Oahu Review
Nov 9th, 2004, 06:55 AM
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Oahu Review
I have just returned from my trip and I thank everyone for their assistance with before my departure. Mahalo!
Oahu Review Oct. 22-29
Day 1- Arrival
Our arrival on Northwest airlines was uneventful and we went outside to catch a
Transfer to the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel. My guide book recommended ?The Shuttle? however they were nowhere to be found. Instead everyone was directed to large
buses that were the official airport shuttles. Instead of paying $6 per person on the recommended shuttle, we paid $8. No big deal. It did take a long time to get to the hotel due to traffic and then also the fact that we had about 7 stops with a bus full of people.
We arrived at the Aston Waikiki beach and the lobby area was nice. I noticed the Wolfang Puck?s Express which was a big plus. We quickly were checked in. Our room was very small and was a bit worn. The balcony on the 15th floor was small and if you are afraid of heights, these balconies are not for you. They are half circles with seemingly no support from the bottom. They just stick straight out from the side of the hotel. It took a while to get used to the balcony enough to stand on it. The room did come equipped with a fridge and a safe.
Day 2- Hike up Diamond Head
The Aston Waikiki beach provides a breakfast on the beach program which is very convenient. You get a lunch box to fill with a selection of hot and cold breakfast choices. The very best part of breakfast is the live entertainment on the pool deck. The entertainment at this hotel is excellent. For breakfast, you have a male vocalist/guitarist and a woman who performs a hula. We decided to take the bus to Diamond Head and then walk all the way up Diamond Head. Once we were dropped off, there is about a 1/2 mile hike to the entrance to the park. Then from there it is pretty much straight up about 1 ? miles to the very top. Don?t make the mistake we did and forget water! They sell water at the base of the mountain, but there is no water at the top! My Mom who is 63 had a pretty hard time making it up with no water. But, for anyone in decent shape and young it is not a difficult hike. I would say it is easy/moderate. Be sure to get a transfer on the bus which will get you a free return if used within a few hours! At night we went to the Ala Moana mall and it was basically just a big mall with the same stores we have in Atlanta. One interesting thing is that in parts of the mall you can only reach certain stores from the outside. We walked from the mall down to Ward Center about a ? mile to eat at Brew Moon for dinner. I enjoyed the food and atmosphere which seemed Urban in style. This was an easy first day since we were tired. The hike helped us energize and settle into a new time zone.
Day 3-Hanauma Bay
We awoke early and decided to get out and catch the bus early as suggested by many for a day at Hanauma Bay. We arrived at the bus stop a little after 7 am and realized they had blocked the road due to runners in the street. We walked a block and a half to another bus stop. It was interesting that no bus came that would take us to Hanauma, so finally we asked a bus driver. Seems either bus that runs would not start until 830am! I was so worried it would be swamped by the time we got there. But, to my surprise it was not that busy at all. We waited about 5 minutes to get a ticket and 15 minutes for our movie to start. I guess this is the plus side of off season travel! The walk down to Hanauma is dramatic and a perfect photo opportunity. There is a shuttle down for .50 and back up for double that, 1.00. The snorkeling I would classify as a B+. The coral is pretty damaged, but there were abundant fish. My Mother saw a large sea turtle. The fish varieties were great and I saw some I had never seen before. There were some very large fish which is something you don?t see much in the Caribbean where I snorkel most. The
Bus return was very easy and my transfer worked! I was actually about 15 minutes past the deadline, but he took us on it anyway. After returning to the hotel we had lunch at Wolfgangs and it was inexpensive and good. We headed over to the beach for a while and then decided we would eat dinner at our hotel. Tikis was a very pleasant experience. The Ahi was the best I had ever had and the cheesecake was a real gourmet delight. Tikis seems to be a local favorite which is a very good sign!
