Oahu Condos For Sale at the Ilikai – Waikiki’s Original Modern

As a kid one of my favorite shows was the original Hawaii-50. I remember the thrill of the opening title sequence with that now-iconic theme song and Jack Lord standing on the lanai of this amazing 30-story beacon of modernism.

I later found out that building was the Ilikai, and it said WAIKIKI to me just about as loud and clear as that aforementioned theme song did. Later still, I discovered that real estate tycoon Chinn Ho built the Ilikai Hotel & Suites in 1964.

I also discovered that it was the work of the architect of Seattle’s Space Needle, John Graham. As I grew up in the Seattle area, well, let’s just say I also learned the word kismet pretty quickly too.

Waikiki Modern

Just recently, my company hosted an event at The Modern Honolulu, an uber-hip hotel right next door to the Ilikai. We all had an amazing time, and I couldn’t help but compare the two literally side-by-side.

I thought of how, almost 50 years ago, the same type of hipsters (though at the time they were referred to as Jet Setters) came to the Ilikai to be part of the latest, the most up to date happenings that today’s Urbanites seek at The Modern Honolulu.

Pool bar at The Modern Honolulu

The poolside cocktails, the amazing dinner at Morimoto Waikiki, the latest décor and furnishings, they were all there for us in 2012, just as they were there 48 years ago at the Ilikai. The best part is – the Ilikai is still going strong, still a benchmark of Waikiki Modern, and amazingly affordable, especially by today’s standards.

Active Condos at the Ilikai Apartment Building

Currently, there are 9 units available for sale at the Ilikai Apartment Building, as the condo part of it is known (a part is also still functioning as a hotel), and they range from $308,000 to $599,000. There is also a penthouse unit for sale for $2,500,000, and it’s wondrous, but we’ll concentrate on the majority of the far more affordable units for sale for the time being.

These units are mostly the same square footage-wise, app. 500 sq.ft. of interior space with an app 120 sq.ft. lanai as well, which works out to an average price per square foot (for just these units) of $631.20. This is well below the Ilikai’s own sales record of the past year, in which 47 units sold for an average $/sq.ft. of $723.46.

If you’re wanting to live the Waikiki Modern Life, and the idea of being at the epicenter from where it all began, then look no further than the Ilikai Apartment Building. Here’s a link to a gallery of condos currently available at the Ilikai.