ALWAYS HEAVENLY HAWAII

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ALWAYS HEAVENLY HAWAII 

 

Who's ready to travel to Hawaii?  If you're raising your hand, you probably already know that travel in this pandemic era has undergone some major changes. 

We just returned from a wonderful 10-day stay, and it started with making sure we had all the necessary paperwork so our trip would go off without a hitch.  

Many air carriers like Southwest and American have "Hawaii Pre-Clear" stations in the airport where you show your paperwork, vaccine card, or negative covid test. You then get a wristband so you could bypass the line when you land in Honolulu.  

The key is getting to the airport at least three hours early. 

I've flown Southwest before, but this was the first time we flew the carrier on a long-haul flight. (Phoenix to Honolulu is 6 hours), so I was curious about how it would go. When they added the Hawaii flights, they stated that they were not going to add meal service like many of the mainstream carriers. Still, they did provide a snack bag with crackers, cheese, fruit snacks, the normal southwest mix, and Tic Tacs. 

I have many wonderful memories of past trips to Hawaii when I was a kid. Over the past few years, we have come back multiple times with recent visits to Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii. 

For this trip, we chose to stay at a hotel on Waikiki beach on Oahu this time. 

We weren't planning a trip to Hawaii this year since we have a family trip planned later this year to Punta Cana in November.  We were trying to keep things on a budget, so we picked the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel. While the hotel is older and the rooms are smaller, it is clean and located right across from the beach. 

It is all about location, location, location. I have stayed at many all-inclusive resorts where the beach was further from our hotel room, but that was not the case here. 

Rental cars are expensive and in short supply right now, so choosing Oahu was great for us.  

It is a smaller island, so we only needed a rental for half of our exploration trip.  For the rest of the time, we walked and took the trolley throughout the Waikiki area.  

DAY 2 

We are off to check out the windward (east)side of the island. 

Our first stop was the Byodo-In Temple. One of our favorite parts of Hawaii is all of Japanese influence on the culture. The Temple did not disappoint and reminded me of some of the temples we saw in Japan.  The setting was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen and almost seemed photo-shopped.  

After getting our fortunes called Omikuji – random fortunes written on strips of paper at Buddhist Temples in Japan. You receive them by making a small offering (generally a five-yen coin as it is considered good luck) and randomly choosing a strip of paper from a box. You hope for the resulting fortune to be luck. We got quite a few when we visited Japan, so it was fun to get one in Hawaii when visiting the Japanese Temple. 

We also lit some incense at the Temple, a very spiritual experience. 

Then we were on our way again to explore the town of Kailua. We shopped and ate an authentic Hawaiian plate lunch at Fat Boys. We knew we were in the right place since it was filled with lots of locals. 

Dinner was traditional poke, a Hawaiian salad or appetizer consisting of cubed raw fish, marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil, and mixed with diced onions, sesame seeds, and ginger. After lunch, we headed over to a beach park for somebody surfing time. On the way back to Waikiki, we made a pit stop at the Sanrio store for some required Hello Kitty Souvenirs.   

DAY 3 

Today, it was off to the North Shore. The drive to Waimea Canyon and waterfalls was long, but the scenery along the way made it worthwhile.  We got there when it opened at 9 a.m.  The walk to the falls was about 45 minutes. We were a little disappointed along with everyone else when we got there because the falls were basically just a trickle. Summertime is the low season for rain, and it seemed even lower than normal. We enjoyed a relaxing walk through the lovely gardens, then headed to Haleiwa, a historic surf town full of cute shops, restaurants, and food trucks. After a delicious lunch at Breakers, we shopped (again!). Next on the agenda was Ali’l beach which is known for snorkeling. Be sure to wear water shoes because the "beach" is pretty rocky!  

For dinner, we got lucky and were able to dine at Morimoto Waikiki.  I tried to get reservations before we left and had no luck, but fortunately, we were able to walk up and have dinner.  

After traveling to Japan a few years back, I read Morimoto's cookbook and learned more about Japanese cuisine. It was great to finally experience it firsthand.  We ate family style, and many of the dishes were finished table side which was a real treat. 

