Without further ado, here's my Hawaii trip report. Or should I say, the Island of Oahu trip report -- we didn't venture out of Oahu on this trip. Vince already posted his trip report in his blog (read his 8 posts, starting here) , so I won't repeat the same details in chronological order like he did. I'll just post my random thoughts.
Airport: With the new extra security measures at the airports, I already expected long lines and random inspections. So I packed light for our carry-on baggage, mostly snacks and milk for Claire. At both YVR and HNL, removing our shoes and placing them in the X-ray were all standard procedure. At YVR, all our carry-on bags were hand inspected. We also experienced a long line at U.S. immigration at YVR, and Claire was getting all whiney. Coming back though, we were allowed to bypass the long lines for Canada customs since we had a young child -- thank goodness we did this as the line-ups were just so long.
Airline: We took Harmony Airways to and from Honolulu. I picked this airline because the flight times were convenient for us. Many of the YVR to HNL flights are red-eye flights, arriving at Honolulu late in the evening. But Harmony flew during the day, arriving at Honolulu at 11:15 am, giving us time to enjoy our first day. And I must say that this airline really rocks! With so many airlines going no-frills, Harmony must be one of the few airlines that still offer many things that make the flight truly comfortable for the passenger. The food was really GOOD by airline food standards. We were served hot meals during the flights, and snacks like brownies and lemon sorbet too! And although I didn't drink, they serve complimentary wine, even for coach class. We were given blankets and pillows, free earphones for the in-flight movie and hot towels too. Oh and when we were in YVR, we were given a lei greeting at the check-in line. How cool is that! We will definitely fly Harmony again, and I will not hesitate recommending this airline to anyone. By the way, our flight times were roughly 6 hours. If you are travelling with a young child, I highly recommend packing a cheap portable DVD player and DVDs of your child's favourite shows (we took Dora and Baby Einstein along) inside your carry-on bag. Unless your child can sleep through the entire flight, you will need to keep the young one entertained during the flight.
Car Rental: We rented a compact car, a little red Dodge Caliber, from Dollar at HNL. Now the car rental experience at the Honolulu airport was really a nightmare. And it's not just Dollar too, but also Avis, Hertz, Budget and all the others. The car rental area was so disorganized, the waiting area was too small and too crowded. Luggages were all over the place. There was nowhere to sit after a long and tiring flight. And it was outdoors, which really sucks if it's HOT & HUMID outside. The car rental places should get their act together and maybe build a bigger facility at the Honolulu airport.
Where we stayed: We stayed at a privately owned 1 bedroom condo at the Waikiki Banyan. My friend Margie's mom owns the place and we were able to rent it for $90 a night, very reasonable by Waikiki standards. We were at the 8th floor corner unit and had good partial view of the ocean. The location was great - 1 block from the beach and close to many shops and restaurants. The place was clean and spacious, and even though there was no daily housekeeping, we were provided more than enough towels and toilet paper to last us the entire week. The kitchen had a full stove, fridge, microwave oven, coffee maker, toaster, cooking utensils, cutlery and dishes -- really big pluses in my opinion. And we also had free secured parking in the building. Free parking was a big big plus, since many Waikiki hotels charge for parking (around $15 a day!). The only drawback for me was the street noise. Since we were in a lower floor, and the unit was at the corner of a busy intersection, I could hear buses and trucks zoom by late at night. After a couple of nights however, I got used to the noise.
Waikiki: I love the shops, the street vibe and the restaurants. We loved strolling along Kalakaua avenue, people watching, watching the sunset from the beach. I am not terribly fond of the beaches in Waikiki because they are so crowded. It gets really yucky when you lay down your blanket on the sand, you find cigarette butts and trash around you. It's a good thing we rented a car so we were able to venture out of Waikiki and discover all the other beaches in Oahu.
The North Shore: We headed out to the North Shore on our 2nd day. We went to Waimea Bay beach park, a very nice, clean beach with reddish grainy sand, located just off Kamehameha Highway. The waves were a little bit strong, so we stayed at the edge of the water. Claire enjoyed sitting on the sand, waiting for the waves to splash her legs. After Waimea Bay, we went to the town of Haleiwa for lunch at Cholo's (yummy fish tacos!!!) and shave ice at the world-famous M.Matsumoto Grocery Store.
Kailua Beach and Lanikai Beach: Kailua Beach and Lanikai Beach, are my favourite beaches by far. They are 2 adjacent beaches, located at the Windward side of Oahu. You don't see the beaches from the highway, as you'll need to venture into the town of Kailua first before hitting the beaches. The sand is very fine, powder soft and the beaches are simply gorgeous and pristine. The beaches, especially Lanikai, was not crowded at all. The water was gentle and shallow -- perfect for kids. We spent quite a bit of time in Kailua & Lanikai, so the next time we visit Oahu, we'll probably rent a beach house in that area instead of staying at Waikiki. We already have plans with my parents and my brother & his family about vacationing together in Hawaii in the future!
