Royal Homes of Honolulu

Iolani Palace

This glorious building has been at the very heart of Hawaiians since the cornerstone places by then Mason King David Kalakaua on his wife’s Queen Kapiolani’s birthday December 31 1879. Today, a visit to the palace grounds will reveal a Hawaiian flag, not an American flag flys at the top of the palace. Known as the only royal palace in the United States,  it just takes a couple of hours to enjoy everything from the furnishings, paintings, thrones and other items that have been carefully collected over the years not to mention the grounds of exceptional trees and the basement which was transformed from servant’s quarters to a museum displaying several important royal artifacts.

Queen Emma Summer Palace

Located a few miles mauka or toward the mountains of downtown Honolulu in cool and lush Nuuanu Valley, this home is tucked away behind a thick curtain of tropical foliage along busy Pali Highway. The home was built for Queen Emma where she spent long summer days in retreat from her official duties. The single story Greek Revival structure was built in 1848 and willed to the future queen in 1857. Today visitors can enjoy many belongings, furnishings, artifacts and memorabilia most notably the koa crib the Queen’s only son Prince Albert Edward Kauikeaouli Leiopapaakamehameha who died at the age of four years.

A visit to either of these O’ahu homes is a delightful departure from the typical touristy experiences where hospitality and hush tomes are the norm. The experiences bring a decidedly genuine and refined cultural experience. Those who visit these locations will be delighted to know that the area around the palace has been a popular film location for several movie productions. In addition the movie “The Descendants” was filmed just a couple of blocks from the Queen Emma Summer Palace