DAY 4 

Today we took some "girl time" and headed to the Aquarium on Waikiki. It was small but nice. It featured local Hawaiian fish and corals and was also a most interesting research station. 

We were supposed to have surf lessons that afternoon, but they got canceled because the instructor was injured. I guess we will have to try for next time! 

DAY 5 

One of the most prominent tourist attractions, Diamond Head, was our destination today, along with many others since this is so popular. We got there at 8 a.m. and we waited a few minutes for parking, but it wasn't too bad. 

The 0.8-mile hike is described as an easy hike, but I'm not sure I would call it that. Normally, I am not a hiker, and the trail was a pretty steep incline most of the way with several sets of step stairs and even a tunnel that had my claustrophobia kick into high gear. 

After getting over the ensuing panic attack, I reached the top to enjoy the view of Waikiki and Honolulu. After taking some delicious sushi to a nearby park for lunch, we went to the Queen's beach park on Waikiki for some snorkeling and boogie boarding. Many little shops along the beach provide rentals.  

We ended the evening with dinner and took in the sunset with a stroll along Waikiki beach.  

DAY 6 

While my husband spent another day snorkeling, we headed off to the Honolulu Zoo. I remember being there many years ago as a kid. The zoo had two elephants that have been there since 1982, which means they were there when I visited as a kid. We had lunch at Hula's Grill with a beautiful ocean view that couldn't be beaten – but most ocean views are hard to beat!  

DAY 7  

We had an early morning excursion Snorkeling with Sea Turtles and Dolphins lined up on the island's Leeward side. The boat took us out while the captain looked for spinner dolphins. After a few minutes, he spotted a mega pod of dolphins. About 60 dolphins were estimated to be in the pod. Everyone jumped off of the boat, and one of the crew members pointed us in the right direction. What a great experience to see the dolphins in the wild and have them swim right under us instead of seeing them in captivity. I didn't see any sea turtles, but it was still a great experience.  

DAY 9 

On our last full day on the island, we decided to visit Pearl Harbor, which I recommend for everyone visiting Oahu.  Although Pearl Harbor is free, we opted for an excursion because they only let so many people in. From what I hear, navigating the whole area can get complicated.  

We concluded our trip with dinner with a Mai Tai and taking in the beautiful view of Diamond Head. 

Aloha 

Hawaii did not disappoint, and it will continue to be one of my favorite places on the planet!  It has incredible scenery, food, and culture. Still, the main thing Hawaii has to offer is its people and their sense of Ohana, which translates to a beautiful spiritual feeling with family and friends. To be put more simply, it is more about "We" rather than "Me." 

Hawaii has some of the strictest Covid restrictions in place, but you would never be able to tell by talking to the people. The day we arrived, the governor increased the Covid protocols due to the Delta variant. It didn't seem like anyone batted an eye. They did what they needed to do. Hawaiians wear their masks, inside and outside. No one complains, and everyone seems happy. The Hawaiians feel they are all in this situation together. 

At the height of the Covid lockdown, I am sure the fear of being cut off from the rest of the world was real. You can only live on sunshine and pineapples for so long. I think everyone needs to have more Ohana in their lives and remember it is about the WE vs. the ME.  

 

Restaurant suggestions 

1. Hula Grill great view of Waikiki Beach while you dine. $$$ https://www.hulagrillwaikiki.com/ 

1. Hula Dogs – Hawaiian style hot dogs. $ http://www.huladog.com/ 

1. Tiki Grill, great pupus $$$ https://www.tikisgrill.com/ 

1. Morimoto Asia – Great $$$$ https://morimotoasiawaikiki.com/ 

1. Deck, great view of Diamond Head $$$ https://deckwaikiki.com/ 

 

Excursion Suggestions 

1. Snorkel with wild dolphins - https://www.viator.com/tours/Oahu/Oahu-Snorkel-Cruise-Swim-With-Dolphins-and-Turtles-in-the-wild/d672-18676P1?pid=P00005400&uid=U00060577&mcid=58086 

1. Pearl Harbor Tour - https://www.viator.com/tours/Oahu/Pearl-Harbor-Remembered/d672-6845P15?pid=P00005400&uid=U00060577&mcid=58086 

 

 

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