Oahu trip report!
Aug 27th, 2006 | 02:53 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 46
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Oahu trip report!
Here it is…my Oahu trip report at long last!
A little background…a good friend of mine from college is in the US Navy and is stationed on Oahu. He’s been there since 2000 and has invited me every year since then, but I could never go for a variety of reasons (sick relatives, no money, no vacation time, etc.). He told me earlier this year that he will be leaving Oahu in December (he’s going to be stationed in Europe next) so this was my last chance to go—I finally made it!
8/9 Wednesday: Left Newark at 1:00 pm (EDT) and arrived at the Honolulu airport at around 6:30pm Hawaii time. This was the first time I’d ever been on a plane for more than 5 hours and it wasn’t bad at all. It was a non-stop flight on Continental and it went by faster than I thought it would. My friend met me at the airport with an orchid lei, just like on the Brady Bunch, LOL! I was so excited that I didn’t realize it was really after midnight for me since my body was still on Eastern time. We walked through Waikiki and tried to eat at Duke’s but there was a 1 hour wait, so we had dinner at hamburger joint. I can’t remember the name of it though, unfortunately. After that, I realized it was around 3am for me and we went back to my friend’s and I crashed.
8/10 Thursday: Since my friend is in the military (and has been for 14 years) he’s very organized, so he had all our activities planned out. We got up early and climbed Diamond Head. That was quite a workout, but not too bad. I had a Camelbak hydration pack that my brother had given me before I left, and I highly recommend them. We got up to the top and I took some amazing photos. Then we hiked back down and had lunch. Later, we went to Hanama Bay (sp?) where I attempted unsuccessfully to snorkel (I’m a terrible swimmer). I think that would be great for people who are good swimmers and can see the fish and coral. Took misc photos. It is a beautiful place.
8/11 Friday: My friend thought that since I’m a terrible swimmer, we should check out a beach that has calmer water, so we went to the Ko’olina resort. I was able to navigate the waters there with no problem and was surprised that it wasn’t crowded at all. It looks like Marriott has big plans for this place because there was a lot of construction going on. There are 4 lagoons there and the resort hotels themselves are very nice. Later that night, we went to Paradise Cove for a luau. I really enjoyed this because although it is a touristy thing to do, it’s something you MUST do if you go to Hawaii. My friend told me Paradise Cove’s luau is the best and to avoid another place called Jermaine’s (sp?).
8/12 Saturday: Went to Polynesian Cultural Center all day. This is another place that is very touristy, but it’s a good place to visit to learn about the history and culture of Hawaii and the Polynesian islands. I was surprised to learn that the PCC is run by the Mormon church, so there is no alcohol served. A lot of the people who work there are students at the nearby campus of BYU. Anyway, if you go here, you have to reserve an entire day for it. We were there from about noon until 9pm. They have different packages you can buy, and we had the one that comes with a buffet dinner. There is also a luau, but we didn’t do that so I can’t comment on that. They have a show at the end of the day that is really great though and they also give you a DVD of the show before you leave.
8/13 Sunday: On this day we got up very early and went to the USS Arizona Memorial. Unless you want to spend all day standing on line, you’d better get there early. We got there at 7am and the gates opened at 7:30. We were in the first group to go in so I felt like we got a private tour. When you first go in, they show a movie that is quite sad and really takes you back to what it must have been like that day. Of course, with all the things going on in the world now, it hits home even more. The man who was the tour guide for this part of the tour was a Pearl Harbor veteran and he had some sad stories to tell. You take a short boat ride to the memorial after the movie. It's eerie because you can still see oil coming up to the surface from the Arizona below. After that, we went to the USS Missouri, which is right next to the Arizona. My father (now deceased) served in the Navy on a similar ship to the Missouri, so this part of the day meant a lot to me. After that, we went to my friend’s ship and I was able to take a brief tour with him. Since this is not something most tourists would get to do, I won’t go into detail about it. After that, we went to the “Swap Meet” which is what we would call a flea market back home. It’s held at the stadium and there are about a million vendors (OK, I’m exaggerating but there were a lot of them.) I bought a lot of souvenirs here. I think the swap meets are only on weekends
8/14 Monday: We did some shopping at the Navy exchange on this day and then later went on a dinner cruise. I think the cruise lasted a couple of hours. Dinner consisted of lobster and beef tenderloin and after dinner, there was Hawaiian dancing for entertainment.
8/15 Tuesday: We went horseback riding at a place called Happy Trails. It was hot that day so it was a little uncomfortable and I’d have to say I enjoyed this part of the trip the least. After that, we drove to Turtle Bay resort just to see what it looks like and went to the North Shore to check out the surfers. We were able to see some sea turtles so that was pretty neat. I took pictures. We also saw Chinaman’s hat.
8/16 Wednesday: We went on the Atlantis submarine tour. You get on a sub that takes you about 100+ feet underwater and look at the marine life and artificial reefs. I enjoyed this, but noticed a lot of people were getting sea sick so if that’s a problem for you, you might want to consider that before going. You can pick up the sub at Waikiki.
