LIQUID AL HA

Hawaii's best lobby lounges and bars

It was late in the day when I checked into Kauai's Grand Hyatt Resort & Spa on the south shore of the Garden Island. After a five-hour flight from Oakland to Lihue and a 45-minute drive to Poipu, I was hungry, thirsty and more than ready to ease into some quality island time with a da kine (excellent) tropical cocktail and some island-style bites. So I hightailed it to the lanai of Stevenson's Library, an elegant lounge located off the resort's expansive main lobby. Settling in with a colorful Koloa rum cocktail and maki sushi, I relished how Stevenson's instantly erased the stress of travel and set the tone for my quest to find the best resort lobby lounges on Maui, Kauai, Oahu and Hawaii Island.

So when you're ready for some Hawaiian-style lounge time, pack your drinking sandals or “slippahs” and a Hawaiian shirt or skirt, and check out these lobby lounges and bars, where you'll be welcomed with sublime views, local music, savory island fare and plenty of liquid aloha.

Maui: Birdcage Bar, Hotel Wailea

The recently renovated Birdcage Bar at this adults-only Relais & Chateaux hotel is one of the most distinctive lobby lounges in the state. With its elegant, circular ceiling, which looks like the inside of a Japanese paper parasol, this Birdcage draws real lovebirds every evening. Check out the elegantly designed decor, which features quirky avian motifs, such as lounge chairs with webbed bird feet.

The Japanese izakaya-style menu includes kampachi ceviche, ahi burgers, rare Japanese whiskys and bird-themed cocktails. Try a Fly By Night (whisky, sherry, Carpano Antica), One Flew Over the Coco's Nest (gin, coconut milk, lemon) or Talk Birdy to Me (mezcal, yellow chartreuse, bitters, cherry, lime) crafted by resident mixologist Amber Martinez.

Opens daily at 4 p.m. with live music three times per week; www.hotelwailea.com.

A Kai Tai — made with Hawaiian dark rum, macadamia orgeat and mandarin orange juice — makes a splendid sip at the poolside Kai Bar at the AC Hotel Wailea, which opened on Maui in 2019.

The wraparound lanai at the Sheraton Maui's Sandbar offers views of neighboring Lanai and Molokai islands, as well as a menu of pupus and tropical cocktails.

With its distinctive decor and soaring circular ceiling, the recently renovated Birdcage Bar at the Hotel Wailea in Maui woos real lovebirds every evening.