Aloha! Stop or We'll Shoot - An Oahu and Aulani Trip Report: Updated 4/27

[Witherbark]

Aulani Trip Report: Weekend Before

O’hana means family

A word from your sponsors: We spent 14 days on Oahu, 6 at Waikiki and 8 at Aulani. So if you’re just interested in the Aulani section, wait a few days and I’ll have that posted. I have all of my notes, my trip advisor report, and photos uploaded. So I hope to have this done quickly.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.


I have this fantasy where the night before a vacation I’m sitting on the couch in my perfectly clean house, bags packed and by the door, enjoying a glass of wine. I came the closest I ever have to this fantasy on this trip.

Oh, before I forget, here’s the crew:

Me: Late 30s

DH: Mid 40s

Not going – this guy:



I stayed late at work on Friday trying to tidy everything up before leaving for 2 ½ weeks. DH was headed to a concert Friday night, which was good because it meant that no one was at home wondering where I was when I spent two hours at Target. I had gone back and forth on a waterproof camera. I wanted one, but didn’t want to pay $170 for a decent one. On Friday night, I finally found a discontinued Nikon at Target and, since it was the floor model, I got it for $89.

Saturday DH was busy with Army stuff so I cleaned the house, went to the grocery, packed, and made cookies and appetizers for the game night we were hosting that night. No, no that wasn’t great planning on my part. Thanks for pointing it out.

Saturday night was super fun with about three other couples joining us for board games. Sunday was more packing, laundry, and volunteering that night at the USO. But lo and behold, I came home to pizza night, a glass of wine, and a tv show. Fantasy complete. And let’s all shake our heads sadly that this counts as a fantasy.

Alani Trip Report: Travel Day

Aloha! Stop or We’ll Shoot

We were up at 6:30 AM for our 10AM flight. In order to get a price that didn’t make me want to pass out, we had a convoluted schedule of BWI-ATL-LAX-HNL. We had between 75 and 90 minutes between flights, so I was crossing my fingers that everything went as planned.

I finished packing snacks and my last minute items, turned off the electronics, and left instructions for the pet sitter. My in-laws arrived to drive us to the airport. My FIL took one look at the two duffel bags, two backpacks, and 2 large totes and said “I see you don’t travel light.” Fair. I was bringing several items that I would either be leaving in Hawaii or using up, so I didn’t think it was that bad. (Spoiler Alert: it was that bad & I more than replaced everything with souvenirs).

We were at the Delta check-in counter within 20 minutes. At least our first flight was showing up as on-time. And in what would doubtless be the last cost-saving measure of this trip, I had free checked bags for using the Delta Skymiles card.

Security was the usual BWI nightmare (especially if not using the SW terminal), so we actually just had time to get some water and use the bathrooms before our flight boarded. I was in the middle, but the person was nice so that was okay. It is a fast flight down to Atlanta. We used the nifty train to switch terminals and DH grabbed a burrito at the food court. I just had a granola bar.

Our Atlanta to LAX flight also left on time, and I spent the time napping and reading. We arrived at LAX a few minutes early and were leaving from the same area. 60 minutes and two $12 sandwiches (really, LAX?) later, we were on our way to Honolulu. This was the best flight. It wasn’t full, so we had an entire row to ourselves and it had seatback entertainment systems. I watched “This is Where I Leave You” and “Interstellar” (both pretty decent).

On this, our travel day, which consisted of standing around and doing nothing, DH ate two bagels, a burrito, a ham sandwich, 2 packs of nuts, a package of dried pineapple, and numerous Delta cookies. How is he so skinny?

We arrived in Honolulu a little after 8 PM. Wow, this airport is…dated. But in a fun, retro way. By the time we visited the bathrooms and found our way to baggage claim, our bags had arrived. I was happily surprised.

We caught the Alamo shuttle (they had the heat on because the temperature had dropped below 70 degrees) and were soon signing the paperwork for our adorable Honda Fit. At first I was worried about having a hatchback with all the talk of car break-ins, but then I thought this could be great because any would-be thieves would see that we didn’t have anything of value.

Car secured, we were off for our first 6 nights at Hale Koa. I made DH drive tonight, even though I generally drive and he navigates. I just really didn’t want to dig my glasses out and I was exhausted. We made it from the airport to Waikiki in about 20 minutes, with no traffic this time of night.

For those of you that don’t know, Hale Koa is a military resort. So there is a guard at the gate. But unlike the Disney “guard” who greets you with a smile and verifies that you’re checking in, this guard is all business. Also, the “Aloha” sign on the gate is partially blocked by the sign declaring there is a 100% ID verification and we are at force protection Alpha. So as I told DH, “Aloha! Stop or we’ll shoot”. After verifying our ID and getting the awkward car salute, we were allowed to pull up to the front.

DH dropped me and the luggage, then went to park the car. I couldn’t navigate all the luggage myself, so I waited for him to return to check in. We were upgraded from garden view to partial ocean view (don’t get excited yet) in the Maile tower.

The entire check in area is open air, which is really nice and very Hawaiian. Loved it. We went up to the Maile tower and our room, 662. It had not been refurbished and was connecting. Two things I hate. But it was fairly clean, had a small refrigerator, and was $142 with parking on Waikiki beach. So it was fine. And to give credit, I never heard a peep from our neighbors through the connecting door. Excellent soundproofing.

I unpacked while DH got the wifi situated, and then I showered and brushed my teeth (which felt heavenly). We finally fell into bed at 10:30 PM local time (4:30 AM our time) and – despite exhaustion – had trouble falling asleep and barely resisted getting up at 3 AM. An exhausting but successful day!

Tomorrow there will be pictures!

 

[alohamom]

Awesome so far! I have always wondered about Hale Koa-cant wait to hear more...

 

[CaptainCook]

Enjoying your report!

