Hawaii
Headed out on United Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines to Maui and Oahu. The trip was originally only Oahu but some friends were in Maui for a wedding. Overlapping the end of their trip with the beginning of mine meant an overnight stay in Maui. Since the flight from the mainland to Hawaii was after work, there are not many options for a direct flight into Maui. I opted to book two separate itineraries, one to Oahu and one interisland. Due to the late arrival into Honolulu, I stayed at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani hotel. With the late arrival, I was able to grab a quick bite at the Splash Bar before retiring for the night. The hotel has always been a bit dated in my mind but I haven't been to this Sheraton in a long time. I did find the room slightly upgraded from my previous experience. The bathrooms could stand for a full refurbishment but the room was serviceable. I was also given a pretty good view of the ocean on this trip. The next morning, ate some breakfast at the Pike Terrace and enjoyed the simple buffet offerings. I wouldn't pay $26 for the breakfast but it does hit the spot. Side note, the Sheratons, Westin, and Royal Hawaiian all share an airport shuttle service. It's actually pretty reasonable. I did not catch the amenity until checking into the Westin later in the week. Had I known, it would have been the route I would have taken rather than the taxi.
Uber has made it into Hawaii and ordered one to the airport to catch the Maui flight. An uneventful hour later, I was able to grab my Hertz rental with relative ease. Being a gold member, it allowed me to bypass the tourist crush of checking in and getting the rental paperwork done.
For this overnight stay, I left most of my luggage at the Sheraton and had a day bag for the two days in Maui. Headed out to the Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria hotel, to see what the hype is all about. I've heard of the hotel over the years and how it is considered amazing and pricey at the same time. Fortunately for me, Hilton sent me a hotel certificate for staying at most of their hotel brands and I used it on this trip. The hotel was not ready for me to check in early, apparently the hotel has good occupancy rates (at or above 90% most of the time). The front desk said they would put a rush and call me when ready. (I did not get a call later).
Caught up with friends at the Three's Bar & Grill. On Yelp, there were some references to Diners Dives and Drive-Ins. I wouldn't call this place a dive or diner but the food was good and the service was attentive. I enjoyed my hurricane fries (fries with furikake, cheese, and arare mix), ribs, and chicken wings. There was a discount offer tied to Yelp which the server forgot to put in the bill. I didn't realize it until after I left that the discount wasn't applied. At least the food was good!
After lunch, went on a bar crawl in this little plaza area in Kihei. Went through the Lava Rock Bar & Grill, Life's a Beach Restaurant & Bar, Kahale's Beach Club, Dog & Duck Irish Pub at 1913 S Kihei Rd, Kihei, HI 96753, and What Ales You for the next couple of hours. I was able to watch some college football in all this crawling. All in all, it was fun to go through this local plaza and the bars in the area. It was a good mix of tourists and locals in all the establishments.
The next day, spent the day at the hotel to enjoy the 12 hours before heading back to Oahu. Had a breakfast brunch buffet with sparkling wine at the Grand Dining Room. For the price and what you get, it is well worth getting the buffet at the Grand Dining Room. I especially enjoyed the sushi and poke availability. The scones are really good, I snagged a few as I left the breakfast. The dessert selection was good but I was too full from the bakery items to care much for them.
Afterwards, went out to the pool area and hung out in the various pools/lazy river on property. The pools are pretty impressive and there is a lazy river as well as a jumping hole for folks. The place was packed. What I couldn't tell was if the people in the pools area were hotel guests or members. Apparently, the Grand Wailea offers membership ($2500) to access its facilities as well as give you discounts on certain items such as room and food and Hilton Gold status.
The hotel also offered hospitality suite for those checking out late or for early arrivals. After spending the day in the pool, it was nice to shower and freshen up before heading out to the airport.
The one thing to note is that valet parking is required but the valet always puts two bottles of water in your car when they pull it up for you. I liked the touch. They also do a good job of greeting you with leis or kukui beads upon arrival.
