Waikiki

So my first trip of the new year and it's a partial WFH and vacation at the same time. I had hoped that the pandemic would have subsided by the time this trip occurred but it has not been the case. In preparing for this trip, I opted to take the airport test in addition to Walgreens because Clarity Labs would turn the results out within 24 hours. The Walgreens and CVS options were too unpredictable with the three to seven day turnaround. In hindsight, it was a good move as the Walgreens results came two days later with the incorrect date listed on the test taken invalidating the entire test for travel. My companion's results are still pending almost a week later. It seems with the surge in cases, the turnaround time for the pharmacy locations is backlogged. The airport option was reasonably priced and reliable.

Like my recent trip to Big Island, my return is revisiting favorites rather than discovering new places or doing new activities. The United Airlines flight was relatively empty with most passengers being in the military (at least it seems so). Everyone eligible for an upgrade was easily accommodated which is almost unheard of pre-pandemic. I was expecting a long wait for COVID screening at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Not only did the flight arrive 45 minutes but I was able to arrive at the Grand Waikikian within an hour of touching down. The airport staff was ready for the arrivals. Despite needing a manual verification of the COVID negative results, I was comfortably walking out with luggage within 30 minutes. Even with the 10 minute wait for the Lyft driver, I was trying to check in early rather than on time. One of the many changes with the pandemic ongoing.

Despite waiting for the "better room location," I ended up being on a low floor (maybe middle) in the Grand Waikikian tower at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. I did notice a few upgrades in this visit, namely all the appliances are now Samsung. I think the furniture changed and all the Sony Playstation 3/DVD players are now gone. I'm not sure why I need a DVD rental card when there aren't any DVD players in the room.

It was very apparent upon arrival how the past year has ravaged the businesses reliant on tourism in Waikiki. Some of my favorite restaurants have gone completely under and will only be a pleasant memory. I did bump into some long time friends who happened to be in the area as well as those already living in Oahu. Although the current order is no more than groups of five in public, I was able to enjoy some pool or ocean time with them. At the Hilton, only two major pool areas are open and only three eateries are open within the complex.

On my final day, I moved over to the Hilton Garden Inn Waikiki Beach in order to enjoy my last full day in Waikiki. I didn't anticipate leaving the area much and do enjoy staying within a block of my favorite food spots.

On this trip, I discovered DriveHui which looks like the local competitor to Zipcar. Zipcar also has expanded from its one location in the eastern side of Waikiki to include cars at the International Market Place. Despite the expansion, DriveHui is more convenient for my trip this time. The Zipcars are about a 20 minute walk from the Hilton Hawaiian Village compared to five or ten minutes for the DriveHui locations. DriveHui only has Toyota vehicles (I believe the company is owned by a local Toyota dealership) and priced about the same as Zipcar. The cars were great for doing errands like Costco runs or dining outside the Waikiki area.

Dining

Don Quijote - a local supermarket chain in Honolulu. Foodland, Costco, and Sam’s Club are often on my rotation to visit to stock up on essentials but I was in search of local local items such as Aloha Foods Garlic Shrimp Sauce mix. I was not successful in finding said item but I did discover their deli and poke bar section. Much more selection than Foodland, Don Quijote reminds me of the Whole Foods layout for quick service food with a Daiso feel. I was able to enjoy some tasty poke, BBQ eel and pork (the prices for meat is cheapest compared to the other chains).

Original Roy's Hawaii Kai - I wanted to have the ube chocolate soufflé cake but it was not to be. The menu has pared down to basics and the dessert options were the traditional soufflé cake, macadamia tart, or the pineapple cake. Had I known, I would not have grabbed the Zipcar to Hawaii Kai and just ate at the Waikiki location. At least the Waikiki location had a dulce de leche brulee or the peanut butter crunch. On top of that, the restaurant had run out of items such as all the sushi entrees nor did they have the carnivore entrée posted on their electronic menu. The service was ok as well which made the whole experience average.

Kona Purveyors - as much as I'd like to like the coffee, I find the cold brew bitter. I normally only get the pastries from their B. Patisserie partner munching on kouign amanns and cookies.

Waikiki Brewing Company - Not quite like the breweries at home, the Waikiki Brewing Company took over the Cheeseburger location next to the Doubletree Alana Hotel. It still sells Cheeseburger menu items (sister restaurant) but it seems to do better labeled as a brewery? Or maybe because they opened a Cheeseburger elsewhere in Waikiki, this location was rebranded. The pulled pork tater tots were good as was the cheeseburger and gyoza sausage roll. I think the roll for the sausage is too big but still tasty.

Musubi Cafe Iyasume - I was sad to never have seen the Ena location as that is super close to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. I ended up making the walk to the eastern side of Waikiki to get some musubis. The normal eel avocado spam, spicy salmon, and spicy chicken (karaage) are always my go to.

Mochi Do - A competitor has popped up against Modo Doughnuts. Since the location is in the lobby of the  Hawaiian Monarch, it was closer to me at the Hilton than Modo. They were doing a soft opening while I was in the area and so I ordered for pick up. It was tasty and the flavors were on point.

Spitfire - Inside the Duke’s Lane Market and Eatery food hall, Spitfire sells malasadas and mochi malasadas. Since the only mochi malasadas I have had before was only on Big Island, I wondered if the Foodland influence would be inside this food hall. Sure enough, they taste exactly like the ones on Big Island. The malasadas are passable and you are better off going to Leonard’s but if you can’t, ONLY buy the mochi malasadas.

Hula Dog - Wanting my Hawaiian hot dog with garlic sauce fix, I was happy to see the food truck was still selling hot dogs. I was also able to introduce the hot dog to a local (new transplant) and he was hooked.

Waiola Shave Ice - My local friend was kind enough to also drive over to Waiola Shave Ice to let me have my shave ice fix as well. It was also a first for him as well to try.

Lappert's Ice Cream - A Kauai favorite, I enjoyed a waffle cone of Big Island Inspiration and Kauai Pie scoops with some friends.

Alley Restaurant at Aiea Bowl - my local friends did me a favor and brought food from the Alley Restaurant saving me a drive. I was able to enjoy garlic butter shrimp, tasty chicken, crunch cake, pumpkin crunch cake and insanity chocolate cake. Everything was tasty as I remembered. 

Zippy’s - Zippy’s is a mainstay in Hawaii and my friend had a craving for the chili. Since I was with people who had never had Zippy’s, I opted to go and get some chicken and oxtail soup. If you wanted to get sealed bags of frozen chili, it is possible to buy them directly at Zippy’s. I was actually thinking of lugging back the chili bucket but the frozen zipped bags seemed to be a better idea. I was also able to find it at Sam’s Club in Honolulu.

Leonard’s Bakery - I had a craving for malasadas and decided to cruise by since I still had 30 minutes left on my Hui rental. I was able to get the seasonal lilikoi flavor.

McDonald's - Haupia fried pies are in season! Normally, I avoid the Waikiki locations because they don't have fried pies but the Kuhio location seems to cater to local tastes and had the fried pies.