SHANGRI-LA

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Behind one of the most iconic views of Hawai'i, Diamond Head, sits Doris Duke’s estate, Shangri-La. At the age of 12 she inherited her father’s $100 million dollar fortune (made from the Tobacco industry) after he passed. From that she gained the opportunity to be able to buy property and travel around the world. She became very inspired by Islamic Art and after she purchased her Diamond Head property she began to create Shangri-La. The estate took about 3 years to build (1936-1938) but it holds thousands of art pieces collected over a 60 year time span. There is not a square inch of this property that wasn’t set down with intention.

I would highly recommend visiting Shangri La if you get a chance. To visit you must book a tour with The Honolulu Museum of Art. Tours are available in guided group tours. Below are some pictures from the tour. Unfortunately when we went, the pool area was under renovation. This was kind of was a bummer, since one of my first memories of Shangri La was a picture of the pool and the backside of Diamond Head. Regardless, I am so happy I finally got a chance to visit Shangri La, it is definitely a must see on Oahu. Her estate is quite the work of art and it is a reminder that everything is a work in progress and beautiful things take time to build.

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