Headed back to Oahu in the evening and checked into the Sheraton again. This time, I had friends who picked me up at the airport to have some tasty chicken from The Alley Restaurant. The next day, I spent the day getting food from Foodland, musubi from Café Isayume (I missed out an a free musubi because I didn't have my ID to show my birthday) and checking into the Hilton Hawaiian Village. As a timeshare owner, the initial booking of the reservation did not allow me to modify the extra nights that was added on. The Grand Islander is the newest tower addition to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Overall, I have enjoyed the one bedroom layout and it has worked out with my visiting friends. The only downside to this tower is that the kid pool area is on the other side of the hotel.
For dinner, had ramen at Baikohken in Waikiki. The ramen was good, not knock your socks off, and the wait was easy. Since I missed out on the free musubi, I opted to cash in on my reward at Starbucks before stopping at this cookie place, Royal Hawaiian Cookie. I didn't think much of the store, simple Japanese, but the free samples lured me in. I got hooked on the almond honey cookie and the sesame cookie. Not cheap but what Japanese dessert ever is?
I had contracted a cold before coming to Hawaii and it escalated into bronchitis. Due to my lack of health, my days in the Hilton consisted of going to the beach for a couple hours of swimming, back to room to rest and answer work emails, and then afternoon activities. On my third day at the Hilton, my evening activity was going to the Brewseum and the Home of the Brave Brewing Company. Run by a very funny and gregarious couple who has a passion for WWII history and Pearl Harbor. There is an interesting collection of donated memorabilia from servicemen. There is a brewery in one building and a museum with a speakeasy in the other. Not easy to park but easy to Uber, the place was interesting and fun. The venue appears to be struggling to keep its nonprofit mission alive and hopefully they will get funding to help with operational expenses. In the meantime, it was pretty cool to see the jeep, Harley, and various prints relating back to WWII.
Later that night, I had dinner back in the hotel and went out to Lappert's for ice cream. Mental note, the hotel will give you a passport of discounts and Lappert's will not allow for discounts if you do room charges. So bring your money!
The next day, I attempted to eat at Hula Dog but found the food stand closed and had a quick lunch at Café Isayume instead. Ended up bumping into a friend from school and caught up on old times. Afterwards, grabbed a Uber to Safeway to get more cough syrup. Across the street, a second location of Waiola Shave Ice at 3113 Mokihana Street, Honolulu HI 96815, made the supermarket stop triple as a run for shave ice and malasadas at Leonard's Bakery. Later that day, grabbed a few drinks at the Tapas Bar in the hotel with other friends who were staying at the hotel. After catching up with them, headed out to Alan Wong's for dinner. The restaurant has became a favorite of mine when in Oahu.
The next day, hung out with a local friend. During the day, I grabbed a quick lunch from Pho Five-O. The Vietnamese sandwich I bought isn't exactly traditional but it was tasty and I would come back. I'm not sure about the other items but I wouldn't be against trying it. I also made a pit stop at Baldwin's Sweet Shop next door for fried garlic. It is pretty potent but if you like garlic, you'll love these "garlic chips." Since we were staying in Waikiki, my local friends went down into the city and we had ramen at Tsujita. Afterwards, had dessert at Nana's Green Tea inside the Waikiki Shopping Center. I really liked the green tea soft serve and the cream anmitsu.
On my last night in Waikiki, I checked into the Moana Surfrider, Westin hotel. I dig the architecture of the hotel. On my last day, I hung out at the beach, people watched in the rocking chairs, and was convinced by the local vendor to buy a Hawaiian spear by Manny Mattos.
I made another attempt to get to Hula Dog at 2442 Kuhio, Honolulu, HI 96815 and was able to get my hot dog. I called ahead to see if they would be open and updated their Yelp business listing to the right intersection. Did a final pit stop at Café Isayume for more musubis for the plane ride home and was given the kama'aina discount. Must be for the frequency during the week because I'm not a local!
My local friend was the Uber ride to the airport and we swung by Shimazu at 3111 Castle St
Honolulu, HI 96815 for some shaved ice and to The Alley restaurant for takeout of more tasty chicken!