 

[Witherbark]

Day Two: This is Just Like Downtown Abbey


The alarm went off at 6:15AM the next morning. Despite all I had heard of the time difference and mainlanders – particularly East coasters – getting up at 4 AM, I could have easily and cheerfully gone back to sleep. But DH was awake and ready to tackle Diamond Head.

We got ready for the day, slathered on the sunscreen, and checked out the view from our balcony. If you leaned out a bit and turned to the right, there was the Pacific and it was glorious. Across the street was the park, and to the left and underneath us was a large air cooling unit. Eventually we got used to the white noise of it, but it wasn’t great.

We grabbed breakfast at Happy’s, the Hale Koa snack shop also open to the general public. DH was disconcerted with the price ($14 for two breakfast sandwiches, coffee, fruit, and water). He is used to breakfast being half the price of lunch at the chow hall and expected the same here. We ate outside and it was lovely, sunny without being too warm.

Soon enough we were headed for Diamond Head with me driving and DH navigating. The parking lot for Hale Koa is across the street, so you have to add on 5-10 minutes from your room to your car. We had no trouble navigating and traffic wasn’t a problem at all. We arrived around 8 AM to find plenty of parking and we quickly started our hike.

I like to think I’m in okay shape. I do cross-fit three times a week and try to do some cardio an additional two days. I found the hike moderately difficult and needed to take a breather at the top of all of those stairs. And yes, I know there is an easier way around that bypasses that steep flight of stairs, but I wanted to do it the hard way so that I could say I did it. DH was ready to go back down and run up it, despite the fact that it was getting quite hot, and there were 80 year old Japanese men and women navigating it with no apparent problem. So YMMV.

We reached the top in about 30 minutes and the top was pretty crowded. We enjoyed the view, took some pictures, and I sucked down some water and air. DH took the camera and ducked under some of the fencing to a little lookout.

Pictures:

We also had the excitement of a rescue helicopter circling the peak looking for someone who had been reported in trouble on the top, as well as a crew of fireman. There was no one on the top, but when we got down there was an ambulance helping someone. It appeared that the patient was not in immediate danger.

I had thought of taking the easier way back down, but when we went down the alternate steps we were met by another flight up and I just didn’t have the strength for that, so we went back up the wider, less steep stairs and then through the crawl space, down the spiral staircase, etc. DH went back on Friday and said it was a visual illusion, that there was a way down back there. D’oh.

We walked back down quickly and were at the parking lot a little after 9 AM. It was now quite warm, and the parking lot was full. It really is a ridiculously small lot for the number of people it serves.

Now onto downtown Honolulu for Iolani Palace. We found the place easily enough and even scored some on-street parking. We scrounged up our single quarter, and then went to buy tickets. They happily made change for us, and we got tickets for the 10:30 AM audio tour. My parents had visited about 6 months before and done the docent tour. I know it gets great reviews, but they said they had a dud of a guide who kept forgetting things and going off topic. So we felt the audio tour was the safer bet and slightly more economical (no military discount).

My stomach was bothering me, probably from too much heat and exertion and not enough hydration. I visited the very nice and clean bathroom while DH put money in the meter, and we met downstairs in the basement galleries. DH said it was just like Downtown Abbey, and that he never would have even thought of the kitchens and housekeeper’s rooms as being interesting before watching that show. I took this as a sign that I’m a great influence.

We met our tour on the porch and received our audio guides and donned our shoe protectors before going inside. I thought the tour was great. You could go at your own pace and hear more or skip to other areas. I was very glad that I had read several works about Hawaii (notably Hawaii by Michener and Unfamiliar Fishes by Vowell), because it definitely gave me more of a context for what I was seeing. My advice would be to definitely do some research and reading before visiting these historic sights.

The audio tour covered the grand staircase and great hall, receiving rooms, dining room, bathrooms, and throne room on the first floor. And then the king’s room and study and the room where Queen Lili’uokalani was held captive and the quilt she worked on. Because of a guided tour, we actually ended with the throne room after going upstairs, and it was a great ending to the tour.

What is this thing?

We weren’t done with history for the day yet. We went across the street to see the statue of Father Damien and heard the House chamber in session, and then we went the other direction for the statue of King Kamehameha.

The next thing on the list was the Mission House Museum. We drove over there, but I wasn’t feeling it. My stomach was still a little on edge, and we didn’t have any more coins for parking. DH was a bit irritated that I make these elaborate itineraries and then don’t follow them. Honestly, I think we were both a bit hungry and being effected by the heat and sun. We agreed to skip the museum (my mother told me we didn’t miss much) and headed to Chinatown.

Finding parking in Chinatown was hard, but once we found a $5 open lot, we walked around the markets and saw all of the fresh fish and vegetables, which was fun. Eventually we located Village Noodle House that Oahu Revealed had recommended. Me “It’s on Smith street, but that doesn’t show up on the map in the guidebook.” DH, pulling out Iphone: “If only there was some device I had that accesses all of the world’s information.”

Lunch was delicious, and VNH was lovely. It reminded me a little of the Chinese restaurant in Yours, Mine, & Ours (the original, obviously). They were willing to make anything vegetarian, and we both had a very good lunch. I took my leftovers home and had them as a snack the next night.

We walked slowly back to the car and drove back “home.” We rested in the room for a few hours and my stomach started feeling better. We went to the Exchange to stock up on water, wine, snacks, and other necessities. Then we walked along Waikiki beach for a while. We found Round Table pizza and had dinner from their Happy Hour menu. It was okay, I wouldn’t seek it out to go back and I’d definitely go for happy hour rather than pay full price.

Before heading home, we stopped at Food Pantry for some things the Exchange didn’t have, like yogurt, butter, and bagels.

Overall it was a great, if exhausting, day. We returned to our room, broke open one of our $5 bottles of wine (Exchange!) and watched the first half of the Bachelor finale from the ABC app

 

[alohamom]

I loved Iolani Palace, so cool. Thanks for mentioning Village Noodle House, I have been wanting to try a noodle place in Hawaii and I thought I would have to wait till the next trip to Lahaina but I may just try this one you suggested instead. I looked them up and the menu sounds great-was it clean?

