Big Island and Oahu Trip Report!
Sep 7th, 2006 | 07:51 PM
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Big Island and Oahu Trip Report!
Aloha! 
My husband and I just got back from an awesome ten-day trip to the Big Island and Oahu. We got tons of help from Fodorites while planning the trip, so hopefully this trip report will be helpful to someone!
DAY 1
Deaprted Philly for Kona, with a layover in Phoenix, on US Airways / America West. Smooth flights, friendly service, and landed right on time. We even got our own row on the way to Kona. Rented a Jeep from Alamo (no problems) and set off on the 30-minute drive to the Hilton Waikoloa, which was mostly spent saying, “Hey, we’re actually in Hawaii!” So we arrived at...
The Hilton Waikoloa. Amazing! We stayed in the Ocean Tower. Quiet and convenient. Nice view of palm trees from our room. The hotel grounds are massive; there was a tram and boat available, but we enjoyed the loooong walk on foot, especially since there’s a “museum walk” with art on display. The hotel wasn’t overly crowded while we were there, and we could have easily spent five days on the grounds and not gotten (too) bored. Got dinner and some tropical drinks at Lagoon Grill, which was tasty and overlooked the dolphin lagoon. Got one of the best Grand Marnier margaritas I've had outside of Mexico. Then, disobeying the cardinal rule of jet lag, we went to bed at 6:30 pm.
DAY 2
Woke up at 2:30 am. Oops! Forced ourselves to stay half-asleep until 5:30, then got up and headed for our free breakfast (Perfecting Paradise package deal through the Hilton website) at Palm Terrace. I could go on for paragraphs about this buffet. No runny eggs and stale toast here. An omelet station, eggs, good hash browns, fresh fruit, every kind of bread, muffin, and meat you can imagine, and even salmon and rice. Yum. Then we headed for...
Volcanoes National Park! The drive took a little over two hours, taking the northern route from Waikoloa. Stopped at Foodland in Waimea for a case of bottled water, the smartest thing we did all week. At HVNP, we stopped at Volcano House for a hot dog at Uncle George’s, which was plenty after all that breakfast. Then we drove to the start of the Kilauea Iki crater hike. Four miles round-trip. We opted to do the counter-clockwise loop, which entails a long downhill walk through the rainforest, a flat walk across the crater, and a short but steep uphill finish through woods. The walk through the crater was worth every second. It’s stark and unreal. It’s also (thank goodness) about 20 degrees cooler in HVNP than at sea level. Took about five million pictures, then we drove (less than a minute) to the Thurston Lava Tube. A short, cool (temperature-wise and scenery-wise) walk. Then we drove the loop around Crater Rim Drive, stopping to hike Devastation Trail, visit the Jaggar Museum, and gape at the Halemaumau crater before starting the 30-minute drive down Chain of Craters Road. Gorgeous scenery the whole way, so the drive flies by. Parked at the end and walked to the Holei Sea Arch, then started to hike to the lava flow. Well, sort of. It’s about 1/2 mile to the lava field from the parking area, then another 1/4-mile across lava to the lookout point on the coast, but they give you the wink-and-nod option to walk another 3.5 miles past the trail to get up close and personal with the lava flow. My husband and I walked three miles of it, but bailed on the last half mile so we could get back to the lookout point before sunset. There was no moon
while we were there, and we had one very questionable drugstore flashlight between us. The lava is uneven and sharp as glass, and the steam plume shifted over us for awhile, which was uncomfortable. (Ah, the sweet smell of ash, acid, and glass particles!) We decided a broken ankle might hamper the rest of our trip, so we headed back to the lookout. Watched the red glow from a half-mile away rather than a few hundred feet, and we were totally satisfied. It's still a close-up view of the creation of new land, and the endless expanse of black while you’re walking is enough to remind you that you’re standing on earth that’s younger than you are. Ate dinner at Thai Thai, which was fast and excellent.
After hiking 16 miles, the drive back to our hotel was the longest two hours of my life. If you’re going to stay there past dark, I absolutely recommend staying nearby for the night.
DAY 3
A more low-key day. Got up early and ate at the Orchid Cafe. Decent vegetable "spa omelet,” but we spent the whole time pining for the Palm Terrace buffet. Then we drove to Kona Boys to rent a kayak. Drove to Kealakekua Bay to launch. The $5 in and $5 out we paid the locals to help us launch was the best value we got; it was low tide and we couldn’t have done it alone. No dolphins that we could see, but the scenery is amazing. Kayaked to Captain Cook, where we went snorkeling. The rocks are slippery there and the surge doesn’t help, but we eventually stumbled in and saw some gorgeous fish. Dropped off our kayak and drove to Place of Refuge, which was small but pretty. I’m glad we didn’t drive an hour just to see it, but it was worth the trip while we were nearby. Stopped at Surfin’ Ass on the highway for Donkey Balls, which are nothing less than a culinary masterpiece. Went back to our hotel and watched the sunset from the pool. Ate a FANTASTIC dinner at Donatoni’s at the Hilton Waikoloa. I ordered fettucine with a garlic cream sauce and bacon. It was either delicious or healthy: can you guess which?