At the airport, I had enough time to grab a soda in the United Club Lounge before heading out to the plane. With all the upgrades that have been ongoing, I think the Honolulu location will be one of the last to upgrade. The food did change and there was a selection of local foods. The plane home was new inside and the seat configuration included a tablet holder! Now you can eat and watch your tablet device.
Uber has made it into Hawaii and ordered one to the airport to catch the Maui flight. An uneventful hour later, I was able to grab my Hertz rental with relative ease. Being a gold member, it allowed me to bypass the tourist crush of checking in and getting the rental paperwork done.
For this overnight stay, I left most of my luggage at the Sheraton and had a day bag for the two days in Maui. Headed out to the Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria hotel, to see what the hype is all about. I've heard of the hotel over the years and how it is considered amazing and pricey at the same time. Fortunately for me, Hilton sent me a hotel certificate for staying at most of their hotel brands and I used it on this trip. The hotel was not ready for me to check in early, apparently the hotel has good occupancy rates (at or above 90% most of the time). The front desk said they would put a rush and call me when ready. (I did not get a call later).
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| Grand Wailea Double Bed Room |
Caught up with friends at the Three's Bar & Grill. On Yelp, there were some references to Diners Dives and Drive-Ins. I wouldn't call this place a dive or diner but the food was good and the service was attentive. I enjoyed my hurricane fries (fries with furikake, cheese, and arare mix), ribs, and chicken wings. There was a discount offer tied to Yelp which the server forgot to put in the bill. I didn't realize it until after I left that the discount wasn't applied. At least the food was good!
After lunch, went on a bar crawl in this little plaza area in Kihei. Went through the Lava Rock Bar & Grill, Life's a Beach Restaurant & Bar, Kahale's Beach Club, Dog & Duck Irish Pub at 1913 S Kihei Rd, Kihei, HI 96753, and What Ales You for the next couple of hours. I was able to watch some college football in all this crawling. All in all, it was fun to go through this local plaza and the bars in the area. It was a good mix of tourists and locals in all the establishments.
The next day, spent the day at the hotel to enjoy the 12 hours before heading back to Oahu. Had a breakfast brunch buffet with sparkling wine at the Grand Dining Room. For the price and what you get, it is well worth getting the buffet at the Grand Dining Room. I especially enjoyed the sushi and poke availability. The scones are really good, I snagged a few as I left the breakfast. The dessert selection was good but I was too full from the bakery items to care much for them.
Afterwards, went out to the pool area and hung out in the various pools/lazy river on property. The pools are pretty impressive and there is a lazy river as well as a jumping hole for folks. The place was packed. What I couldn't tell was if the people in the pools area were hotel guests or members. Apparently, the Grand Wailea offers membership ($2500) to access its facilities as well as give you discounts on certain items such as room and food and Hilton Gold status.
The hotel also offered hospitality suite for those checking out late or for early arrivals. After spending the day in the pool, it was nice to shower and freshen up before heading out to the airport.
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| Grand Wailea Hospitality Suite |
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| Grand Wailea Hospitality Suite View from other side of room |
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| Grand Wailea Hospitality Suite Lanai |
The one thing to note is that valet parking is required but the valet always puts two bottles of water in your car when they pull it up for you. I liked the touch. They also do a good job of greeting you with leis or kukui beads upon arrival.
Headed back to Oahu in the evening and checked into the Sheraton again. This time, I had friends who picked me up at the airport to have some tasty chicken from The Alley Restaurant. The next day, I spent the day getting food from Foodland, musubi from Café Isayume (I missed out an a free musubi because I didn't have my ID to show my birthday) and checking into the Hilton Hawaiian Village. As a timeshare owner, the initial booking of the reservation did not allow me to modify the extra nights that was added on. The Grand Islander is the newest tower addition to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Overall, I have enjoyed the one bedroom layout and it has worked out with my visiting friends. The only downside to this tower is that the kid pool area is on the other side of the hotel.
