy cake noodles draped in baby shrimp and scallops in a sweet sauce, braised beef short ribs. The desserts taste as if Grandma baked them, and that's a good thing.

Morimoto Waikiki inside the Modern Honolulu resort brings the artful cuisine of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto to the islands. This is one of those special-occasion places. Expect incredibly attentive service, fresh ingredients and a spicy kick from the crispy rock shrimp tempura; try the tender 8-ounce wagyu filet or a broad selection of sushi.

Underwater adventure

Just a few minutes from our departure point of Kewalo Basin, our vessel of divers and snorkelers has anchored a few hundred yards off Waikiki Beach. I've been a certified scuba diver for 20-odd years, but among us are first-timers such as Brian Wadyka, a pharmacist from Portland whom I meet by chance on the boat.

In three hours we'll take in two dive sites. Other than shore dives, this is about as quick as it gets from hotel pickup to underwater adventure, says Devon Merrifield, owner of Aqua Zone Scuba Diving & Water Sports Center, where we've booked our outing.

A sampling of what passes before our eyes: trumpetfish under a coral ledge, turtles sleeping or skimming under the waves, red parrot fish, moorish idols and a tiger cowrie -- not just the shell, but the huge sea snail moving slowly across the sea floor. An eagle ray swooshes by, an eel slithers from its hiding place and two small, white-tip reef sharks cower under an overhang.

Want to stick closer to shore? Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, just a 25-minute drive from Waikiki, offers an incredible view of golden sand and palm trees in a collapsed volcanic crater. Swimming is calm for kids because the waves break on a reef, and the snorkeling is good. I follow a giant parrotfish around, watching the other colorful reef fish grant him plenty of space.

For a chance to swim with even bigger sea creatures, Wild Side Specialty Tours is among several companies that take adventurers close to pods of spinner dolphins. Alexa, our guide, warns us not to swim in front of the dolphins and to avoid touching them.

"Let them swim to you," she says.

We see three dolphins directly below our catamaran's trampoline, and a few minutes later jump into the water.

A few flash below us, then frolic nearby. "I think they're messing with us," Alexa says.

Sometimes the mammals swim close and other times not, she tells us, and this seems to be one of those days when they prefer to keep their distance. After a search for humpbacks in rough seas we spot a spout then head back for the harbor.

On our last morning, I rent a stand-up paddleboard from a beachside kiosk and paddle out from the sun-worshipers to open water. I spy one turtle, then another, swimming gracefully.

Briefly, a clear patch of open water appears, and this stretch of ocean seems my own. I'm far enough from shore that the only sounds are the waves lapping against my board and my paddle caressing the water.

The dim sound of a jet overhead reminds me that this idyll ends today. An outrigger canoe and its crew announce their presence with the command of "Go, go, go" and excited shouts erupt as the paddlers catch a wave for shore.
That inspires me to tackle a wave of my own, but when my board tips I rip my left foot on coral in shallow water.

Scrambling back on the board, I watch blood drip slowly from my damaged foot. I dig out a few pieces of coral, but others stubbornly remain.

I grin through the pain, knowing beyond all doubt that I am leaving something behind on the sand and surf of Waikiki, yet taking a piece of it home inside me.

-- Travel editor Alex Pulaski