 

[Witherbark]

Yes, Alohamom. I thought Village Noodle House was very clean and they received an Ono in my Oahu Revealed book.

 

[vrodgreg]

Great trip report, I feel like I was on the trip with you!

 

[Witherbark]

Day Three: Pearl Harbor

Today was our Pearl Harbor day, and I was so excited I almost couldn’t sleep. My grandfather was a Pearl Harbor survivor, so today was very special for me. We got started a little later than I intended – I think I forgot to factor in the 10 minutes to get to the car. We took the backpack with snacks and water and our coffee/tea with us and started off. At 6:45 AM we hit no traffic, but I was very conscious of the 8AM tour tickets I had so assiduously acquired on the website.

We found Pearl Harbor quite easily and pulled into the parking lot at 7:06 AM – with me certain that they had already given away our tickets (they say you must be there an hour ahead of time to pick them up). So we screeched into the lot and I threw the backpack at DH as I jumped in line. They didn’t care at all that DH wasn’t right there in line with me (probably because I was getting 2 tickets, not 45) and the woman gave me 7:45 AM tickets because they had some left. So…sorry about the running around like a crazy person, sweetie.

Just a note, the storage is before ticketing and consists of a trailer where they give you a ticket for your bag for $3 each. Unless you have a very small bag, you won’t get your own locker with a key. I’m sure it’s perfectly safe and all the workers are vetted, but perhaps leave grandma’s priceless ring at home in the hotel safe.

We hit the bathrooms and the Road to War museum prior to getting in line for our Arizona Memorial tour. DH, smarter than I am, had thought to stick a bottle of water and a pack of peanuts in his pockets. Plus he’d had a chance to drink his coffee on the way. All I could do was fantasize about my tea cooling in the car and the granola bars in the bag.

After the Road to War museum, we lined up for our Arizona tour. The NPS officer gave a very nice welcome speech, then we went into the theater. The film is, as everyone has mentioned, extremely well done and moving. I would say absolutely appropriate for all ages, but then I think we shouldn’t shield children from the horrors of war and was reading first-hand accounts of holocaust survivors by third grade. YMMV.

After the film there was utter silence and no one moved. Eventually we made our way out the doors to our left to our Navy launch. It’s a quick trip to the Arizona, and although there was plenty of guidance as to which side of the boat to sit on for the best pictures, my mind was occupied by much more than photos by that point.

There were some young adults (college age?) laughing and joking on the ride, and I thought “uh oh” and that they would be irreverent throughout our visit. But then after the talk at the memorial, one went up to the volunteer WWII vet and thanked him for all he had done and shook his hand. So maybe I should keep some of my judgment to myself, huh?

The memorial is just as moving as everyone has said, and I can add nothing to it. The guide mentioned that there were now 8 survivors left, and that each has the choice of being interred with his shipmates. After the last survivor’s death, the ship will be sealed and no further burials allowed. A volunteer spoke at the remembrance wall of the memorial.

It is a very quiet, reverent place. And you just have to let that feeling in. The fear, the surprise, the horror that those men faced. And that we know the ending to the story and they didn’t. All those young lives, all that promise that was taken from us that day. And all the innocence of a generation that would be crushed in the bitter years to come. Men who – even if they lived through that day and that war – would never dance under the stars in quite the same carefree way again.

It was a quiet ride back to land ( & somehow DH and I were separated, so I went to make a comment to him and found quite a different gentleman sitting beside me). We did the remembrance circle and then, incredibly moving monument or no, I had to eat something. We stopped at the snack shop and I picked up a pack of peanut butter crackers for $1 and basically shoved them into my mouth as quickly as possible.

Up next: Pearl Harbor Part II: This Part is More Fun

 

[Witherbark]

Day Three: Pearl Harbor Part Two

After the emotional exhaustion of the Arizona Memorial, it was time for some fun history. We headed over to the Bowfin Submarine. DH had picked up tickets to the Bowfin, Mighty Mo, and Pacific Aviation museum while I was in the Arizona line. He got quite a good military discount as well. The audio tour is free with the admission to the Bowfin. Going immediately after the Arizona so early in the morning, there were only a few other families touring. It is so small, though, I think they must have to restrict access somehow when it is busy.

The Bowfin was much more interesting than I was expecting. I really liked seeing how crews lived and worked on submarines. After that, we headed over to the Bowfin Museum. I actually thought this was better than the Arizona Memorial museum. I found myself getting caught up in the stories of these boats and then being devastated when I found out which ones had been sunk. I think this is actually a little hidden gem.

After the Bowfin museum we hit the bathrooms and some of the outdoor exhibits, like the periscope tower. There were school groups performing in the area next to the Bowfin while we were there, so I don’t know what plaques are around that flag pole area.

It was finally time to grab the bus and head over to the Mighty Mo. You catch the bus from inside the park, so before you exit and retrieve your bag. They don’t have dedicated Pearl Harbor buses – ours was a Roberts Tours bus. We thought it was funny that they are very strict about not taking pictures as you go through the secure gate onto PHH, but you can literally see it from the deck of the Bowfin. So you can stand on the Bowfin and take a picture of it, but not from the bus. Maybe it’s because the Navy housing there is so much nicer than anywhere else and they don’t want the secret out?

We arrived at the Mighty Mo. The gift shop and snack bar are adorable! We didn’t buy or eat anything, but they sure were cute. We chose the self-guided tour, but kept running into various guided tours and hearing snippets as we walked by.

Our first stop was the surrender deck, and then we went inside to see the living conditions, which I find just fascinating. I could spend hours looking at bunks, dispensaries, and cafeterias. You start thinking the living conditions aren’t that bad, and then you see officer country!

