About These PicturesThe pics you'll find throughout this review were taken with a Nikon D50. Some were taken using a circular polarizing lens. By clicking a thumbnail, you'll access a larger version of that picture.PrologueThis was our fourth trip to Hawai`i, and our first visit to the Big Island. Also included were stays on Oahu and Maui. It was also a trip in which we were (finally) able to use our Northwest Airlines World Perks Points, which had been accumulating since our first trip to the Aloha State in 1996. Finding the opportunity to use these points isn't easy by any means; if you have a strict timeframe in which you want to travel, you can very well find yourself out of luck. Even with a wide timeframe where we were willing to travel (mid-March to late-April), going to the Northwest website every couple days wasn't resulting in any flights which were open to using our points. Eventually we asked our travel agent's assistance, and she managed to come through with an open flight just one day after we asked! Outstanding.
There was some inconvenience in using these points, however. Our Duluth to Minneapolis flight left at 5:20 a.m., requiring us to be up by 3:00 that morning. Not fun. On the other end, our flight from Honolulu to San Francisco didn't leave on our final day until 10:00, begging the question of what the heck we were going to do after returning our rental car at the Kahului Airport at 1:00 that afternoon. As it turned out, we spent several hours wandering (mostly aimlessly) around the Honolulu Airport. Hey, if you're going to spend hours in an airport, Honolulu is as good a choice as any. This website is done in journal style; in other words, formatted in chronological order. I've also reviewed the various restaurants we ate at, in the same way as I did for our 2004 trip. Brief notes on these restaurants are sprinkled throughout this journal but the details are contained on this page.
Day 1: Getting ThereThe flights from Duluth to Minneapolis and from Minneapolis to Honolulu were uneventful. The MSP-HNL flight was on a new Airbus 330 jet, which features individual screens on all the seats (even in Coach class!). You can pass a goodly amount of time (which helps during this grueling 8 1/2 hour flight) watching movies, listening to music, tracking the flight and playing games.We were in Honolulu by 3:30 p.m.; after retrieving our checked luggage and walking over to the Budget Rent-a-car office, we had our rental car (a Subaru Impreza) and were on the H-1 freeway bound for Waikiki. With music accompaniment courtesy of KINE-FM (The Hawaii Music Station), we were finally taking in the sights and smells of a perfect 85 degree day. Man, what a feeling it is to be here once again! So much so that getting lost after getting off the H-1 near Waikiki didn't even bother us...much. Queen Kapiolani HotelFinding the check-in desk at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel on Kapahulu Avenue is interesting; you have to turn off the main street, take an alley and then wind up in the back of the hotel. I don't recall encountering this at any other hotel we've ever stayed at. Not that this is a big deal, but I thought I'd mention it. But I really like the open-air registration area. Each morning they have complimentary newspapers available for guests near the registration desk.We get to our room after parking the car in the underground lot. Parking is $15/day, which is what I consider to be a rip-off but it's the normal rip-off on Waikiki...be prepared should you choose to rent a car on Oahu. Renting a car on Oahu isn't necessary, but it does afford you a little extra freedom. We're on the ninth floor with a fantastic view of Diamond Head, Kapiolani Park, the Honolulu Zoo and the ocean. The view ranked up there with what we had at the Park Shore Hotel in 2002. The room is decent-sized. It needs renovation but everything works well. The two full-sized beds are very comfortable. Either bed is big enough for us both to sleep in. There is a stove with two burners (no oven), a small fridge along with a toaster, a microwave, and a coffee maker. There are no pans to cook with but our trip to Foodland solved that minor issue. Counter space is minimal and the kitchenette overall is small, especially if both people are in there at the same time. No screen windows exist in the room, just slats which open/close to let in more air, plus any bugs which decide to join you. This wasn't a problem during our stay, however. The closet space is good, as is the dresser drawer space. There is a locked doorway leading to the adjacent room which was a pain because we can hear everything going on in that room. Loud TV fairly late at night came from their room. Due to its value, this is an easy place to recommend, unless you're looking for perfection. In which case, go to the Hilton Hawaiian Village or the Halikulani and pay $400+ per night. After doing some unpacking, we head up to Foodland on Harding Avenue, which I'm told later is the busiest supermarket in Oahu. No idea on the voracity of that claim but getting there at around 5:00, finding a parking spot in a small lot was tough. Patty's mom gave us her Maika`i Card to use, saving us early $30 off a $130 bill! Having put away our stocks of food (space to store food in the kitchenette is somewhat lacking), and making the calls back home to let folks know we had arrived safely, we head out for dinner. We'd initially wanted to eat at Lulu's (at the Park Shore Hotel, replacing the old Denny's, which I'd loved), but the place was a din of activity and we weren't in the mood for noise at this point. So, we head a block up to Teddy's Bigger Burgers, where I got the messiest (but good tasting) burgers I'd ever had. In bed by 9:30 (remember, our bodies are still on Duluth time, which is 2:30 a.m., so we're pretty beat). An awesome start to this 22-day trip.
