Wow. What a fascinating story behind the owner, philanthropist and art collector Doris Duke. To assemble a collection of this size and then build the ultimate cliff side beach retreat certainly indicates the extent of her fortune. Every room is a new revelation. The water and ice cream sandwich at the end of the tour was an unexpected bonus

So, we booked well in advance as you need to with Shangri La. I have been before but my husband had not and I knew he would enjoy it. A couple of days after booking, I checked the website out of interest to see if our 9am booking had sold out. I was surprised to see it had disappeared. Others on the same day showed either sold out , as expected or with maybe one spot left but the 9am one just wasn't there yet I clearly had tickets. I did email outlining my concerns but never heard back. This would come to haunt me. Yet I got all the standard reminder emails staying...your visit is coming up in two days, one day, tomorrow etc...here is how to prepare so I was confident it was on. Yet we arrived on the morning to find, as I had had the spooky feeling, it was not, as the 9am had been cancelled weeks before due to a function but somehow no one had told the ticketing system. An email did arrive about quarter to 9 once the staff realised the glitch but too late for us as we were already on the way.Staff at HOMA were very apologetic but nothing could be done. There was no 9am tour. We were able to rebook for any other tour but we had to make our own way there and back and we had our full tour refunded. We were able to get to the 11am tour - we stopped for a coffee and then went into the Museum (HOMA) for around an hour and then caught an Uber to Shangri La. The cost of the Uber was less than the money that was refunded so apart from a bit of angst, all was okay.The actual building and the art inside and the guides are all brilliant, it is so worth doing and highly recommended. And it was all handled really well given it was just one of those things that happens in life. Only recommendation is that I had a sneaking suspicion that there was an issue right at the start and I did email to follow up but no one did anything with that email. Lesson learned.

This place is a gorgeous must see. Went with my partner and cousin at the end of May 2026. The price is worth what you get to see. 1. All tickets to Shangri La also come with free entry to the Honolulu museum of art. Shangri La is so rich with art, architecture, views, and history. Doris Duke was such a badass and her home and story really showcases that. My favorite part were the views from the dinning room and backyard. We also go to see a few turtles swimming in her little lagoon. Everything has been kept up perfectly. Gorgeous backdrop for pictures. Staff were all so friendly and informative. We had such a good time exploring Shangri La.

Spectacular. I have tried many, many times to get into this museum and it didn’t disappoint. Absolutely stunning art work, architecture, and beautiful views too. The staff are all so knowledgeable and kind! Dorothy led our tour and she was just lovely. Special shout out to Naylor for his help! The only downside? Just not enough time!

My family and I enjoyed our visit to this museum because we are into art. It was also nice to be able to explore the property on our own and to take numerous pictures. This outing was certainly a unique thing to do in Honolulu.