Stay and Shop

Expectations for hotel general/sundry stores are usually pretty low. So the few times I’ve come across stores that made my mouth drop and my eyes pop, I’ve been giddy as all get out. The year-and-a-half old Modern Honolulu’s store is a visual stunner. Its well-curated selection even had me pining for a smart men’s swim trunk by Ever (from $145) and for my own custom-made surfboard (from $2,300) by the father-and-son team of Grain in Maine. However, my practical side encouraged me to pick up some locally-made soaps instead. For more showy gifts, you can pick up a gold-plated bed of bananas ($300) or a silver-plated truck ($163) as bling-bling house gifts by Areaware.

Other great hotel gift stores: Ace Hotel in NYC and the store at Sunset Beach in Shelter Island.