trvlgirlmq

First, I want to thank Dusty and MelissaHI for all the great information they have posted on this site. It really helped me in planning this family trip.

Travelers: Myself, my mom (grandma), 2 nephews who are 12 & 6

Reason for trip: to celebrate and congratulate my older nephew on his Bar Mitzvah in January (we went a little early)

Airfare: 3 award tickets $110 (had to move a few miles), 1 ticket purchased for $797 (BNA-HNL)

Hotel: Royal Grove 9 nights $700 incl tax

Rental car/Parking: mid-size $179 incl tax/fees, 9 days at the Waikiki Banyan garage $80

To begin, I let N12 pick the destination. At first he chose Rome. Great. What a trip that would be. As I began planning last year, especially looking to use FF miles for the tickets, I figured I could afford 4 days plus 2 FF tickets. We would have to pay for the other 2.I crunched mileage numbers and saw I had enough for 3 tickets to Mexico, Carribean or Hawaii. I told him to pick one and we would hit Rome when I won the lottery! Hawaii it is.

November 19: Off on a 6 am flight. Too early. Connect in Houston. Arrive 15 minutes early at 1:50 local time. The kids are great travelers and have done the TATL before so just sit back and watch movies (Wall-E 3x for N6). Pick up car and get directions to hotel. They send us on all surface streets so we end up on Ala Moana and get our first glimpse of the ocean. After a quick stop at McDonalds because N6 is hungry (it's dinner time at home) we arrive at the Royal Grove. Check in is fine and grandma and kids haul luggage up to the room while I take care of parking. We are all tired but want to put our feet in the Pacific so we head the 2 short blocks to Waikiki beach. The boys have only been to the Gulf so this is their first glimpse of the beautiful Pacific Ocean. We all get a bit wet and head to get the car for a Wal-mart run to stock up on food. We make it to Wal-mart without too much incident (more on traffic at the end) and shop for breakfast , lunch and snack items. You can get everything you need here but I would recommend spending the bit more money and going to Safeway. There is not much selection at Wal-mart and no fresh fruit/veggies. When we did go to Safeway the next day we were hitting ourselves over the head for wanting to save a few bucks when we saw all the great things they had. Lesson learned for next time. Finally back to the hotel as the kids were starting to drop. We had a quick dinner of sandwiches then to bed at 8:30.

November 20: We were all up at 4:30. Ugh. We lazed around until a decent hour to leave the hotel (7:30). We brought our picnic lunch and beach stuff and set off to drove the Souhtern rim of the island. We stopped at Halona Blowhole/Cove. Amazing. The views were great and we got our first look at the apparently wild chickens that inhabit the island. Made a couple other stops and scenic outlooks to stand in awe and take pictures of the kids. Drove on to Kailua Beach Park. The surf seemed strong but we played at the shoreline anyway. Always vigilant for the little one. We had breakfast so early that we were starving for lunch so we had our picninc on one of the tables at the park. We left about 12:30 and headed back to the hotel (with a stop at Safeway for fruit and ice cream) to rest and N6 wanted to swim in the pool. That evening we went to the International Market to look around, shop and have Chinese for dinner. We were all tired out from our first full day.

November 21: It was a bit overcast today and a storm was on it's way. We went to Chinatown and wandered around a bit. Stopped at one of the little restaurants for a snack of manapua (not sure if I got that right). They are a sweet bread with filling. We tried the kahlua pork and linguisa. So yummy. The kids really liked these and we could all have made them lunch but stopped at 1 each. We headed to Iolani Palace for the Royal Hawaiian band concert they have on Friday. I could'nt find parking and wasn't sure where a public garage was so we missed it. Went back to the hotel and wanted to hit the beach but found out the jellyfish had arrived. Grandma and I sat by the pool while N6 swam and N12 went to the room to watch TV. Went walking around that night and had KFC for dinner and stopped at International Market again.

