Trip review Dec 12-23

I%26#39;m finally getting a chance to post our trip review since getting back on Christmas Eve. It was quite an eventful trip, thanks again to those who have posted advice here in the past. I think we were able to make the most of our visit. The review is posted below.

Aloha,

CT

Trip review Dec 12-23

Dec 12 - Late arrival, checked into the Waikiki Prince Hotel. Small rooms, but clean and very reasonable prices. Odie was so friendly and accommodating to us the entire trip, he really lives for his work!

Dec 13 - Shopping and lots of beach time in Waikiki (around Kuhio Beach). Deanne and Val took surfing lessons, and Deanne was a natural, she stood up on her first try.

Dec 14 - They went to the Aloha swap meet for some shopping in the morning. I was leaving Winnipeg that morning, and almost didn%26#39;t get on the flight. Contrary to NWA%26#39;s website, you need BOTH government issued photo ID as well as your birth certificate to get onto the airplane. I was lucky, my parents faxed over a copy of my birth certificate and they let me board. At least six other couples weren%26#39;t so lucky in the half hour I stood and waited for the fax (just an FYI for others travelling soon). I arrived around 6pm Hawaii time. When I got to the hotel, I realized someone else had picked up one of my suitcases at a previous hotel. After insisting my Robert%26#39;s shuttle driver look for it, they found it a few stops back and brought it to me, completely intact, thankfully. Later we browsed the International Marketplace.

Dec 15 - We decided to check out the Honolulu Zoo in the morning. It was fun, and had quite a few animals we%26#39;d never seen in person before. We walked to Snorkel Bob%26#39;s to pick up our snorkel gear, then came back to Kuhio Beach for the rest of the day. I tried surfing, and failed miserably lol. I couldn%26#39;t even get onto the board if the water was above waist height. I gave up and let Deanne use the rest of my lesson I%26#39;d paid for. Later we checked out Duke%26#39;s, which was awesome. They had the best drinks anywhere we went, and their calamari was excellent.

Dec 16 - Picked up the car at Enterprise. We drove up Tantalus Drive and Round Top, and checked out the incredible view. The drive was very steep and curvy, quite a change for a girl from the prairies in Canada :) We then drove up towards the Dole Plantation, stopping briefly at the Kukaniloko Birthstones first. It was such a serene place, I find a lot of Hawaii%26#39;s sacred sites to be quite powerful and moving. The Dole Plantation was the tourist trap we%26#39;d heard it was, but it was still fun. We tried a Dole whip, and paid to tour the garden, which was beautiful. We drove around the North Shore, and stopped at the Mormon temple for a quick picture, then onto the Polynesian Cultural Center. We had a good time, there were lots of demonstrations and activities. We particularly liked the Samoan guy, the canoe pageant, and the evening show.

More to follow...

Trip review Dec 12-23

Don%26#39;t leave us hanging!!!! I am leaving in a week and want to read more! Thanks for the trip report so far!

Dec 17 - We did our own Circle Island tour with the car. Just a hint for those who want to pay for a tour, make sure you look around for prices, especially in smaller local travel businesses. On the internet the cheapest Grand Circle Island tour we found was $55/person. We saw the same tour for $19.95/person at a little store at the corner of Kuhio and the street that meets the west side of King%26#39;s Village. Anyways, we started by driving up H3, and the view was really beautiful, the mountains are covered with such lush, green plants and trees. We drove through the Valley of the Temples, and up to the Byodo In. It really does feel like you just stepped into Japan when you cross the bridge to the temple. I thought it was very beautiful and serene. Be sure to ring the bell on the left of the temple before you enter, it%26#39;s a custom said to bring you good luck and a long life. We then continued up to the North Shore, and boy was it packed! It turned out to be the finals for the Triple Crown of surfing championships, so we paid to park (and saved a VERY far walk) and caught the last 30 minutes of action. We saw the evenual champion Andy Irons surf a perfect 10, and watched a bit of the awards presentation after. It was a very cool experience. Then onto Haleiwa for some shopping (missed out on the shave ice though). We zipped back down south, then onto the Ko Olina Lagoons. We picked #3 to start, and attempted our first snorkeling. It took a while for all of us to stop hyperventilating with our faces in the water, but we finally got the knack and saw our first fish and coral. We moved over to lagoon 1A for the sunset, and were treated to a show of some amazing beams shining through some clouds. We drove up to Waianae and into what I believe is called the homelands. We decided it was best not to stop off anywhere along there. It had a very ';locals only'; sort of vibe, maybe we were wrong but we were already tired. We headed back to Waikiki, and had a good seafood dinner at the Sunset Cafe (?) at the corner of Sunset and Kuhio. It%26#39;s not the greatest atmosphere, but they had specials where you could pick 2 or 3 different types of seafood, with veggies, potatos and salad for about $14-$17.

