Statement/ Acknowledgement of Place was very good to see at this museum. Photos don't do this proper justice- a real must-see, though the Mihrab wasn't installed to face Mecca, as it was originally intended before Doris Duke acquired it, and should probably be returned to its country of origin, as it is a priceless religious and cultural relic.

If you get the chance, definitely do the Shangri-La tour!!! Really cool experience and a chance to see art dating as far back as 1200 Persia (or something like that). The house is incredible and very inspiring. Plus the views are just amazing! Our tour guide was also very friendly and very knowledgeable about Doris Duke, the art, and the home. Would definitely do this one agian. PS. I posted several pictures but left some out for you to discover on your own, enjoy 😎🤙

Gorgeous, well-kempt space with am amazing array of art and architecture reflecting Middle Eastern, Eastern and Islamic traditions. Unfortunately, none of it has any signage, so unless someone is there to tell you more about what you’re looking at, it’s really just a bunch of visual pleasure. Entry by advanced reservations only. Not suitable for young children.

Incredibly quiet and beautiful place! It’s not easy to get here, we booked 1.5 months in advance, the ticket cost $ 20 for locals, I think a different price for tourists. You can’t come here by car, Shuttle buses depart from the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA), they will pick you up and bring you back, when we arrived back we were given free tickets to the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA). You can’t touch anything in shangri la museum, and if I’m not mistaken, children are not allowed here. You can take pictures, but without flashes. At the end, we were treated to delicious ice cream and water, as well as a fan as a gift.

A magical place in paradise! Make your arrangements early, reserve your tickets as the tours fill up fast. The photos do not so this beautiful property justice. Breathtaking and interesting - so glad I was able to go - I hope to re-visit someday.

My absolute favorite museum in Oahu. The art collection is extensive and the architect alone is worth the visit!

This is not a traditional museum but Doris Duke's Islamic Art collection as her home was turned into a museum with her home and Islamic art possessions as exhibits. The wood work and tile work is exquisite and her artifacts fascinating. The building is beautiful and her yard with the view is magnificent! The docents were friendly and knowledgeable. Well worth a visit. Two important points; you need to take a shuttle from the Honolulu Museum of Arts and you need to order tickets well in advance.

Spectacular!!! I went with a group of friends and we had a great time. So much history behind the former residence of Doris Duke. Her love of art, starting with her visit to the Taj Mahal, shows throughout the museum. This is a must-see when visiting Hawaii.

Absolutely amazing! I went into it with fairly low expectations because I'm not a huge art person, but this house blew me away! There is so much history in one space, and to think it was someone's house for half of the year 🤯 I thought the cost was a little high but it includes transportation to and from the Honolulu Museum of Art, admissions to the art museum ($20), a fan ($5 in the gift shop), a small ice cream sandwich, and a box of water. I only wish we had more time to take it all in!

It is very hard to rate this place as it is one of a kind: no other place exists quite like this on planet earth basically. It is really an incredible place and you will enjoy being there unless you have some type of condition where Islamic art makes you unhappy (if you are neutral you will still like it). The collection of Islamic art here is unique and varied. You could say it is a hodgepodge, and it is true that the different rooms/wings have different styles from different parts of the Islamic world. But Doris Duke had excellent taste so each room/wing has really amazing and in good taste, and I think a "hodgepodge" of excellence is better than a more uniform and consistent choice of mediocre. If I ever go back to Honolulu, I will definitely make this visit again. You can *NOT* visit this place by going to it. You must buy tickets from the Honolulu Museum of Art and take the bus that goes from the museum to the estate and back. You get 2 hours on the estate. There are guides floating around, and they do give you a short introduction upon arrival, but you are free to wander about freely and read the signs (or not). Sometimes the guides may give an impromptu 5 minute lecture on something if there is a small gathering of people on some spot, but the general vibe is relaxed and "enjoy" instead of "come let me teach you about this" or "hurry from one lecture spot to the next". The guides were helpful and knowledgeable. The time we visited (August 2022), they gave us water and a small ice cream snack upon exit which was a nice touch.

