Oahu Trip Report - LONG
Jun 9th, 2004, 01:44 PM
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Oahu Trip Report - LONG
ALLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOooooooHA!
Just got back from a week in Oahu, it was absolutely wonderful! Thank you for all the helpful posts and information. For those of you thinking of going, here?s a LONG summary of our trip. For background, my wife and I are in our late 20?s, from the midwest, and we tend to enjoy the suburban lifestyle. We went to Maui last year for our honeymoon and absolutely loved it, very peaceful and relaxing. We decided to come back for Oahu knowing that it would be a completely different trip, more crowded, more activities, much more on the go. We found we loved both!
Hilton Hawaiian Village
First off, we arrived in Honolulu on Saturday, May 29th and stayed for a week. We found this period right before the kids and families get out of school to be an excellent time to visit Oahu. It was not as crowded as I originally expected, although the last weekend we were there, we definitely noticed more families and a lot more high school and college age students.
As for the hotel, it was quite nice and located in a great area along the beach. Service was good, the rooms were a bit older, but I suspect that most Waikiki beach hotels are as well. HHV is nice in that you are literally surrounded by a small village of shops, restaurants, etc.
FOOD!
On to the best parts, my wife and I love to go out and visit restaurants, both high end and hole in the wall, and this was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Here?s a quick rundown of our favorites:
3660 On the Rise ? This is a higher end Chinese fusion restaurant. I stress the Chinese here as opposed to Asian fusion because for those who are able to discern, the sauces and flavors were really based more on typical Chinese cuisine rather than Japanese, Korean, Phillipino, etc. Anyhow, overall an excellent experience! The food was great, we had two of their house specials, the mahi mahi with spicy black bean sauce was especially good and their ahi sashimi appetizer was great!
Alan Wong?s ? again, high end Chinese fusion. This place was highly recommended by many people here on the board. Although a solid experience, I have to say we were disappointed overall. First off, the service was spotty at best. My wife and I ordered the Chef?s tasting menu and the service was so slow the entire meal took over two hours! That certainly dampened the experience. The food was good, but again, not spectacular. We love asian food and asian fusion cooking, but unfortunately the dishes were neither especially creative or all that good. As an example, we had a pork chop dish and a foie gras dish that essentially used the same sauce, a chinese plum sauce that was way too sweet. Again, for the price and especially given we ordered the tasting menu, it was not worth it. I will say though that dessert there was very good. Still, we?d recommend 3660 instead!
Sansei ? japanese This place was great, we?ve been to the one in Maui so we had an idea of what we were getting and this place didn?t disappoint. Basically, if you?re looking to taste really good and fresh sushi and sashimi, come here. BTW, in all our travels we've found that the best Ahi Tuna in the world for sashimi is in Hawaii. Yum!
Sam Choy?s ? seafood This is a great local flavor seafood joint. We had a TWO POUND lobster and snow crab legs and they were super YUMMY! On top of that, the service is great and the price was very reasonable (above meal in total with 20% tip cost $100).
Irifune ? Japanese, hole in the wall, small and cheap! We absolutely LOVED this restaurant! It has such a great local feel and the food is excellent and very affordable! Irifune probably can only sit about 40-50 people, which makes it a great cozy experience. The sashimi there was incredibly good and we thought comparable to Sansei and other higher end places. Basically, you can get entire dinner specials here for under $10, no problem.
Genki?s ? another small japanese restaurant, this one is almost like a fast food joint. You sit down in front of a rotating conveyer belt that passes little plates of sushi, sashimi, and other japanese treats right in front of you. You then simply pick the ones you want and eat them right there. At the end of the meal, the waitress adds up your color-coded plates! Not necessarily the best japanese food, but certainly good and cheap and a fun way to eat!
Duke?s Canoe Club (american) ? This is a popular place with lots of history. Great drinks and a neat location (right on the beach). I?d definitely go again just for the atmosphere, the food is good solid american fare, nothing fancy, but hits the spot.
SHAVE ICE ? Have to take a moment to say, if you are visiting Hawaii, you have to have SHAVE ICE!!! It is sooooooo GOOD! But, please, be sure that you are having authentic shave ice. Much of what is sold as shave ice, is really just a glorified snow cone. True shave ice, is really shaved extremely fine, almost like powdered sugar. Much much much different from just a snow cone of finely chopped ice with flavored syrup on it. That being said, I think the most common place people suggest to go is Matsumoto?s. However, besides being quite far from Waikiki and HNL, we thought Matsumoto?s was over-rated. Not bad, certainly not as coarse as a snow cone, but also not as good as a small shop we found right down the street from Irifune called WAIOLA SHAVE ICE. Incredible! Super finely shaved ice and tons of flavors including red beans (an asian favorite) and mocha! We loved it so much that in our one week trip we ended up going there THREE times and tried to go right before leaving, but it was closed! Do NOT MISS THIS TREAT!