8/17 Thursday: We had nothing planned for this day so it was a free day. We walked around town and saw King Kamehameha’s palace and some other sites. We also went to some Asian markets. I was wishing I could bring back 10 suitcases for all the things I wanted to buy. Hawaii is interesting because there are some parts that feel very American and other places that feel very Asian. There were times I had to remind myself that Hawaii is part of the US and other times that I felt like I wasn’t that far from home.
8/18 Friday: This was my last day there. My flight didn’t leave until 9:30 pm so I had the whole day to do a few things. We did some shopping in Waikiki and I got a henna tattoo because I’m too chicken to get a real one, LOL!! I got to the airport 3 hours early because that’s what everyone was saying to do, and I ended up being WAY too early. There were no lines at the airport, so I ended up just walking around, eating ice cream and buying still more souvenirs! The flight back home was overnight and I slept on the plane on and off. I had jet lag for about 4 days afterwards.
Some notes and observations: My friend wasn’t too knowledgeable about the local cuisine so we ended up eating at chain restaurants like Chili’s, LOL! I also had Filipino food one time (which I eat all the time in NJ). We did eat at a place one time called Zippy’s, which serves local Hawaiian food. I thought it was interesting they serve rice with everything and I’d never had spam and eggs before, so that was an interesting experience.
I’d love to go back to Oahu someday and maybe check out the other islands as well. Now that I’ve gotten all the touristy things out of the way, I think next time I’ll just be more “leisurely” about it and maybe spend more time at the beach and checking out different shops. Next time, I’ll have to stay in a hotel because my friend will have left Hawaii by then, but I can’t wait to go back. What a great experience!
If you have any questions about anything I’ve written, please let me know. You can e-mail me at [email protected].
A little background…a good friend of mine from college is in the US Navy and is stationed on Oahu. He’s been there since 2000 and has invited me every year since then, but I could never go for a variety of reasons (sick relatives, no money, no vacation time, etc.). He told me earlier this year that he will be leaving Oahu in December (he’s going to be stationed in Europe next) so this was my last chance to go—I finally made it!
8/9 Wednesday: Left Newark at 1:00 pm (EDT) and arrived at the Honolulu airport at around 6:30pm Hawaii time. This was the first time I’d ever been on a plane for more than 5 hours and it wasn’t bad at all. It was a non-stop flight on Continental and it went by faster than I thought it would. My friend met me at the airport with an orchid lei, just like on the Brady Bunch, LOL! I was so excited that I didn’t realize it was really after midnight for me since my body was still on Eastern time. We walked through Waikiki and tried to eat at Duke’s but there was a 1 hour wait, so we had dinner at hamburger joint. I can’t remember the name of it though, unfortunately. After that, I realized it was around 3am for me and we went back to my friend’s and I crashed.
8/10 Thursday: Since my friend is in the military (and has been for 14 years) he’s very organized, so he had all our activities planned out. We got up early and climbed Diamond Head. That was quite a workout, but not too bad. I had a Camelbak hydration pack that my brother had given me before I left, and I highly recommend them. We got up to the top and I took some amazing photos. Then we hiked back down and had lunch. Later, we went to Hanama Bay (sp?) where I attempted unsuccessfully to snorkel (I’m a terrible swimmer). I think that would be great for people who are good swimmers and can see the fish and coral. Took misc photos. It is a beautiful place.
8/11 Friday: My friend thought that since I’m a terrible swimmer, we should check out a beach that has calmer water, so we went to the Ko’olina resort. I was able to navigate the waters there with no problem and was surprised that it wasn’t crowded at all. It looks like Marriott has big plans for this place because there was a lot of construction going on. There are 4 lagoons there and the resort hotels themselves are very nice. Later that night, we went to Paradise Cove for a luau. I really enjoyed this because although it is a touristy thing to do, it’s something you MUST do if you go to Hawaii. My friend told me Paradise Cove’s luau is the best and to avoid another place called Jermaine’s (sp?).
8/12 Saturday: Went to Polynesian Cultural Center all day. This is another place that is very touristy, but it’s a good place to visit to learn about the history and culture of Hawaii and the Polynesian islands. I was surprised to learn that the PCC is run by the Mormon church, so there is no alcohol served. A lot of the people who work there are students at the nearby campus of BYU. Anyway, if you go here, you have to reserve an entire day for it. We were there from about noon until 9pm. They have different packages you can buy, and we had the one that comes with a buffet dinner. There is also a luau, but we didn’t do that so I can’t comment on that. They have a show at the end of the day that is really great though and they also give you a DVD of the show before you leave.
