BEYOND WAIKIKIThe Other End of the Beachby Jerome RichardWaikiki is not all blond and tan body builders surfing towards women you thought existed only in ads for diet drinks. It is not all famous-name high rise hotels with nightly rates that resemble your paycheck either. In fact, it's not all Waikiki. Separated from the rest of Honolulu by the Ala Wai Canal, Waikiki ranges from a thicket of high rise hotels and shopping centers on one end to the placid green stretches of Kapiolani Park and sore-thumbed Diamond Head crater at the other. The area was swampy before the canal diverted run-off from the mountains in the 1920s. Sand was then imported and helped by the attention it got in World War II Waikiki became the world's most famous ocean-front resort area. The two-mile long strip of sand is really a series of connected beaches. It is common to call them all Waikiki. They look much the same: palm trees tickle the sky and the water is crystal clear. In fact, they have different names and slightly different personalities. Waikiki Beach is at the northwest end of the strip closest to the most well-known hotels and the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. Several of these hotels open directly onto the beach, but there are no exclusive areas because all beaches in Hawaii are publicly owned. Most of Waikiki's nightlife takes place in the several blocks back of this stretch of beach and the streets are full of young people cruising the avenues.  The other end of the beach, nearest Diamond Head, is quiet. The beach, here called Sans Souci, provides the best swimming because the surf, not really high anywhere along Waikiki, is smoother, the water calmer and less���������� crowded. The sand is not quite as fine as it is at Waikiki, but it is comfortable under a blanket or a rattan pad which you can usually borrow from your hotel. In the late 19th century, this was the end of the beach favored by some of Hawaii's wealthy new families. The W.P.H. McInernys built a cottage where the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel now stands. Next door, in 1893, the Sans Souci Hotel opened. Sans Souci means "without care" and it gave this end of the beach its name.  One of the San Souci's guests was Robert Louis Stevenson who wrote in the guest book: "If anyone desires such old-fashioned things as lovely scenery, quiet, pure air, clean sea water, good food, and heavenly sunsets hung out before their eyes over the Pacific and the distant hills of Waianae, I recommend him cordially to the Sans Souci." Stevenson was a frequent guest of the McInernys and though both their house and the Sans Souci Hotel are gone, in the lanai of the New Otani you can sit under the outstretched limbs of the same hau tree that once shaded Stevenson. The New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel (locals are likely to just call it the Kaimana) is a beachfront property with terrific views of Diamond Head, downtown Honolulu and Waikiki, or the ocean, depending on your room. Other hotels at this end of the beach include the elegant beachfront W-Honolulu (formerly the Colony Surf), and the slightly more modest Diamond Head Beach Hotel which lacks direct beach access. The beach at Sans Souci may be a place without care, but climbing Diamond Head requires a few precautions. It is an arduous hike up the side of this 760 foot extinct volcano and through the dark crater, but the view from the promontory point is spectacular. It is best to go with a group. Regular climbs leave from the New Otani. Busses run between Sans Souci and Waikiki, but it is also a pleasant walk through Kapiolani Park. The recently renovated aquarium (admission $6 for adults), is in the park, along with the War Memorial Natatorium, an olympic-size pool and accompanying memorial arch� which is presently being renovated to the distress of residents of� Sans Souci who fear the additional crowds. The park contains a bandstand where Kodak sponsors a Hula show every Tuesday to Thursday morning at 10 a.m. Public tennis courts and picnic sites are also in this park. At the Waikiki end is the Honolulu Zoo featuring a petting zoo and a fine collection of tropical birds (admission $6 for adults). The crowds and excitement of Waikiki should be experienced, but if you desire such old-fashioned things as lovely scenery, quiet, pure air, and the other features that entranced the author of Treasure Island, then I join Robert Louis Stevenson in cordially recommending Sans Souci, the other end of the beach. Oahu Visitors Bureau: 1-877-525-OAHU (6248). (This is a continental U.S. based service offering general information and brochures. For specific questions, call: 1-808-524-0722.) The New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel, 2863 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815. Phone: 1-808-923-1555. W-Honolulu, 2885 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815. Phone: I-808-924-5270. Diamond Head Beach Hotel, 2947 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815. Phone: 1-808-922-1928. -Updated 10-25-99- |
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