Aloha!
I've headed to Hawaii for some R&R and catch up with some friends on the islands. Splitting my time between Oahu and Big Island, I landed at Oahu first. I checked into the Doubletree Alana Hotel in Waikiki. I haven't been in this hotel for a little bit and they were undergoing renovations while I was here. Probably a very large factor of why my room rate was super reasonable even for a USC football game/Labor Day Weekend.
Upon arrival, I was only able to check into one of the two rooms reserved. I also found out that wireless internet is now free for high status HHonors members at all properties. Very cool! While waiting for my friend, wandered over to Puka Dogs for lunch. The only difference from the Kauai location was that the inside of the buns seemed extra toasted giving it a slight crunch.
After wandering around the International Market Place and Waikiki Beach, my local friend acted as a taxi to get some hawaiian shaved ice from Waiola Market on 2135 Waiola Street, Honolulu, HI 96826-2747 to grab my favorite mango shaved ice!
After checking into the hotel fully, grabbed a late night dinner at Mac 24-7 inside the Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio hotel. I remember that the restaurant was on Man vs. Food and the failed attempt on eating their pancakes. The service was a little slow and the food was ok. My fried chicken was a little too overfried but I enjoyed my cherry lime rickey. It may be best to stick with either breakfast foods and dessert in this place.
The next day spent some time at Waikiki Beach and Ala Moana Mall. Grabbed some lunch from the food court at Chinatown Express. I haven't ever seen flavored sesame balls and tried the sweet potato and coconut sesame balls. It was very tasty, the manapuas were good too. Afterwards, caught the USC UH football game at Aloha Stadium. My friend's husband had worked in the stadium and I was suppose to look at the new TV installed but we were right above it so it wasn't doable. The views surrounding the stadium is really nice, it reminds me of University of Washington's football stadium. Later in the evening, attempting to get some lava flows from local bars we ended up at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and had some ice cream from Lapperts enjoying exotic ice cream flavors.
The next day, we headed out to the Hilton Hawaiian Village to have the breakfast buffet at Rainbow Lanai. I remembered really enjoying the breakfast options there in one of my previous visits and wasn't interested in having the continental breakfast offered at the Doubletree. If you are interested in only toast and cereal, the Doubletree works well. They changed their breakfast options from full breakfast buffet to only toast/dry cereal products. After having breakfast at the Rainbow Lanai, I think I'll opt for local places for breakfast. I would enjoy the breakfast buffet at Rainbow Lanai if it was cheaper and/or the food was better. There is always a certain price point food quality balance and it wasn't there for me at Rainbow Lanai.
After breakfast, headed with some friends to the Dole Plantation and Waimea Bay Beach Park in the North Shore. After a day of activity, grabbed some shrimp plates from Giovanni's Shrimp Truck in Kahuku. I had the spicy shrimp and it was really really spicy. Most people opt for the scampi and I'll have to try next time. Also did a pit stop at Blazin' Steaks Drive In at 45-1118 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, HI 96744-3207. It reminded me to some Vietnamese dishes I've had and found the plate lunches really good. Of coure, I grabbed some fried pies from the local McDonald's. The flavor of the month is taro and it was pretty yummy! At the end of the day, I was taken to Shimazu Store on 330 N School St, Honolulu, HI 96817. My friends swore on the shaved ice because of the amount of shaved ice you get. The XL was literally the size of an adult head. I had the mango which tasted a little artificial but I was told the milk green tea royale was very good. For the price, it definitely is a good value for shaved ice. :) The owner is super nice and asked us how we like the shaved ice and talked about the history of the store. He also mentioned that if the awning is out, they are open even if it is not their normal business hours. Nice!
The next day, headed out to Pearl Harbor visiting the USS Arizona Memorial and USS Missouri battleship. Without much transportation options, I opted to priceline a car rental to see what options were available. I was successful in getting a Pontiac Vibe from Avis for $15! I've been told the car was based on the same frame as the Toyota Matrix. Not sure why the Vibe didn't do so well (it is discontinued) and the Matrix is still selling strong, it was convenient for the remainder of the trip on Oahu. The only drawback was the car rental agency was back at the airport.
