Oahu
Came out over the holiday weekend to Oahu. I flew out on United Airlines and arrived in time to catch dinner at a friend's house. I generally like to fly first thing in the morning but I wasn't able to catch a decent fare and left in the evening. Luckily, I was able to redeem a domestic upgrade certificate and was comfortable on the flight. Usually, United plays the "halfway to Hawaii" game on these flights but on this occasion the crew did not offer the game. I was looking forward to winning another Hawaii travel guide book. I almost left the plane before taking off when the airline steward asked for a volunteer to take a later flight. Unfortunately, I was not travelling alone and they only wanted one volunteer. :(
I flew out a day earlier than I originally anticipated and couldn't find a decent rate at the hotel I booked initially. So I opted to tack on a stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for one night. It has been awhile since I've stayed at this Hilton in Waikiki. I was given a corner ocean view room in the Rainbow Tower. I think I've never stayed anywhere but the Rainbow Tower when I've stayed at this Hilton so I have no idea what the other towers are like. The resort is nice but I find myself not liking the Hilton Hawaiian Village over the years. In this particular trip, I found the breakfast buffet satisfactory. Unfortunate because I used to love the buffet here AND now it costs twice as much. I think the combination of increases in price and less amenities has made me look at other properties.
The next day, I moved to the Doubletree Alana Waikiki Hotel. This particular hotel is geared towards the business traveler but I still like the location, amenities, and price. Overall, I've always found this Doubletree a good combination of value, location, and services. I also appreciate the lack of resort fees!
Even though I was here for a college football game, I did not rent a car on this trip. I relied on The Bus for basic transportation and I found it worked well for my needs. Walked over to Waiola Shave Ice at 2135 Waiola St, Honolulu, HI 96826 for my shave ice! Afterwards, got on the bus to head to Aloha Stadium spending the afternoon/early evening watching football. It's a good thing that Aloha Stadium can serve alcohol, many college stadiums no longer serve alcohol.
The next day, I spent the day learning about Hawaiian culture and history. My friend became a tour guide. The first stop was at the National Memorial Cemetary of the Pacific. It was nice to do something besides beaching and lazing about in Hawaii. After walking the grounds, headed back to the city and made a stop at Shimazu Store at 330 N School St., Honolulu, HI 96817. My friend likes the football sized shave ice here. You do have to eat fast because I lost half of mine to the sidewalk because of the heat. :(
Since I was sticky from all that syrup, I walked over to the McDonald's to freshen up and pick up some haupia pies. I do love my coconut cream fried pies....
With some sugar in our system, headed over to The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. It is a nice museum for families because it had exhibitions in the planetarium, robot dinosaurs, and other interactive science exhibitions.
Afterwards, headed over to Costco to pick up some supplies and gifts for the trip. I always enjoy getting local stuff from Costco and this trip is no different! Rested a bit at the hotel before walking around the corner to the local 7-11. In Hawaii, the 7-11 mirrors the Japanese locations more than the local US versions. Ironic since the chain is a US chain. I am not a fan of their musubi but I do like the bento boxes they have. It isn't often you can have a satisfying dinner from a 7-11 store!
The next day was a laze about the beach and watch college football day. The continental breakfast at the Doubletree is good but nothing that I would want to keep coming back for. I decided to go to Leonard's Bakery for some malasadas and eat it in the hotel restaurant with some coffee. I had forgotten to pack sunblock and could have gone to a number of places for it but opted to walk over to Foodland. I love the poke here and thought it would make a good dinner. After running errands in the morning, headed out to Hula Dog for lunch. I originally knew it as Puka Dog but it this location underwent a name change. At least it tasted as good as always!
Spent some time on the beach and enjoyed the sun in Waikiki before heading to Yard House to catch the first half of a college game. During half-time, went back to the hotel to watch the rest of the game and dined on poke for dinner. It was also a cheaper option than continuing to buy drinks and appetizers at the Yard House.
The next day, I thought it would be nice to try malasadas from another vendor and visited Champion Malasadas. I couldn't just eat sweet fried dough in the morning and had some loco moco at Blazin Steaks Atkinson Grill. It isn't a drive in but I found the quality very good.
Spent most of the day back on the beach but in front of the Hilton. The one good thing about the Hilton property is that the beach is actively maintained by the hotel and has very little rocks. There are parts of Waikiki Beach where you have to watch where you put your feet or you can get jabbed. I also had some ice cream from Lappert's Hawaii.
Heading back to the Doubletree I made a wide detour and went back to Waiola Shave Ice for my last shave ice on this trip. Also stopped at the 7-11 to get another bento box for dinner. Since the next day was the last day and also a long day, I opted to rent a car from Dollar at the airport. The return flight home was going to be at 8 pm and that's a long time to be out and about with no hotel.
With a car on hand, drove out the next day to Rainbow Drive In for "authentic" loco moco and shoyu chicken. In general, I think Rainbow is a good choice but the other Drive Ins that I've gone to have closed and Rainbow seems to have held on in these slow economic times.
Went back to the hotel to check out and went to Wal-Mart for some last minute gifts. I would say that Wal-Mart offers better prices than Costco on certain items like coffee. So if you don't have a Costco membership, Wal-Mart is a pretty good option.
Spent my last beach time at the Ala Moana Beach Park. I wasn't sure on a holiday if it would be easy to find parking but I happened to luck out and found a spot very quickly. After spending some time in the water, I headed over to my friend's house for dinner and a quick shower. Thank goodness for friends! Before going to dinner, I did grab some cupcakes from Hokulani Bake Shop from the PearlRidge Mall. The mall is pretty big and there is even a monorail that connects the two parts of the mall. In trying to find the bake shop, I entered the opposite end of the mall and so I ordered haupia pies from McDonald's before getting back in the car to the other side. The monorail costs a dollar and I would rather just move the car than pay to go from one end to the other. When I walked into the bake shop, there were only four cupcakes left in the entire shop so I bought the last ones. So it was disappointing to me to find that the cupcakes were dry and tasteless. Surprising since there are four in Honolulu.....
