The Kahala Hotel

Hotel Information: Opened in 1964 and frequented by Hollywood's elite (Frank Sinatra, Tom Cruise, Michelle Pfeiffer), entertainment notables (Faith Hill, Luciano Pavarotti, Billy Joel), every US president from Nixon to Clinton, and royalty (Queen Elizabeth, Princess Grace, the Dalai Lama), this resort attracts the rich and famous and the discriminating and sophisticated. Ordinary families cavort next to the glitterati. Consistent awards prove this resort is among the world’s best .

Amenity highlights: For a modest fee, guests (kids, too) can swim and interact with the resort’s most loved residents, the Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. Emphasizing education, Dolphin Quest scientist/trainers run the program in the 26,000-square-foot salt-water lagoon.

The Kahala Hotel and Resort's elaborate pool complex includes a large ocean-view pool lined with blue Italian-glass tiles, a big spa, and a children's wading pool—all surrounded by a sundeck furnished with thickly padded lounge chairs and fronted by a sunning lawn graced by coconut trees.

Responding to celebrity requests, this Honolulu resort built five 550-square-foot spa suites (one for couples) where guests can receive various massages and body treatments in an utterly tranquil, private setting, beginning with a foot-bathing ritual.

Insider tip: The Kahala Burger, available at the open-air Plumeria Beach Café, brings guests back to the resort year after year.

This beachfront Honolulu hotel offers 343 rooms located in two 10-story towers and a two-story Dolphin Lagoon Terrace. Rooms average 550 square feet. Some have furnished sit-down balconies; others have sliding glass doors and wrought-iron railings. Views are of the ocean, dolphin lagoon, or mountains.

Décor includes teak parquet floors and mahogany furniture. Rich fabrics and hand-woven Tibetan carpets contribute color. Dressing areas are furnished with mahogany-and-red-marble vanities, and huge bathrooms recall grand Hawaiian plantations.