December 22: The storm had arrived. We woke to gray skies, rain, wind and chilly temperatures. Where had our tropical vacation gone? We went to Pearl Harbor since the beach was out of the question. We walked right in and got our tickets. We had about a 30 minute wait so we grabbed lunch from the snack shop. Our movie was delayed due to technical problems and we had to change theatres. All in all about 45 minutes from the time we walked in to the movie beginning. The boat ride was damp and cold but well worth it once we arrived at the memorial. It is very eery to be so close to the ship. Parts of it stick out of the water. It is still raining when we leave so we decide to go back to the hotel for some down time. Once the rain lets up a bit grandma and the kids go to find the post office to mail post cards to everyone at home. I stay behind for more relaxing. When they return we head to Denny's for dinner.

November 23: It's overcast today but the rain is gone. Unfortunately, the jellyfish have not. We head to Diamond Head to conquer the mountian. The hike isn't as difficult as I had thought until you reach the stairs. Those things will kill you. My thighs hurt for 2 days after. It's all worth it when you reach the top. Just spectacular. The hike down was much easier and we stopped at one of the little lookouts for a snack. I couldn't believe I was sitting on a volcano overlooking the ocean. Just amazing. We drove up the middle of the island to the North Shore to see if we could see any big waves. Apparently they were not coming in that day. We did see some surfers and the kids played in the sand at Ehukai beach. We had our first plate lunch in Haleiwa. Very tasty. On our way back to the hotel we stopped at the Dole Plantation. We didn't do any of the attractions but wanted to sampel the famous Dole Whip. I shared a bowl with fresh pineapple on it with grandma and N6. It was out of this world. N12 didn't want to try it so he had chili fries. Fool.

November 24: Drove the Pali Hwy and stopped at the lookout. It was just as windy as I had heard. Again, amazing views. Is there anywhere without one? On the other side we stop at the Byodo-In Temple. It is very peaceful. Of course it is located in the back of a cemetary so that might help. The koi pond is full of the biggest, fattest fish I have ever seen. After leaving we drove up the windward coast oohing and aahing at the beauty of the ocean, mountains and everything in between. We stopped for lunch at Giovanni's Shrimp truck. It was crowded and the wait was long but it was so worth it. Best lunch we had the entire trip. We continued on the coast road around the North Shore this time stopping at Waimea Bay. The surf was strong but it didn't stop us, or hoards of other people, from playing in the waves. This is a beautiful spot and I would love to go back when the swimming is desirable.

November 25: We finally get to Waikiki beach. The jellyfish are gone! Hooray. We spent the morning swimming and playing in the sand. I didn't realize that the water was not very deep here at all. We walked out really far and it still never got above my waist (and I am really short). This is a great place for smaller kids because of that. Also, the surf was never that strong. The only downside is that the floor under the water is almost all rock. Definitely wear water shoes here. I didn't but mainly floated on my back until I would get back to shore where it was sand. We went back to the hotel for lunch and a nap. I could get used to this kind of vacation. That evening we watched the Kings Guard do their nightly flag ceremony and show. They take down the Hawaii state flag and then do some manuevers with rifles. The boys loved this. After, we walked down the main street (Kalakaua) to watch street perfomers.

November 26: We decide to head back to the Windward side today. We stop to hike the Makapu'u Lighthouse trail. It's all uphill at a very steady incline. If you are out of shape like me go slow. There was no shade to help and it was a very sunny, hot morning. We made it to the top and again had amazing views. The lighthouse was not so impressive however. We decided that if/when we return we will never do that again. On to Kailua beach again for swimming. Today is very windy and the surf is strong again. We didn't stay very long. On the drive back we take the H-3. Our guidebook said it was the most scenic way across. It was super pretty with all the green and the tunnel was fun too. Once on the other side we turn away from Honolulu and go North. Tomorrow is our last day and we must experience the Dole Whip again. This time it's cones for all and N12 admits how great it is. Tonight is a Thanksgiving dinner sponsored by the owners of the Royal Grove. They provide the turkey and ham and all the guests bring a side dish. We stopped on our way back at Safeway for a pie. Dinner is set up poolside and buffet. We had a great time. Mr. Fong and his band play Hawaiian music and there were several ladies who did hula. It was a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving.

November 27: We lazed about today watching the Macy's parade, doing laundry and packing. We go for one more walk and hit the ABC store one more time. After lunch it is one more swim at the beach. We shower, finish packing and head out for dinner. We end up with pizza. We pack up the car and go to the airport for our 10 pm flight. Everyone is sad to be leaving. We had such a wonderful time and saw so many beautiful places. We arrive home ontime the next afternoon.

