Cats_Do_Dance

Hi Everyone!

My family arrived home from Oahu yesterday morning. We had a GREAT trip; we all LOVED Oahu and wished we could have stayed longer. We weren't able to do a few things we had plannedPearl Harbor or the main Bishop Museum but hey, things happen and you just move on.

We arrived in Oahu Wednesday, July 14th, perfect flight for us at least. It just happened 30/40 passengers went "missing" from our flight, nobody knew what happened to them but everyone who had "checked in" was abroad. Because of this, the flight attendants told everyone in coach to simply move wherever they wanted to. A few people who were traveling together but seated apart, moved while others grabbed seats in empty rows and had three seats to themselves! I felt sorry for the missing people, but not having a full flight made for a great trip for the rest of us! Right then and there, I knew this trip would be magical.

No problems at the rental car agency, we were given a brand new car (purchased July 12!!!) although this turned out to become a running joke with us. The car was new some of the settings were "off" so the car kept "beeping" at us for various things until Sunday when all was well. Had booked a full size car and was given a Dodge Magnum, so we had plenty of room. We got lost a lot in Oahu, another running joke with my family. Word of advice: Study all maps BEFORE vacation. I thought my husband had. He had not.

Our luck continued at the Hilton too. Not only wasn't there a line (which we learned was a rarity as the week on) and also given an upgrade from garden view to partial ocean view without asking OR joining anything! Our room was on the 29th floor of the Tapa tower and we had a great view of the ocean on our left, Wakikiki in the center and the mountains on our right.

We took a quick tour of the hotel and spend a few hours on the beach before realizing we had a bad case of jet lag (this hit me when I suddenly couldn't think of how we would ever leave the Hilton grounds), so we grabbed something quick to eat and went to bed.

Thursday - Woke up early and went to Diamond Head. Got LOST because my husband insisted Diamond Head was passed the huge sign I pointed out that read "Diamond Head". When he turned around, he said "I guess that was it" and I replied "Yes, the sign stating Diamond Head gave me that clue". Our climb was fine, there was a little mist in the air that kept us cool. I didn't notice any little bugs which was good, since I had forgotten to bring our Off. There were lots of people just wearing flip flops. Note to people: Do NOT wear flip flops while climbing Diamond Head. There were also a fair number of crying children saying "No, no" to Diamond Head while their parents insisted the children "wanted" to do it. My husband gave serious consideration to opening a Diamond Head daycare center right then and there. Since I had read ahead, we were all prepared for the stairs. Great walk, great view. Got lost going back to the Hilton. Found our way back, went to Super Bowl, ocean, had lava flows (our chosen drink for this trip) and relaxed while time passed by. We nixed Sans Souci but did do the Aquarium. Found our way back, relaxed, had dinner at Sigha Thai, walked around Waikiki and crashed. Good day.

Friday - Went to Nuuanu Pali Lookout. Very windy but wonderful views. We walked a little bit on the trail before leaving for Kailua Beach. Kailua Beach is one of the many reasons we rented a car for our entire stay (although perhaps we should have had a driver LOL). When you leave Waikiki, the entire island of Oahu takes on a different feel. Kailua was beautiful, nothing at all like Waikiki and not crowded at all. We pretty much stayed here for the rest of the day before heading back to the Hilton (didn't get lost either), had our usual lava flows before going to Cha Cha's for dinner. Cha Cha's was FUN, they were having a sweepstates where first prize was a trip for two for airfare/hotel to another island. My daughter SO wanted us to win but alas we didn't. We back to the Hilton to watch the King's Jubilee celebration. This was crowded but we managed to find a place to stand and see everything. We walked to the beach to get a great view of the fireworks. There's something very special about sitting on a beach and watching fireworks go off overhead. We went back to our hotel room where my husband and decided to sit on the lanai. Above the noise of Waikiki, we could hear this beautiful voice singing Hawaiian music drifting in the air. It was very romantic and peaceful. So ended another great day in Oahu.

Friday - Downtown Honolulu and Chinatown. We decided to use the bus for our actitives. This is the one shortcoming we had at the Hilton; our concierge was ill informed on telling us how the bus system worked. Not all buses come to the Hilton and for our return trip from Chinatown, she advised us simply to "Ask the locals". My husband decided we would take a cab to the I'olani Palace and worry about the bus later. The I'olani Palace was a very moving experience, although because of a mixed up we didn't get to do the Grand Tour. We took other historial sites before walking to Chinatown. That's when I discovered I had forgotten to bring my printout of dim sum places listed on Fodor's!!! The only dim sum place I could remember was Wo Fat's for reasons I don't know. But we had dim sum there and it was pretty good. We did a little shopping and bought our daughter a lei which was beautiful. When it was time to leave, we did indeed ask the locals, who told us the numbers of two buses we could take. On The Bus, the driver told us we could transfer at the Punchbowl and even pointed it out to us. However, my husband decided we would just get out and walk when The Bus got close enough to the Hilton, which we did. The Bus driver was very pleasant and frankly, if I could, I would have hired her for the conciege's job at the Hilton since she knew how to get around town. Had lava flows at the Hilton, relaxed and went to Duke's for pupu's. Note: When ordering pupu's at Duke's, be advised their orders are HUGE. Very good food though and if I had been home, I would have taken the leftovers home. Walked around Waikiki again, went to the Hilton, hung out at the beach before crashing. Yes. Another great day in Oahu.

