The Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa is a buzzy city hotel with spectacular ocean views, a Mediterranean-Hawaii fusion restaurant and inspiring artworks by local talent. We expected to find Polynesian pleasure and tiki handicraft, and perhaps even a Hawaiian shirt like the one Magnum PI used to wear – but discovered so much more in Oahu's first city.
Armed with the knowledge that Hawaii is the only US state that grows its own coffee, our Honolulu tour began with a cup of the island’s uniquely local, bean-to-cup brew. Then it was surfboards, lei-scented candles and local record shops.