This is an enriching and well-run tour that originates at the Honolulu Museum of Art (shuttle is included and required as the Shangri La museum is on private property). The exhibits are splendid, representing art from across the world of Islamic culture.The curators and guides offer clear and candid explanations of each part of the exhibit. There is time to walk around the grounds, which offer a panoramic view of the adjacent coast and shoreline.

This is a gem of a museum, with some amazing pieces of Islamic art and history. The artist in residence program has also produced some really wonderful events that Iʻve had the opportunity to attend. Great museum with an interesting history and in beautiful surrounds. Highly recommend to locals and visitors alike.

Be warned, you probably won't be able to visit. A thousand years ago, passionate artisans made priceless religious installations that are now part of this "private collection." But you can only buy a ticket through the museum of art then take their shuttle to this location. They are also sold out "for the whole month" ... so good luck!

What an incredible place! One of the most wonderful mansions I ever visited. Beautiful location just by the shore with complex of buildings, pools, water cascades & landscaping nicely planned. Superb collection of unique artifacts. Everything in mansion was designed with such a grate taste; there is absolutely no impression of randomness of anything there! Highly recommended for everyone. Be sure to plan your stay in Honolulu well - with advance reservation of tour to Shangri La (visited January 24, 2018)

Beautiful experience a must tour if visiting Oahu. Thank you Doris Duke Foundation for sharing this estate with us

Stunning collection, if impossible to fully take in during the hour tour. I'd go back a few times if I had the chance. Completely jaw-dropping pieces of art displayed in a comfortable yet opulant home style. So worth the visit. Beautiful architecture and oceanfront setting as well.

The Shangri La house was beautiful, living here on the island it was a nice break from everyday life to see how the other half lived long ago. Dorris Duke had great taste and for thought in collecting these rare and beautiful treasures from a time long ago, some of these pieces would surely have been destroyed by war if they weren't saved. The property is well cared for and the house is well maintained and pretty much stands as is. If you're from here take an afternoon and visit and if you're visiting from off island try and squeeze it in between beach days. Make sure you try and park at the museums school first before you go and pay at the pay lot.

This is a really different Hawaiian experience. Doris Duke designed her seaside mansion to highlight Islamic art. There are some artifacts and individual pieces, but the highlight is the tile that is integrated into the wall decor. Much of it goes back several hundred years. Tour guides had good information and mature ended with a little ice cream treat and some cool water. Book while in advance they have very limited space and only a handful of tours each day.

I still have a lot of world to see but for now when I die, this is where I want to haunt. Bonus: they serve excellent ice cream sandwiches. Can ghosts eat ice cream? Do the calories count?

What a beautiful unique place! We booked a few months in advance for the kama’aina Saturday rate, but it would certainly be worth full price. Uncrowded because of the restricted visitors allowed, excellent docents.

Excellent guides and amazing sights. Definitely worth it.

This museum of Doris Duke's house is INCREDIBLE!!! Interesting history, house and what a lifestyle!. The tlies! The pools! Her incredible collection. Everything. A very cool place, unique and amazing. Must see! Excellent location too. Afterwards you can walk Diamond Head. Great staff very friendly and informative. But I can see why people might think that staff are rude- it's arrogance they feel. Kids make them REALLY nervous though, honestly I don't blame their panic- most kids couldn't do it, too much amazement to not want to touch everything.YOU NEED RESERVATIONS. TOUR GUIDE ONLY.

My favorite thing on my trip to Hawaii. Islamic art displayed in an American house that is a beautiful blending of the style with the function we expect in a home. The guides were exceptional!!! The location was a dream setting. I'll return...

It really is a moving experience to visit. A life collection, and the memories made building this legacy show in ever room. The staff really seems to relish sharing the real depth of the presentation with visitors and we appreciate their passion.