Day 4- Polynesian Cultural Center
On this day, we had the only full day of rain during our trip! We paid to take the bus transportation thank goodness. The bus trip up the windward side of the island was not as scenic as I had hoped so we vowed to drive back when we received our car rental. We purchased the Ambassadors package with the deluxe meal rather than the luau. I have seen the Old Lahaina Luau in Maui and I decided I did not need to see another one since the Horizons show was directly after anyway. We were given upgraded leis which were nice and then placed front row for the canoe pageant. The rain actually stopped during the show and it was really pretty nice. Then it was a good thing we had a guide because with the downpours our guide timed us just right to arrive at the different islands at the right time to see the shows under cover! I actually did learn a few things. Did you know that Tonga is the only Polynesian nation still under dictatorship of a king? Dinner time seemed to come around rather quick. The buffet was really good! We had unlimited prime rib and snow crab legs. I skipped dessert because our package included the pineapple delight during the show. The show was good, and our seats in the 7th row center perfect. The show was Broadway quality of course, but I would give it a B on set, sound and performance. Our return to the hotel was smooth and timely. I recommend purchasing the transfers if you don?t have a car.
Day 5- Change Hotels
We got ready to check out of our hotel this morning. I decided I would miss the live entertainment the most at the Aston Waikiki Beach hotel. We took a taxi only a couple blocks to the Aston Waikiki Beach Tower to check in. They upgraded us to ocean front 1 bedroom condo from ocean view, but we would have to wait until 3pm for our room. The location was very central on the beach. The surf board rental was right in front of the hotel. It was so much fun to watch all the surfers and I really wanted to try it, but I just did not have the time and my Mom was not up for it! First we had lunch at Duke?s a short walk from our hotel at the Outrigger. Then we went to the small pool and decided to wait there for our room. The pool is very small, but the womans locker rooms were nice. The service at the hotel was a definite step up from the first hotel. The concierge was there for your every beckoned call. They have free valet service (you tip of course) and free parking, so this is why we waited to get our car! When we did get our room, it was on the 20th floor! The condo was beautiful, although it did smell of smoke. The full kitchen had coffee and dish washing detergent provided. There were also two small boxes of cloths detergent in the laundry closet. We took an airport shuttle to the airport to pick up our convertible from Thrifty. We ended up with a white Sebring which was the last one available. It had quite a few scratches on it. However, everything worked fine. The drive back was no problem at all. Straight down Nimitz which turns into Ala Moana Blvd. The Waikiki traffic was pretty bad due to construction while we were there. But, being from Atlanta, it did not bother me that much as there was never a time deadline (and the convertible made it a bit fun). As usual, we were tired early and turned in after dinner.
Day 6- North Shore
We headed up to the north shore pretty early. We went straight up the center of the island and we were there before we knew it! It was still early, but when we drove past Matsumoto?s we had to stop for shave ice. Oh my gosh! It was sooo good. We had the recommended flavor li hing mui. This is located in the town of Haleiwa. We then went
To check out the surf from Wamea beach park to Sunset Beach. The surf was not up
real high, but I did manage to catch some surfers catching their wave of the day.
The convertible is worth the extra expense on a trip like this! We had lunch back in Haleiwa at Kua Aina which is a great hamburger joint. The burgers here are top notch and their mahimahi sandwiches looked good as well. On our return we stopped at Dole Pineapple plantation. The gift shop is nice and we had some Dole pineapple whip which was good, but the shave ice is better. While on the beach I realized I had left my cell phone somewhere. By calling my cell phone I realized I had left it on the shuttle bus to the airport. In retrieving my phone that night we decided to stop on our way back to the hotel at Kobe Japanese steak house located on Ala Moana Blvd. It was a very good meal.