DAY 4
Woke up and realized that a 3:30 flight to Oahu was a dumb idea. After breakfast at Palm Terrace (mmm, mmm, mmm!) we tried in vain to kill four hours with all our luggage in a Jeep. Finally drove to Four Seasons and parked in the beach access lot. Wandered around for an hour, then drove to the airport three hours before our flight was scheduled. UGH. The Kona airport gift shop is great, though, and cheap! Landed in Oahu, rented another Jeep from Alamo (again, no problems) and began the check-in process at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, which went badly. Our room wasn’t ready, so they offered us a free dinner, which turned out to be “chicken or beef.” Blah. We picked beef, ate, went back...still no room. Now we got cocktail vouchers. Standard cocktails with bottom-shelf liquor. We took our drinks and walked along Waikiki Beach for a while and watched the gorgeous sunset. Finally, three hours later, our room materialized! (In addition to two breakfast vouchers!) It was a partial oceanview in the Tapa Tower, so that was a pleasant surprise. We dropped off our stuff and set out to explore the hotel, which is huge, and set up like a small village, with surf shops, designer boutiques, and restaurants lining the “streets.” It’s almost like a mini-Waikiki.
DAY 5
Breakfast at the Rainbow Lanai breakfast buffet, which was a little better than average (except for the mac-nut bread, which was way, way above average!) but not worth its $21 price tag. For free, though, it was totally worth it. Then we drove to Kailua via the Pali Highway, stopping at the Nuuanu Pali Lookout to admire the crazy scenery. The topography is unlike anything we’d ever seen, with green cliffs diving down to the shoreline. Then we headed for Kailua Beach Park, our new favorite beach. It’s a long white beach with crystal-blue water, gentle waves, and mountains in the distance. We swam for a few hours, then got lunch at Buzz’s Steakhouse right across the street. Busy, noisy, and friendly. We both ordered the teriyaki steak sandwich and loved it. Then, back to the beach for more much-needed laziness. Finally we went back to our hotel for dinner at Golden Dragon. We had an E-book coupon and ordered one of those chef’s specials, where they keep bringing you food until you start to feel like that guy in Seven. It was delicious, although living in a town with Chinese restaurants on every corner, it’s hard to pay $90 for Chinese food, no matter how good it is (and it was goooood).
DAY 6
Woke up early and tried the Tapa Cafe breakfast buffet. Eh. It was kind of lackluster and short on options. But good enough, and free, and open at 5:30, which was important since it was Hanauma Bay day! Got there around 7:00, walked right up to the admissions window, and waited five minutes for the safety/reef preservation video before we were ready to hit the beach. The water is cloudy (and that’s before it got crowded) but the fish are so nonchalant that they’ll swim two feet away from you. We saw amazing fish and lots of 'em. We swam over the coral because we’re comfortable in the water, but there are plenty of sandy spots for beginners. Saw several people panic and STAND on the coral. Arrgh. Maybe they slept through the video?
After a few hours of snorkeling, we headed to Diamond Head, which was my personal hell. It was well over 90 degrees, and it’s just under a mile of constant uphill. It’s not the physical exertion so much as the heat and direct sunlight; I felt like my skin was melting.
But the view from the top was beautiful. Still, it felt like a tourist trap. I liked almost everything else better.
The meal at Kona Brewing Co made up for it. We got a “Pele’s Own” pizza, which may have had peppers on it and some other fixins but I ate it so fast that I don’t really remember anything between seeing the pizza and then exclaiming, approximately two seconds later, “That was an awesome pizza!” We bought a pint glass to commemorate our awesome pizza.
That night, we headed to the Royal Hawaiian luau. We met up with friends from home who were honeymooning. The food was thoroughly mediocre, but the show was fun and kitschy, with guitar players and Hawaiian hula and Tahitian dancers and a Samoan fire dancer. Our friend described it as “hotel-y,” but that’s what we’d expected. Once you pay $60 for a pork roast, you know you’re not getting an authentic experience, so we just enjoyed the show and the free drinks. The mai tais and pina coladas were much better than the food. Afterwards, we went to the Mai Tai Bar for more tropical beverages. The Royal Hawaiian was beautiful and very old-Hawaii, but we preferred the HHV -- the beach was quieter, and our room had a lanai, which we practically lived on in the evenings.