Dec 18 - Up a bit later than we hoped to go to Hanauma Bay, but there was still room in the parking lot when we got there (around 8). It%26#39;s pretty tough to never touch the coral, try as we did. However, the fish we saw were incredible. There weren%26#39;t really mass quantities at once, but a huge variety, lots of very colorful ones, and a lot of fun options for exploring into deeper water for those brave and confident enough in the water. It was quite windy, so things were a bit choppy. I think a calm day would have allowed more freedom to explore. It%26#39;s still a must-go. We drove on to the (not) spitting cave at Portlock. I guess the waves weren%26#39;t high enough, because the many tourists there couldn%26#39;t figure out where it was supposed to be shooting up from. We saw some crazy snorkelers down below, who had to climb down a steep cliff to get to the water. It looked a little rough for snorkeling to me. Onto Kailua Beach, where we went to the beach park. In our opinions, Kailua has the best beach of anywhere on the island. The sand is softer, the water is clearer, and there%26#39;s less people crowding the beach (especially during the week). There%26#39;s stretches of water calm enough for safe swimming with kids, and wavy enough for good body surfing or boogie boarding that had a 250+lb guy caught barrel rolling in the surf (he was amazed at the power of the waves). On our way home, I realised I%26#39;d missed a sacred spot I wanted to see, so we headed to Keaiwa Heiau, a 15th century healing temple surrounded with medicinal plants. I work in injury rehabilitation, and have branched into holistic healing. My Reiki Master is a Hawaiian Huna Kane master as well, and often talks about the wonderful, sacred sites used by the priests, priestesses, and kahunas. I think my friends didn%26#39;t quite enjoy these kinds of sites as much as I did, so take this into consideration, you may only want to visit these sites if they are truly of interest to you personally. I found I had to remind them to be respectful of such sacred ground on more than one occasion, simply because it wasn%26#39;t as significant to them as it was to me.

Dec 19 - We took the car back, then off to Diamond Head. While waiting for the bus, a limo pulls up and offers us a ride directly to the gates for $2 each. We figured what the heck, and went for it. It was fun, and the driver was a bit crazy, which made it interesting. As an aside, the day before I left, I had an acute asthma attack for the first time in my life, brought on by allergens (we figure). My lungs hadn%26#39;t fully recovered by the time we did this hike, and man was it HARD. It%26#39;s definitely not for those who are asthmatic or out of shape, like me lol. I made it though, at about the same pace as a 60-something year old lady who took breaks whenever I did, at 27 years of age. The view is great at the top, but it was crowded, and getting through the little tunnel and the crawl space to the top is scary for claustrophobes (again, like me). The hike down is easier on the lungs, but hard on the legs and ankles, particularly when you%26#39;ve injured them as much as I have over the years. I took a limo back to the hotel for a rest while the other girls walked back, checking out some of the beaches we hadn%26#39;t visited yet. That night, they had an extra night of the movie on the beach, because of the holidays. We saw The Longest Yard, and had a great time just being outdoors on the beach on a warm evening.