Vietnamese Pho ? One other thing, if you?ve never had vietnamese noodles (called ?pho?) definitely try some while in Hawaii. There are tons of these little joints all around and I?m sure they?re all pretty good as this seems to be a standard vietnamese dish. We love it and weren?t disappointed.
Okay, that does it for food. The following are the activities we enjoyed. Let me warn you that my wife and I are not very outdoors-y type people so we did not hike Diamond Head and we did not end up having time for the Polynesian Cultural Center. But we did have time for?
Pearl harbor/Arizona Memorial ? This was a very well done experience, we were pleasantly surprised. First off, if you decide to go, please heed everyone?s advice and go EARLY! The memorial does not open until 7:30am, but the parking opens by 7:00am. If you can?t make it by 8:00am, forget it, the line is incredible. BTW, we rented a car and were very glad we did. The car for the week cost $119 from Budget for a compact. But having a car saved us the money of a ?tour? for Pearl harbor and Hanauma Bay. We later found out that supposed ?tours? to these locations are essentially you paying for transportation and not much else. In any case, you basically watch a movie and then go to the memorial which is built right over the sunken remains of the USS Arizona. It was really amazing, seeing the movie and then seeing and hearing from veterans who were there really made the whole experience very real for us. Definitely something you should plan to visit.
Hanauma Bay (snorkeling) ? This place is absolutely AMAZING! You have to have to have to visit this beach. Again, just like Pearl Harbor though, GO EARLY! If you can?t make it there by 8:30am, pretty much forget it. We got there at 7:30am, found plenty of parking and were ready to start snorkeling by 8:00am. Even if you?ve never been snorkeling before, it is so so so easy, especially here. Within five feet of walking into the water, you can bend down and see tons of fish, brightly colored all shapes and sizes! Really a neat experience. Again, we found out later that tour groups charging $20-$30 weren?t really offering much other than transportation. Once you get there, entrance costs $5/person and parking is $1. Snorkel rental is $6 for the cheap ones and $9 for the ?dry? snorkel gear. One tip, definitely ?splurge? for the ?dry? type, it makes things much easier. I?d also suggest using an anti-fog spray on the inside of your goggles. They did this for us in Maui and it really helped keep things clear.
Swap Meet (every wed and Sunday 10-3pm) ? This was one of the best parts of the trip for my wife, it?s basically a huge outdoor market with tons and tons of vendors set up selling all kinds of souvenirs, clothes, purses, jewelry at very discounted prices. To give you an idea of how big it is, all the vendors wrap ALL THE WAY AROUND the football stadium parking lot. One tip, you can definitely haggle here. My wife and I were amazed at how many people didn?t try this. At the very least, we were always able to get at least a $1 off per every $10. Of course, some might argue the prices are so cheap anyway why bother, but for us it was actually kind of fun and reminded us of the night markets in taiwan and hong kong.
Atlantis Submarine ? This is supposedly the world?s only passenger submarine. You pay between $75-$90/person and it takes you down about 125 feet to see a couple (intentionally) sunken ships and some other sights. You also get to see the fish and possibly a turtle. Overall, a neat experience, but not quite as neat as I had originally thought. All the stuff you see essentially was put there by the company so that?s not quite as neat as finding a true sunken ship. It?s a good idea if you have anyone who wants to see fish but doesn?t want to snorkel or get in the water. For me though, I?d much rather go to Hanauma Bay and experience it in the water.
Waikiki Aquarium ? a great cheap way to spend a morning or afternoon. This place is only $7 but they have some pretty nice exhibits and a neat outdoor exhibit where kids can hold some of the animals (shell crabs, etc). Nothing fancy or huge like a Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, but still a neat place nonetheless.
Serenity Spa ? My wife and I treated ourselves to a couples massage at Serenity Spa located in the Outrigger Reef hotel. We chose this place because we were told it?s one of the most reasonably priced spas. The cost for two one hour massages with tip was about $210. It?s still a lot of money, but definitely great for those who like massages. As for the place, if you?re going just for the massage itself, then it?s perfect because they do a great job and it?s slightly more affordable. On the other hand, you can tell it?s cheaper because they lack some of the other amenities that other spas have. For example, most spas have private showers and changing rooms and saunas and whirlpools, they have none of that. You basically come in, change, and get right down to the massage. So if you?re looking for more of the entire experience (maybe working out, taking a shower, relaxing a bit and then getting the massage), then this probably isn?t the place for you. Still a great deal though and we?d go back.