We spent at least an hour there and had a great time. When we were done, we caught a bus over to the Pacific Aviation Museum. I had thought about skipping this, but DH bought tickets to all three before I could say anything. I’m glad we didn’t skip it. It’s small, but has some innovative displays and a very neat feel to it. There are the remains of a Japanese Zero and some rotating exhibits. A fabulous snack bar – I wish we had eaten there instead of the Hickam PX. They had a lot of active restoration going on, so that was interesting.

A bus was pulling up as we walked back to the main aviation museum from the outlying building, so we hopped on. We decided to head over to the Hickam PX for some supplies and lunch, and then drive around since that is where my grandfather was stationed.

We got our loot (car charger since we were using the iphone so much for directions and some snacks) and had lunch at the little food court. Not very good, really, but I got a fried apple pie at McDonald’s, which really made up for it. As we were leaving I noticed the MWR, so we went in to get discounted tickets to the Polynesian Cultural Center.

I was at the counter buying tickets when DH came over with a brochure for an Historic Hickam tour. Well, I couldn’t say no to that when that’s where my grandfather was on December 7th. So we signed up for that the following Friday. They only did Friday tours and that week’s was full. I hated to lose a day at Aulani, but I felt that this was important.

Now that we didn’t have to drive around that afternoon, we headed back to Waikiki. It was around 3PM, and traffic wasn’t a problem. I also had the Punchbowl Cemetery on today’s schedule, but we were both exhausted so saved it for another day.

I chilled on the lanai for a bit and DH hit the gym. At 7 we walked through the park (a little sketchy in the dark) to get to PF Chang’s for dinner. Yummy, but this was the first time I really noticed that prices were higher than at home. I mean it was good, but $100 for chain Chinese food is a bit much. We did the dinner for 2 and brought the cheesecake dessert home. We had some wine and dessert and finished watching the Bachelor finale. Vacation!

General Thoughts: I loved the order we did Pearl Harbor in – from somber to more uplifting and fun. Also, by the time we returned from the Pacific Aviation Museum at around 2:15, all tickets were gone for the day and the parking lot and alternate parking lots were full. The PHH Exchange was the nicest we’ve seen! I meant to look for jewelry there but forgot.

 

[sager1969]

Loving your report! I really loved the way you did Pearl Harbor. I can't wait to hear about the Hickman tour. We had the opportunity to meet one of the last survivors when we toured in 2011. We were late to our bud, but I felt it was important for my 10yr old to have that experience. We also believe that sharing the past is important to our kid not shielding. We did not have time to do the Mighty Moo, but we are headed back this year. Thanks to your hints, I will try that order.

 

[Witherbark]

Hawaii Day 4: Getting Our Culture On

Our Pearl Harbor day had been overcast. It was great because we were outside for so much of the day and the clouds kept the heat down and we didn’t get burned. But today promised more of the same, so we decided to switch the schedule around and do more indoor activities rather than waste a beautiful day later in the week inside.

So this morning we headed to the Bishop Museum. Since the museum didn’t even open until 9 AM, we had a bit of a lazy morning. I had my yogurt while sitting on the lanai with my tea, which tasted weirdly of coffee? I figured out that DH hadn’t removed the coffee filter he had used before I ran hot water through it. Oops! We finally made it out the door at around 9:30 AM.

The Bishop Museum was a relatively quick drive and not hard at all to find in a fairly residential district. Once again we got a military discount, it was around $25 for 2 instead of $40. For adults, I’d say it is well worth the cost. If you have young kids, I think they would enjoy the dinosaur exhibit and small hands-on museum, especially if you had a rainy day. My 10 year old self would have loved the Hawaiian hall, but then I made a model of Machu Picchu out of tongue depressors at that age not for a school project, just because. I was odd.

We started with the Hawaiian Hall exhibits. Again, here is where it was nice that I had done some reading previously and also that we had already been to Iolani Palace. DH liked getting more context around what we saw at the palace, too. The feathered robes and description of the feather work were amazing, and I was glad that I knew the background.

I could look at clothes and articles of daily life all day long, although eventually even I can only appreciate so many fishhooks. DH and I also enjoyed a lot of the hands-on exhibits, even if they were meant for kids. We made a ton of noise looking at the stereoscopes and DH kept shushing me (they are just loud – it wasn’t me!) The Pacific Hall is also full of interesting exhibits and stories. And of course the Kahili room was fantastic, and it was nice to then see them at Aulani. Kahili are the feathered royal standards.

After hearing so much about the ridiculous $600K volcano the museum had purchased, I had to go see it at the hands-on science center. This was a very small building with just a few exhibits, although the building itself is interesting. We saw the sad volcano and made a little tidal wave. We also walked through the native garden, which seemed a bit run to weeds.

The museum also has a very nice store. Overall, it was a great morning and I’m glad we took the time to do it. We drove back to our resort while snacking on some dried fruit. We dumped the car in the parking lot and headed across the street to the Army Museum. They were doing some NCO ceremony on the lawn. Admission is free, and once again we skipped the audio tour.

I know I keep saying this, but…what a hidden gem. The museum was fun and informative, with exhibits on the building itself, Hawaii during WWII, Vietnam, and other events. The building was a coastal artillery battery that they tried to bulldoze down and literally could not, it was so reinforced. So the building itself is historical and interesting, and the exhibits are also very well done. There’s even one of the old guns and a helicopter on the roof. It’s a really fun way to spend an hour.

We walked across the park back to the hotel. A note – Hale Koa makes up your rooms very late. There were several times when it was after 2PM and they were just getting to our room. Anyway, DH went to drop in at a local crossfit gym and I sat on the lanai for a bit. I started feeling restless, so I headed down the street to the Ala Moana mall. It was about a 15 minute walk and I enjoyed the fresh air after a day of museums.

I found a koa wood pendant that I loved at Na Hoku, so I bought that. I also found some unique-to-Hawaii soap at Bath & Body Works so snapped that up for myself and my girlfriends. I had heard interesting things about the food court at the Japanese Department Store, so I headed there. I had a fun time just looking at all the interesting and beautiful food. Eventually I ended up in the beer garden with a $2.50 salmon roll and a $1 beer. Nice happy hour!