Dec 20 - We got to Pearl Harbour about 7:20am, and were in line around onto the grass. It didn%26#39;t take long to get in, but we were already the fourth group of the day, which bought us an hour or so. The film was interesting, and had a lot of original footage. Being Canadian, and born about 40 years after it happened, I really didn%26#39;t know much about the attack on Pearl Harbour. I think it was worth the stop, to say I%26#39;d been there, but I don%26#39;t think it was as meaningful to me as it was to most American tourists, particularly post-9/11, and to the many veterans there. We then walked up to the Aloha Stadium swap meet. We did most of our souveneir shopping there. It is a long way to get around, and you%26#39;ll want to bring some water, and go as early as possible. They have the best prices on most things there, but be sure to shop around within the swap meet, sometimes you%26#39;ll find better prices a few shops away. That night we went to the Paradise Cove luau. Our guide, Teng (I think) was great, very funny and talkative, encouraging us all to party, drink, get drunk, eat, and have fun. We got our first floral lei, which was beautiful! The mai tai%26#39;s were tasty (we hadn%26#39;t tried one yet), but the lava flow%26#39;s weren%26#39;t as good as Duke%26#39;s. We purchased a souveneir glass for a drink ticket plus $8, although they didn%26#39;t let you refill the glass for a ticket, you%26#39;d have to pay the extra $8 each time (we stuck to the standard drinks!) There were line-ups at most of the activities, so we didn%26#39;t get to do many. The shower of flowers is fun, and mostly directed towards the women. The imu ceremony was a little anti-climactic, but still interesting. The food was good, we particularly enjoyed the pork and the mahi mahi. Dessert was less than spectacular. The evening show was nothing compared to the evening show at the PCC, but it was still fun, and had some different performances. The fire spinner was excellent. Deanne and Val got up onstage to try the hula. We got some great pictures, and the staff gave us each a pineapple on our way out, which no one else on our bus seemed to get.

Dec 21 - We decided to sleep in, then took The Bus back up to Kailua Beach. We rented kayaks at Toogood Kayaks, for a couple of reasons. One, we had a two-for-one coupon from the Entertainment Book, they were supposed to include all the accessories (like back rests, dry bags, etc) in the base price (they didn%26#39;t), and also because they deliver the kayaks to the water for you and give you very good instructions on where it%26#39;s safe to go, and where it%26#39;s not. We got a tandem and a single. Surfing should have taught me that I%26#39;m not good at balancing on floaty things. We tipped over countless times in front of a beach full of people, and laughed ourselves silly. So, I decided to let my gf and Val go solo on their kayak voyage, in the hopes they could remain upright. They had a nice trip, and I found out later I made a wise decision, because the water got more and more rough as the trip went on. I played in the waves instead, and had a great time. Deanne and I went for sushi, and found a little place called I (heart) Sushi, on Kuhio a bit past Uluniu Street. It only sat about 7 people, but the food was excellent. The service was SLOW, the one and only chef was very busy, but also took time for presentation. We met another Winnipegger there, and some folks from Minnesota, so we chatted a bit about places we had in common.

Dec 22 - Deanne and Val went back to Hanauma Bay, while I decided to sleep in and do some shopping on my own (for Deanne%26#39;s Christmas presents). I had breakfast at Perry%26#39;s Smorgy. It%26#39;s $6.99 for breakfast, $7.99 for lunch, and $9.99 for dinner. I thought the food was good, and the price was right. Later on Deanne and I rented boogie boards for $3/day from a little travel shop inside the lobby of the Royal Grove (I think, or maybe the hotel next to it on Kuhio). We went to the boogie boarding only beach, further towards Diamond Head. Don%26#39;t bother going there without reef shoes, you only get a few feet of sand in the water. Unfortunately, we pulled a dumb tourist move and left our bags unattended on the beach. After 30 minutes in the water, we came back to find that my bag had been stolen. Deanne%26#39;s was thankfully left untouched. The biggest problem was my wallet was in the bag, complete with my photo ID, my credit card, my bank card, health card, and only about $40. My bag also had a pair of prescription glasses, and a pair of contacts in it, so there went almost $400. We asked around, and of course no one had noticed anything. We made a police report, and I got a letter I could use to board the plane without ID. Later we went for Mexican food at La Cucaracha. It was very good, but I couldn%26#39;t even drink away my sorrows, I was ID%26#39;ed for the first time on the trip that night. We had planned on going on the Outrigger Catamaran, but we called, and it was closed for seasonal repairs. That night we met up with another friend visiting from Winnipeg, and attempted to go to the bar with him and his brothers. Fortunately a couple of bars allowed me to use a photocopy of my birth certificate, coupled with the police letter as proof of age, or else I would%26#39;ve been going home early.

