Southwest Airlines was doing a companion pass promotion over the summer if you flew to Hawaii and I jumped on the deal. The promotion required you to fly to any island of Hawaii from the mainland during the summer to trigger a free companion pass period in Fall (October and November). It's almost like a BOGO offer and so my partner opted to trigger the promotion rather than both of us doing it. I flew on points rather than paying cash.
A second promotion from Southwest occurred after the summer for a free companion pass in January and February that I did trigger by flying for the day to Las Vegas. The second promotion did not require a destination, just a roundtrip flight during the window of time and I spent the day getting lunch at the McCarran Las Vegas Airport. Not that exciting.
For this post, I'm opting to combine my two Honolulu trips into one post for sake of brevity/repetition. Given the duration of the trip, the focus was mainly either meeting up with friends or eating at favorite locations before heading home.
On this first trip to Hawaii, checked into the
Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. I haven't stayed at this property since 2018 and it has changed/updated since my last visit. I had shied away from staying at the Sheraton with so many other properties in the area that was more updated at similar price points. On this particular trip and last-minute travel plans, the Sheraton ended up being the most cost effective option and so decided that it was time to revisit this property.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the interior had been updated and the musty smell is gone within the hotel. It was drizzly one evening and I ended up having drinks at the hotel bar with a friend spending even more time within the hotel.
On the second trip to Hawaii, checked into the
Hilton Grand Vacations Club Hokulani. For short, small group trips, I enjoy booking the HGV location in the beachwalk area. It is convenient to all my favorite food location and it is an easy enough walk to the beach. The rooms are all considered one bedroom suites which suits me fine.
 |
| HGVC Hokulani Double Bed Suite Living Room |
 |
| HGVC Hokulani Double Bed Suite Bedroom |
 |
| HGVC Hokulani Balcony Ocean View |
I did notice that the erosion of Waikiki Beach has dramatically changed the beach access as most of the beach is gone where the Sheraton Waikiki sits. The beach now is split into two sections, northwest of the Sheraton and southeast of the Sheraton.
Dining Trip 1
Broke Da Mouth - met some local friends at this Big Island based restaurant. I had heard they opened a location in Oahu and found that they were close to some friends living in Ewa Beach. Met them for lunch and enjoyed my favorite plate lunch and ube ice cream cake!
 |
| Broke Da Mouth Garic Shrimp and Spicy Chicken lunch plate |
 |
| Broke Da Mouth Beef Bone Loco Moco |
 |
| Broke Da Mouth Ube Ice Cream Cake |
The Wave Bar - Inside Wai Kai, wave park and lagoon, our friends wanted to hang out for some drinks after Broke Da Mouth. Since I was very full from lunch, I nursed my one cocktail and the group ordered some snacks to eat with their drinks. Overall, fun place to sit and hang out but not sure if I would want to eat dinner here.
Penny's Malasadas - located in the Royal Hawaiian Food Court area, it is an option for tourists to get malasadas. To be honest, there are a number of places you can get malasadas and I would give them an average rating. Ever since I have had mochi malasadas, I don't love most malasada shops on the island. Penny's isn't any better than the local market/shops in Waikiki. If you were not going to take a bus to Leonard's I would suggest getting the mochi malasadas from the ABC stores.
Little Vessels Donut Company - when renting a car for the day, I always try to maximize the use of the car by getting things outside of Waikiki. On this trip, I opted to try out this ghost kitchen donut shop that I've been following on Instagram. Definitely follow the instructions they post about when and how to purchase the doughnuts. I opted to buy a couple to try and enjoyed them all. If I had to choose between a malasada and their doughnuts, I would choose Little Vessels.
Splash Bar - Inside the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, I've always enjoyed getting lava flows from their bar even when I'm not staying at the hotel and just walking by. The easy access off the street allows you to get to their bar and order takeaway drinks. Met up with a friend and enjoyed the typical kitschy group cocktail drink. This one had flames coming out of the middle. Also, the bar will validate for four hours of parking if you are not local to Waikiki (minimum spend of $25).
 |
| Splash Bar |
Kona Coffee Purveyors - No trip to Waikiki is without a stop at my favorite bakery (B. Patiserrie)/coffee shop for my cravings of kouign amanns and cookies. I also went again in "Dining Trip 2."
 |
| B. Patiserrie Matcha Tiramisu |
 |
| B. Patiserrie Chocolate Chip Cookie, Butter Mochi, Financier, Kouign Ammans, Scone |
Musubi Cafe Iyasume - And of course, my to go snacks of spicy chicken musubis and spicy tuna musubis must be had. I also went again in "Dining Trip 2."
Dining Trip 2
Momosan Ramen & Sake - I've always gotten curious with Chef Morimoto ever since I had his 'instant' ramen and, of course, through the Food Network. I didn't go to the flagship restaurant (I had flirted with the idea in the past) but thought maybe their casual restaurant concept is a better option to try. It's good but not good enough for me to return. There are so many independent quality ramen shops local to me that I wouldn't want to go in Waikiki and to here specifically. I did enjoy the bao fried crab!
 |
| Momosan Ramen |
 |
| Momosan Poke Bowl |
 |
| Momosan Yellowtail Roll |
 |
| Bao Fried Crab |
Double Fat Ice Cream - Both Momosan and Double Fat are attached to the same hotel, Alohilani Resort. Just both are in opposite corners of the building. Where Momosan is facing the main boulevard and super visible, Double Fat sits in the side parking lot area as a food truck spot. The ice creams are good and the restaurants should serve it inside in my opinion. Pricey but tasty! If you can, the pint is the better option and I would do that next time when at the HGVC.
 |
| Double Fat Ice Cream Kona Coffee and Coconut |
Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin - I've been following this restaurant for a few year. During the pandemic, it was too slammed to every consider ordering but now that tourism has slowed down, I was able to order food online for pick up. Luckily, it was right next door to the HGVC Hokulani so the food didn't suffer much in transit time. Overall, I enjoyed the curry rice and katsu sando. It hit the spot nicely. I'll have to try sitting down and eating there one day.
 |
| Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin Pork Katsu Sandwich |
 |
| Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin Pork Katsu Curry Rice |
Hawaiian Cane Juice - I'm always a fan of sugar cane juice. Outside the Royal Hawaiian Center mall near the escalators to the food court, there are two street kiosks and one is the sugar cane juice. I'm usually a fan of kumquat sugar cane and it hit the spot on a hot afternoon.
Halekulani Bakery - The Halekulani Hotel is an iconic Hawaiian hotel and they operate their own bakery across the street from the hotel main entrance. I've often read about this bakery and wanted to try since it was so close to the HGVC Hokulani. With very limited hours and only open one day of the weekend I was in town, I ran down to grab an assortment of pastries. The croissants and coconut cake were very good. B. Patisserie still the best kouign amman but they have very good alternatives.
 |
| Halekulani Bakery Croissants, Sticky Bun, Kouign Ammans, Coconut Cake |
ABC Stores - Not all ABC stores are the same in Waikiki. In the Beachwalk, there are two. The one attached to the Imperial Hawaii Resort Lobby has a deli/takeout counter in the back. You'll also find the infamous mochi malasadas and I always grab a few when I see them. It's also great for snacks and drinks as well.
 |
| ABC Stores Mochi Malasadas Ube and Regular |
Comments