DAY 7
No more free breakfasts, so we ate Quaker oatmeal bars and headed to the North Shore! We started with an 8:00am ATV tour of Kualoa Ranch. We opted for the one-hour tour. It was uneventful (and my husband was mad about the throttle-stop on the ATV) and the guide didn’t point anything out until we stopped halfway through in a valley. Then he pointed out the trailers for LOST below us. My husband and I spent the next few minutes staring, trance-like, at the white specks in the trees. Alas, we didn’t see our celebrity crushes (Evangeline for him, Adewale for me). We have a serious addiction to LOST. When it finally goes off the air we are going to have to take up gambling, or chain smoking. Anyway, the quiet tour guide wasn’t a problem, because the scenery really is pretty enough to speak for itself.
Then we headed to Romy’s Shrimp Hut, which was so amazingly fresh and tasty, although the shrimp came with heads and eyes still attached. My husband was a little unnerved to see his food giving him stinkeye, but the sweet ‘n’ spicy sauce helped him work through the uneasiness.
Our next stop was the Turtle Bay Resort, where we planned to walk the Green Trail to a pretty banyan tree, but gave up after a half mile when we realized the “Green Trail” was just a maintenance road behind a golf course. We left and drove to the Banzai Pipeline, which was roped off because of a rough shorebreak. So we went to Waimea Bay instead, where we failed to find parking, so we backtracked to Sunset Beach. It was the perfect beach, long and wide with super-soft sand. I forewent the beach towel and laid down right in the shorebreak while my husband snorkeled. No fish sightings, but he was content watching the current move the sand around. This may have been the most relaxing hour or two of our trip. Finally, we finally got hungry and headed to Haleiwa Joe’s for the best Cajun ahi sandwich ever made anywhere since the beginning of time, IMHO.
That night, we got dinner at Nick’s Fishmarket in Waikiki. Again, we had an E-book coupon. The service was friendly without being overbearing, and gracious without being pretentious. That’s the best way I can explain it. We both ordered the mahi-mahi, and both gave it five stars out of five.
Yum! And double-yum to the sourdough bread, and one last yum to the China Mist raspberry tea they served. Wish we’d eaten there earlier, so we would’ve known to go twice.
Then we went back to the hotel for a drink, and my husband sat in vomit at the cafe.
amp; Free dry cleaning from the hotel, but we would have preferred, say, a time machine so the staff could go back in time and clean it up before we sat down.
DAY 8
Pearl Harbor! We got up early and headed over, and got tickets for the sixth group. Hooray! Only a 45-minute wait for the movie and ferry, which was easily passed in the museum reading the amazing stories of the troops stationed there that day. Let me say this, and please don’t flame me: Though I fully understand the importance of both, I generally don't like history and really don't like war, and I was going to Pearl Harbor purely to appease my history-loving husband. That said, I was impressed once we got there. It’s one of the few museums that actually brings history to life, and they have Pearl Harbor survivors volunteering who are so interesting to talk to. The ferry ride was short, and the memorial was well done. The smell of fuel was overpowering, but it creates an effect. By the time we left, we were dumping money in the donation box. So, even for the completely uninterested, I now get why this is a must-see.
After that, we went to the Aloha Stadium swap meet. It was a fun walk, but we only bought a beach towel. For the 50-cent admission, who cares? We got a great stromboli from a vendor and finally ate a malasada with cinnamon and sugar, which was phenomenal.
Came back to nap, but there was some ear-splitting drilling going on in the room above us. The manager credited us for the inconvenience and we napped by the pool instead.
That night, we walked to Duke’s Canoe Club, waited forever, and finally got a great seat overlooking the pool and, if we squinted, the ocean. Unfortunately after the long wait, the bar menu (sandwiches, appetizers) sounded better than the dining room menu (fish, fish, fish) but we could only order from the dining room menu, since that's where we were sitting. I ordered mahi mahi roasted firecracker, which was excellent but not as good as my mahi-mahi the night before. Afterwards, we walked through Waikiki and marveled at the people shopping at Hermes and Tod’s, spending as much on handbags as we spent on our whole vacation.
DAY 9
We were bummed to be coming to the end of our vacation, but our flight home didn’t leave until 10:00pm, so we decided to go back to Kailua Beach Park. On the way, we stopped at Boots and Kimo’s for pancakes. I don’t think I can accurately describe these pancakes without breaking commandments. The pancakes are fluffier than is possible by all laws of chemistry, and the creamy mac nut sauce tastes like melted ice cream. We waited 45 minutes for a seat and would do it again tomorrow. If I lived in Kailua, I would weight four times what I do now.