At around 7PM DH found me in the Barnes & Nobles and we headed to Bubba Gump Shrimp for dinner. Fairly nice dinner. I had the yummy fried shrimp with just okay fries – luckily DH was willing to take care of those for me. As we ate, he started with “So….” With an anxious look. I know that he’s going to say something I won’t like. While he was at crossfit, one of the guys there asked him if he was going to run the Hawaii Spartan Race that weekend. Spartans are a series of obstacle races of various lengths, and DH has been doing them for about two years. There was a sprint at Aloha Stadium on Sunday.

I said of course he should do it if there were still openings! How often would you get a chance to do a race you love in a place like Hawaii? He has an annual pass, so there’s no real cost to doing another race. We decided that on Saturday we’d go over to Aloha Stadium to do on-site registration.

We walked back to the resort pleased with our day and with our purchases. DH said he was going to go back to the store we originally saw the pendant at (on the main drag in Waikiki) if I hadn’t bought it that night. He knows I overthink purchases and that I had really liked the pendant. Aww.

 

[Witherbark]

Hawaii Day 5: Scenic Tours


Thank you so much to everyone who is reading! Please feel free to chime in with questions and I’ll answer them as best as I can!

DH got up very early because he wanted to go run up Diamond Head. Sure. Good luck with that. I slept in and took my time getting ready. I had planned to walk down Waikiki beach and take some pictures and have my McDonald’s muffin on the beach like the guidebook suggested. But DH was actually back before 8 AM and before I was out the door. So I had my tea and yogurt on the lanai.

After two days of clouds, it was finally a gorgeous, sunny day. We started off by taking the Pali Highway to the famed Pali Lookout. It was very, very windy this day. There is a sign to beware of bees in strong winds (I guess because they will slam right into you?) and it was windy, and now I was paranoid about bees. We took several pictures and hightailed it out of there. There were lots of bees on the ground, I guess crushed by the force of the wind? I don’t know, but for the rest of the drive I was paranoid that there was a bee under my collar somewhere. Parking is indeed $3 there, which seems sort of a lot for the 10 minutes you’ll spend.

Back onto the highway and we were at the Byodo-In Temple by around 9:40 AM. Beautiful, peaceful, serene. It is $3/ person.

We rang the bell and thought that the very fat koi fish reminded us of our very fat cat at home. We paid our respects at the actual temple, and I left DH in the gazebo while I checked out the little shop. I got a packet of fish food (free w/ military ID) and we went to the other side of the pond to feed the koi that we felt might be a little neglected by visitors. They are pretty aggressive eaters. Altogether we probably spent about an hour there.

Next up we backtracked to Honolulu to hike Manoa Falls trail. This probably wasn’t the best laid-out day, but since we had rearranged a couple of days it was fine. It’s not like it really took us that long to get anywhere. It’s a pretty small island and we were staying on one side of it.

The $5 parking at Manoa Falls was really beginning to make us feel a little nickel and dimed by Hawaii. Sigh. But since that was also the entrance fee, it was so worth it. The trail is rough and muddy, which equals fun in our book. DH is sure there aren’t any lawyers in Hawaii, since between that and Diamond Head, it seems like all the hikes have you cheating death. In several places the trail sort of just dropped off to the side, with the smallest of ledges in place really to stop erosion, not stop you from falling.

The bathrooms are named The House of the Toilets of Manoa Falls.

It took us about an hour moving at a fairly steady clip to get to the falls. The scenery is incredible. At the Temple, it looked like shear cliffs were coming out of the back of the Temple. Here, if felt like you were deep in a jungle. Such a difference of topology in a very compact space. And bring insect repellent.

I wore my grippy water/hiking sandals and they were perfect. DH had on running shoes and was slipping a lot, but his sandals had been giving him a hot spot. Naturally, when we reached the falls they were more like a trickle. And of course DH slipped under the “danger” signs to go to the very base of the falls and take some pictures.

The way back was much faster! At this point we were both fairly tired and headed back to the hotel. By the time we go there it was just 1 PM, so we managed all of that in just four hours. We grabbed a snack at Happy’s snack shop and changed into swimsuits for our first stop at the beach. We enjoyed our books and the beach for a couple of hours. DH swam a bit. I dipped in, but found it cold. The sand was also pretty rough. Overall, I vastly preferred the lagoon at Aulani and the North Shore beaches to Waikiki.

After about two hours we adjourned to the hotel beach bar and had a Blue Hawaiian and a margarita. There’s special military pricing if you show your ID, but the bar is open to the public. After a half hour DH was ready to head upstairs. But on the way we heard the siren call of the hot tub and spent a pleasant half hour there.

Finally we headed upstairs to change and get ready for dinner at Duke’s! I had made reservations earlier in the week and could only get a later reservation time of 8PM. It had gotten chilly, I think the low that night was around 60 degrees. We walked over in about 10 minutes. We were seated right on time and just had the loveliest waitress. We both had the salad bar, which was wonderful. After several days of restaurant food, it was great to just have a fresh salad. I then had the crusted ono fish with mashed potatoes – tremendous. DH had the sirloin. For dessert we simply had to try the Hula Pie – it was for research! Oh my goodness, this was so delicious but so gigantic. It was a great meal, and not appreciably more than PF Chang’s. Next time we’ll have more than one reservation here.

We rolled back home and DH pretty much fell asleep immediately. I watched some television and dealt with a bit of an upset stomach. My own fault for over-eating (still worth it).

 

[Witherbark]

Hawaii Day 6: More Hiking

Neither of us wanted to get up this morning! I think I was still full from dinner. I was treating my stomach very gingerly (still worth it). Before we left for our trip, I bought a cooler backpack. This thing was great, we took it as our day pack every day. I had water bottles, snacks, sunscreen, bug spray, and the guidebook in there. Everything stayed cool and it was easy to carry.