After grabbing the rental car via bus, left the airport and grabbed a loco moco breakfast at Byron's Drive In at 3297 North Nimitz Highway, Honolulu, HI 96819-190. The kahlua loco moco was pretty tasty, the pork had a bacony taste to it. I've been to the Arizona Memorial in the past but the Missouri was new to me. It was really cool to walk all over the battleship and see how sailors had to live and work on the ship.
As sunset was coming, grabbed a late lunch at Young's Fish Market and had a laulau plate. The pork was really good, I cleaned the plate. Not the easiest to find, it is a definite gem in this neighborhood near the pier in Honolulu. After the late lunch, grabbed malasadas at Leonard's and went to Ala Moana Beach Park to check out the sunset before heading back to the hotel.
Left Waikiki the next day and boarded a flight to Big Island. After grabbing a Ford Focus from Avis, headed to Hilton Waikoloa Village hotel. I thnk this is the first time I've driven a Ford Focus and the experience was pleasant. It seems like the kind of car perfect for a first time car owner or something my siblings would drive. For a basic car, it came with a sunroof, leather seats, and a subwoofer in the trunk! For the entire trip, I averaged about 30+ mpg, not too shabby especially when gas is so high on this island. The Costco was the cheapest gas on this side of the island. (Most of the gas stations in Hilo was roughly the same price, you just have to drive two hours though.) I wasn't able to check into the hotel right away and grabbed some lunch from Island Fish and Chips on 69-250 Waikoloa Beach Drive, Waikoloa, HI 96738-5718.
Afterwards, drove down south to the coffee farms south of Kona and visited Kona Joe. Of the farms visited that afternoon, it was the best tasting one. Very nice facility and the owners are really pleasant. After tooling around, finally checked into the hotel. A pleasant change I've noticed is that Hiltons are now giving the perks for frequent guests to the rooms versus the person. In the past, I would get breakfast coupons for myself and a guest regardless of number of rooms booked. Now, it seems per room. If you ever stay here, there are three towers all connected by either a tram or boat (and feet as well). The ocean tower has the views but it is furthest from the center of action. The Lagoon tower is closest to the bigger pools and activities but you don't get the view. I've only stayed in the ocean tower, so I don't know if the rooms are different.
Of course, any visit to Hawaii isn't complete unless there is a visit to Roy's restaurant. Meandered to the Roy's - Waikoloa Bar and Grill and received excellent service. The entrees came out initially overcooked and they whisked it away replacing them with perfect cooked entrees as well as complimentary salads while we waited again for them to prepare the food.
The next day, took a drive around the island. Grabbed breakfast at Tex Drive In at 45-690 Pakalana St., Highway 19, Honokaa, HI 96727 where they are famed for their malasadas. Personally, they taste like doughnuts rather than malasadas. I will stick with Leonard's on Oahu. I had french toast but wasn't a fan, a little too runny and cinnamon for my taste. It helped to have some portuguese sausage to counter the carb. Continued our way and dropped by Akaka Falls and Onomea Bay. After catching in the natural beauty, headed to Hilo. Automatically went to Big Island Candies to grab my favorite shortbread cookies and Lows International Foods at 222 Kilauea Ave, Hilo, HI 96720 for rainbow bread. Also grabbed some korean chicken wings which were tasty. :)
On the way back to Kona, went by the National Volcano Park to hike/walk around the volcano. Caught some cool trails and drove down to the bottom to see where the lava flowed. At night, the crater lights up really well because it is so dark and I felt like I was watching a scene from Lord of the Rings.
On the last day of the trip, stayed around the hotel since the flight was at 8:30 pm. Cruised through a timeshare presentation in the morning and was tempted to get one but walked away with a turtle toy and some bonus hotel points. Hung out on the lagoon beach checking out the turtles and fish in the lagoon. Also, checked out the dolphins in the Discovery Center. They recently had a baby dolphin birth and it was cute to see a tiny dolphin zipping around.