Day 7- Pearl Harbor and Windward Coast
Our day started with Pearl Harbor. This is something you just have to do as an American when you come to Oahu. It is worth the trip and wait of about an hour for us once we got our tickets. When on the memorial I could not believe the amount of oil that was still coming out from the Arizona below. In the memorial, there were the names of those that went down with the ship. What really drew my attention was the memorial for those entombed with their shipmates since 12/7/41. Can anyone explain how they do this? I did not have an opportunity to ask this question? We were out by about 1130am and headed straight for the windward coast. We took the long route all the way down H1 and past Hanauma Bay. This was a beautiful drive. I have to say that anyone who goes to Oahu and does not drive the windward coast is really missing something. In my opinion this is a better drive than the North Shore. But, I am a beach person. These beaches from Sandy Beach toLanikai and then to Kailua are absolutely beautiful. In Lanikai I think it was, you had to park in a residential area and take public access to the beach. Some areas are better than others. On one access there was no beach, only a beautiful picture opportunity from the stone wall and surf straight out with a view of the off shore islands. My daughter paints and draws and I thought this was a perfect picture for her to use. This being our last evening before departure we decided to do what we often do and pick our favorite restaurant for a repeat visit. We went back to Tiki?s and had the same meal all over again. It was just as good. However, my ahi was medium instead of med- rare and I recommend less done. This tradition always ends our trip on a positive note as we reflect on our past days with a meal sure to be a winner.
Day 8- Return home PM
We have all day before departure, although we must check out of the hotel by noon. I head over to the beach for my last hours of sun and then after cleaning up and packing, head out. I thanked the staff for what was a wonderful, if short stay. They really were great! After checking out, we realized we had a full day with a car full of luggage so we had to be careful of where we went. We were careful not to buy chocolate until last thing though. We decided first to go to the Aloha tower mall downtown and eat at Don Ho?s grill. It was very good. The shops were nice there and it was pier side. We put our car with valet for only $3 and it was watched and in a garage. We then decided to take a drive up to Pali lookout which was a short drive. The climate sure is different up at the top, with wind and light rain we did not stay out of the car for long. But it was a beautiful lookout point. On our drive back down we stopped at Long?s drugs to get our chocolate macadamia nuts. The best prices are at ABC stores, but we did realize once we got back to the airport that Long?s was still much cheaper than the airport. We had about three hours once we returned the car and got to the airport before our flight, so I bought a book and a sandwich and waited it out. Flight back on Delta was fine. Although we had a direct flight with stop in SFO, we did have to get off the plane and wait to reboard.
As I write this report I am craving Matsumotos Shave ice! I did get shave ice in Waikiki, but for some reason it was not as good as M?s! The highlights of my trip were the Shave ice, Tiki?s restaurant, Hanauma Bay and the drive on the windward coast. I hope this review helps someone with their trip. If you have any questions please let me know and I will try my best to answer! Aloha!!
Oahu Review Oct. 22-29
Day 1- Arrival
Our arrival on Northwest airlines was uneventful and we went outside to catch a
Transfer to the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel. My guide book recommended ?The Shuttle? however they were nowhere to be found. Instead everyone was directed to large
buses that were the official airport shuttles. Instead of paying $6 per person on the recommended shuttle, we paid $8. No big deal. It did take a long time to get to the hotel due to traffic and then also the fact that we had about 7 stops with a bus full of people.
We arrived at the Aston Waikiki beach and the lobby area was nice. I noticed the Wolfang Puck?s Express which was a big plus. We quickly were checked in. Our room was very small and was a bit worn. The balcony on the 15th floor was small and if you are afraid of heights, these balconies are not for you. They are half circles with seemingly no support from the bottom. They just stick straight out from the side of the hotel. It took a while to get used to the balcony enough to stand on it. The room did come equipped with a fridge and a safe.
Day 2- Hike up Diamond Head
The Aston Waikiki beach provides a breakfast on the beach program which is very convenient. You get a lunch box to fill with a selection of hot and cold breakfast choices. The very best part of breakfast is the live entertainment on the pool deck. The entertainment at this hotel is excellent. For breakfast, you have a male vocalist/guitarist and a woman who performs a hula. We decided to take the bus to Diamond Head and then walk all the way up Diamond Head. Once we were dropped off, there is about a 1/2 mile hike to the entrance to the park. Then from there it is pretty much straight up about 1 ? miles to the very top. Don?t make the mistake we did and forget water! They sell water at the base of the mountain, but there is no water at the top! My Mom who is 63 had a pretty hard time making it up with no water. But, for anyone in decent shape and young it is not a difficult hike. I would say it is easy/moderate. Be sure to get a transfer on the bus which will get you a free return if used within a few hours! At night we went to the Ala Moana mall and it was basically just a big mall with the same stores we have in Atlanta. One interesting thing is that in parts of the mall you can only reach certain stores from the outside. We walked from the mall down to Ward Center about a ? mile to eat at Brew Moon for dinner. I enjoyed the food and atmosphere which seemed Urban in style. This was an easy first day since we were tired. The hike helped us energize and settle into a new time zone.