Later that day, we killed time at the Tropics Beach Bar at the HHV, drinking fruity things and eating their awesome nachos and decent pizza. Then we watched a hula show by the pool (nothing too exciting, but free and convenient) and finally headed for the airport. Bye, Jeep. Bye, Hawaii!
DAY 10
This day only weaseled its way into our itinerary by virtue of the six-hour time change, but I’m giving it its own little space in my trip report because I want to give a shout-out to US Air and the Philly airport. We landed as Ernesto was making its way up the East Coast, and loads of flights were cancelled and airports closed. And guess what? We landed right on time, to the minute. No better way to end a trip.
My husband and I just got back from an awesome ten-day trip to the Big Island and Oahu. We got tons of help from Fodorites while planning the trip, so hopefully this trip report will be helpful to someone!
DAY 1
Deaprted Philly for Kona, with a layover in Phoenix, on US Airways / America West. Smooth flights, friendly service, and landed right on time. We even got our own row on the way to Kona. Rented a Jeep from Alamo (no problems) and set off on the 30-minute drive to the Hilton Waikoloa, which was mostly spent saying, “Hey, we’re actually in Hawaii!” So we arrived at...
The Hilton Waikoloa. Amazing! We stayed in the Ocean Tower. Quiet and convenient. Nice view of palm trees from our room. The hotel grounds are massive; there was a tram and boat available, but we enjoyed the loooong walk on foot, especially since there’s a “museum walk” with art on display. The hotel wasn’t overly crowded while we were there, and we could have easily spent five days on the grounds and not gotten (too) bored. Got dinner and some tropical drinks at Lagoon Grill, which was tasty and overlooked the dolphin lagoon. Got one of the best Grand Marnier margaritas I've had outside of Mexico. Then, disobeying the cardinal rule of jet lag, we went to bed at 6:30 pm.
DAY 2
Woke up at 2:30 am. Oops! Forced ourselves to stay half-asleep until 5:30, then got up and headed for our free breakfast (Perfecting Paradise package deal through the Hilton website) at Palm Terrace. I could go on for paragraphs about this buffet. No runny eggs and stale toast here. An omelet station, eggs, good hash browns, fresh fruit, every kind of bread, muffin, and meat you can imagine, and even salmon and rice. Yum. Then we headed for...
Volcanoes National Park! The drive took a little over two hours, taking the northern route from Waikoloa. Stopped at Foodland in Waimea for a case of bottled water, the smartest thing we did all week. At HVNP, we stopped at Volcano House for a hot dog at Uncle George’s, which was plenty after all that breakfast. Then we drove to the start of the Kilauea Iki crater hike. Four miles round-trip. We opted to do the counter-clockwise loop, which entails a long downhill walk through the rainforest, a flat walk across the crater, and a short but steep uphill finish through woods. The walk through the crater was worth every second. It’s stark and unreal. It’s also (thank goodness) about 20 degrees cooler in HVNP than at sea level. Took about five million pictures, then we drove (less than a minute) to the Thurston Lava Tube. A short, cool (temperature-wise and scenery-wise) walk. Then we drove the loop around Crater Rim Drive, stopping to hike Devastation Trail, visit the Jaggar Museum, and gape at the Halemaumau crater before starting the 30-minute drive down Chain of Craters Road. Gorgeous scenery the whole way, so the drive flies by. Parked at the end and walked to the Holei Sea Arch, then started to hike to the lava flow. Well, sort of. It’s about 1/2 mile to the lava field from the parking area, then another 1/4-mile across lava to the lookout point on the coast, but they give you the wink-and-nod option to walk another 3.5 miles past the trail to get up close and personal with the lava flow. My husband and I walked three miles of it, but bailed on the last half mile so we could get back to the lookout point before sunset. There was no moon
while we were there, and we had one very questionable drugstore flashlight between us. The lava is uneven and sharp as glass, and the steam plume shifted over us for awhile, which was uncomfortable. (Ah, the sweet smell of ash, acid, and glass particles!) We decided a broken ankle might hamper the rest of our trip, so we headed back to the lookout. Watched the red glow from a half-mile away rather than a few hundred feet, and we were totally satisfied. It's still a close-up view of the creation of new land, and the endless expanse of black while you’re walking is enough to remind you that you’re standing on earth that’s younger than you are. Ate dinner at Thai Thai, which was fast and excellent. After hiking 16 miles, the drive back to our hotel was the longest two hours of my life. If you’re going to stay there past dark, I absolutely recommend staying nearby for the night.
