Aloha, we're Sandra and Dan

Zen Oasis Waikiki is our top-floor corner home in Honolulu, looking out over the marina where our Hawaii story began. When we travel, we share it with couples and solo travelers who come to celebrate, to rest, or to see Hawaii for the first time, and we treat every one of them like a friend staying in our personal oasis.

How we got here

In 2004, my college roommate Amy invited me to be her plus-one at the Maui Film Festival. She was an entertainment journalist in LA, I was living in Atlanta, and she had one condition: I had to stop in Oahu first. "You need to see it," she said.

So I spent one night alone in Waikiki. The next morning I walked all the way down to the marina and was blown away. Big, beautiful boats. White sand. Magic Island and a shady park right next door. Dan and I had kept a sailboat on Lake Lanier in Georgia our whole married life, and my first thought was, our boat could be here.

That seed sat for three years. Then our oldest son, Roman, said he wanted to go to the University of Hawaii. Why not? We spent Christmas 2007 on the islands, the first time our whole family saw Hawaii. Once Roman was accepted, Dan and I came back and bought a 42-foot sailboat, and Dan spent months restoring it. Roman moved aboard in 2009 and sailed for UH.

For years, our lives ran between Georgia and Honolulu. In 2011 I rented a penthouse right across the street from where we are now. Back home, we started renting the two guest cabins at our lake house, and that's where we learned what it takes to be 5-star hosts. Our younger son, Marek, followed his brother to Oahu, and in 2023 we sold the lake house and moved here for good, to be near both boys all year.

When this top-floor corner condo came up, with its forever view, we bought it sight unseen. We knew the view. What we didn't know was that it had been rode hard and put up wet. A paint job turned into a full renovation, and we lived here for a year making it feel like home.

We welcomed our first guests in July 2024. Ryan, our house manager, is the same Ryan who had our bed made up with brand-new bamboo linens and leis waiting on our very first night. Now he makes sure every guest walks into a spotless home and a warm welcome. And when we travel, we share our oasis with people who come to celebrate, to rest, or to see Hawaii for the first time, the way Amy made sure I did.

And that marina I walked to on my first morning in Oahu? It's the view from our lanai.

Why we do this

We share the Hawaii we love with couples and solo travelers who come to celebrate, to rest, or to see it for the first time. Every guest is a friend staying in our personal oasis: peaceful, beautiful, and filled with things that are a pleasure to use.

Mahalo,
Sandra & Dan