Day 3-Hanauma Bay
We awoke early and decided to get out and catch the bus early as suggested by many for a day at Hanauma Bay. We arrived at the bus stop a little after 7 am and realized they had blocked the road due to runners in the street. We walked a block and a half to another bus stop. It was interesting that no bus came that would take us to Hanauma, so finally we asked a bus driver. Seems either bus that runs would not start until 830am! I was so worried it would be swamped by the time we got there. But, to my surprise it was not that busy at all. We waited about 5 minutes to get a ticket and 15 minutes for our movie to start. I guess this is the plus side of off season travel! The walk down to Hanauma is dramatic and a perfect photo opportunity. There is a shuttle down for .50 and back up for double that, 1.00. The snorkeling I would classify as a B+. The coral is pretty damaged, but there were abundant fish. My Mother saw a large sea turtle. The fish varieties were great and I saw some I had never seen before. There were some very large fish which is something you don?t see much in the Caribbean where I snorkel most. The
Bus return was very easy and my transfer worked! I was actually about 15 minutes past the deadline, but he took us on it anyway. After returning to the hotel we had lunch at Wolfgangs and it was inexpensive and good. We headed over to the beach for a while and then decided we would eat dinner at our hotel. Tikis was a very pleasant experience. The Ahi was the best I had ever had and the cheesecake was a real gourmet delight. Tikis seems to be a local favorite which is a very good sign!
Day 4- Polynesian Cultural Center
On this day, we had the only full day of rain during our trip! We paid to take the bus transportation thank goodness. The bus trip up the windward side of the island was not as scenic as I had hoped so we vowed to drive back when we received our car rental. We purchased the Ambassadors package with the deluxe meal rather than the luau. I have seen the Old Lahaina Luau in Maui and I decided I did not need to see another one since the Horizons show was directly after anyway. We were given upgraded leis which were nice and then placed front row for the canoe pageant. The rain actually stopped during the show and it was really pretty nice. Then it was a good thing we had a guide because with the downpours our guide timed us just right to arrive at the different islands at the right time to see the shows under cover! I actually did learn a few things. Did you know that Tonga is the only Polynesian nation still under dictatorship of a king? Dinner time seemed to come around rather quick. The buffet was really good! We had unlimited prime rib and snow crab legs. I skipped dessert because our package included the pineapple delight during the show. The show was good, and our seats in the 7th row center perfect. The show was Broadway quality of course, but I would give it a B on set, sound and performance. Our return to the hotel was smooth and timely. I recommend purchasing the transfers if you don?t have a car.
Day 5- Change Hotels
We got ready to check out of our hotel this morning. I decided I would miss the live entertainment the most at the Aston Waikiki Beach hotel. We took a taxi only a couple blocks to the Aston Waikiki Beach Tower to check in. They upgraded us to ocean front 1 bedroom condo from ocean view, but we would have to wait until 3pm for our room. The location was very central on the beach. The surf board rental was right in front of the hotel. It was so much fun to watch all the surfers and I really wanted to try it, but I just did not have the time and my Mom was not up for it! First we had lunch at Duke?s a short walk from our hotel at the Outrigger. Then we went to the small pool and decided to wait there for our room. The pool is very small, but the womans locker rooms were nice. The service at the hotel was a definite step up from the first hotel. The concierge was there for your every beckoned call. They have free valet service (you tip of course) and free parking, so this is why we waited to get our car! When we did get our room, it was on the 20th floor! The condo was beautiful, although it did smell of smoke. The full kitchen had coffee and dish washing detergent provided. There were also two small boxes of cloths detergent in the laundry closet. We took an airport shuttle to the airport to pick up our convertible from Thrifty. We ended up with a white Sebring which was the last one available. It had quite a few scratches on it. However, everything worked fine. The drive back was no problem at all. Straight down Nimitz which turns into Ala Moana Blvd. The Waikiki traffic was pretty bad due to construction while we were there. But, being from Atlanta, it did not bother me that much as there was never a time deadline (and the convertible made it a bit fun). As usual, we were tired early and turned in after dinner.