DAY 3
A more low-key day. Got up early and ate at the Orchid Cafe. Decent vegetable "spa omelet,” but we spent the whole time pining for the Palm Terrace buffet. Then we drove to Kona Boys to rent a kayak. Drove to Kealakekua Bay to launch. The $5 in and $5 out we paid the locals to help us launch was the best value we got; it was low tide and we couldn’t have done it alone. No dolphins that we could see, but the scenery is amazing. Kayaked to Captain Cook, where we went snorkeling. The rocks are slippery there and the surge doesn’t help, but we eventually stumbled in and saw some gorgeous fish. Dropped off our kayak and drove to Place of Refuge, which was small but pretty. I’m glad we didn’t drive an hour just to see it, but it was worth the trip while we were nearby. Stopped at Surfin’ Ass on the highway for Donkey Balls, which are nothing less than a culinary masterpiece. Went back to our hotel and watched the sunset from the pool. Ate a FANTASTIC dinner at Donatoni’s at the Hilton Waikoloa. I ordered fettucine with a garlic cream sauce and bacon. It was either delicious or healthy: can you guess which?
DAY 4
Woke up and realized that a 3:30 flight to Oahu was a dumb idea. After breakfast at Palm Terrace (mmm, mmm, mmm!) we tried in vain to kill four hours with all our luggage in a Jeep. Finally drove to Four Seasons and parked in the beach access lot. Wandered around for an hour, then drove to the airport three hours before our flight was scheduled. UGH. The Kona airport gift shop is great, though, and cheap! Landed in Oahu, rented another Jeep from Alamo (again, no problems) and began the check-in process at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, which went badly. Our room wasn’t ready, so they offered us a free dinner, which turned out to be “chicken or beef.” Blah. We picked beef, ate, went back...still no room. Now we got cocktail vouchers. Standard cocktails with bottom-shelf liquor. We took our drinks and walked along Waikiki Beach for a while and watched the gorgeous sunset. Finally, three hours later, our room materialized! (In addition to two breakfast vouchers!) It was a partial oceanview in the Tapa Tower, so that was a pleasant surprise. We dropped off our stuff and set out to explore the hotel, which is huge, and set up like a small village, with surf shops, designer boutiques, and restaurants lining the “streets.” It’s almost like a mini-Waikiki.
DAY 5
Breakfast at the Rainbow Lanai breakfast buffet, which was a little better than average (except for the mac-nut bread, which was way, way above average!) but not worth its $21 price tag. For free, though, it was totally worth it. Then we drove to Kailua via the Pali Highway, stopping at the Nuuanu Pali Lookout to admire the crazy scenery. The topography is unlike anything we’d ever seen, with green cliffs diving down to the shoreline. Then we headed for Kailua Beach Park, our new favorite beach. It’s a long white beach with crystal-blue water, gentle waves, and mountains in the distance. We swam for a few hours, then got lunch at Buzz’s Steakhouse right across the street. Busy, noisy, and friendly. We both ordered the teriyaki steak sandwich and loved it. Then, back to the beach for more much-needed laziness. Finally we went back to our hotel for dinner at Golden Dragon. We had an E-book coupon and ordered one of those chef’s specials, where they keep bringing you food until you start to feel like that guy in Seven. It was delicious, although living in a town with Chinese restaurants on every corner, it’s hard to pay $90 for Chinese food, no matter how good it is (and it was goooood).
DAY 6
Woke up early and tried the Tapa Cafe breakfast buffet. Eh. It was kind of lackluster and short on options. But good enough, and free, and open at 5:30, which was important since it was Hanauma Bay day! Got there around 7:00, walked right up to the admissions window, and waited five minutes for the safety/reef preservation video before we were ready to hit the beach. The water is cloudy (and that’s before it got crowded) but the fish are so nonchalant that they’ll swim two feet away from you. We saw amazing fish and lots of 'em. We swam over the coral because we’re comfortable in the water, but there are plenty of sandy spots for beginners. Saw several people panic and STAND on the coral. Arrgh. Maybe they slept through the video?
After a few hours of snorkeling, we headed to Diamond Head, which was my personal hell. It was well over 90 degrees, and it’s just under a mile of constant uphill. It’s not the physical exertion so much as the heat and direct sunlight; I felt like my skin was melting.
But the view from the top was beautiful. Still, it felt like a tourist trap. I liked almost everything else better. The meal at Kona Brewing Co made up for it. We got a “Pele’s Own” pizza, which may have had peppers on it and some other fixins but I ate it so fast that I don’t really remember anything between seeing the pizza and then exclaiming, approximately two seconds later, “That was an awesome pizza!” We bought a pint glass to commemorate our awesome pizza.
That night, we headed to the Royal Hawaiian luau. We met up with friends from home who were honeymooning. The food was thoroughly mediocre, but the show was fun and kitschy, with guitar players and Hawaiian hula and Tahitian dancers and a Samoan fire dancer. Our friend described it as “hotel-y,” but that’s what we’d expected. Once you pay $60 for a pork roast, you know you’re not getting an authentic experience, so we just enjoyed the show and the free drinks. The mai tais and pina coladas were much better than the food. Afterwards, we went to the Mai Tai Bar for more tropical beverages. The Royal Hawaiian was beautiful and very old-Hawaii, but we preferred the HHV -- the beach was quieter, and our room had a lanai, which we practically lived on in the evenings.
