Waikiki Spa Selection - I have 3 choices... help! (Mahalo)

Aloha!

I need to get some opinions.

My grandparents have lived in Waikiki most of my life so I%26#39;ve done ALL of the touristy things before. On this trip, my big adventure will be an afternoon of luxury in one of the hotel spas with my mother and sister-in-law.

My grandmother and mother have narrowed down the selection to the following, and I now have to pick:

1) Abhasa Spa in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel (recently renovated) - www.abhasa.com

2) Waikiki Plantation Spa in the Outrigger Waikiki on the beach - www.waikikiplantationspa.com

3) Mandara Spa in the Hilton Hawaiian Village - www.mandaraspa.com

My Criteria:

- luxury (I%26#39;m a hotelier by profession and used to work for Four Seasons so I can be picky about service)

- value... relaxation areas, jacuzzis, swimming pools to use in addition to treatments?

- quality of massage, facial, %26amp; body wrap/scrub as these are what we%26#39;re most looking for.

Mahalo nui loa!

Waikiki Spa Selection - I have 3 choices... help! (Mahalo)

The largest spa would be Mandara Spa. I would say it is a toss up between Abhasa and Mandara Spa. Mandara Spa has a pool right there on its fourth floor check-in area that you will enjoy after a treatment. (You cannot use the 4 other pools at Hilton Hawaiiain Village unless you are guest of the hotel.) Abhasa has a great reputation too. I don%26#39;t think there is a pool there. You might want to look up the details of both on their websites. I would say that if you are very picky, both spas would have their ups and downs.

Waikiki Spa Selection - I have 3 choices... help! (Mahalo)

Sorry, I see it%26#39;s not on your list, but I think it should be....

The Kahala spa looks lovely and I have heard that it is lovely. Caveat, I haven%26#39;t been there.

http://www.kahalaresort.com/spa.cfm

I went to the Mandara Spa at the HHV last December and totally enjoyed it! Granted, this was the FIRST TIME EVER that I did anything like this so can%26#39;t really compare my experience at Mandara to any other place, but I am the type of person that finds it hard to relax and let go and by the time my treatment was over, I was so relaxed I practically had to crawl back to my room!!!

I am SO looking forward to going again...

If you want a great experience at Mandara Spa ask the Spa Director, Kathleen Forceville to handle your spa experience. She will make sure it is excellent.

Thank you so much for all your information and feedback. I%26#39;ve basically fed it back to my mother and sister-in-law and told them that it seems Mandara or Abhasa would be best. (Unfortunately Kahala is out because they want walking distance from our condo, but thank you for the suggestion!)

Just to add to the discussion, I e-mailed one of my friends who works in the Corporate office for one of the big luxury hotel spa divisions and this was the general feedback she gave me:

';From perception in the industry, Hilton tends to have a turnstile approach to spas and don鈥檛 tend to focus too much on the spa experience, but rather on volume. Also, from the website, the Abhasa seems more appealing and more spa centric- they have an emphasis on the spa gardens and relaxed environment, and they have private-labeled products, which shows dedication. But, I seriously cannot vouch for one or the other.';

I would have to say I was impressed by Mandara%26#39;s website also, but it%26#39;s interesting to get a different perspective!