mari

joan, just to comment on ur itinerary:

thursday--ur estimate on arrival time at the hotel is good, but u might consider climbing diamond head late that afternoon to catch sunset views, as friday's itinerary is probably geographically unfeasible! also, be sure to phone ahead for reservations at alan wong's--sometimes i've called in over a week in advance and been told the only openings were 5:00 and 8:30.

friday--people say hanauma bay starts getting crowded by 9:00, which is when u wd arrive there. u might try starting earlier, altho this will be hard after a late dinner at alan wong's, esp if u get the 5-course chef's sampler. assuming u get to hanauma by 8 or 8:30, and snorkel til 10, u'd reach lanikai around 10:30 or 11, time enough to grab a plate lunch and hang out on the beach for a while. the drive to the north shore will take another hour or so, and w/ a stop for shave ice at matsumoto's in haleiwa, coming back thru the middle of the island toward town will take abt another hour. leeward coast is almost another hour yet, and probably at rush hour, so u might reconsider visiting there. at any rate, this definitely wd not give u enough time to be back in town for a 6:30 dinner.

saturday--sounds doable, and fun, great emphasis on hawaiian history, but u might be tired from all that museum browsing. if u like asian art and artifacts, the honolulu academy of arts in town near the contemporary museum is good too.

whatever u decide, congratulations on an ambitious, well-planned itinerary w/ great food taste!

Joan

mari -Thanks for your comments and advice! I have already made a reservation for Alan Wong's. Your tip on going to Diamond Head on Thursday seems like a good idea. Approximately how long will it take me to get to DH from the Halekulani? Also, aprroximately what time should I expect sunset at the very end of August?

I will try to leave for Hanauma Bay by 8:00AM on Friday. You mentioned taking a road that runs down the middle of the island to get back to Waikiki after visiting the North Shore. Is that the road that the Dole Pineapple Plantation is on?

You are probably right about not having enough time to go all the way around the island if we want to get back to the Halekulani by 4:30-5:00. Also, could you tell me if the 6:30 reservation time for La Mer is a good time to eat if we want to watch the sunset? Will this be too earley?

Thanks again Mari. I hope to hear from you again soon!

mari

hi joan--

i can only help w/ a couple of ur folo-up questions; maybe others can supply answers to the rest.

it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes by car from the halekulani to the diamond head crater parking lot.

re sunset at the end of august, i'd be guessing. the range year-round isn't that great bc hnl is only abt 20 degrees north of the equator. i know there are sources u can ck for specific times, but definitely for ur dinner at la mer, 6pm wd be a safer bet. it's dark by abt 7:30 now.

re the road past the pineapple plantation, i've never been there, but seeing as how there isn't any other choice if u're driving down the middle of the island from haleiwa to town, it's a pretty good bet this is the road. actually it's a freeway. if nobody else posts w/ more specific, i'm sure the folks at the halekulani can point it out on a map.

only question i'd have left is what time diamond head closes. haven't been there in a while, but again, if nobody else answers, i'm sure hotel folks wd be able to help out.

hens4th

Yeah, the "inland road" mentioned is the one the Dole Pineapple Planation is on. It's a two-lane hwy. at this point - it doesn't turn into freeway till you get closer to the city. FYI: if you're fresh pineapple freaks, like we are, and want to take some home, don't mess w/purchasing your pineapples here. They're sold at the airport, all fresh and boxed up and inspected/stickered for the mainland - very handy. We brought home a bunch of them for gifts.

You'll definitely have a full day trying to drive the windward shore to the north shore, but DO try to fit it in. The windward shore is awesomely beautiful, w/more georgous and different and deserted beaches than you can imagine. Our favorite was Kualoa Park, w/it's views of Chinaman's Hat.....

Gary

Joan:
Just got back last night - am still sad to be home. Such a wonderful time.

The Halekulani was just as I remembered it. It is a hotel that once you've gone to you will always judge others by it.

As to restaurants, we ate at Orchids (not La Mer, although just b/c we thought our teenage children would rather the menu at Orchids) and it was excellent, also ate a 3660 On The Rise, a strange location, but excellent food, and at Hoku's, which was, except for Roy's on Kauai, the best restaurant I've been to in Hawaii. You might consider Hoku's for one night's dinner, as it is at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental, so you will see it, and the food was incredible.

I am jealous - my trip is over, yours still to come. Have a great time.

Melissa

Everyone has already given good advice, so all I am adding is 2 cents: If you decide to go to Roy's--although the food is good, the restaurant is noisy! The only time I have had a peaceful meal is when I ate there at 5:30. in a way, that was good because I could also watch the sunset.

if you go to the Contemporary Museum, be sure to eat lunch there! The cafe is yummy.