If there’s one iconic place to stay at Waikiki Beach, it’s the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, a Luxury Collection property. Located next to and affiliated with the Sheraton Waikiki, it was a dreamy place to spend my last two nights in Honolulu, making me crave a true week-long vacation instead of just the two extra days I tacked on to my work trip for POW! WOW! Hawaii. Pulling up to the property is an iconic moment in itself—it’s stately, elegant, and a brilliant shade of pink.

I should have known instantly that everything in the hotel would be pink—but it was still a pleasant surprise to enter my hotel room and find a pink striped bathrobe and pink champagne, and pink umbrellas and beach towels on a stroll out to the pools. I was very happy with my oceanfront room and balcony with a view. While on site, I learned that when the hotel was built, most of the guests were traveling to Hawaii by boat and didn’t want to see the ocean from their room—they had just spent days on the water, and preferred the views of the mountains and Honolulu on the other side of the hotel. 

However, next door at the Sheraton Waikiki, 80% of the rooms in the entire hotel are oceanview. It’s a great place to look if you want to guarantee yourself a spectacular sunset each night.

I stayed in the newest addition to the hotel, the Mailani Tower, which offers an exclusive lounge area that includes free breakfast each morning and happy hour each night. The daily resort charge includes great amenities to enhance your hotel experience; a great option if you’re truly looking to relax.

There is also a smattering of gift shops right in the hotel, where I ended up buying myself an “apres surf” t-shirt that had been calling my name all week. Additionally, there’s a charming bakery in the lobby with plenty of delectable treats to keep your sweet tooth at bay and coffee for those afternoon pick-me-ups when you’ve had a little too much sun at the beach.

We spent most of our time at the adults-only pool at The Royal Hawaiian, but if you’re into a more active pool scene, definitely check out the Helumoa Pool that sits between the Sheraton Waikiki and the Royal Hawaiian. There are mini and full-size cabanas for rent, and food that you can charge straight to your room, even if you’re staying at the Royal. I would definitely recommend starting your day there early, as the energy ramps up as the day goes on.

Sheraton Waikiki also has a ton of fun little areas to check out and put your feet up. They just renovated all of their lobby areas, and the new furniture is awesome!

As the second-oldest hotel in Waikiki, experiencing a stay at The Royal Hawaiian should definitely be on your Oahu bucket list. It’s incredible to picture visitors in 1927, when the hotel opened, wearing their traveling best and a fresh-flower lei. Although it’s dreamy to imagine the hotel in its heyday, the Royal Hawaiian only gets better with each passing year. After finally getting to stay here for the first time, I can definitely say that life on island time suits me just fine.

Photography by Sunny Golden

The coolest thing I got to take part in this week happened right at the Sheraton Waikiki. 808 Urban was commissioned to paint an incredible mural at RumFire restaurant on-site. It was such an honor to learn the meaning of aloha from such a passionate island local—it was an incredible moment to be a part of.

Thank you to the Royal Hawaiian for hosting my stay.

There’s nothing like a few nights in the lap of four-star luxury to make you feel fully relaxed. Calling the Prince Waikiki home for a few nights came at a perfect time, after a stressful business trip and in the middle of a whirlwind week at POW! WOW! Hawaii. As soon as I made it from the lobby to the 24th floor in a stunning glass elevator overlooking Honolulu and mountain backdrop behind it, I realized Prince Waikiki was exactly what I didn’t know I was looking for.

Central Waikiki, while dreamy and charming as ever, is a bit of a hike from Kaka’ako, where POW! WOW! headquarters is located. Prince Waikiki, located right on a stunning marina, is directly next door to The Modern Honolulu, which is a POW! WOW! sponsor and where most of the artists stay, so Prince Waikiki was in an ideal location. And, 100% of the rooms offer an oceanfront view, so you can't go wrong.

My first morning kicked off with a luxurious in-room breakfast courtesy of the hotel, which was exactly what I needed. I had been craving pancakes for two days, and there happened to be a stack of three under one of the tray covers on the table delivery table. They must have had a sixth sense. The pancakes came with a magical, sweet, coconut cream icing type of topping, which I decided was a Hawaiian delicacy, and I now crave almost every morning. Also in the line-up was a delightful acai bowl, a plate of fresh fruit, and absolutely divine avocado toast with a poached egg on top. I was pretty impressed with myself eating at least half of every plate.

While breakfast left a lasting five-star impression, Prince Waikiki has dozens of other features that make you feel like you’re in a better version of home. For one, upon meeting marketing manager Shayneh, I was so impressed to learn about the stories behind the art pieces in the lobby. There is a huge copper installation in the lobby designed by local artist Kaili Chun titled Hulali i ka lā, using over 800 pieces of copper contributed by hotel guests, associates, employees, and local artists. The paintings scattered throughout the hotel are even done by a POW! WOW! artist, who happens to be one of my favorites—Solomon Enos. 

On a more trivial note, one thing I never take for granted in a hotel is remote-control drapes. If I can click a button and be in blackout darkness ten seconds later, you can bet I’m planning a return trip before I even check out, especially when the view outside is a happening marina with dozens of boats to look out on. From where my room was located, I could see Ala Moana Park and even a bit of Kaka’ako. Growing up in Seattle, I'm a huge fan of marinas. I often stroll them for inspiration, picturing myself manning my own craft out on the open water—it's the perfect place to daydream, and I could do it right from my window.