Upon arrival, I was only able to check into one of the two rooms reserved. I also found out that wireless internet is now free for high status HHonors members at all properties. Very cool! While waiting for my friend, wandered over to Puka Dogs for lunch. The only difference from the Kauai location was that the inside of the buns seemed extra toasted giving it a slight crunch.
After wandering around the International Market Place and Waikiki Beach, my local friend acted as a taxi to get some hawaiian shaved ice from Waiola Market on 2135 Waiola Street, Honolulu, HI 96826-2747 to grab my favorite mango shaved ice!
After checking into the hotel fully, grabbed a late night dinner at Mac 24-7 inside the Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio hotel. I remember that the restaurant was on Man vs. Food and the failed attempt on eating their pancakes. The service was a little slow and the food was ok. My fried chicken was a little too overfried but I enjoyed my cherry lime rickey. It may be best to stick with either breakfast foods and dessert in this place.
The next day spent some time at Waikiki Beach and Ala Moana Mall. Grabbed some lunch from the food court at Chinatown Express. I haven't ever seen flavored sesame balls and tried the sweet potato and coconut sesame balls. It was very tasty, the manapuas were good too. Afterwards, caught the USC UH football game at Aloha Stadium. My friend's husband had worked in the stadium and I was suppose to look at the new TV installed but we were right above it so it wasn't doable. The views surrounding the stadium is really nice, it reminds me of University of Washington's football stadium. Later in the evening, attempting to get some lava flows from local bars we ended up at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and had some ice cream from Lapperts enjoying exotic ice cream flavors.
The next day, we headed out to the Hilton Hawaiian Village to have the breakfast buffet at Rainbow Lanai. I remembered really enjoying the breakfast options there in one of my previous visits and wasn't interested in having the continental breakfast offered at the Doubletree. If you are interested in only toast and cereal, the Doubletree works well. They changed their breakfast options from full breakfast buffet to only toast/dry cereal products. After having breakfast at the Rainbow Lanai, I think I'll opt for local places for breakfast. I would enjoy the breakfast buffet at Rainbow Lanai if it was cheaper and/or the food was better. There is always a certain price point food quality balance and it wasn't there for me at Rainbow Lanai.
After breakfast, headed with some friends to the Dole Plantation and Waimea Bay Beach Park in the North Shore. After a day of activity, grabbed some shrimp plates from Giovanni's Shrimp Truck in Kahuku. I had the spicy shrimp and it was really really spicy. Most people opt for the scampi and I'll have to try next time. Also did a pit stop at Blazin' Steaks Drive In at 45-1118 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, HI 96744-3207. It reminded me to some Vietnamese dishes I've had and found the plate lunches really good. Of coure, I grabbed some fried pies from the local McDonald's. The flavor of the month is taro and it was pretty yummy! At the end of the day, I was taken to Shimazu Store on 330 N School St, Honolulu, HI 96817. My friends swore on the shaved ice because of the amount of shaved ice you get. The XL was literally the size of an adult head. I had the mango which tasted a little artificial but I was told the milk green tea royale was very good. For the price, it definitely is a good value for shaved ice. :) The owner is super nice and asked us how we like the shaved ice and talked about the history of the store. He also mentioned that if the awning is out, they are open even if it is not their normal business hours. Nice!
The next day, headed out to Pearl Harbor visiting the USS Arizona Memorial and USS Missouri battleship. Without much transportation options, I opted to priceline a car rental to see what options were available. I was successful in getting a Pontiac Vibe from Avis for $15! I've been told the car was based on the same frame as the Toyota Matrix. Not sure why the Vibe didn't do so well (it is discontinued) and the Matrix is still selling strong, it was convenient for the remainder of the trip on Oahu. The only drawback was the car rental agency was back at the airport.