DAY 7
No more free breakfasts, so we ate Quaker oatmeal bars and headed to the North Shore! We started with an 8:00am ATV tour of Kualoa Ranch. We opted for the one-hour tour. It was uneventful (and my husband was mad about the throttle-stop on the ATV) and the guide didn’t point anything out until we stopped halfway through in a valley. Then he pointed out the trailers for LOST below us. My husband and I spent the next few minutes staring, trance-like, at the white specks in the trees. Alas, we didn’t see our celebrity crushes (Evangeline for him, Adewale for me). We have a serious addiction to LOST. When it finally goes off the air we are going to have to take up gambling, or chain smoking. Anyway, the quiet tour guide wasn’t a problem, because the scenery really is pretty enough to speak for itself.
Then we headed to Romy’s Shrimp Hut, which was so amazingly fresh and tasty, although the shrimp came with heads and eyes still attached. My husband was a little unnerved to see his food giving him stinkeye, but the sweet ‘n’ spicy sauce helped him work through the uneasiness.
Our next stop was the Turtle Bay Resort, where we planned to walk the Green Trail to a pretty banyan tree, but gave up after a half mile when we realized the “Green Trail” was just a maintenance road behind a golf course. We left and drove to the Banzai Pipeline, which was roped off because of a rough shorebreak. So we went to Waimea Bay instead, where we failed to find parking, so we backtracked to Sunset Beach. It was the perfect beach, long and wide with super-soft sand. I forewent the beach towel and laid down right in the shorebreak while my husband snorkeled. No fish sightings, but he was content watching the current move the sand around. This may have been the most relaxing hour or two of our trip. Finally, we finally got hungry and headed to Haleiwa Joe’s for the best Cajun ahi sandwich ever made anywhere since the beginning of time, IMHO.
That night, we got dinner at Nick’s Fishmarket in Waikiki. Again, we had an E-book coupon. The service was friendly without being overbearing, and gracious without being pretentious. That’s the best way I can explain it. We both ordered the mahi-mahi, and both gave it five stars out of five.
Yum! And double-yum to the sourdough bread, and one last yum to the China Mist raspberry tea they served. Wish we’d eaten there earlier, so we would’ve known to go twice. Then we went back to the hotel for a drink, and my husband sat in vomit at the cafe.
amp; Free dry cleaning from the hotel, but we would have preferred, say, a time machine so the staff could go back in time and clean it up before we sat down.DAY 8
Pearl Harbor! We got up early and headed over, and got tickets for the sixth group. Hooray! Only a 45-minute wait for the movie and ferry, which was easily passed in the museum reading the amazing stories of the troops stationed there that day. Let me say this, and please don’t flame me: Though I fully understand the importance of both, I generally don't like history and really don't like war, and I was going to Pearl Harbor purely to appease my history-loving husband. That said, I was impressed once we got there. It’s one of the few museums that actually brings history to life, and they have Pearl Harbor survivors volunteering who are so interesting to talk to. The ferry ride was short, and the memorial was well done. The smell of fuel was overpowering, but it creates an effect. By the time we left, we were dumping money in the donation box. So, even for the completely uninterested, I now get why this is a must-see.
After that, we went to the Aloha Stadium swap meet. It was a fun walk, but we only bought a beach towel. For the 50-cent admission, who cares? We got a great stromboli from a vendor and finally ate a malasada with cinnamon and sugar, which was phenomenal.
Came back to nap, but there was some ear-splitting drilling going on in the room above us. The manager credited us for the inconvenience and we napped by the pool instead.
That night, we walked to Duke’s Canoe Club, waited forever, and finally got a great seat overlooking the pool and, if we squinted, the ocean. Unfortunately after the long wait, the bar menu (sandwiches, appetizers) sounded better than the dining room menu (fish, fish, fish) but we could only order from the dining room menu, since that's where we were sitting. I ordered mahi mahi roasted firecracker, which was excellent but not as good as my mahi-mahi the night before. Afterwards, we walked through Waikiki and marveled at the people shopping at Hermes and Tod’s, spending as much on handbags as we spent on our whole vacation. DAY 9
We were bummed to be coming to the end of our vacation, but our flight home didn’t leave until 10:00pm, so we decided to go back to Kailua Beach Park. On the way, we stopped at Boots and Kimo’s for pancakes. I don’t think I can accurately describe these pancakes without breaking commandments. The pancakes are fluffier than is possible by all laws of chemistry, and the creamy mac nut sauce tastes like melted ice cream. We waited 45 minutes for a seat and would do it again tomorrow. If I lived in Kailua, I would weight four times what I do now.