8/13 Sunday: On this day we got up very early and went to the USS Arizona Memorial. Unless you want to spend all day standing on line, you’d better get there early. We got there at 7am and the gates opened at 7:30. We were in the first group to go in so I felt like we got a private tour. When you first go in, they show a movie that is quite sad and really takes you back to what it must have been like that day. Of course, with all the things going on in the world now, it hits home even more. The man who was the tour guide for this part of the tour was a Pearl Harbor veteran and he had some sad stories to tell. You take a short boat ride to the memorial after the movie. It's eerie because you can still see oil coming up to the surface from the Arizona below. After that, we went to the USS Missouri, which is right next to the Arizona. My father (now deceased) served in the Navy on a similar ship to the Missouri, so this part of the day meant a lot to me. After that, we went to my friend’s ship and I was able to take a brief tour with him. Since this is not something most tourists would get to do, I won’t go into detail about it. After that, we went to the “Swap Meet” which is what we would call a flea market back home. It’s held at the stadium and there are about a million vendors (OK, I’m exaggerating but there were a lot of them.) I bought a lot of souvenirs here. I think the swap meets are only on weekends
8/14 Monday: We did some shopping at the Navy exchange on this day and then later went on a dinner cruise. I think the cruise lasted a couple of hours. Dinner consisted of lobster and beef tenderloin and after dinner, there was Hawaiian dancing for entertainment.
8/15 Tuesday: We went horseback riding at a place called Happy Trails. It was hot that day so it was a little uncomfortable and I’d have to say I enjoyed this part of the trip the least. After that, we drove to Turtle Bay resort just to see what it looks like and went to the North Shore to check out the surfers. We were able to see some sea turtles so that was pretty neat. I took pictures. We also saw Chinaman’s hat.
8/16 Wednesday: We went on the Atlantis submarine tour. You get on a sub that takes you about 100+ feet underwater and look at the marine life and artificial reefs. I enjoyed this, but noticed a lot of people were getting sea sick so if that’s a problem for you, you might want to consider that before going. You can pick up the sub at Waikiki.
8/17 Thursday: We had nothing planned for this day so it was a free day. We walked around town and saw King Kamehameha’s palace and some other sites. We also went to some Asian markets. I was wishing I could bring back 10 suitcases for all the things I wanted to buy. Hawaii is interesting because there are some parts that feel very American and other places that feel very Asian. There were times I had to remind myself that Hawaii is part of the US and other times that I felt like I wasn’t that far from home.
8/18 Friday: This was my last day there. My flight didn’t leave until 9:30 pm so I had the whole day to do a few things. We did some shopping in Waikiki and I got a henna tattoo because I’m too chicken to get a real one, LOL!! I got to the airport 3 hours early because that’s what everyone was saying to do, and I ended up being WAY too early. There were no lines at the airport, so I ended up just walking around, eating ice cream and buying still more souvenirs! The flight back home was overnight and I slept on the plane on and off. I had jet lag for about 4 days afterwards.
Some notes and observations: My friend wasn’t too knowledgeable about the local cuisine so we ended up eating at chain restaurants like Chili’s, LOL! I also had Filipino food one time (which I eat all the time in NJ). We did eat at a place one time called Zippy’s, which serves local Hawaiian food. I thought it was interesting they serve rice with everything and I’d never had spam and eggs before, so that was an interesting experience.
I’d love to go back to Oahu someday and maybe check out the other islands as well. Now that I’ve gotten all the touristy things out of the way, I think next time I’ll just be more “leisurely” about it and maybe spend more time at the beach and checking out different shops. Next time, I’ll have to stay in a hotel because my friend will have left Hawaii by then, but I can’t wait to go back. What a great experience!
If you have any questions about anything I’ve written, please let me know. You can e-mail me at [email protected].
Aug 27th, 2006 | 04:30 PM
#5
Original Poster
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 46
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Debi,
The construction wasn't bad when I was there. It looked like they had just started so I don't know how it will be by October. I don't think you'll have any blocked views. The hotels they're building are next to the existing ones, not in front of them, and there is space between them. I think you'll be OK.
The construction wasn't bad when I was there. It looked like they had just started so I don't know how it will be by October. I don't think you'll have any blocked views. The hotels they're building are next to the existing ones, not in front of them, and there is space between them. I think you'll be OK.
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Aug 27th, 2006 | 05:17 PM
#8
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Posts: n/a
Polly, thank you for sharing your trip with us. Sounds like you have a a very considerate friend there who went to a lot of trouble to make sure you had a good visit. I've been to the Hawaiian islands several times, and I'm always ready to go back! I appreciate your bringing back good memories for me ...
Aug 28th, 2006 | 12:53 PM
#10
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,158
Likes: 0
aaaahhhhh.....another Oahu convert. Now you know, Polly! I'm re-reading your report and I feel like you may only have touched the tip of the iceberg, but at least it was a good part of the tip. hee hee. As you say, there's always "next time." You'll say that every time!
Aug 28th, 2006 | 05:52 PM
#12
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 27,868
Likes: 0
luvtravl -- I will be anxiously awaiting to read your trip report {you WILL be doing one won't you??} as we will be heading to Ko'olina in October. Are you doing this with the time share presentation special deal? If so, you should check out the laws in HI regarding time share promotions. I will post the link if you are doing timeshare thing. Thanks in advance!
Debi
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