The Moana Hotel

The back of the Moana Hotel, as seen from the veranda.

This week, after dozens of trips to the Islands when we have lived off the hospitality of relatives, we're finally footing the bill for lodging.

We're staying at the venerable Moana (now the Moana Surfrider), which along with the Royal Hawaiian, is one of Hawaii's oldest hotels.  The Moana opened for business in 1901 and has been renovated several times by different owners. It has a colorful history--the most (in)famous incident was the unsolved murder of Stanford University co-founder Jane Stanford by strychnine poisoning in 1905.

Some of the original panel walls, staircases, and columns remain, and guests are encouraged to explore the hotel and view its displays of historical artifacts.

The air of fin de siecle Hawaii vanished when we entered the air-conditioned room, complete with flatscreen TV and wi-fi. We may admire how Hawaii used to be, but let's not go crazy about it.