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I think many people who haven't been there have the impression that it is a resort town, not an actual city. The resorts that do exist are mostly wall-to-wall in a concentrated area of Waikiki, and most could be better described as hotels since the grounds are often very limited due to the high density. Actual beach resorts are scattered elsewhere on the island, but areas of Hawaii and Kauai and Maui have many more examples of the kind of non-urban resorts that most people imagine in the islands.