It had been a while since I’d stopped by Splash Bar at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. If you’re not staying at the hotel, you might not know this spacious poolside haven is there, though it’s only steps from Kalakaua Avenue, or the hotel’s front entrance on Kaiulani Avenue. Once inside this enclave, though, you leave the busy streets and traffic of Waikiki behind. It’s a pleasant spot, serving up tropical cocktails, a good selection of wine and beer and a nice variety of small plates to a background of lulling Hawaiian music.

THE EXPERIENCE

Splash recently underwent a re-branding. Management and staff got together to consider what the bar was all about, and the answer wasn’t very hard to find: It’s “an oasis in the heart of Waikiki,” with an easygoing, casual style and roots in tiki culture.

“Instead of changing what we are, we decided to be what we are,” is the way general manager Jesse Suderman put it. As the smiling, youthful manager pointed out some of Splash Bar’s assets, that didn’t sound like a bad strategy.

It was Thursday afternoon, and the seats were filled with diverse types: airline stewards enjoying a layover; a local couple on a date; Aussies and Japanese tourists; families on vacation.

In the course of considering what embellishments might be appropriate around the bar area, Suderman went deep into the back corners and storage closets of the hotel, uncovering some vintage tiki artifacts, and took it from there, working with a local tiki artist to add to the collection. Keep an eye out for pieces throughout the poolside area; nothing is too flashy or overbearing, despite the natural flamboyance of the subject matter, so you need to look — but if you do, you’ll be rewarded with the sight of some prime kitsch. The feel that really dominates, though, is the open-air setting; though there’s no view of the ocean, the ambience is a reminder that the ocean is nearby.

Like other long-standing, successful hotel bars, Splash mixes a relaxed professionalism, honed over the course of many years, with the ambition to serve customers well and leave them hoping for a return visit. Friendly servers get you what you want and then get out of the way so you can enjoy people-watching around the pool or make new friends at the bar.

THE FOOD

The way to go during happy hour is with the Splash menu of small plates, which don’t really run that small. You can get a dozen crisp chicken wings for $9, garlic fries or edamame for $5 and a kalua pork slider for $4.

This bar menu takes the guesswork out of ordering liquid refreshment, too, with suggested pairings of beer and wine. As recommended, I paired a Saint M Riesling ($7, normally $9) with the Kalbi Beef Lettuce Wraps ($10), and they complemented each other well — the wine and kalbi both strong and sweet in their own way.

Being a Sierra Nevada beer fan, I also jumped at the chance to pair Sierra Nevada’s Hop Hunter ($5, normally $7), a 6.2 percent alcohol beer that has legs and a tangy hop bite, with the Lil’ Ahi Poke Bowl. Another winner! The poke bowl, at $12, served over steamed rice and with edamame, ogo, sesame oil and shoyu, was more than enough for a meal for one, and big enough to share between two to four people.

On the full menu, appetizers run from $8 for edamame to $16 for poke, served in even more generous portions.

You can also get kalua pork sliders for $16, a sourdough club sandwich for $17 and cheeseburgers at $19.

THE DRINK

Splash is making it easy for you to have a good time, especially if you’re on holiday, with a rotating menu of $8 cocktails served from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (They’ll run you $11 after 6.) Options include the classic Mai Tai on Mondays and Fridays; a splashy, tall Tropical Itch served with that can’t-miss back-scratcher on Tuesdays; and a Ketel One cocktail, the Guava Press, made with guava and lemon juices, on Wednesdays.

On Thursdays and Saturdays happy-hour drinkers get a choice. Decide between a Cruzan Light Rum-based Lava Flow, blended with coconut, cream and a strawberry swirl, or a signature PK Punch made with Beefeater gin, pineapple and lemon juice on Thursday. And go full-blown tropical with a Blue Hawaii, made with rum and blue curacao, or a Chi Chi, based on Svedka vodka mixed with coconut, pineapple and other fruit juices, on Saturday.

Sunday’s special is sangria, with a tall glass of the fruity wine drink served up at $6.

Domestic bottles are $4, normally $6; draft beer, including Kona Brewing Co. varieties, is $5, normally $7. Wines by the glass, $7 to $12, are $2 off until 6.

THE VERDICT

While popular, this poolside spot has enough space and savvy to let you wind down with a smile. Stop by if you’re in the vicinity.