Wow, that was long, if you made it this far congratulations!
We loved Hawaii and can?t wait to plan another trip back. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions or if I can help with any planning. Mahalo!
Just got back from a week in Oahu, it was absolutely wonderful! Thank you for all the helpful posts and information. For those of you thinking of going, here?s a LONG summary of our trip. For background, my wife and I are in our late 20?s, from the midwest, and we tend to enjoy the suburban lifestyle. We went to Maui last year for our honeymoon and absolutely loved it, very peaceful and relaxing. We decided to come back for Oahu knowing that it would be a completely different trip, more crowded, more activities, much more on the go. We found we loved both!
Hilton Hawaiian Village
First off, we arrived in Honolulu on Saturday, May 29th and stayed for a week. We found this period right before the kids and families get out of school to be an excellent time to visit Oahu. It was not as crowded as I originally expected, although the last weekend we were there, we definitely noticed more families and a lot more high school and college age students.
As for the hotel, it was quite nice and located in a great area along the beach. Service was good, the rooms were a bit older, but I suspect that most Waikiki beach hotels are as well. HHV is nice in that you are literally surrounded by a small village of shops, restaurants, etc.
FOOD!
On to the best parts, my wife and I love to go out and visit restaurants, both high end and hole in the wall, and this was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Here?s a quick rundown of our favorites:
3660 On the Rise ? This is a higher end Chinese fusion restaurant. I stress the Chinese here as opposed to Asian fusion because for those who are able to discern, the sauces and flavors were really based more on typical Chinese cuisine rather than Japanese, Korean, Phillipino, etc. Anyhow, overall an excellent experience! The food was great, we had two of their house specials, the mahi mahi with spicy black bean sauce was especially good and their ahi sashimi appetizer was great!
Alan Wong?s ? again, high end Chinese fusion. This place was highly recommended by many people here on the board. Although a solid experience, I have to say we were disappointed overall. First off, the service was spotty at best. My wife and I ordered the Chef?s tasting menu and the service was so slow the entire meal took over two hours! That certainly dampened the experience. The food was good, but again, not spectacular. We love asian food and asian fusion cooking, but unfortunately the dishes were neither especially creative or all that good. As an example, we had a pork chop dish and a foie gras dish that essentially used the same sauce, a chinese plum sauce that was way too sweet. Again, for the price and especially given we ordered the tasting menu, it was not worth it. I will say though that dessert there was very good. Still, we?d recommend 3660 instead!
Sansei ? japanese This place was great, we?ve been to the one in Maui so we had an idea of what we were getting and this place didn?t disappoint. Basically, if you?re looking to taste really good and fresh sushi and sashimi, come here. BTW, in all our travels we've found that the best Ahi Tuna in the world for sashimi is in Hawaii. Yum!
Sam Choy?s ? seafood This is a great local flavor seafood joint. We had a TWO POUND lobster and snow crab legs and they were super YUMMY! On top of that, the service is great and the price was very reasonable (above meal in total with 20% tip cost $100).
Irifune ? Japanese, hole in the wall, small and cheap! We absolutely LOVED this restaurant! It has such a great local feel and the food is excellent and very affordable! Irifune probably can only sit about 40-50 people, which makes it a great cozy experience. The sashimi there was incredibly good and we thought comparable to Sansei and other higher end places. Basically, you can get entire dinner specials here for under $10, no problem.
Genki?s ? another small japanese restaurant, this one is almost like a fast food joint. You sit down in front of a rotating conveyer belt that passes little plates of sushi, sashimi, and other japanese treats right in front of you. You then simply pick the ones you want and eat them right there. At the end of the meal, the waitress adds up your color-coded plates! Not necessarily the best japanese food, but certainly good and cheap and a fun way to eat!
Duke?s Canoe Club (american) ? This is a popular place with lots of history. Great drinks and a neat location (right on the beach). I?d definitely go again just for the atmosphere, the food is good solid american fare, nothing fancy, but hits the spot.