I spent most nights in watching the Olympics and ordering room service. Whenever I stay in a truly nice hotel, it's almost hard for me to go where I need to go and do what I need to do because I don't even want to leave the room! 

When I did get out, I even had a great parking experience at Prince Waikiki. Parking in the garage beneath the hotel was so convenient—I always found a space at the front right when I needed it, and it’s super easy to go in and out with a ticket that you can just charge to your room. It’s little, seamless things like this that can make a difference on just how relaxing your vacation ends up.

I was so grateful for the time I had at Prince Waikiki—it was the most relaxing three days of my time on Oahu. The renovations they've clearly dedicated a ton of time and planning to were worth the wait time for reopening. The spirit of aloha is alive and well at Prince Waikiki, and I can't wait to come back next year.

Thank you to Prince Waikiki for hosting my stay.

It was my absolute pleasure to spend a few nights at the SOFITEL Los Angeles five-star hotel in Beverly Hills. Located smack in the center of where I wanted to be, Sofitel is a magical little pocket of respite and relaxation in this city of stars. I'll take you through my stay and some of my favorite surrounding spots below, but I'm starting with my number one favorite: Esterel and Le Jardin, which is the breathtaking garden lounge outside.

Hotel photography by Marie Buck

Esterel is a beautiful and striking space, and on a Tuesday morning at 10, it's also quite slow-paced and perfect for enjoying a quiet breakfast. I usually keep my breakfast simple, but for some reason there's nothing like restaurant scrambled eggs—I'm not sure what they put in them, but they're always extra soft and fluffy in ways I cannot recreate at home. Esterel was no exception. I had the pleasure of chatting with the marketing manager who was quick to advise me to visit the Sofitel in Vienna on my upcoming trip to Austria—one of their most stunning locations in the world.

In typical truelane style, I still found yet another place to eat on the property: poolside! It's so cool to have a slice of paradise just a few stories above bustling streets—yet the noise isn't so bad that I couldn't knock back a few hours of poolside slumber. I spent my last morning before my flight wining and dining myself between dips in the pool to cool off. I was only joined by one or two other guests sporadically during the afternoon. Sofitel hosts a lot of business travelers who use more amenities like conference rooms and business lounges, so i just about had the pool to myself.

However, the magic of visiting Sofitel starts as soon as you walk in. Sofitel is a Paris-based and French-inspired brand, so you're greeted with a 'bonjour' from the valet and front desk before being whisked away to your room, where if you're lucky, your next greeting will be from a smashing view of the Hollywood Hills. I was particularly smitten with Los Angeles on this particular trip, with no real reason why, but I have to say I spent several hours over the course of my stay simply staring out this window daydreaming. L.A. has plenty of room for your biggest dreams.

The front desk attendants treated us as if we were Hollywood royalty ourselves, despite the fact that I walked in looking a little less than glamorous after a day at the beach. We were welcomed with a bottle of Veuve Cliquot in our room, and were immediately ready to get exploring. We got to enjoy dinner at Gracias Madre with some of our friends, and over the next couple days a few more local hot spots I'll share below!

It's really quite something to treat yourself to five-star luxury in a city like Los Angeles, where status is everything. As soon as you say hi to someone, they're asking what you do and what you drive. If you're going to be walking the streets of the rich and famous like Rodeo and Robertson and Melrose, you might as well feel the same.

Speaking of walking streets like Melrose, Beverly Hills is central to so many wonderfully iconic Los Angeles location—I couldn't have asked Sofitel to be at a more perfect locations. Below are a couple of my favorite spots I visited during my stay!

---

Carrera Cafe

Never before have I seen a flamingo on a cup of coffee before—I'm so glad my photographer Stefanie brought me here. It was such a sun-soaked, laid-back L.A. vibe that I wish there was a Carrera Cafe up here in Seattle to transport me back to this moment. They had a ton of delightful latte art designs that make this spot an Instagrammer's paradise. My latte was delicious too!

Cafe photography by Stefanie Marie

Griffith Observatory

I'm a huge astronomy nerd—I have been ever since my senior year astronomy class at the community college and fell for a boy who loved the stars as much as I do. On the same wavelength of the Space Needle in my hometown of Seattle, I never realized the Griffith Observatory is truly a space destination. There's a lot of information in there I didn't expect to learn. All I was expecting was a stellar sunset, which I also got sitting by myself listening to the La La Land soundtrack all the way through (not my favorite movie or anything, but it really sets the mood for the more romantic glitz and glam that Hollywood once had). It was such a magical way to end my trip. 

Alfred Coffee

There are a few Alfred locations (and I'm pretty sure it's where all the celebrities go), but I particularly love this Melrose Place location tucked off the street in a quiet corner. It's pricey, but everything is beautiful and delicious including the chia pudding bowls we got for second breakfast. And of course, you'll need an iced coffee before you hit the road anywhere in Los Angeles. They don't joke around about the traffic there.

---

Thank you to Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills for hosting me.