Cats_Do_Dance

Sunday - By now we were starting to lose track of our days in this wonderful "All is Good" feeling. But Sunday was for the North Shore and away we went. Picked up malasadas at Leonard's - yummy, yummy! and went on our way! We had a nice drive and I don't think we got lost too much along the way. We passed by a few shrimp, fruit and corn stops but were too stuffed from malasadas to eat. The North Shore is simply beautiful and there just seemed to be beach after beach calling our names. However, we decided to hit Sunset Beach and Pupukea Beach Park. Sunset Beach was pratically empty when we first arrived but when we were ready to leave, there were tour buses everywhere. My daughter loved the waves and I could see why surfers would come to this beach during the winter months. Shark's Cove at Pupukea was great for my husband and daughter to snorkel, but I wasn't wild about it. There were these rocks you had to climb over, and for a person who needs glasses, going over them almost blind was not a picnic. Plus, I'm not a strong swimmer, so even with a floatation device, I never found a comfort level here. For me, the beach further up would have been perfect but for people who can swim, snorkel and see this is a great place. Before leaving the North Shore, we hit Matsumoto's for shave ice. We were all starting to like Hawaii too much because all of sudden cats started to appear from nowhere. I told my husband our own cat had send out a call and these cats were suddenly appearing to remind us to return home! Our return trip to the Hilton was also the last day of the "beeps" from the car. Our car, beeped, beeped, beeped until we arrived at the Hilton (a door was opened the car claimed). After this, the car never beeped again. We had planned to have dinner at Ono's but found out it was closed on Sunday so instead we went to Todrai's (or something like that) at our daughter's urging. Went to the hotel crashed. And yes, in spite of Shark's Cove and the cats, it was another great day in Oahu.

Monday - We were growing sad by now because our days were counting down. Our plan for the day was to head to Hanauma Bay. My husband and daughter also informed me that since I had it so bad at Shark's Cove, they decided to treat me to a bath at the Hilton's Mandara's Spa that evening! We got to Hanauma Bay (didn't get lost either) a little after 6:30 am. There were no lines and no payment for anything either, you just walk to the beach and have fun! Hanauma Bay was perfect for snorkeling for me, I saw many fish and just had a blast. Around 8:30, we decided to get some refreshments. Boy, had things changed with the lines! There were people EVERYWHERE and the lines were LONG. We had a quick bite to eat and went back (your inner arm is stamped to bypass the lines) and went snorkeling again. The fish had moved closer to shore and you could tell conditions were getting sandy. We left around 10:00 or 11:00 (who knows what time is in Oahu!) and the lines were even longer than before. My husband turned to me and said how grateful he was that I had researched on Fodor's about arriving early because there was no way he would EVER stay in that line. Got back to the Hilton fine, had lava flows and went shopping at Ala Moana Center and then later along Waikiki. Went swimming at the Super Bowl before heading to Ono's. This place was great and my husband was so happy to finally have kalua pig. Ono's serves almost everything a luau does but is much better and cheaper too! But get there early and find a parking space because Ono's is very small and is constantly busy. Went back to the hotel, where my husband and daughter went swimming while I went for my bath treatment at the spa. Heavenly, just heavenly, my jasmine and milk bath had me in nivara where I kept musing that if only all people could have a jasmine and milk bath in Hawaii, world peace would finally be at hand. Went to bed blissfully happy yet sad because our vacation was coming to end.

Tuesday. This was it. Our last day in paradise. Our intention was to go to Pearl Harbor, but the best laid plans of mice and men . . . Yes, we missed our exit (Husbands Driving - PLEASE get in the lane where you see the signs). Thanks goodness these mishaps happened in Hawaii, because we were all in such a good frame of mind, our getting lost was simply a joke. When we did arrive at Pearl Harbor, there was a LINE already formed (it was 7:30) and by the time we got to the time stamps, our time was for 10:00. However, our daughter had a surf lesson at the Hilton and had to be there at 12:00. I told my husband and daughter this was their call because I had already been to Pearl Harbor. It was there decision to leave so we went back to the hotel and visited the smaller Bishop Museum instead. In a lot of ways, for us, this was a nicer trip since we learned more about Hawaii's history. After the Museum tour, we went for a quick dip in the pool before our daughter's surfing lesson. My daughter LOVED this and IMO, if she had to do it again, would have decided to take a lesson earlier and do one more too. I am drawing a total blank on what we did AFTER the surfing lesson, I think my daughter and I went shopping at the Village. I do remember we had lava flows for the last time and drank them on the lanai. That evening we had a fanastic farewell meal at Nick's Fishmarket were we toasted Hawaii and proclaimed our vacation THE BEST. I was almost in tears over this trip coming to an end, it was just that WONDERFUL. Came back to the hotel and packed.