While waiting at the Honolulu Airport, I found myself in a very different airport. At least from memory, the airport has upgraded itself significantly. As I was thinking that thought, the gate agent made an announcement they were seeking volunteers to go home the next day.... If only I could.... I would not have minded at all!
I flew out a day earlier than I originally anticipated and couldn't find a decent rate at the hotel I booked initially. So I opted to tack on a stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for one night. It has been awhile since I've stayed at this Hilton in Waikiki. I was given a corner ocean view room in the Rainbow Tower. I think I've never stayed anywhere but the Rainbow Tower when I've stayed at this Hilton so I have no idea what the other towers are like. The resort is nice but I find myself not liking the Hilton Hawaiian Village over the years. In this particular trip, I found the breakfast buffet satisfactory. Unfortunate because I used to love the buffet here AND now it costs twice as much. I think the combination of increases in price and less amenities has made me look at other properties.
The next day, I moved to the Doubletree Alana Waikiki Hotel. This particular hotel is geared towards the business traveler but I still like the location, amenities, and price. Overall, I've always found this Doubletree a good combination of value, location, and services. I also appreciate the lack of resort fees!
Even though I was here for a college football game, I did not rent a car on this trip. I relied on The Bus for basic transportation and I found it worked well for my needs. Walked over to Waiola Shave Ice at 2135 Waiola St, Honolulu, HI 96826 for my shave ice! Afterwards, got on the bus to head to Aloha Stadium spending the afternoon/early evening watching football. It's a good thing that Aloha Stadium can serve alcohol, many college stadiums no longer serve alcohol.
The next day, I spent the day learning about Hawaiian culture and history. My friend became a tour guide. The first stop was at the National Memorial Cemetary of the Pacific. It was nice to do something besides beaching and lazing about in Hawaii. After walking the grounds, headed back to the city and made a stop at Shimazu Store at 330 N School St., Honolulu, HI 96817. My friend likes the football sized shave ice here. You do have to eat fast because I lost half of mine to the sidewalk because of the heat. :(
Since I was sticky from all that syrup, I walked over to the McDonald's to freshen up and pick up some haupia pies. I do love my coconut cream fried pies....
With some sugar in our system, headed over to The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. It is a nice museum for families because it had exhibitions in the planetarium, robot dinosaurs, and other interactive science exhibitions.
The next day was a laze about the beach and watch college football day. The continental breakfast at the Doubletree is good but nothing that I would want to keep coming back for. I decided to go to Leonard's Bakery for some malasadas and eat it in the hotel restaurant with some coffee. I had forgotten to pack sunblock and could have gone to a number of places for it but opted to walk over to Foodland. I love the poke here and thought it would make a good dinner. After running errands in the morning, headed out to Hula Dog for lunch. I originally knew it as Puka Dog but it this location underwent a name change. At least it tasted as good as always!
The next day, I thought it would be nice to try malasadas from another vendor and visited Champion Malasadas. I couldn't just eat sweet fried dough in the morning and had some loco moco at Blazin Steaks Atkinson Grill. It isn't a drive in but I found the quality very good.
Spent most of the day back on the beach but in front of the Hilton. The one good thing about the Hilton property is that the beach is actively maintained by the hotel and has very little rocks. There are parts of Waikiki Beach where you have to watch where you put your feet or you can get jabbed. I also had some ice cream from Lappert's Hawaii.
Heading back to the Doubletree I made a wide detour and went back to Waiola Shave Ice for my last shave ice on this trip. Also stopped at the 7-11 to get another bento box for dinner. Since the next day was the last day and also a long day, I opted to rent a car from Dollar at the airport. The return flight home was going to be at 8 pm and that's a long time to be out and about with no hotel.
With a car on hand, drove out the next day to Rainbow Drive In for "authentic" loco moco and shoyu chicken. In general, I think Rainbow is a good choice but the other Drive Ins that I've gone to have closed and Rainbow seems to have held on in these slow economic times.
Went back to the hotel to check out and went to Wal-Mart for some last minute gifts. I would say that Wal-Mart offers better prices than Costco on certain items like coffee. So if you don't have a Costco membership, Wal-Mart is a pretty good option.
Spent my last beach time at the Ala Moana Beach Park. I wasn't sure on a holiday if it would be easy to find parking but I happened to luck out and found a spot very quickly. After spending some time in the water, I headed over to my friend's house for dinner and a quick shower. Thank goodness for friends! Before going to dinner, I did grab some cupcakes from Hokulani Bake Shop from the PearlRidge Mall. The mall is pretty big and there is even a monorail that connects the two parts of the mall. In trying to find the bake shop, I entered the opposite end of the mall and so I ordered haupia pies from McDonald's before getting back in the car to the other side. The monorail costs a dollar and I would rather just move the car than pay to go from one end to the other. When I walked into the bake shop, there were only four cupcakes left in the entire shop so I bought the last ones. So it was disappointing to me to find that the cupcakes were dry and tasteless. Surprising since there are four in Honolulu.....
While waiting at the Honolulu Airport, I found myself in a very different airport. At least from memory, the airport has upgraded itself significantly. As I was thinking that thought, the gate agent made an announcement they were seeking volunteers to go home the next day.... If only I could.... I would not have minded at all!
Comments