SHAVE ICE ? Have to take a moment to say, if you are visiting Hawaii, you have to have SHAVE ICE!!! It is sooooooo GOOD! But, please, be sure that you are having authentic shave ice. Much of what is sold as shave ice, is really just a glorified snow cone. True shave ice, is really shaved extremely fine, almost like powdered sugar. Much much much different from just a snow cone of finely chopped ice with flavored syrup on it. That being said, I think the most common place people suggest to go is Matsumoto?s. However, besides being quite far from Waikiki and HNL, we thought Matsumoto?s was over-rated. Not bad, certainly not as coarse as a snow cone, but also not as good as a small shop we found right down the street from Irifune called WAIOLA SHAVE ICE. Incredible! Super finely shaved ice and tons of flavors including red beans (an asian favorite) and mocha! We loved it so much that in our one week trip we ended up going there THREE times and tried to go right before leaving, but it was closed! Do NOT MISS THIS TREAT!
Vietnamese Pho ? One other thing, if you?ve never had vietnamese noodles (called ?pho?) definitely try some while in Hawaii. There are tons of these little joints all around and I?m sure they?re all pretty good as this seems to be a standard vietnamese dish. We love it and weren?t disappointed.
Okay, that does it for food. The following are the activities we enjoyed. Let me warn you that my wife and I are not very outdoors-y type people so we did not hike Diamond Head and we did not end up having time for the Polynesian Cultural Center. But we did have time for?
Pearl harbor/Arizona Memorial ? This was a very well done experience, we were pleasantly surprised. First off, if you decide to go, please heed everyone?s advice and go EARLY! The memorial does not open until 7:30am, but the parking opens by 7:00am. If you can?t make it by 8:00am, forget it, the line is incredible. BTW, we rented a car and were very glad we did. The car for the week cost $119 from Budget for a compact. But having a car saved us the money of a ?tour? for Pearl harbor and Hanauma Bay. We later found out that supposed ?tours? to these locations are essentially you paying for transportation and not much else. In any case, you basically watch a movie and then go to the memorial which is built right over the sunken remains of the USS Arizona. It was really amazing, seeing the movie and then seeing and hearing from veterans who were there really made the whole experience very real for us. Definitely something you should plan to visit.
Hanauma Bay (snorkeling) ? This place is absolutely AMAZING! You have to have to have to visit this beach. Again, just like Pearl Harbor though, GO EARLY! If you can?t make it there by 8:30am, pretty much forget it. We got there at 7:30am, found plenty of parking and were ready to start snorkeling by 8:00am. Even if you?ve never been snorkeling before, it is so so so easy, especially here. Within five feet of walking into the water, you can bend down and see tons of fish, brightly colored all shapes and sizes! Really a neat experience. Again, we found out later that tour groups charging $20-$30 weren?t really offering much other than transportation. Once you get there, entrance costs $5/person and parking is $1. Snorkel rental is $6 for the cheap ones and $9 for the ?dry? snorkel gear. One tip, definitely ?splurge? for the ?dry? type, it makes things much easier. I?d also suggest using an anti-fog spray on the inside of your goggles. They did this for us in Maui and it really helped keep things clear.
Swap Meet (every wed and Sunday 10-3pm) ? This was one of the best parts of the trip for my wife, it?s basically a huge outdoor market with tons and tons of vendors set up selling all kinds of souvenirs, clothes, purses, jewelry at very discounted prices. To give you an idea of how big it is, all the vendors wrap ALL THE WAY AROUND the football stadium parking lot. One tip, you can definitely haggle here. My wife and I were amazed at how many people didn?t try this. At the very least, we were always able to get at least a $1 off per every $10. Of course, some might argue the prices are so cheap anyway why bother, but for us it was actually kind of fun and reminded us of the night markets in taiwan and hong kong.
Atlantis Submarine ? This is supposedly the world?s only passenger submarine. You pay between $75-$90/person and it takes you down about 125 feet to see a couple (intentionally) sunken ships and some other sights. You also get to see the fish and possibly a turtle. Overall, a neat experience, but not quite as neat as I had originally thought. All the stuff you see essentially was put there by the company so that?s not quite as neat as finding a true sunken ship. It?s a good idea if you have anyone who wants to see fish but doesn?t want to snorkel or get in the water. For me though, I?d much rather go to Hanauma Bay and experience it in the water.
Waikiki Aquarium ? a great cheap way to spend a morning or afternoon. This place is only $7 but they have some pretty nice exhibits and a neat outdoor exhibit where kids can hold some of the animals (shell crabs, etc). Nothing fancy or huge like a Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, but still a neat place nonetheless.
