Concierge.com's insider take:

Set on a sheltered beach just a ten-minute drive from Waikiki, this 338-room resort was a Mandarin Oriental until 2006. With the new ownership came a much-needed room renovation. Now, Art Deco–style furnishings and silky gold- and cream-colored fabrics have replaced the '60s decor. You really never need to leave the property: There are five on-site restaurants (though only one, Hoku's, which serves Hawaiian-Asian-European fusion cuisine, is truly noteworthy); the Chi fitness center, with a variety of classes and a phalanx of very eager personal trainers; plenty of pampering in the ten private Spa Suites; and every kind of water sport imaginable on the 800-foot beach. Kids are catered to with special Keiki Club activities, like reef walking, hula dancing, and, unfortunately, a "Dolphin Encounter," where they can swim in a pool with the live animals. The dolphins appear to be healthy, and the program promotes environmental awareness, but it's odd to have what feels like a circus attraction in the center of an otherwise glamorous resort.