Kakaako Real Estate

Of all the communities on Oahu — scratch that, of the entire state — none have experienced the dramatic growth that Kakaako has.

In less than 30 years, Kakaako was transformed from a collection of light industrial businesses like auto body repair shops in low rise commercial buildings and Quonset huts into the area people associate with when they think of the Honolulu area in the 21st century. 

You won't find single family homes for sale here — just gleaming condo towers of steel and glass with walkable shopping and dining options. 

Kakaako is bound by downtown Honolulu, Ala Moana and Waikiki, King Street, and the ocean. It is, for lack of a better was to put it, a very trendy place to live for young families and urban professionals. It's a very walkable neighborhood, and unlike older suburbs and planned communities, it's been designed for families to use a car not as often or not at all.

However, living close to the urban core, living in a walkable part of Honolulu, and living in a desirable area in one of the most desirable locations in the planet comes at a price. While the oldest condo in the area  was built in 1970, most of them were opened after 2007.

Studios in Kakaako, anywhere from 500 to 600 square feet, can run into the average cost of a townhouse in Central Oahu, with less than half the space. A two- or three-bedroom condo can easily exceed $1 million, with square footage in anywhere from 1,100 to 1,500 square feet.

You do get a residence that's been built within the last 20 years, maybe even 10 years, as well as amazing amenities. This makes the condos in Kakaako some of the newest of the market, even when taking the newer projects in Kapolei, Ewa and Central Oahu into consideration. 

However, those pools and outdoor BBQs in the newer condos opened after 2007 come at a price — keep an eye on the HOA fees, as they can be eye-watering. And that's if you can find an open house to begin with. Inventory in Kakaako and the surrounding areas, especially for the newer condos, is extremely tight.

Older condos in the area and nearby areas like Downtown and Ala Moana are available, but these older condos may be coming due for repairs and maintenance. While these condos may seem like great buys, do your due diligence about condition of the building and what costs are being passed along to homeowners.

The 21 condos towers in the Kakaako area, from the oldest to newest, are:

• Royal Court (1970)
• Royal Capitol Plaza (1987)
• One Waterfront Tower (1990)
• Imperial Plaza (1990)
• 1133 Waimanu (1996)
• One Archer Lane (1997)
• 909 Kapiolani (2007)
• Keola Lai (2008)
• Vanguard Lofts (2009)
• Pacifica Honolulu (2011)
• 801 South St (2015)
• 400 Keawe (2016)
• Collection (2016)
• Symphony Honolulu (2016)
• Keauhou Place (2017)
• Anaha (2017)
• Waiea (2017)
• Ae'o (2018)
• Ke Kilohana (2019)
• Aalii (2021)
• Koula (2022)

Here's a link to this map of the condos in Kakaako

Overall, the area is extremely walkable. The Collection, One Waterfront Plaza, 400 Keawe Place, Keauhou Place, Keola Lai and 801 South are on the South Street edge of Kakaako furthest from Ward Center, Ward Village, Whole Foods and the farmer's market. It takes about 18 minutes. SALT and H Mart are closest to these condos, and it takes anywhere from 2 minutes (Collection) to 11 minutes (801 South Street) to get there. 

Royal Capitol Plaza, Vanguard Lofts, Imperial Plaza, Royal Court and Symphony make up most of the condos closest to King Street, furthest from Ward Center, Ward Village, Whole Foods, SALT and H Mart. Walking time takes 17 minutes to Ward Center, Ward Village, Whole Foods from the Royal Capitol Plaza to 12 minutes from the Symphony. It takes 11 minutes for to get to SALT and H Mart from the Royal Capitol Plaza; 17 minutes from the Symphony.

Most of the recent development in the area around Ward and Kamakee Street. 909 Kapiolani, Koula, Pacifica, 1133 Waimanu, Anaha, Waiea and Ae'o and Aalii are in this area. Ward Center, Ward Village, Whole Foods are practically at the doorsteps of these condos. SALT and H Mart are about 19 minutes away from 1133 Waimanu, about 14 minutes from Aalii. 

Ala Moana Center and Ala Moana Beach Park is a 31-minute walk from the furthest condo (One Waterfront Plaza) and a 10-minute walk from the nearest condo (1133 Waimanu).

AMMENTIES

Next to the Ward Entertainment Center is the Victoria Ward Park. It's a green oasis in a jungle of concrete and many residents of the area enjoy the area with their kids and pets. However, one of the biggest criticisms of the park is the lack of shade, so if you do plan on visiting it, early morning or evening visits would be best.

