Specific Questions for Honolulu
Mar 16th, 2010, 04:29 PM
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Specific Questions for Honolulu
We will arrive in Honolulu for two nights before going to Kauai for a week. Staying at Royal Hawaiian. We have airport transfers and we aren't renting a car. The day after we arrive I want to go to Pearl Harbor. I thought we'd get a cab from the hotel, very early, maybe 7:00 or 7:30. Any idea what the cost will be on this? From the research I've done it looks quite expensive, maybe $40 each way? If this is the case, we may be better off renting a car and paying for the expensive parking at Royal Hawaiian? Also, what is close by that we could grab a quick, inexpensive, breakfast that early before going to Pearl Harbor? I decided to splurge on accomodations on this trip so trying to keep meal costs more reasonable. Suggestions for other meals in Waikiki are welcome.
Mar 16th, 2010, 05:26 PM
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St. Germaine's Bakery at 2301 Kuhio Avenue is very good. If you Google it, you can see on a little map how close it is to the Royal Hawaiian. They have wonderful croissants among other breakfast things, but I have a hard time passing up the custard-filled, chocolate-iced Long Johns.
The Wailana Coffee Shop is a little walk away, just past the Hilton Hawaiian Village. It is quite reasonable and not just a coffee shop. They have a salad bar, burgers, and full meal menus. We haven't had breakfast there.
The Wailana Coffee Shop is a little walk away, just past the Hilton Hawaiian Village. It is quite reasonable and not just a coffee shop. They have a salad bar, burgers, and full meal menus. We haven't had breakfast there.
Mar 16th, 2010, 06:08 PM
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If you can use your own rental car instead of the two airport transfers and save as well, then yes, you could probably be saving money over all, but may still not be worth it adding in parking at Hotel and at Pearl Harbor, plus the inconvenience of getting and returning the car compared to a simple transfer.
The Wailana Coffee Shop is great for breakfast, and surprisingly quick for a sit down place. They have free parking in the garage under them, by the way if you do end up with a car.
The Wailana Coffee Shop is great for breakfast, and surprisingly quick for a sit down place. They have free parking in the garage under them, by the way if you do end up with a car.
Mar 16th, 2010, 08:33 PM
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Aloha,
I "third" the suggestion for Wailana. It's open 24 hours every day and has a great pancake special...$5.75 for two eggs, two strips of bacon and all you can eat pancakes. Great for a late night snack too!
The hamburger and salad bar is a good deal too...don't know the price, but should be less than ~7.00.
If you're feeling a bit adventurous, eat like the locals and 'go fo one plate lunch'. There's an L&L Barbeque on Kuhio Ave and a food court on the ground floor of Ala Moana Shopping Center with your choose of a dozen or so 'plate lunch' "restaurants". Less than $10 per will get you a heaping plate of your choice of meat (or meats), fries (or sticky rice) and salad (greens or mayonnaise / macaroni salad).
As for a cab, your $40 per way estimate is probably on the low side. If you're not planning to rent a car, I suggest a shuttle to the Memorial. A quick search brought up several that would take you from Wakiki to the Memorial for less than ~$20 per / one way.
You don't say what else you plan to do, but if you do rent a car, do yourself a favor and after your Arizona Memorial visit, take a drive around the island to the North Shore and if possible continue around to the South and East shores back to Waikiki. My friend loves to drive and ride and we take a weekly drive "around the island" just for the heck of it!
Enjoy your visit!
I "third" the suggestion for Wailana. It's open 24 hours every day and has a great pancake special...$5.75 for two eggs, two strips of bacon and all you can eat pancakes. Great for a late night snack too!
The hamburger and salad bar is a good deal too...don't know the price, but should be less than ~7.00. If you're feeling a bit adventurous, eat like the locals and 'go fo one plate lunch'. There's an L&L Barbeque on Kuhio Ave and a food court on the ground floor of Ala Moana Shopping Center with your choose of a dozen or so 'plate lunch' "restaurants". Less than $10 per will get you a heaping plate of your choice of meat (or meats), fries (or sticky rice) and salad (greens or mayonnaise / macaroni salad).
As for a cab, your $40 per way estimate is probably on the low side. If you're not planning to rent a car, I suggest a shuttle to the Memorial. A quick search brought up several that would take you from Wakiki to the Memorial for less than ~$20 per / one way.