Serenity Spa ? My wife and I treated ourselves to a couples massage at Serenity Spa located in the Outrigger Reef hotel. We chose this place because we were told it?s one of the most reasonably priced spas. The cost for two one hour massages with tip was about $210. It?s still a lot of money, but definitely great for those who like massages. As for the place, if you?re going just for the massage itself, then it?s perfect because they do a great job and it?s slightly more affordable. On the other hand, you can tell it?s cheaper because they lack some of the other amenities that other spas have. For example, most spas have private showers and changing rooms and saunas and whirlpools, they have none of that. You basically come in, change, and get right down to the massage. So if you?re looking for more of the entire experience (maybe working out, taking a shower, relaxing a bit and then getting the massage), then this probably isn?t the place for you. Still a great deal though and we?d go back.
Wow, that was long, if you made it this far congratulations!
We loved Hawaii and can?t wait to plan another trip back. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions or if I can help with any planning. Mahalo!
Jun 9th, 2004, 01:56 PM
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Thank you so much for sharing your trip, so to speak, Kid74. Love reading your report with lots of nitty-gritty little things. What tower of the HHV was your room in? We stayed in the Tapa Tower years ago, and it was very nice. I'm going to print out your report for the restaurant and shave ice notes......... You know Haunama Bay was just named #1 beach by Dr. Beach this year? Oh, did you have some goog tropical drinks????? I usually drink a LOT of Mai Tais when I'm there. Thanks again!
Thanks again!
Jun 14th, 2004, 10:26 AM
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Hello again,
For follow up, we stayed at the Lagoon Tower in HHV. This tower is a part of the Hilton Grand Vacations Club, which is their timeshare program. My wife and I are not timeshareowners, but we were there on an intro package for 7 nights. I believe that you can still reserve rooms here, regardless of if you are an owner. The tower is comprised of one and two bedroom suites that all include kitchens and a living room/eating area.
BTW, as for the timeshare program, the 90 minute pitch was surprisingly pleasant and there was almost no hard sell. Personally, my wife and I are thinking of buying, but if we do, it will definitely be through the re-sellers market where prices are about 50% less for the same thing. All in all though, the 90 minute pitch was well worth 7 nights in a very nice hotel!
re: Bonniebroad - My wife really loved the "Lava flow"? I think was the name of the drink, a red and white smoothie type of thing. Of course, Mai Tai's always hit the spot! And definitely have the SHAVE ICE, I miss it already!
re: MaKai1, we did drive through the North Shore, but only briefly before having shave ice at Matsumoto's. What parts of it did you enjoy?
Mahalo,
Kid74
For follow up, we stayed at the Lagoon Tower in HHV. This tower is a part of the Hilton Grand Vacations Club, which is their timeshare program. My wife and I are not timeshareowners, but we were there on an intro package for 7 nights. I believe that you can still reserve rooms here, regardless of if you are an owner. The tower is comprised of one and two bedroom suites that all include kitchens and a living room/eating area.
BTW, as for the timeshare program, the 90 minute pitch was surprisingly pleasant and there was almost no hard sell. Personally, my wife and I are thinking of buying, but if we do, it will definitely be through the re-sellers market where prices are about 50% less for the same thing. All in all though, the 90 minute pitch was well worth 7 nights in a very nice hotel!
re: Bonniebroad - My wife really loved the "Lava flow"? I think was the name of the drink, a red and white smoothie type of thing. Of course, Mai Tai's always hit the spot! And definitely have the SHAVE ICE, I miss it already!
re: MaKai1, we did drive through the North Shore, but only briefly before having shave ice at Matsumoto's. What parts of it did you enjoy?
Mahalo,
Kid74
Jun 14th, 2004, 10:29 AM
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P.S. One other thing, if you are staying at the HHV and like to be in newer rooms, I would suggest staying at the Kalia Towers. As I understand it, they just opened that tower this year and we toured a bit of it and it was very nice, new, and modern. Mahalo!
Jun 14th, 2004, 01:57 PM
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Aloha Kid,
If you'd like to know what I love about the no shore, read my SUPER LONG trip report from March/April...
http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...1&tid=34492836
...and you thought your report was long
Seriously, we thoroughly enjoyed every minute on O'ahu... AND looking forward to many more!
Aloha...
If you'd like to know what I love about the no shore, read my SUPER LONG trip report from March/April...
http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...1&tid=34492836
...and you thought your report was long
Seriously, we thoroughly enjoyed every minute on O'ahu... AND looking forward to many more!
Aloha...
Jun 14th, 2004, 02:21 PM
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RE: Serenity Spa. You know, I've tried many different massage places on Oahu. I found Serenity Spa's service to be spotty, but they do have one guy (I think his name is Leo, he's bald) and he is absolutely excellent and worth the money. The other massage therapists there.....so so, IMHO. But that's just me. I'm glad you had a good time!!!