Later that day, we killed time at the Tropics Beach Bar at the HHV, drinking fruity things and eating their awesome nachos and decent pizza. Then we watched a hula show by the pool (nothing too exciting, but free and convenient) and finally headed for the airport. Bye, Jeep. Bye, Hawaii!
DAY 10
This day only weaseled its way into our itinerary by virtue of the six-hour time change, but I’m giving it its own little space in my trip report because I want to give a shout-out to US Air and the Philly airport. We landed as Ernesto was making its way up the East Coast, and loads of flights were cancelled and airports closed. And guess what? We landed right on time, to the minute. No better way to end a trip.
Sep 7th, 2006 | 10:32 PM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,158
Likes: 0
What a wonderful report....and I LOVE the fact that you bolded the destinations/restaurants!
ewwww how did my eyes zero in on the vomit on the chair??? I hope the rest of your trip was so good that that one incident was zeroed out!
ewwww how did my eyes zero in on the vomit on the chair??? I hope the rest of your trip was so good that that one incident was zeroed out!
Sep 7th, 2006 | 10:41 PM
#4
Joined: May 2004
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Aloha back to ya, Karameli,
and thanks for your trip report.
You drove all the way back to Waikoloa after the lava walk?!!? You're brave. That drive seems to take forever after nightfall.No wonder it was the longest two hours of your life.
Also very interested in your take on Pearl Harbor, as just had conversation with a friend who. like you, doesn't enjoy anything abuit war or ots history . I told her nevertheless, it's still a "do not miss" place. Glad you had that same feeling.(I've been three times and never tire of it.)
Thanks again, and good luck as you return to reality!
and thanks for your trip report.
You drove all the way back to Waikoloa after the lava walk?!!? You're brave. That drive seems to take forever after nightfall.No wonder it was the longest two hours of your life.
Also very interested in your take on Pearl Harbor, as just had conversation with a friend who. like you, doesn't enjoy anything abuit war or ots history . I told her nevertheless, it's still a "do not miss" place. Glad you had that same feeling.(I've been three times and never tire of it.)
Thanks again, and good luck as you return to reality!
Sep 8th, 2006 | 04:10 AM
#6
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 13,842
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Great trip report! You guys did so much on your trip!! Loved the Hiltons as well. We went in April and the Hilton Waikoloa was awesome! I also loved donatonis and the restaurants on property were all very good. You are making me starving reading your report. Glad you had a good time.
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Sep 8th, 2006 | 06:45 AM
#10
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Just realized I got off the bold-face track on the last day or two...the unbolded stops are Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, Duke's, and Tropics Beach Bar.
JohnD - Aside from the obnoxious drilling above our room the one afternoon, there wasn't any major construction on the grounds. It looked like they may have replaced an area of pavers near the chapel, because that area was roped off one day and looked freshened-up the next. The pools were very nice. The Tapa pool is big and square, open late, but VERY popular with the kiddies. The Super Pool is actually two pools with a walkway in between, and is very pretty and more adult-oriented. Still plenty of kids, but more spread out. That one closed at 5:30. Towel stands at both, but better to borrow 'em from the beach stand, which doesn't take your room number, so you have more flexibility in when you return then.
girlonthego - I was starving writing it! The food there was sooo good.
iceeu2 - Donkey Balls are just chocolate covered macadamia nuts, but with about a half-inch of chocolate fudge around the nut, which is a genius ratio
JohnD - Aside from the obnoxious drilling above our room the one afternoon, there wasn't any major construction on the grounds. It looked like they may have replaced an area of pavers near the chapel, because that area was roped off one day and looked freshened-up the next. The pools were very nice. The Tapa pool is big and square, open late, but VERY popular with the kiddies. The Super Pool is actually two pools with a walkway in between, and is very pretty and more adult-oriented. Still plenty of kids, but more spread out. That one closed at 5:30. Towel stands at both, but better to borrow 'em from the beach stand, which doesn't take your room number, so you have more flexibility in when you return then.
girlonthego - I was starving writing it! The food there was sooo good.
iceeu2 - Donkey Balls are just chocolate covered macadamia nuts, but with about a half-inch of chocolate fudge around the nut, which is a genius ratio
Sep 8th, 2006 | 07:32 AM
#11
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,810
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Five star report! I just wanted to add my recommendation for the Kilauea Lodge near the park..
I have stayed there twice with family and it is very convenient and cozy after a day/evening on the trails, etc.. it also is an excellent way to stoke up an appetite for their dinners..
