With construction well underway, the new Park Lane Ala Moana Residences are the talk of the town. Located along Ala Moana, fronting the beach park with Ala Moana Mall right behind it, the location could not be more central to the best of Honolulu.
*(please note that this post has been updated with more recent photos since its initial publication)
As it rises, the big surprise is that it’s not another 30 plus story tower. Instead, the design is low rise and horizontal, covering 7.3 acres. With the first phase nearing completion, the developer offered me a tour of the complex. The tour began at the new Park Lane Owners’ Lounge in Ala Moana Mall, between the new Nordstrom’s and Bloomingdale’s. Owners have a place to stop in and have drink and relax. Such a great idea.
From the mall, there are two access routes directly into Park Lane. Let me repeat: from the mall, you have direct private access to Park Lane. You want to go have lunch at the new tempura restaurant from Tokyo, Tempura Ichidai? You can literally take a short stroll from your residence. Need a pair of shoes to match an outfit? – Bloomies is just minutes away.
Resort-Like Amenities
For our tour, we walked up the private entry ramp off of Piikoi into the Arrival Court. All along the drive and around the entry court, mature palms and a variety of other tropical trees are being planted. They are bringing in 650 mature trees – truly putting the ‘Park’ in Park Lane. Even now during construction, with only a few of the many trees in place, it’s clear you are not in the mall but rather a resort-like retreat.
Walking from the arrival court, we entered the pool area. The big surprise here was how quiet it is. Sheltered behind the lobby, and again surrounded by lush plantings, the feel again is resort not city. The pool is also perfectly positioned to capture the sun for most of the day.
Leaving the pool, we passed the spa and changing rooms and then entered the lobby. The two-story open air lobby will be a stunning area to welcome guests. It is in the lobby that you first see the views – stunning views of Ala Moana Beach. Not a hint of the boulevard below. You gaze across the massive great lawn, modeled on the lawn at the Beach Club at Kukio on the Big Island. The lawn blends into the palm-filled Ala Moana Park and the white sand beach and sapphire blue ocean beyond.
From the lobby and the great lawn, we strolled down the back side of the Residences along the actual “Park Lane.” This tree-lined, densely planted path stretches from one end of the community to the other, acting as both a connector for the residences and the amenities as well as a buffer from the mall.
The gorgeous stone-lined ‘lane’ is generous in width, and in addition to the tropical plantings, there are several dog parks along the way for those four-legged residents. Parking for the residences is located directly below on the first 3 levels of the complex. Owners will either have direct access into their homes from private garages or elevators up to their units.
The Residences
Finally, the residences. We were able to see a Sky Residence on the 8th floor. The Sky Residences are on the upper floors (hence “Sky”), and at the back of the project, the furthest from the ocean. The surprise here is how little that affects the ocean view. In fact, the views are unlike any you can find in Urban Honolulu.
High end residences tend to be on the higher floors allowing for amazing panoramic views, but here, instead of looking “down” on the beach and coastline, you look out through the palms and are at beach level even from the rear of the unit. In a high rise you would likely not see the beach from bed or the sofa, just sky. Here, sitting on the sofa against the back wall, you can see the beach and the shore break. It’s truly incredible, something you usually only see in an oceanfront single family home.
The unit was still in its raw form with no finishes, but the space was generous with higher ceilings than we are used to here in condominiums. Again, the comparison here is a home, not a condo. The other benefit to these upper floor sky units are the views to the mountains. The even bigger plus is you can open the mountain-facing windows to allow the tradewinds to blow through the condo. Very few high end condos are so positioned. Again making it feel much more like a home.
The first phase should be complete Spring 2017 with the second and third phases later that year. Eighty plus percent of the residences are sold, but there is still a wide variety of configurations left.
More Information
If you are looking for ocean view or oceanfront residences here in Honolulu, feel free to contact me directly.
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