So, that packed, we headed out the door. Our first stop was Aloha Stadium to sign DH up for the next day’s Spartan race. It was $1/person to get in because it was the swap meet day. I think we hit worse traffic on this day than we had on any previous weekday.

We found the appropriate areas and DH was able to sign up using his annual pass and picked a fairly early heat. That done, he went in search of bathrooms and I moseyed along the swap meet. I found a monkeywood chip &dip set for a reasonable price. By the time he found me 15 minutes later, I was ready to go!

Back on the road, we headed for Hanauma Bay. It was a nice drive. We parked for $1 and took pictures of the area and discussed heading down to snorkel. We had brought our gear, but honestly it was pretty crowded and neither of us was really feeling it. It was pretty windy, too. So we were happy with our pictures and took off. It was about 10:30, and we noticed as we left that they had closed the parking lot as being full. This was a Saturday.

We continued along and pulled off at Halona Blowhole and got some really great pictures of the surf. Then on to Makapu’u Lighthouse. They are doing work on this trail, and I was worried that it would be closed when we were there, but we were lucky and it was open. The construction is making the already small parking lot even tighter. Cars were parked all along the road, but I was able to find a spot in the lot almost immediately. DH says this is his Irish luck.

So when I said we were hiking to the lighthouse, DH somehow pictured us parking 30 yards away from a lighthouse, walking up and taking some pictures, and being done. He did not picture a 1.5 mile uphill hike in the blazing sun. Surprise? Did I mention he’d forgotten a hat? Not in the hotel room – at home. He came to Hawaii without a hat. Sigh.

DH said he felt this hike was more challenging than Diamond Head. And it is certainly a sustained uphill walk, although the path is pretty good (crumbling in places, hence the construction work). I’d also point out that part of that problem is that DH only has one speed, and that speed is “I see my goal.” It’s exhausting. I saw at least 4 pregnant women on the hike doing fine. So if you go at a relaxed pace, it’s fine.

We saw several whales out in the ocean, so I was glad that I had brought the binoculars. At one point we left the trail to go farther out to the water and were sitting on a rock, watching whales frolicking in the ocean. Sort of difficult to remember your problems at that point.

We pulled off the trail several times for better views, and were rewarded by spectacular views each time. We finally reached the top and got some more great photos. We also saw a kayak group go by. Too dangerous for my blood with that surf!

We headed back down the trail and debated going on to explore or heading back to the hotel. Heading back to the hotel won. We had lunch at Cheeseburger Waikiki. DH said it was a really good burger, but my salad left a lot to be desired. I sort of wish we had continued on and explored more and gotten something to eat as we went. Ah well, next time.

DH mentioned he had forgotten how expensive eating out was, which is why we hardly ever do it at home! Our meal at Duke’s was literally more than our weekly grocery bill.

We walked back to our hotel and DH promptly fell asleep. The plan for dinner is relaxed take-out while we pack up for the move to Aulani the next day. Luckily, DH’s Spartan heat is early enough that we should be able to head back to let him shower before our noon check-out.

DH still sleeping, I did some packing and then headed down to the pool bar where I enjoyed some $6 nachos and the sunset. I then picked up some last odds & ends at the PX. DH had woken up in my absence and worked on his packing. We walked down to one of the bigger ABC stores and picked up dinner. Sandwiches and I tried a plum wasabi, since I couldn’t get DH to try a spam one and I don’t eat meat.

My favorite night of vacation is bedspread picnic night! We had sandwiches, Maui potato chips, the rest of the wine, and watched HGTV. We got so into Fixer Upper that we ended up on Zillow looking at houses in Waco, Texas. An early night for a big day on Sunday!

 

[Witherbark]

Hawaii Day 7: Spartan

We were up at 6AM. DH had some breakfast and started stretching. I put finishing touches on the packing and took a shower. We were at the car by 6:35AM and at Aloha Stadium before 7 AM. Once again, $1/each because of the swap meet. I had now gone twice to something I didn’t even intend on seeing. Sigh.

We entered at Gate 5, went through bag search, and were in. Spectators were free, which is usually not the case for Spartan races. So this was fun because it was my first one to see. I had misunderstood the following day and thought that water and snacks would not be allowed, but it was fine since they did not have any vendors open inside. Once again, since I was driving I didn’t get to eat on the way, and we’d left so early I skipped breakfast. Hungry.

There were events set up on the field, which was also unique since baseball stadiums never let you mess up their infield like that. DH used the bathroom and scoped out the race. Around 8 AM he entered the field to line up for his heat. Luckily, there was a large team in bright t-shirts ahead of him, so I could keep track of him by locating some of that group and knowing he’d be a bit behind them.

It rained for a couple of minutes while I was waiting for him to start. And I mean really a couple of minutes, and it was this warm rain that didn’t really get you wet and it was sunny the whole time. Hawaii is weird. His heat started a little after 8:30AM.

The race was much more fun to watch than I had anticipated. I followed DH’s progress fairly well and got some great shots of him. I did miss the end, unfortunately, but the other shots made up for it.

He was done a little before 9:30. He got his medal and picked up a race shirt – how could you pass up a Hawaii race shirt? We were back at the car by 9:45 and back at the hotel by 10:15. DH grabbed a shower while I had a granola bar and triple checked to make sure we got everything. Then I took a load down to the car while he checked us out. We just dropped the duffel bags in the lobby while I got the car. Probably the lobby of the Hale Koa is the only safe place to leave your luggage.

By the time I pulled the car around, DH was just finished up at the desk. I loaded in the rest of the luggage while he got the receipt, and we were off to Aulani!

Up next: arriving at Aulani.

 

[Witherbark]

Hawaii Day 7 Part 2: Arriving at Aulani

DH was just as excited as I was to be heading for Aulani, possibly more. It took about 45 minutes to reach Aulani on a Sunday afternoon. As we got closer and passed the 3 Kapoilele exits, DH was all “Oh, the desolation!” When I put our itinerary up on Trip Advisor to ask advice (and they were very helpful), several people had mentioned that we would hate Ko Olina and that it was so isolated from everything and it was awful. So sure, if your idea of “isolated” is 7 minutes from a Target, Costco, and Safeway, then it is indeed isolated.

