Shangri La, Honolulu

Shangri La got its start when art collector Doris Duke, heiress to the Duke tobacco and electricity fortune, decided to build a vacation home in Hawaii in the 1930s. One of Duke's favorite pastimes was travel, and she spent a lot of her time visiting countries like Egypt, Syria, Morocco, and Iran. Whilst on a trip to several Muslim countries during her honeymoon with actor James Cromwell, she became enamored with the art and architecture of these countries, which, in part, provided inspiration for her home in Honolulu, as well as her large collection of Islamic art.

Today, Shangri La houses Doris Duke’s collection of Islamic art and is nationally recognized for its high artistic value and as one of Hawai'i’s most architecturally significant homes. Duke collected over 3,500 objets d'art over a period of sixty years. Her collection is notable because she didn't just collect items that had a high monetary value, but the objects she enjoyed. As a result, many objects at the Museum are decorative things like hand-carved furniture, richly adorned doors, painted ceilings, and other touches embedded into the building itself.

Of the many homes that Duke inhabited, Shangri La is the only one that she built from the ground up and filled from the inside out. As such, the museum is worth visiting to see the immense amount of care that Duke took to curate the objects in her home, as well as to enjoy the museum itself.

Why You Should Visit:
This is one of the world’s best small collections of a wide range of Islamic art (pottery, glass, wood, furniture, ceramics) from Iran, Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Pakistan, India, etc.
An added bonus are the grounds which afford views of the east side of Diamond Head along the ocean's edge.

Tip:
Every beach in Hawaii is public so you may swim outside the property (not on the tour, come another time and swim here). The water looks very inviting!
Get to the Honolulu Museum of Art at least 2 hrs before the guided tour to experience works by Monet, Matisse, Van Gogh that are really exquisite as well.

Guided Tours:
Wed-Sat: 9am / 10:30am / 1:30pm
Tickets must be reserved in advance
Tours last approx 2.5 hrs with 1.5 hrs on site at Shangri La