If you’re interested in beautiful artefacts of Islam, then this isn’t museum you should not miss. The collection here is truly amazing and dates back almost 400 years. Everything from furniture to tiles and other works of our are on display for you to enjoy. It is extremely difficult to get tickets to this museum since they are only sold four times a year. You’ll have to plan this at least six months ahead of time.

This place is beyond gorgeous! All the bad reviews are from years ago or from people didn’t do enough research prior to visiting. Yes reservation is a must and you need to make reservation well in advance. The rooms, decorations, courtyard, everything is so beautiful and the outdoor scenery are just breathtaking. Please plan ahead and visit this place. They give you a souvenir to take home and offer an ice cream sandwich and water after the tour. Later I googled Doris Duke then realized that she was the “crazy lady” who ran over and killed her friend at her Newport mansion.

Loved this place, it was gorgeous and beautiful location. Tour was great and guide very knowledgeable. High light of the trip to Oahu. Only piece of feedback was that when were returned to the museum about 2PM the on-site museum cafe was closing. By that time you (with a noon pick up) you are really hungry. So, if you do this tour advise to eat well 1st.

Did the tour through the Honolulu art Museum. The collection and the home are incredible. The only downside is that we were only given 45 minutes to take in a collection and Location I could’ve spent a good five hours at. My travel companion made our plans, but I believe it’s recommended to book tickets well in advance.

Tickets sell out far in advance, so plan to start looking at tickets a month or two before your visit. It's $25 per person for out of state visitors who are not members of the Honolulu Museum of Art.

So we didn't actually get to enter the place, you have to be part of an official tour, but the grounds are beautiful!

It's absolutely amazing. Tickets need to be booked well in advance on the Honolulu Museum of art website. The guides are extremely knowledgeable in their areas.

It doesn’t have much in the way of art pieces. The tiles, furniture, lamps, and wood carvings are beautiful but not labeled and some seem very haphazard and not very well thought out. It’s more of a modern 20th century designed home on a beautiful piece of land overlooking the Pacific than an Islamic structure.

This place is a hidden gem in Hawaii 🤗🌺💎 They have beautiful Islamic arts, lights, monuments etc… It’s hard to make a reservation but it’s worth it! The people who work here were so knowledgeable and friendly😊 There were so many place and things to see, so I run out of time. I’ll definitely come back ✨

We had a great experience. The location is stunning, and the collection of works from around the world was amazing to see. Be sure to book in advance as it sells out well ahead of time. The guides were very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. Well worth the visit!

I visited Pearl Harbor, I hiked Diamond Head, but I think Shangri La was my favorite thing I did during my time in Honolulu. It's such an amazing place with so much art and gorgeous views. It's hard to imagine anyone ever actually lived there. We also had a great tour guide (wish I could remember her name!) who was very knowledgeable and relaxed with the tour. I recommend this to anyone visiting Honolulu who is even mildly interested in art. Make a reservation in advance, and note that this is a guided tour that takes 2 hours. The only way to get to Shangri La is on the tour shuttle that leaves from and returns to the Honolulu Museum of Art. In other words, you can't go park at Shangri La and then leave the tour whenever you want. So plan your visit beforehand!

No masks,Couldn’t hear well because of mask. Great guides ! should do info speak 1st. Then let us tour. A little rushed trying to tour n listen at same time. But awesome tour will return. Like to be on email list. Thank you

This is the place to see if you love arts and rare collections

Visited in 2011 as part of the APEC Conference. At the time it was not open to the public. Not sure of it's present status. If you can visit, the place is absolutely amazing. On her one year long, round-the-world honeymoon, Doris Duke fell in love with Islamic architecture and bought several elements while visiting various Middle Eastern countries. She then had them shipped to this little piece of property she bought on the southwest tip of Oahu to incorporate into her "modest" new island home! Back when wholesale cultural appropriation was still cool...