*as insurance, I usually take a couple advil(and bring lots of water) before the hikes.. even with good legs/ankles, the back takes a hit w/backpacks and hiking time.. J.
Sep 8th, 2006 | 09:02 AM
#12
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Yes, like jetset said, LOTS of water at the volcano! My husband and I each drank a bottle every hour or two, and were still thirsty when we got to dinner that night! Bring a case in the car. A case of 24 was $9 at Foodland!
Sep 11th, 2006 | 07:55 PM
#17
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Warren -- I am a bargain maven, so the trip ran us about $3500 between airfare, meals and the car. We decided to go for "cheap" instead of "cheapest" 
Dusty -- thanks -- your Oahu raves helped us pick it as our second island!
iamq -- LOVED Kailua. If only they could relocate the town to NJ, I'd move there tomorrow.
ggrtist -- DEFINITELY try the pancakes if you can! they're amazing!
Wish I were going back next week...
Dusty -- thanks -- your Oahu raves helped us pick it as our second island!
iamq -- LOVED Kailua. If only they could relocate the town to NJ, I'd move there tomorrow.
ggrtist -- DEFINITELY try the pancakes if you can! they're amazing!
Wish I were going back next week...
Sep 11th, 2006 | 10:45 PM
#18
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 666
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damn it woman!!! you're putting me into such a state of hawaii withdrawal...you're killin me 
loved your trip report...a big mahalo since it reminds me SO MUCH of my past trips to the BI and Oahu
Hilton Waikoloa Village Ocean Tower - loved it too
VNP - Kilauea Iki Trail counter-clockwise - loved it too
Kona Boys Kayak to Cook's Monument - awesome snorkeling - loved it too
Donkey Balls - yeah, loved those too
Donatoni's - elegant atmosphere - loved it too (despite surly waiter)
Kailua Beach - loved it too (but nearby Lanikai is my fav)
Hanauma Bay - agree that there are plenty of idiots there (like Ke'e on Kauai) who still stand on coral after being warned
- >
AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!
Diamond Head Hike - only thing I disagree with you here sistah - loved it (how can it be a tourist trap when it's free, other than parking); then again, I started at 7am while the sun wasn't too searing
Kualoa Ranch - movie bus tour rather than the ATV tour - still loved the scenery
LOST - you must be some long-LOST sibling - my wife and I are addicted that the show too
Pearl Harbor - I found it very moving too even though it wasn't originally high up on my list (agree it's a must-see)
Boots n Kimo's - loved that mac nut pancake syrup too
Karameli, are you sure you weren't separated at birth from a fraternal male twin? Anyways, thanks so much for allowing me to reawaken some very fond memories
loved your trip report...a big mahalo since it reminds me SO MUCH of my past trips to the BI and Oahu
Hilton Waikoloa Village Ocean Tower - loved it too
VNP - Kilauea Iki Trail counter-clockwise - loved it too
Kona Boys Kayak to Cook's Monument - awesome snorkeling - loved it too
Donkey Balls - yeah, loved those too
Donatoni's - elegant atmosphere - loved it too (despite surly waiter)
Kailua Beach - loved it too (but nearby Lanikai is my fav)
Hanauma Bay - agree that there are plenty of idiots there (like Ke'e on Kauai) who still stand on coral after being warned
- > AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!Diamond Head Hike - only thing I disagree with you here sistah - loved it (how can it be a tourist trap when it's free, other than parking); then again, I started at 7am while the sun wasn't too searing
Kualoa Ranch - movie bus tour rather than the ATV tour - still loved the scenery
LOST - you must be some long-LOST sibling - my wife and I are addicted that the show too
Pearl Harbor - I found it very moving too even though it wasn't originally high up on my list (agree it's a must-see)
Boots n Kimo's - loved that mac nut pancake syrup too
Karameli, are you sure you weren't separated at birth from a fraternal male twin?
Anyways, thanks so much for allowing me to reawaken some very fond memories
Sep 12th, 2006 | 12:39 PM
#19
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bluefan -- jeez, sounds like you and your wife are our parallel-universe travel twins! and isn't LOST fantastic? we are counting the minutes until the season premiere so we can get sucked back into our addiction.
as far as diamond head, maybe it's just that i felt like i was "trapped" on a scorching crater instead of hiding out on the beach! my fault for going at noon, i guess.
we didn't go to lanikai -- couldn't peel ourselves off of kailua -- but i'm sure we'll be back to oahu someday, so we'll have to go!
as far as diamond head, maybe it's just that i felt like i was "trapped" on a scorching crater instead of hiding out on the beach! my fault for going at noon, i guess.
we didn't go to lanikai -- couldn't peel ourselves off of kailua -- but i'm sure we'll be back to oahu someday, so we'll have to go!