We pulled up to a very busy porte-cochere and left the car with the valet for 30 minutes while we checked in. Shane at the front desk was incredibly helpful. I had not done online check-in, but Shane was happy to put in a request for a high floor. The room wasn’t ready, but he gave us keys and access to the day room and said we would be sent a text when our room was ready.

While I was doing this, DH went back to the car, got the bags, and parked the car in the self-park. We dropped the bags with guest services and headed out to explore.

Aulani is just as gorgeous as all of the pictures and reviews have said. The lobby was vast and magnificent. But by this point we were both starving, so we headed across the street to find some lunch. I had a kid’s burrito to go at Just Tacos (a reasonable $6) and DH got a plate from Hawaiian BBQ. It had turned into a bit of a cloudy day, so we just sat outside and took our time. After lunch we checked out the very large and affordable ABC store and the happy hour menu for Monkey Pods. MP had been on our schedule for dinner, but after our late lunch we decided to put it off to another night.

We headed back to Aulani for more exploring and found the pool and beach area, checked out the shops, and got our tickets to the DVC member meet & greet the next morning. Around this time we received a text that our room was ready, so DH got the luggage squared away and we headed up to 1078 in the Ewa Tower.

Yes, the room was connecting, which I hate. But I think most if not all of the studios at Aulani connect, and the soundproofing was excellent. Only one time in 8 days did I notice noise. We had a glorious view of the ocean in front of us and to the left and, as it turned out, a great sunset view. The water slide was almost directly below us, but we didn’t find the noise a problem. DH could even smell the bacon from Mahkiki early in the morning. Shane had warned us to make any dining reservations early, since the resort was pretty full.

Our luggage arrived very quickly and I set about unpacking. DH would live out of a suitcase, and had at Hale Koa, but I insisted that we unpack here. So I unpacked us both. I was thrilled with the size of the fridge and the hot water pot that was provided.

After unpacking, DH mentioned going down to the pool, but then didn’t budge from the computer. Of course, I didn’t budge from the Snapped marathon I was watching on tv. Maybe the busy week was catching up with us?

Eventually I left to check out the stores and found my first treasure – a keychain Duffy dressed in an Aulani outfit! I love Duffy and DH hates him. As in, tries to throw him into the ocean/overboard on cruises and onto the tracks of rides at WDW. On our last Disney cruise, he kept stringing him up around the cabin. I shudder to think what our cabin steward made of all of that. So one more way to annoy DH during a vacation? Sign me up. I basically wanted one of everything at the store, so I would have to control myself.

I also found the Community Room and rented Big Hero 6 for us.

I returned to the room and picked up DH and we made our way to Super Target. We spent around $70 and picked up beer, wine, cold cuts, bread, bagels, yogurt, cheese, cookies, coffee, tuna, grapes, OJ, and microwave rice. I found prices comparable to home. After our shopping we went next door to Aloha Salads to pick up dinner. Great choice! DH got a giant salad and I had a banana, peanut butter, and honey sandwich. Less than $17 for dinner and it was filling and delicious.

Back in the room we pulled the table out from the wall and had dinner while watching Big Hero 6. Not the most exciting Aulani day, but we were ready for a fabulous week of vacation.

 

[alohamom]

Thanks for reminding me about Aloha Salads, I had read about it before and had forgotten-putting it on our list of places to try next time we go

 

[Witherbark]

Hawaii Day 8: Aulani Pool Day

We had officially been in Hawaii a week – and what a week!

We were up fairly early to do the member meet & mingle. DH had a bagel in the room and I packed a pool bag and we headed downstairs. I was slightly worried about not getting a good pool spot, since the member event started at 8 and the pool would already be open. We headed downstairs. Now, if only either of us could remember where it was!

DH thought it was in the community room, and there was a line there, so I headed over and he went to the bathroom. I was told rather sharply that the end of the line was at the other end, and couldn’t figure out why in the world that would matter. Then, of course, I realized that this wasn’t for the DVC meet, this was to sign up for some programs. D’oh!

DH still wasn’t back, so I went and got my wrist band and some towels. When I still didn’t see him, I headed upstairs and when I saw the sign for the conference center, I remember that that is where the meet was. So I checked in, grabbed some juice and a roll, and had a seat. I figured DH would find me. He always does.

He turned up. There were about 20 people there, and while it wasn’t as fun as the cruise DVC meets, it was still enjoyable. We learned about leis and the proper way to give and receive them (we had gotten some yesterday when we checked in and got more today). We saw some videos and won a luggage tag and got a hat for attending. Check it out if you get a chance.

Oh, has this been mentioned? DVC pool wristbands are the same color but sparkly!

After the meet we headed down to the pool. I was worried, because I had heard of the aggressive chair saving and was worried that we would be out of luck. So, nervous, I hurried us along to the adult pool area. And we were…literally the only people there. DH got his wrist band and some towels. We dipped in the pool and investigated the lagoon next door, which had a monk seal that was just a blob in the water, he hadn’t come ashore. Still cool! DH spent some time in the hot tub and overall we just read, chatted, and enjoyed the day. Some fighter jets from the nearby base flew over (DH: That’s the sound of freedom!).

Dh went upstairs to make lunch and must have read or played on the computer for a while. When he finally returned, I got the water bottles out of the car and took them up to the room, then made my own lunch and brought it down to our area. Around 3 ish DH headed upstairs. I spent a little more time swimming and sitting in the sun. The adult area filled up probably by 11 AM ish, but then started to empty out again by 2PM. Over the week, several people attempted to bring kids into the area, but the staff was pretty good about getting them out.

Eventually I went upstairs to shower and change and sat on the balcony with a glass of wine while DH went to the gym. After he came back and showered, we walked over to Roy’s for dinner.