You don't say what else you plan to do, but if you do rent a car, do yourself a favor and after your Arizona Memorial visit, take a drive around the island to the North Shore and if possible continue around to the South and East shores back to Waikiki. My friend loves to drive and ride and we take a weekly drive "around the island" just for the heck of it!
Enjoy your visit!
Mar 16th, 2010, 10:17 PM
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Most hotels allow a small refridgerator in the room..some may charge a small fee. We are not very hungry in Hawaii & just go to a nearby store and buy paper plates, plastic forks/spoons, papaya and yogurt or milk & ceral and store in refridge. If stuck, I've used an ice bucket in the room overnight.
If you do go to Wailuna, don't miss the papaya..and the Kings bread toast..
If you do go to Wailuna, don't miss the papaya..and the Kings bread toast..
Mar 17th, 2010, 07:01 AM
#6
breakfasts-
ME Korean BBQ is a great spot, 151 Uluniu Ave, off Kuhio at Royal Grove hotel. Sidewalk patio, friendly people, fresh cooking. I ate breakfast there most days, plate of eggs, bacon (portugese sausage, spam, hash), toast or rice $4.00.
Seaside Bar & Grill, 2256 Kuhio has a $3.75 pancake or $5.95 French toast breakfast special (w/eggs & bacon).
Eggs 'n Things is very popular and a bit fancier, 343 Saratoga ($8-12 range eggs, omelettes, crepes suzette).
The $12.95 breakfast buffet at Shorebird restaurant at the Outrigger Reef hotel is a good value (pastries, juice, fresh tropical fruits, eggs, sausage, hash, steamed fish, fried rice, ham, turkey... and beautiful setting overlooking the beach).
ME Korean BBQ is a great spot, 151 Uluniu Ave, off Kuhio at Royal Grove hotel. Sidewalk patio, friendly people, fresh cooking. I ate breakfast there most days, plate of eggs, bacon (portugese sausage, spam, hash), toast or rice $4.00.
Seaside Bar & Grill, 2256 Kuhio has a $3.75 pancake or $5.95 French toast breakfast special (w/eggs & bacon).
Eggs 'n Things is very popular and a bit fancier, 343 Saratoga ($8-12 range eggs, omelettes, crepes suzette).
The $12.95 breakfast buffet at Shorebird restaurant at the Outrigger Reef hotel is a good value (pastries, juice, fresh tropical fruits, eggs, sausage, hash, steamed fish, fried rice, ham, turkey... and beautiful setting overlooking the beach).
Mar 17th, 2010, 08:57 AM
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>>
This is exactly what I would do. I love Waikiki, but if you haven't been to Oahu previously, you really should take a drive around the island. I'd go to Pearl Harbor (not to be missed), then from there up to the North Shore beaches. Time permitting, I'd cut across the island on the H2/H3 and take a peek at Kailua and Lanikai beaches/town before driving back to Waikiki.
This is exactly what I would do. I love Waikiki, but if you haven't been to Oahu previously, you really should take a drive around the island. I'd go to Pearl Harbor (not to be missed), then from there up to the North Shore beaches. Time permitting, I'd cut across the island on the H2/H3 and take a peek at Kailua and Lanikai beaches/town before driving back to Waikiki.
Mar 17th, 2010, 04:08 PM
#8
For the cost of the cab, you can most likely rent a car for the day from one of the rental locations in Waikiki.
Find one that opens early, then drive to the AZ memeorial. Afterwards, continue out past Mililani to Haleiwa and around the island through Kaneohe, Kailua, Waimanalo, Makapuu, Hanauma Bay, Hawaii Kai. Cut over to the ocean by Kahala Mall and drive into or around Diamond Head before you go back into Waikiki.
Return the car that evening to avoid parking fees.
Find one that opens early, then drive to the AZ memeorial. Afterwards, continue out past Mililani to Haleiwa and around the island through Kaneohe, Kailua, Waimanalo, Makapuu, Hanauma Bay, Hawaii Kai. Cut over to the ocean by Kahala Mall and drive into or around Diamond Head before you go back into Waikiki.
Return the car that evening to avoid parking fees.
Mar 18th, 2010, 04:39 AM
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Great responses and suggestions. After reviewing your posts we called our travel agent and changed our airport transfers to a rental car at no additional cost. This will give us much more flexibility. SF7307 and lcuy, appx how long would the drive around the island after Pearl Harbor take? I expect Pearl Harbor sites to take the full morning and was hoping for a little R&R by the pool or on the beach in the afternoon. We leave for Kauai the next day (flight at 1:42). Would it be feasible to take a morning drive around the island before going to the airport?