Dec 23 - Deanne and Val were gone by 10:30, and checkout was 11, so I packed up, and left my suitcases in the hotel office. I spent the day wandering Waikiki. I went to Cheeseburger in Paradise, ate a $12 mushroom and swiss burger, had a strawberry smoothie, and some fries. Later I went to the Coldstone Creamery. I haven%26#39;t mentioned it yet, but I have to say it was our favorite place for a treat. If you don%26#39;t know what it is, it%26#39;s an ice cream store that makes a ton of custom flavors, then you pick a concoction of toppings, and they mash it all together on a slab, and serve it up in a bowl, or a waffle cone or cup. It%26#39;s expensive (over $6) per serving, but it was so worth it for ice cream lovers like us. We went to the location close to the zoo on Kalakaua. I spent the rest of the day sitting by the beach, and reading my book. My shuttle came at 6pm, and the guy managed to toss my carry-on into the bus so carelessly that the entire handle and wheels unit broke off the suitcase, and the suitcase tore open along the upper seam. I also explained to the driver how my wallet was stolen, including my pre-paid return ticket to the airport. He sympathized, then asked for my $8 anyways. Needless to say I wasn%26#39;t too impressed overall with the Robert%26#39;s experience. My flight departed at 9:20pm, and we had some nasty turbulence on the way that I tried my best to sleep through.

Overall I had a very good time. There were some unexpected stressful moments, but the weather was beautiful, and we all came home feeling more relaxed and very tanned. I was being mistaken for kama%26#39;aina by the last few days because I tan quite dark, and have dark hair and eyes. Feel free to ask any questions about the places we went, I%26#39;d be happy to help.

Aloha,

CT

CT, so sorry to hear that your bag was stolen on the beach. I am glad that it did not totally ruin your vacation since you have the right attitude.

Couldn%26#39;t believe that the Robert%26#39;s driver ruined your carryon and not make it up to you somehow. Perhaps writing to the company would provide you with some compensation?

Enjoyed reading your trip report; thank you.

Yung,

I took your advice, and decided to write to Roberts. They were very courteous, and also couldn%26#39;t believe the things that had happened to me. They%26#39;ve sent me a refund cheque for the fares I paid ($21), which is a nice gesture. I%26#39;m sure those types of things don%26#39;t happen often, but a word of caution to those travelling with fragile items in their bags, or with fragile bags like mine lol - maybe keep your carry-on with you.

CT

Hello Vairbabes,

Greatly appreciated the thoroughness of your report. I grew up in Hawaii (grade school, hs, played football at UH), my family had a mexican restaurant in Hawaii Kai (Koko Marina) for about 18 years.

I was very impressed that you not only knew of, but stopped at ';Spitting caves';...we used to jump off the cliff ( I dove a few daring times as a teenager and again on my last trip last december...I forgot i wasn%26#39;t as young as i once was and it actually hurt my body, scared my wife and kids as well...I think my cliff jumping days are over...:-)

About the ';spitting'; part...when the waves are really big, they crash into the cave, fill up the entire cave and the excess volume of water (ocean)has no where to go but up in a loud explosion of sorts. it will not happen unless the waves are quite large. again in our younger ';crazier'; days we would step off the cliff into this virtual mountain of water at the precise time that it shoots up in the air (you could actually get wet standing at the top) and you would pop up about 50 - 75 feet off the shoreline. we could not get back out there, but would have to swim toward Portlock to get out. Needless to say we would not jump on days like that if you intended to try to get back out...impossible and very dangerous.

we did have a friend, Robert Miano that slipped off the top and died as he hit the rocks before falling into the water, probably 1977 or so. Quite tragic, (his brother Rich actually went on to play in the NFL for several years and today coaches the defenive backs at UH)

Anyway, enjoyed your post, thanks for taking me back home!

Aloha,

Jeff