After grabbing the rental car via bus, left the airport and grabbed a loco moco breakfast at Byron's Drive In at 3297 North Nimitz Highway, Honolulu, HI 96819-190. The kahlua loco moco was pretty tasty, the pork had a bacony taste to it. I've been to the Arizona Memorial in the past but the Missouri was new to me. It was really cool to walk all over the battleship and see how sailors had to live and work on the ship.
As sunset was coming, grabbed a late lunch at Young's Fish Market and had a laulau plate. The pork was really good, I cleaned the plate. Not the easiest to find, it is a definite gem in this neighborhood near the pier in Honolulu. After the late lunch, grabbed malasadas at Leonard's and went to Ala Moana Beach Park to check out the sunset before heading back to the hotel.
Left Waikiki the next day and boarded a flight to Big Island. After grabbing a Ford Focus from Avis, headed to Hilton Waikoloa Village hotel. I thnk this is the first time I've driven a Ford Focus and the experience was pleasant. It seems like the kind of car perfect for a first time car owner or something my siblings would drive. For a basic car, it came with a sunroof, leather seats, and a subwoofer in the trunk! For the entire trip, I averaged about 30+ mpg, not too shabby especially when gas is so high on this island. The Costco was the cheapest gas on this side of the island. (Most of the gas stations in Hilo was roughly the same price, you just have to drive two hours though.) I wasn't able to check into the hotel right away and grabbed some lunch from Island Fish and Chips on 69-250 Waikoloa Beach Drive, Waikoloa, HI 96738-5718.
Afterwards, drove down south to the coffee farms south of Kona and visited Kona Joe. Of the farms visited that afternoon, it was the best tasting one. Very nice facility and the owners are really pleasant. After tooling around, finally checked into the hotel. A pleasant change I've noticed is that Hiltons are now giving the perks for frequent guests to the rooms versus the person. In the past, I would get breakfast coupons for myself and a guest regardless of number of rooms booked. Now, it seems per room. If you ever stay here, there are three towers all connected by either a tram or boat (and feet as well). The ocean tower has the views but it is furthest from the center of action. The Lagoon tower is closest to the bigger pools and activities but you don't get the view. I've only stayed in the ocean tower, so I don't know if the rooms are different.
Of course, any visit to Hawaii isn't complete unless there is a visit to Roy's restaurant. Meandered to the Roy's - Waikoloa Bar and Grill and received excellent service. The entrees came out initially overcooked and they whisked it away replacing them with perfect cooked entrees as well as complimentary salads while we waited again for them to prepare the food.
The next day, took a drive around the island. Grabbed breakfast at Tex Drive In at 45-690 Pakalana St., Highway 19, Honokaa, HI 96727 where they are famed for their malasadas. Personally, they taste like doughnuts rather than malasadas. I will stick with Leonard's on Oahu. I had french toast but wasn't a fan, a little too runny and cinnamon for my taste. It helped to have some portuguese sausage to counter the carb. Continued our way and dropped by Akaka Falls and Onomea Bay. After catching in the natural beauty, headed to Hilo. Automatically went to Big Island Candies to grab my favorite shortbread cookies and Lows International Foods at 222 Kilauea Ave, Hilo, HI 96720 for rainbow bread. Also grabbed some korean chicken wings which were tasty. :)
On the way back to Kona, went by the National Volcano Park to hike/walk around the volcano. Caught some cool trails and drove down to the bottom to see where the lava flowed. At night, the crater lights up really well because it is so dark and I felt like I was watching a scene from Lord of the Rings.
On the last day of the trip, stayed around the hotel since the flight was at 8:30 pm. Cruised through a timeshare presentation in the morning and was tempted to get one but walked away with a turtle toy and some bonus hotel points. Hung out on the lagoon beach checking out the turtles and fish in the lagoon. Also, checked out the dolphins in the Discovery Center. They recently had a baby dolphin birth and it was cute to see a tiny dolphin zipping around.
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