Mar 18th, 2010, 04:54 AM
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I'll bet I'm in the minority here, but I would opt for a drive out to the east from Honolulu following the coast on Route 72, then heading back via Pali Highway. (or in reverse). That entire area is breathtaking to me. This could be done in what? -- a couple of hours? The north shore is great for recreation, but I honestly didn't find the drive nearly so scenic as I thought it would be.
Mar 18th, 2010, 08:49 AM
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Now that I realize you only have one free afternoon and one free morning, I think NeoPatrick's idea is a good one. Whether you do the drive that afternoon or in the morning I'll leave to lcuy (I'm really not sure how long it would take to drive around the island in "one shot" -- I've never done it without stopping, and I definitely wouldn't attempt it starting in rush hour and having to get to the airport and what, noon?).
Mar 18th, 2010, 12:13 PM
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I'm realizing that my last post may seem a little confusing since I mentioned following the coast then put down the north shore. The drive I'm talking about is a comparatively short loop, only hitting the southeast "corner" of the island and not venturing north really at all.
Mar 18th, 2010, 08:16 PM
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Live here and like going to Wailana coffee house for breakfast and dinner (hearty but not fancy). I don't know a better diner on Oahu.....but to put that into context I have only been back on the island for 3 years after living in NYC for 10. I came on today to find a new list of restaurants as I am using old haunts from 15 years ago.
Will throw in don't skip Iolani Palace as part of your history tour. You will learn a lot about Hawaiian history here an it will enrich your trip. I can't think of a equal institutional visit on any other island, maybe Bishop museum but the lectures the doses give at Iolani are pretty memorable.
Will throw in don't skip Iolani Palace as part of your history tour. You will learn a lot about Hawaiian history here an it will enrich your trip. I can't think of a equal institutional visit on any other island, maybe Bishop museum but the lectures the doses give at Iolani are pretty memorable.
Mar 18th, 2010, 11:16 PM
#15
If you don't want to go out to the north shore, you could go from Pearl Harbor across H-3 to Kailua, then go south along the coastline according to my previous post in about 1.5 to 2 hours total. Including the north shore would add at least another hour.
If it were me, I'd do my driving all on one day. You're a third of the way to the north shore when you hit the AZ memorial, and if you go early, you should be done there by 10 or 11 am. Pick up a picnic lunch in Haleiwa, a shrimp truck or even Pupukea Foodland and sneak in some beach time on the north Shore. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours to get back to Waikiki and you'll probably still be able to sit by the pool before sunset.
You could fit it in the next morning. Get up early. Leave Waikiki at about 5:30 and go to the Makapuu lighthouse to watch the sun rise. Head north along the east side of Oahu. When you reach Haleiwa, have brunch to wait out the morning rush hour, then head back to Waikiki to check out. Or shorten the trip after the light house by getting breakfast in Kailu, then go across the Pali Hwy from Kailua, and skip the north shore. Stop at the lookout if you do go across the Pali.
Or, you could have a leisurely breakfast, pool time, or even time to visit Iolani Palace that second morning before you get to the airport at about 12:30.
If it were me, I'd do my driving all on one day. You're a third of the way to the north shore when you hit the AZ memorial, and if you go early, you should be done there by 10 or 11 am. Pick up a picnic lunch in Haleiwa, a shrimp truck or even Pupukea Foodland and sneak in some beach time on the north Shore. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours to get back to Waikiki and you'll probably still be able to sit by the pool before sunset.
You could fit it in the next morning. Get up early. Leave Waikiki at about 5:30 and go to the Makapuu lighthouse to watch the sun rise. Head north along the east side of Oahu. When you reach Haleiwa, have brunch to wait out the morning rush hour, then head back to Waikiki to check out. Or shorten the trip after the light house by getting breakfast in Kailu, then go across the Pali Hwy from Kailua, and skip the north shore. Stop at the lookout if you do go across the Pali.
Or, you could have a leisurely breakfast, pool time, or even time to visit Iolani Palace that second morning before you get to the airport at about 12:30.
Mar 19th, 2010, 09:04 AM
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Further to lcuy's post, I just remembered that we went on a 4-hour kayak trip in the morning (out of Kailua), and when that was done, we still crossed the island to Haleiwa, had an early dinner, and drove back to Ko Olina (a little west of Pearl Harbor). The drive across the island is stunning for half the trip.