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| Grand Islander Kitchen |
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| Grand Islander dining and living area |
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| Grand Islander King Bed |
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| Grand Islander Infinity Pool |
For dinner, had ramen at Baikohken in Waikiki. The ramen was good, not knock your socks off, and the wait was easy. Since I missed out on the free musubi, I opted to cash in on my reward at Starbucks before stopping at this cookie place, Royal Hawaiian Cookie. I didn't think much of the store, simple Japanese, but the free samples lured me in. I got hooked on the almond honey cookie and the sesame cookie. Not cheap but what Japanese dessert ever is?
I had contracted a cold before coming to Hawaii and it escalated into bronchitis. Due to my lack of health, my days in the Hilton consisted of going to the beach for a couple hours of swimming, back to room to rest and answer work emails, and then afternoon activities. On my third day at the Hilton, my evening activity was going to the Brewseum and the Home of the Brave Brewing Company. Run by a very funny and gregarious couple who has a passion for WWII history and Pearl Harbor. There is an interesting collection of donated memorabilia from servicemen. There is a brewery in one building and a museum with a speakeasy in the other. Not easy to park but easy to Uber, the place was interesting and fun. The venue appears to be struggling to keep its nonprofit mission alive and hopefully they will get funding to help with operational expenses. In the meantime, it was pretty cool to see the jeep, Harley, and various prints relating back to WWII.
Later that night, I had dinner back in the hotel and went out to Lappert's for ice cream. Mental note, the hotel will give you a passport of discounts and Lappert's will not allow for discounts if you do room charges. So bring your money!
The next day, I attempted to eat at Hula Dog but found the food stand closed and had a quick lunch at Café Isayume instead. Ended up bumping into a friend from school and caught up on old times. Afterwards, grabbed a Uber to Safeway to get more cough syrup. Across the street, a second location of Waiola Shave Ice at 3113 Mokihana Street, Honolulu HI 96815, made the supermarket stop triple as a run for shave ice and malasadas at Leonard's Bakery. Later that day, grabbed a few drinks at the Tapas Bar in the hotel with other friends who were staying at the hotel. After catching up with them, headed out to Alan Wong's for dinner. The restaurant has became a favorite of mine when in Oahu.
The next day, hung out with a local friend. During the day, I grabbed a quick lunch from Pho Five-O. The Vietnamese sandwich I bought isn't exactly traditional but it was tasty and I would come back. I'm not sure about the other items but I wouldn't be against trying it. I also made a pit stop at Baldwin's Sweet Shop next door for fried garlic. It is pretty potent but if you like garlic, you'll love these "garlic chips." Since we were staying in Waikiki, my local friends went down into the city and we had ramen at Tsujita. Afterwards, had dessert at Nana's Green Tea inside the Waikiki Shopping Center. I really liked the green tea soft serve and the cream anmitsu.
On my last night in Waikiki, I checked into the Moana Surfrider, Westin hotel. I dig the architecture of the hotel. On my last day, I hung out at the beach, people watched in the rocking chairs, and was convinced by the local vendor to buy a Hawaiian spear by Manny Mattos.
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| Moana Surfrider King Bed |
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| Moana Surfrider Back Porch |
I made another attempt to get to Hula Dog at 2442 Kuhio, Honolulu, HI 96815 and was able to get my hot dog. I called ahead to see if they would be open and updated their Yelp business listing to the right intersection. Did a final pit stop at Café Isayume for more musubis for the plane ride home and was given the kama'aina discount. Must be for the frequency during the week because I'm not a local!
My local friend was the Uber ride to the airport and we swung by Shimazu at 3111 Castle St
Honolulu, HI 96815 for some shaved ice and to The Alley restaurant for takeout of more tasty chicken!
At the airport, I had enough time to grab a soda in the United Club Lounge before heading out to the plane. With all the upgrades that have been ongoing, I think the Honolulu location will be one of the last to upgrade. The food did change and there was a selection of local foods. The plane home was new inside and the seat configuration included a tablet holder! Now you can eat and watch your tablet device.
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