Koluwalu Park, with its equipment for kids, is a more popular park. Unlike Victoria Ward Park, there's ample shade and benches, making it a better choice for relaxation all day long. Also, like the Victoria Ward Park, pets are also welcome at this park. 

The beach is also within walking distance — Ala Moana Beach Park. Few people can say they can walk to one of the world's most recognizable beaches and best of all, unlike almost everyone else on the island, they won't have to fight traffic, which can be bad on weekends. 

The South Shore, especially Ala Moana and Waikiki, are known for being very gentle and just sort of beaches you'd want to take your kids to and are a short distance away. If you drive to Ala Moana Beach Park, take care to lock your car, as car thefts are known to happen.

Another favorite spot of Kakaako locals is Kewalo Harbor Park. Despite its name, it isn't connected to the harbor, which is why it's overlooked so often. It's accessible from Ala Moana Beach Park, and it’s a small jut of land from the park. It's a favorite spot to watch the surf, take in the scenic view of Diamond Head on its benches. Even though it's a hidden gem, take care to lock your car. 

If you want to hit Waikiki Beach, it's just a car drive of about 10 minutes away. Hiking Diamond Head, Manoa Falls or taking in the mountaintop sights is also not far either. 

Finally, don't forget about the amenities in the condos. Many condos in Kakaako offer their own like pools, multi-use rooms and in some cases, appointments like indoor virtual driving ranges.

SCHOOLS

Elementary school students are assigned to Royal School.

Intermediate school students are assigned to Princess Ruth Ke‘elikolani Middle School (formerly Central Intermediate School). 

High school students are sent to President William McKinley High School.

Private school options, while not in the immediate vicinity, are about 15 minutes away on surface streets. These include Punahou and Iolani schools, Mid-Pacific Institute, St. Andrew's School, Hawaii Baptist Academy, Maryknoll School and High School and others.  

DINING/SHOPPING

When it comes to shopping and dining at Kakaako, it's not a question of what you want to do. It's: what can't you do?  Kakaako has Scratch, Istanbul, Work Play, a ton of other restaurants, and of course Whole Foods and the Ward Consolidated Theaters. A quick rundown of what's there also includes a UFC Gym, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack. 

Piggy Smalls is in Ward Center, and it is a consistent favorite among locals for their take on Vietnamese food. Try the Baked Escargot for something you won't find at your usual pho joint. Rather than the usual garlic butter, Piggy Smalls offers up the dish with green curry.

But what makes Kakaako specials is SALT. SALT is a city block that's been developed as a space for community and to help develop local dining and artists for an experience you won't find in many other places.  My favorite spot is Arvo, a little outdoor cafe with great Avocado toast! 

This is more than just hype for a shopping space. Long-time locals will remember Hungry Ear Records, a mainstay in the local music scene. While other music stores are long gone, Hungry Ear Records continues to sell new and used vinyl and CDs. 

Two places to eat in SALT are Butcher & Bird, a full-service butcher. Aside from selling cuts of meat and deli meats, they also are home to some of the best burgers on the island. With the knowledge and skill of the staff when it comes to meat, it's unlike anything you'll have in a fast-food restaurant, or most other restaurants for that matter.

Also worth mentioning is Hank's Haute Dogs. The hot dogs here are not the prepackaged tubes of meat your dad made on the weekends. These are carefully made sausages with ingredients that compliment every bite. It's quickly become a well-loved pillar of the local food scene.

A little further out from Kakaako, but still within a few minutes drive is Sikdorak Korean Restaurant, near Ala Moana Center. The area around Kapiolani Boulevard is flush with Korean restaurants, but Sikdorak is a great hole-in-the-wall restaurant. It's a BYOB all-you can eat place and be warned that they will not seat you unless you have a party of at least two people. Open from 10 am to 4 am daily (it used to be open 24 hours, pre-pandemic), it's the perfect place to start a night out or end it.

Also worth a try, because of Kakaako's proximity to Waikiki, is Bombay Palace. There aren't a lot of Indian restaurants in Hawaii, but this is a white linen, upscale restaurant in Discovery Bay. If you are a fan of Indian food, the samosas, curries and biryani is among the best in the state. 

Kakaako's also not that far from downtown Honolulu. Popular among locals, Irish bars Murphy's Bar and Grill and J Dolan's are a few minutes away (but if you do drink, don't drive). 

Kakaako's reinvention into a hip urban destination has made it into one of the hottest neighborhoods in Hawaii.