Other Beaches: Vince took along our new GPS navigation system, and it's a good thing he did. That thing directed us to several off-the-beaten-path beaches. We went to Malaekahana beach, located in the northeastern part of the island, close to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Frommer's described this beach as "must-see" but when we got there, the beach was rather rough and the current was strong. Lots of seaweed on the ground. But it was quiet and scenic, and we were the only ones there. The other beach we visited was Waimanalo beach. The day we went there, it had started to rain and become very windy so we didn't get to enjoy it as much due to the strong current. But I'd love to go back there again on a nice sunny day, as it's a gorgeous long stretch of powder white sand.
Where we ate: I brought along a couple of guide books, plus an Entertainment book. So we ate in places where there was a 2 for 1 coupon, as well as some highly recommended places. We wanted to eat local food, so we didn't go to the typical American chain restaurants like Hard Rock Cafe or Planet Hollywood. However, we did visit Burger King and McDonald's on a few occasions for Claire's chicken nuggets fix. And there was Cheesecake Factory in Waikiki, so of course, I had to have my cheesecake. :)
- Eggs N Things: We went there for breakfast, it was crowded and small but wow, they have the FLUFFIEST pancakes I've ever tasted! A definite must-go when you are in the Waikiki area.
- Sam Choy's Breakfast, Lunch and Crab: We went there also for breakfast and I had a Hawaiian breakfast platter. And it was delicious! I had some of Sam's world famous poke (poh-KAY) which is basically fresh ahi tuna cut into cubes and marinated in seaweed, soy sauce and other secret ingredients. It was lightly fried and served with eggs and fried rice. Yummy!
- Duke's Canoe Club in Waikiki: We went to this place back in 2001 and the food was so good, we decided to come back again. I loved their poke rolls back then and had to have it again. For lunch, I had the grilled mahi-mahi with orange glazed sauce and macadamia nuts - delicious!
- Don Ho's Island Grill at Aloha Tower Marketplace: We had a 2 for 1 coupon for this place. This restaurant was in Honolulu, but not in Waikiki. It's close to where the cruise ships dock, along the pier, so I imagine they get mostly the cruise ship crowd. When we went there for dinner; it was quiet which is nice, away from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki. For dinner, I had the Hawaiian Lau Lau platter, consisting of kalua pork, lomi lomi salmon, poke, rice and poi. Yum!
- B&J's Plate Lunch: A tiny little take-out place in Kailua serving local Hawaiian food. And I must say the local Hawaiian food is AWESOME!! Huge portions - I had the chicken teri with 2 scoops of rice and veggies. I also tried some of the garlic mahi-mahi that Vince ordered. I will go back to this place in a heartbeat. The food is not fancy; just good ol' Hawaiian comfort food in plain take-out containers.
- Agnes Portuguese Bakeshop: We went to this little Kailua bakery for their famous malassadas, a Portuguese donut-like pastry that they make on the spot for you. Really yummy stuff!
- Cholo's Homestyle Mexican Restaurant: My friend Margie recommended this place for their yummy fish tacos, and it was yummy indeed! Fresh ahi tuna served with fresh vegetables on a soft shell taco - yum!
- M. Matsumoto Grocery Store: We went here for the famous shave ice. It's similar to a snow cone with ice cream and black beans. We shared the "rainbow" shave ice, the flavours being strawberry, lemon and pineapple.
- Lanikai Juice: We stopped by here for their refreshing smoothies!
Polynesian Cultural Center: Admission to the PCC is expensive -- $40 per person to see the villages only. If you want to do the luau and night show (which we didn't opt for), admission can run over $100 per person. But we had a 2 for 1 admission coupon from the Entertainment book, so we saved a lot of money. Unfortunately for us, we went to this place on the hottest, most humid day of the year! So we sweated like buckets the whole time. The Centre has I think 7 different villages that showcase the different Polynesian regions. There were shows and exhibits going on and they were fun for the most part. I wish we stayed longer, but the heat and humidity were really wearing us down, and we were only able to stay for a couple of hours.
Honolulu Zoo: We visited this Zoo back in 2001 and really enjoyed it there. So we decided to take Claire this time around. We also had 2 for 1 admission, so we were able to save money. Claire really enjoyed the primate exhibits, laughing at the gibbons swaying among the trees. She also loved the giraffes and zebras; she kept saying how "pretty" they were. There's also a Keiki (children's) Zoo, where children can pet the more tame animals like horses and goats.
Where We Shopped For Stuff: Surprisingly, we didn't spend a lot of time shopping. We went to the International Marketplace in Waikiki for things like t-shirts and trinkets, and the ABC store (there's one in virtually every corner in Waikiki) for macadamia nut chocolates. There was also some great shopping to be had at the Aloha Tower Marketplace, but we just browsed. In Kailua, I saw a local scrapbook store while in the car - it was called "A Place In Time". I didn't go there unfortunately. However, on our very last day, while browsing the gift shops inside the airport, I found Hawaiian-themed scrapbook paper and stickers! So yes, I scooped some of these goodies up.
So that's it, folks. Hawaii was a blast! We only spent a week there, but it was a truly an awesome vacation.