Day 6- North Shore
We headed up to the north shore pretty early. We went straight up the center of the island and we were there before we knew it! It was still early, but when we drove past Matsumoto?s we had to stop for shave ice. Oh my gosh! It was sooo good. We had the recommended flavor li hing mui. This is located in the town of Haleiwa. We then went
To check out the surf from Wamea beach park to Sunset Beach. The surf was not up
real high, but I did manage to catch some surfers catching their wave of the day.
The convertible is worth the extra expense on a trip like this! We had lunch back in Haleiwa at Kua Aina which is a great hamburger joint. The burgers here are top notch and their mahimahi sandwiches looked good as well. On our return we stopped at Dole Pineapple plantation. The gift shop is nice and we had some Dole pineapple whip which was good, but the shave ice is better. While on the beach I realized I had left my cell phone somewhere. By calling my cell phone I realized I had left it on the shuttle bus to the airport. In retrieving my phone that night we decided to stop on our way back to the hotel at Kobe Japanese steak house located on Ala Moana Blvd. It was a very good meal.
Day 7- Pearl Harbor and Windward Coast
Our day started with Pearl Harbor. This is something you just have to do as an American when you come to Oahu. It is worth the trip and wait of about an hour for us once we got our tickets. When on the memorial I could not believe the amount of oil that was still coming out from the Arizona below. In the memorial, there were the names of those that went down with the ship. What really drew my attention was the memorial for those entombed with their shipmates since 12/7/41. Can anyone explain how they do this? I did not have an opportunity to ask this question? We were out by about 1130am and headed straight for the windward coast. We took the long route all the way down H1 and past Hanauma Bay. This was a beautiful drive. I have to say that anyone who goes to Oahu and does not drive the windward coast is really missing something. In my opinion this is a better drive than the North Shore. But, I am a beach person. These beaches from Sandy Beach toLanikai and then to Kailua are absolutely beautiful. In Lanikai I think it was, you had to park in a residential area and take public access to the beach. Some areas are better than others. On one access there was no beach, only a beautiful picture opportunity from the stone wall and surf straight out with a view of the off shore islands. My daughter paints and draws and I thought this was a perfect picture for her to use. This being our last evening before departure we decided to do what we often do and pick our favorite restaurant for a repeat visit. We went back to Tiki?s and had the same meal all over again. It was just as good. However, my ahi was medium instead of med- rare and I recommend less done. This tradition always ends our trip on a positive note as we reflect on our past days with a meal sure to be a winner.
Day 8- Return home PM
We have all day before departure, although we must check out of the hotel by noon. I head over to the beach for my last hours of sun and then after cleaning up and packing, head out. I thanked the staff for what was a wonderful, if short stay. They really were great! After checking out, we realized we had a full day with a car full of luggage so we had to be careful of where we went. We were careful not to buy chocolate until last thing though. We decided first to go to the Aloha tower mall downtown and eat at Don Ho?s grill. It was very good. The shops were nice there and it was pier side. We put our car with valet for only $3 and it was watched and in a garage. We then decided to take a drive up to Pali lookout which was a short drive. The climate sure is different up at the top, with wind and light rain we did not stay out of the car for long. But it was a beautiful lookout point. On our drive back down we stopped at Long?s drugs to get our chocolate macadamia nuts. The best prices are at ABC stores, but we did realize once we got back to the airport that Long?s was still much cheaper than the airport. We had about three hours once we returned the car and got to the airport before our flight, so I bought a book and a sandwich and waited it out. Flight back on Delta was fine. Although we had a direct flight with stop in SFO, we did have to get off the plane and wait to reboard.