This was a fantastic trip for us. I never thought I could afford Hawaii but with a lot of research to seek out budget accommodations and by eating in and local much of the time we were able to do it.

My really big peeve with Honolulu was the traffic. I have never seen such a congested city and I have driven in LA, SF and Boston. The lack of left turn signals still amazes me. I would still choose renting a car over not though. I know the bus can get you everywhere but it is so much simpler to be on your own time.

A couple more observations and opinions:
The beach at Waikiki is not that great. It is small and crowded. We also did not like that the water wasn't very deep and the floor was rocky. Much better beaches in other places.
For the most part everyone was friendly. We had a cashier at Dole Plantation who wasn't at her most pleasant. A couple of the front desk folks at the hotel were kind of snooty too. Other than that the Aloha spirit is strong.

This was the most relaxing vacation I have ever had. We took more days and it really helped. Usually we have to push all we want to do into about 5 days. I think this is one place I would really like to return to. My niece will be old enough to travel with us soon so maybe in a couple of years.

Favorite place/thing:
Me: Waimea Bay
Grandma: Dole Whip
N12: Pearl Harbor
N6: climbing Diamond Head

elsiemoo

What lucky nephews you have! Glad that you enjoyed your trip so much. (You mentioned Waikiki Beach being shallow and rocky. That must just be the section that you were on, because I didn't find much of Waikiki Beach to be like that?) How did you find the Royal Grove ... clean, friendly, no complaints? I hear such mixed reviews of the place, but your Thanksgiving there sounds like great fun, and many would stay nowhere else.

Thanks for sharing with us!

trvlgirlmq

elsiemoo - My mom's first words upon entering the room were, "It's a dump". The beds weren't the most comfy but everything worked. We had fresh towels every other day and the water pressure was great. Some of the furniture was broken (chair back, etc). The lobby is shabby too. If you are not a motel 6 or Travelodge type person I would recommend somewhere else. The location is not to be beat though. We could see the ocean from the lanai. Most people who have that view are paying three times what we did. A couple of the front desk staff were not friendly but others were. It seems there is a lot of repeat business. We met many Canadians who come for the same 2-3 weeks every year. I would stay again just for the price and location.

The part of the beach were visited was right at the Duke statue. I don't know if the shallowness had to do with tides or time of year but the 6 yo had to go way out to not be able to touch bottom. The surfers were out as far as boats and still didn't seem that deep.

dusty56438

Nice trip report.

I'm glad you like our island.

aloha

Great trip report! The Thanksgiving dinner at the Royal Grove sounds like a very nice experience.

For your future planning, if you want to really swim at Waimea, there is usually no surf there in the summertime.

trvlgirlmq

Thanks, Aloha. I knew about the seasonal variances in surf. With kids in school we are limited to school vacations. I think we are going to try for Fall Break 2010 for our next visit. Should be the last week of Sept or first week of Oct. Probably not much difference from the time we were there but summer is too expensive for 6 peopel to travel.

Barbara5353

What a great report! Just proves that 4* hotels and expensive tours are not necessary to have a great time in Hawaii. My friends wonder how I can afford to go 2-3 times a year. Like you, I stay in inexpensive places and avoid pricy restaurants. Next time you might try one of the other islands where driving is much easier. On Oahu I stay on the windward side or north shore so I can avoid freeways and Honolulu traffic, which I find very intimidating.

suze

Thanks so much for the detailed trip report. Very interesting to read. I also do Waikiki on a budget so like to hear other people's experiences. Mahalo.

Next time ;-) there's a Food Pantry grocery store right in central Waikiki. Prices are likely a bit higher but you wouldn't even have to get in the car and they have lovely fresh produce, etc.

trvlgirlmq

Barbara - I think we learned a lot about what to do and not do for the next time. We won't be going back for a couple of years and are trying to decide if we want to return to Oahu so my sis and niece can have the same experiences or if we want to go to the Big Island. Lots to research!

Suze - I did eventually see the Food Pantry while walking around. Going to the new Safeway wasn't that bad it was the rest of the city I had objections to.

It really was great and now that it is cold and snowy I can look back and remember the great breezes and blue skies and plan for next time.