Hulihee Palace

Hulihee Palace sits on Alii Drive opposite Kailua Bay — a two-storey white-walled house built in 1838 of lava rock, coral and koa wood. It was a residence of Hawaiian royalty from the reign of King Kamehameha III through to the late 19th century, used as a summer retreat and as a working royal household. Today it is one of only three royal palaces in the United States that are open to the public (the other two are Iolani Palace in Honolulu and Queen Emma's Summer Palace).

Inside, the rooms are furnished with original royal possessions — koa furniture, feather kahili (royal standards), oil paintings of the monarchs, and personal items from the families who lived here. Guided tours are available; the docents are knowledgeable and the visit is short but substantial. Concerts are held on the lawn on the last Sunday of most months.

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A story
The palace was the summer home of Hawaiian royalty for much of the 19th century. It was nearly lost: by the early 1900s the building was empty and fading, and most of its furnishings had been auctioned by Prince Kuhio in 1916 to settle debts. The Daughters of Hawaii bought the house in 1925, tracked down many of the auctioned pieces, and restored both house and contents to where they had been in royal days.