As I write this report I am craving Matsumotos Shave ice! I did get shave ice in Waikiki, but for some reason it was not as good as M?s! The highlights of my trip were the Shave ice, Tiki?s restaurant, Hanauma Bay and the drive on the windward coast. I hope this review helps someone with their trip. If you have any questions please let me know and I will try my best to answer! Aloha!!
Nov 9th, 2004, 09:08 AM
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Wtggirl, glad your trip was such fun! Regarding the "smoke" smell at the Waikiki Beach Tower, I presume you mean cigarette smoke? Do they give you a choice of smoking or non-smoking units? Did you complain and ask to be moved? Just wondering....... I've always thought I'd like to stay there. Friends did, and they loved it!
Nov 9th, 2004, 09:15 AM
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I neglected to ask for nonsmoking in the beginning so I did not complain. I decided I would wait a day or so and ask them to come in a "febreeze" the place if necessary. But, I realized that the smell was most noticeable as you first walk in and then either you got used to it, or the circulation improved the problem. They probably did have smoke free rooms. I should also mention that that in the one bedroom units they lock off the second bedroom, but it is the same unit.
Nov 9th, 2004, 02:16 PM
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Aloha wtggirl,
Welcome back... the withdraw is a little tough eh?
Hey, was Eddie your concierge at the AWB Tower? ... he's wonderful.
We also loved the tower and BB we did request a non-smoking room and it was fine. I loved the views from this hotel... esp. the cat walk on the top floor looking back at the city all lit up at dusk.
I'm tasting the ahi sandwich from K'ua A'ina... oohhhhhhhhhhh! AND visualizing the windward coast drive... so right, not to be missed!
Glad you had such a great time... many mahalos for sharing the memory...
Welcome back... the withdraw is a little tough eh?
Hey, was Eddie your concierge at the AWB Tower? ... he's wonderful.
We also loved the tower and BB we did request a non-smoking room and it was fine. I loved the views from this hotel... esp. the cat walk on the top floor looking back at the city all lit up at dusk.
I'm tasting the ahi sandwich from K'ua A'ina... oohhhhhhhhhhh! AND visualizing the windward coast drive... so right, not to be missed!
Glad you had such a great time... many mahalos for sharing the memory...
Nov 9th, 2004, 04:06 PM
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I lived on Oahu three years and never found any dessert that rivaled the shave ice at Matsumoto's. I think part of it is the vanilla ice cream on the bottom, how good it is when the flavored ice starts to melt into it...or maybe it's just Matsumoto's!
Nov 10th, 2004, 01:59 AM
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You seemed to have done very good planning. Your trip was very organized and you saw all the sights! For a gal who could hike Diamond Head, I'm surprised your mother was not up for surfing! Glad you had fun...come back again to visit. Aloha!
Nov 10th, 2004, 10:19 AM
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Welcome back!
My husband and I are leaving for Oahu tomorrow! We are so excited. We'll definitely have to try some of the restaurants you mentioned.
I was concerned about the weather. Someone else on the chatboard had mentioned that it's been raining nonstop on Oahu. Sounds like your trip was rain-free except for that one day.
Thank you for sharing your review. It'll definitely come in handy.
My husband and I are leaving for Oahu tomorrow! We are so excited. We'll definitely have to try some of the restaurants you mentioned.
I was concerned about the weather. Someone else on the chatboard had mentioned that it's been raining nonstop on Oahu. Sounds like your trip was rain-free except for that one day.
Thank you for sharing your review. It'll definitely come in handy.
Nov 15th, 2004, 11:18 AM
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Makai1, I think Eddie was the name of the thinner, dark complected fellow whom we really liked. I am so bad with names and forget them. We had three bellmen and they were all great. I would also like to mention that I did not say anything about our meal at Restaurant Row. We ate at "Sunset Grill" because I had an entertainment coupon. We had the Ahi with pasta. I was disappointed because the sauce was overbearing for the ahi. I keep remembering points I did not make with my review. I was in such a hurry to write it! I have been home only a couple weeks and I am still sad I am no longer in Hawaii! Does anyone know a place in Atlanta with shave ice????
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Oct 5th, 2004 02:46 PM