Roy’s was louder than I thought it would be, with bare tables and hard floors and walls that just amplified the noise. It wasn’t helped by the screaming three year old at the table next to ours (luckily they were finishing up). I had the monkfish and DH had the braised short ribs. He said his ribs were amazing, and the monkfish with sauce was decadent. We shared the chocolate soufflé, and I think the one I make is better.

Would I go back? The whole thing felt rushed and impersonal from our waiter. But the food was truly amazing. If I went back, I think I’d do an appetizer and a sushi roll and leave the dessert.

 

[Witherbark]

Hawaii Day 9: North Shore

Whew, after an exhausting day of relaxing, we were ready for some more adventure. We were up fairly early and did a run down to the farthest lagoon and back, stopping for push-ups every 400 meters. This counts as “fun” in DH’s book.

Once back, I showered and got ready as did DH, who then wandered around for about 45 minutes while I did a phone job interview.

Eventually we packed up the day bag and headed off to the North Shore. First we stopped for gas, then headed toward Hale’iwa. It was easy to find and an interesting little town, but we didn’t see anything that forced us to stop. Mostly shops and restaurants.

Past Hale’iwa we found the “turtle beach.” You could tell we were at the right place, because suddenly there were dozens of cars parked along the road. We found a prime parking spot immediately.

There were five turtles on the beach when we got there, and one came ashore as we watched. Two were mating and at one point got flipped over by the waves. This can be dangerous, as the female could drown. Luckily, another wave came along and flipped them back over. The turtles were all pretty active, and the volunteers were busy identifying them. It was better than I could have hoped.

We continued on to Waimea Valley. Again, we found a shaded parking spot immediately. We got a $10 military discount and enjoyed some water and granola bars on a nice bench before starting the hike. We spotted two birds from the bird guide that they give you. I never see the birds, so I thought this was great! We really enjoyed the easy hike and the nice scenery. I especially liked the re-constructed village.

The waterfall was much more waterfall-y than Manoa Falls. DH decided not to swim, both because it was cold and the big sign that mentioned the bacteria in there. So we just sat and enjoyed the scenery a bit before heading back.

Our snack was nice, but I was ready to find Ted’s Bakery. We found it easily enough and grabbed some Haupia pie. It was nice, but I bet I can do better. I’m already on the search for some recipes. I wanted to try a plate lunch, but I felt DH’s patience was waning. Time enough to do that on another day! I also passed the royal birthing stones on the way back and wanted to stop, but wasn’t fast enough. I had hoped to return another day, but that never worked out. Next time!

After our pie we stopped by one of the North Shore beaches and just had a nice time sitting in the sand and watching the surfers. DH mentioned that this is the only sport where it’s as fun to watch the pros as the amateurs. The pros are magnificent, but the amateurs are also a lot of fun. As DH said, “these knuckleheads in front of us couldn’t catch a wave if it was tied down.”

It took nearly an hour to return to Ko Olina. We stopped at Safeway for some coffee filters and stamps, and hit up the Pizza Hut in the parking lot for a takeout dinner. At least the $30 we spent on food today is making up for last night’s extravaganza!

Traffic was bad in Ko Olina heading back to the resort, and I got a little turned around. We still made it home just fine. We pigged out on pizza and bread sticks and DH did some laundry (free if you are DVC).

I headed back to the shops to pick out my final treasures (er..almost final). DH folded laundry while we watched some tv, then had an early night.

 

[mrsR123]

I'm loving your report and counting the days until my June trip. Thank you for taking the time to post.

 

[Witherbark]

Hawaii Day 10: Whale Watching

Today was our whale watching trip with Hawaii Nautical. We woke up to beautiful weather and I had my usual tea and yogurt on the lanai. Then down to the adult pool. The pool itself was closed with some electrical issue, but the seating area was fine.

After lounging in the sun for a bit we hit the lazy river. So fun! We did the slide entry, and the first time I came down I flipped over. DH found this hysterical and couldn’t stop laughing. He also continually tried to push me into the waterfall and cold water streams. After a fun trip around the lazy river, we hung out in the hot tub for a while to warm up.

We dried off, then went up to the room for showers and lunch. I did take a Dramamine, because I’m not great on boats. We left a little after 12:30 for our 1:30 tour. It did take a while to get there because of all of the traffic lights, but we made it in plenty of time. There was plentiful parking, and even though the instructions that were sent to me were a little off, the people working there quickly had us on our way to the right boat.

We had skipper Kevin and first mate Matt. They were friendly, informative, and fun. There were 19 people on our boat and we were on the power boat, not the sailing catamaran. The catamaran might have been more fun, but the reviews said that the power boat allowed us to follow the whales better. The catamaran was on an exclusive Disney cruise, even.

We headed north to try to find whales, with Matt giving information on whales and on the island. Fairly soon we spotted two whales and followed them. They would re-appear every 10-12 minutes and spout and show their tales. I spent most of my time at the front or rear of the boat, while DH was up with the captain.

We had turned and were headed back in the direction of the dock when the whales came up just about 30 feet from the boat, startling and delighting everyone. Kevin immediately cut the engine, and the whales swam right by us, eyeing us. It was amazing. It was a fantastic ending to a really great trip.

I was a little unsteady on my feet after 2 hours on the boat. But we made it back to the car at a little after 4 PM. Now we saw what everyone meant by Honolulu traffic, as we saw the endless stream on the opposite side of the highway.

We went past our exit for Ko Olina and on to the Target for water, lunchmeat, and some other odds and ends. Then we once again got yummy salads from Aloha Salad for dinner. Getting home took much longer, but most of that was stoplights to get on H1.

I started a load of laundry, then ate my salad. We both read and watched some tv. I switched clothes over to the dryer, and when that was done we headed down to the O’lelo room for drinks and some delicious poke tacos. Everything was good and we enjoyed some live music. I wanted to do the firepit with Uncle, but we were both so tired! Back up to the room for an early night.