(1) Early morning arrival in Minneapolis (2) Our first view of Oahu; that point to the left is Makapuu, the area in the lower central is Sea Life Park (3) Approaching Waikiki with Diamond Head clearly showing (4) Lagoons at the Ko Olina Resort (5-6) Our room at the Queen Kapiolani HotelDay 2: Honolulu ZooWe're still getting settled in and used to Oahu. I'd purchased a cheap tripod (which turned out to work extremely well and is small enough when folded-up to put into a suitcase) at Ritz Camera last night, so I was out on the lanai very early, prepared to take pics of the sun coming up over the Ko`olau Mountains. No luck there with all the clouds, so we go for an early walk after breakfast. We did the loop around Kapiolani Park and then along the Ala Wai Canal, eventually ending up at the International Marketplace. It's still early enough that few shops are open but we browse where we can. We also checked out the new Waikiki Beachwalk, where the Outrigger Village Hotel (we spent two nights there on our 1996 wedding/honeymoon trip) used to be. Well, it still is, only now it's called the Embassy Suites Waikiki Beachwalk hotel. A major renovation is nearly completed there and the whole area at Lewers Street between Kalia Road and Kalakaua Avenue looks nothing like it used to look. I'm sure I'm in the minority here when I say I prefer how it used to look and feel; cramped and busy, but it had a certain attitude to it which I miss.
By the time we return to the hotel, the skies had cleared up nicely, so we walk across Kapahulu Avenue to the Honolulu Zoo. This is an activity we always manage to fit into our schedule whenever we visit Oahu, and at the low cost of $8, it's a pretty good deal. The pictures below describe this Zoo better than I could, so I'll let the pics tell the story. Housekeeping is late today, not getting to our room until 2:30. No new cups or coffee were left, requiring us to call the front desk and have these sent up.
Dinner is at Chili's, which has become a sort of tradition for us whenever we're here. The Monterey Chicken was outstanding, as it nearly always is. A quick swim in the ocean at the Kapahulu Groin (interesting name, huh?
(1) Early morning view from our lanai at the Queen Kapiolani hotel (2) View of the pool area (3) View from our lanai (4) Indian elephants at the Honolulu Zoo (5) Meerkat (6) Dik-diks (7) African wild dog holding my gaze (8) White Rhinoceros (9) Royal Hawaiian Hotel (aka Pink Palace) (10) Waikiki hotels shot from near the end of the Kapahulu Groin
|
 |
(1) Me in front of Da Kine Bail Bonds in downtown Honolulu
Day 4: Diamond Head/Hawaiian Waters
Diamond Head
The Diamond Head hike is an activity I recommend for everyone. It's not that difficult; I accomplished this five years ago while a three-pack-a-day smoker! However, if you have problems with your knees, the two long staircases encountered during this hike (76 stairs and 99 stairs) will probably give you some grief. For others, it's just a good cardio workout. Some people actually run up and down this trail regularly.
Patty came along on this hike. I'd told her about the 99-step stairway but had "forgot" to tell her about the other one. Oops! Anyway, we both made it to the top with little trouble other than profuse sweating. Believe me, the view from the top is worth it. To the east, you have views all the way to Koko Head. To the west, all of Waikiki is in view and you can also see the Waianae Mountains to the west of Honolulu. This is a fantastic photo opportunity!
It's $5/car to enter the crater (a roadway leads through a tunnel into the crater area and the parking lot), and on this day there was a guy positioned in the bunker at the top of the hike who was selling "certified" documents showing you made the hike for two dollars. Do this hike early in the morning before the heat of the day sets in. Rating: 9
Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park
We've been to two other water parks during previous vacations (Noah's Ark in Wisconsin Dells and Wet-n-Wild in Orlando); Hawaiian Waters isn't nearly as large as the other two but you'll still have a very good time if the park isn't too busy. We were lucky today; being mid-week and during the school year, the park was pretty sparsely attended, and wait lines at the rides were extremely short.
As I said, it's a relatively small waterpark (25 acres, compared to 70 acres at Noah's Ark and 30+ at Wet-n-Wild). There are a few decent tube rides and a couple of great bodyslides (which I don't do because I'm chicken 
), but their wave pool is much better than at either of the other parks we've visited. Our two favorite tube rides (Waianae Coaster and Big Kahuna) are fun but only one of these rides was open at any given time. For a half hour, one would open and the other would close. I don't know if this is typical of Hawaiian Waters or if it's because they're short-staffed due to it being a quiet time of the week, but it was a slight inconvenience.
Locker rentals are $5. There are plenty of chaises near the wave pool for you to relax and take in the sun, dry off, whatever. The wave pool was also closed for periods of time because they were having boogie board lessons. That was unusual and a bit of a pain in the buns, especially since none of them seemed to be doing anything during the class. Or maybe they were just very unskilled (was this a Beginners class?).
Overall, this was a pretty good time, but I made the mistake of not using sunblock on the top of my head. The ole hairline isn't where it once was and I ended up with a nasty burn on the top of my head along the part line. Ouch! Rating: 7
We selected Round Table Pizza on Kuhio Avenue for dinner tonight, based mostly on recommendations of staff at the hotel. It was surprisingly good! One more walk around the park in an attempt to offset the caloric intake before heading back to the room.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
(1) Halfway up the Diamond Head trail (2-3) Views from the top (4) Luckily, we're going back down while those people are walking up (5) Sunset at Waikiki
[ Days 5-8 ] [ Life in Duluth ]
last updated may 31, 2007