Shangri La (Doris Duke)

Shangri La is the name of an Islamic-style mansion built by heiress Doris Duke near Diamond Head just outside Honolulu, Hawaii. It is now owned by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA) in cooperation with the Honolulu Academy of Arts, and open to the public for tours; an admission fee is charged.

Construction of Shangri La began in 1937, after Doris Duke's 1935 honeymoon which took her through the Islamic world. For nearly 60 years afterwards, Miss Duke commissioned and collected artifacts for the house, forming a collection of about 3,500 objects.

hangri La collections and holdings

The Doris Duke estate, Shangri La, is furnished with art, furnishings and built-in architectural elements from Iran, Morocco, Turkey, Spain, Syria, Egypt and India. The Playhouse is a reduced-scale version of the 17th century Chehel Setun in Esfahan, Iran. It houses a central recreational room and two guest rooms. The outdoor landscaping blends the formality of an Indian Mughal garden and terraced water features with the intimacy of a private Hawaiian fishpond, tropical garden, and fabulous vistas of the Pacific Ocean. Gilt and painted ceilings from Morocco, vivid ceramics from Iran, intimate interiors from Syria, pierced metalwork and vibrant textiles from Spain to India are among the highlights.

hangri La tour description

Tours last approximately two and one-half hours, with one and one-half hours on site at Shangri La. Tours feature the public rooms of the main house and portions of the grounds including Entry Courtyard, Foyer, Living Room, Upper Lawn with views of the Playhouse, pool, and water terraces, Turkish Room, Mughal Garden, Mihrab Room, Dining Room, and covered Lanai.

hangri La Tour hours and admissions

All tours for Shangri La begin and end at the Honolulu Academy of Arts and are guided by a docent. General admission for Shangri La is $25 per person, 12 and over, ($20 Hawaii residents with ID) and includes transportation to and from the estate as well as entrance into the Honolulu Academy of Arts during normal museum hours. (Please note that every ticket holder confirmed on the resident rate will be required to present proof of local residency at the time of check-in.) Tours of Shangri La are offered only on Wednesday through Saturday between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. by prior reservation. Tour duration is approximately 2 1/2 hours. All tours include a visit to the Academy’s Arts of the Islamic World gallery where a 10-minute orientation video screens continuously. Tours are limited to 24 persons and all require advance reservations. Children under 12 are not permitted to tour. Shangri La is closed to the public during the month of September and New Year’s Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day, Kama’aina Christmas at the Academy (usually second Saturday in December) and Christmas Day.

Reservations

Reservations are made up to one year in advance and may be done in person at the Shangri La ticket office at the Honolulu Academy of Arts during normal museum hours or by phone with a credit card. For reservations in Honolulu call, [phone]; or from the Neighbor Islands or Mainland U.S. call toll-free [phone]. Visa and Mastercard are accepted. Tickets are issued for a specific date and time and are not refundable.

hangri La Location

Shangri La is situated on a convert|4.9|acre|m2|sing=on oceanfront lot in the exclusive Black Point residential neighborhood near Diamond Head, Hawaii. All tours to Shangri La begin and end at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, which occupies convert|3.2|acre|m2 near downtown Honolulu, just minutes away from the world-class resort destination of Waikiki.

Under the terms of Shangri La’s use permit from the City and County of Honolulu, all visitor access to Shangri La is by mini-vans, which originate at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Visitors may not drive or park on-site at Shangri La or in the surrounding residential neighborhood. Any visitors who arrive at Shangri La and are not traveling on designated vans will be turned away.

External links

* [http://www.shangrilahawaii.org/ Shangri La]