Wednesday - Had our last swims at the beach and the Tapa and Super Pools. Walked around Waikiki, soaking up every moment. Went back to the Hilton for one last shave ice and then left to return our car (no problems). Unlike before, our flight home was packed. We all turned to each other and said "Paradise is now officially over".

So that's about it. I'll write a few more posts about the hotel and will be happy to offer any suggestions to anyone. But there simply aren't words to truly express how much this vacation meant to us. We just had a fabulous time. I LOVE Oahu! Love it! The perfect island for us. The perfect vacation. Aloha, Oahu! I missed you the minute my plane took off.

Cats Do LOVE Oahu

Cats_Do_Dance

My brain just came back to me! On our last Tuesday in Oahu, we also did the Manoa Falls Trail which gives you still another feel for Oahu.

Another tidbits:

ALL of us enjoyed the Hilton and were happy with our choice. The place is always busy and people are constantly coming and going. If you don't like that, I wouldn't suggest the Hilton for your vacation. We loved it, however; it was like a great show seeing all the weddings (I swear, I've never seen so many weddings in an 8 day time period). The Super Pool never was crowded IMO, but there is a problem with the chairs. People do come out and claim them but you know they're not there because there are only a handful of people in the pool and most of them have to put their towels on the rocks. The Hilton does try to keep tabs on people who just have a towel on a chair and leave it for over an hour but the more savvy people also leave personal items. This really is something that should be taken care of but I don't know what the answer is since it also happens at Vegas hotels and on cruise ships. I find this behavior RUDE.

For breakfast we simply ate at the little coffee house across the street. We had planned on going to Duke's one morning, but we were all content with the coffee shop.

bonniebroad

Cats, I thought you would LOVE Oahu. I can see that you caught the magic, just as I did, from the beginning.

Sorry you didn't get a chance to swim at Sans Souci, as it is wonderful. There's always next time for all the things you didn't manage on this trip. You said you swam at the "Super Bowl?" And that is where? A special spot on Waikiki Beach?

I can tell your trip was magnificent, and that you are still glowing from it. So happy for you, and glad that you loved the HHV. I think it is a great resort!

Aloha......

bonniebroad

"Went swimming at the Super Bowl before heading to Ono's"

Now that I re-read some of your report, I'll bet you meant "super pool", right?

Cats_Do_Dance

Yikes! Yes, I meant Super POOL. I was typing really fast and kept using Bowl instead of Pool. However, I knew if I didn't post quickly, I would simply stop and go listen to my Israel Kamakawiwo'ole CD. I also have no idea how the sad face got in my trip report because I have no idea on how to use any of the little symbols.

BTW - in regard to us getting lost - the directions were my husband's duty. I can't do research everything, but maybe I should have LOL. Things got much better when I realized he hadn't studied the map I had so carefully ordered for him BEFORE our trip. But all was still goooooooood.

sart29

Hey, Cats_Do, thanks for the great report. You and I have been planning at the same time so I was anxious to hear how everything went.
Can you tell me more about the Manoa Falls hike? I hiked it 25 years ago, so don't remember much. Did you just hike in sneakers and was it really muddy? Did you park at the trail head or at the arboretum?
And how late was the mall at Ala Moana open?
Thanks for the help

makai1

Aloha Cats,

Thanks for the great report... just gotta love O'ahu... I feel your pain! That first few weeks of withdraw is heartache!

I really enjoyed your report... live aloha!

Cats_Do_Dance

Sart29 - According to my Frommer's book on Oahu, the Ala Moana Center is opened from 9:30 am to 9:00 pm on Monday through Saturday and 10 am to 7:00 pm on Sunday.

The Moana Falls Trail is (IMO) a pretty easy stand alone hike. We parked at the beginning of the trailhead; it was marked for parking for the Moana Falls Trial. The parking space is very limited and the area is a tight squeeze. The trail can get very slippery, we saw a couple of kids slip coming back down. We wore sturdy tennis shoes as none of us wanted to pack hiking books to Hawaii. The walk wasn't as hot as I thought it would be, but I'm sure that varies. Bring water and bug repellent.

Makai1 - I'm still dreaming of Oahu! It was the perfect island for us; my husband said he loved Oahu more than Maui.

MelissaHI

Hey Cats, I'm so glad you loved Oahu! It sounds like you did quite a bit....and yet, you know, you've only touched the tip of the iceberg. I look forward to your reviews when you've done your return trip to Oahu!