Hearts in Hawai'i
Our Trip To Hawai'i (2002)--O'ahu
3/13/2002
The pics you'll find throughout this review were taken with a Nikon Coolpix 995. Most of the early morning or nighttime shots were taken using a tripod I was fortunate to find at the Outrigger Kuhio Photo store. Click any image to see a larger version!
You can see our ratings for the restaurants we went to on Oahu and Maui here
Prologue
We had been there once before for our marriage in February 1996, and as soon as we returned to Duluth, we vowed to ourselves we'd return to Hawai`i someday.A planned trip in February 2000 unfortunately fell through; this only strengthened our resolve to get back to this place we referred to as "paradise"
These plans started coming together in the early summer of 2001; it turned out to be weirdly linked to the tragedy of 9/11, as this was the day our initial deposit was due. The departure was set for March 11, and was decided by us long before the idiot terrorists attempted to change America. They (mostly) failed; we succeeded.
Getting There
A 3:00 a.m. alarm ring started the first day of our trip. Groggily going over the written and mental checklists, we hoped that everything was in order. Bills paid? Patio door locked, windows slightly cracked? Computer files backed up and stored off-site? Travel documents in our bags? And so on; you spend a lot of time preparing for this and you're pretty sure you remembered to do everything and pack everything that was required. But you're never 100% sure.
We arrived at Duluth International Airport at 4:15 a.m., ready for our 5:35 flight to the Twin Cities. Security was somewhat similar yet not exactly the same at the airports we went through during our trip. Surprisingly, the Duluth airport had the most stringent security. Twin Cities was also somewhat stiff. Honolulu and Kahului were more relaxed. At the Duluth airport, security is set up at the entrace to each gate. In Mpls.-St. Paul, it's set up when you first enter the airport. No ticket, no entry. Once in there, you can roam all over the airport. But if you leave, as we did a few times during the 5 1/2 hour layover (it's a nicotine thing), you go through security all over again when you re-enter. If you do leave, you need your boarding pass in order to get back in. Forget your boarding pass when you go out to smoke and it gets problematic.
A quick word about Northwest Airlines (it's tempting to call them "Northworst"). When we first booked our trip, we had a 7:10 a.m. flight out of Duluth. Subsequent to the 9/11 tragedy and the plummeting of air travel, that flight was cancelled and we were bumped back to the 5:35 flight. Then, Northwest re-installed the flight but would only let us regain seats on that flight if we paid the $100 change-over fee (per person, of course). This is bogus, Northwest; I was told by a representative of United Airlines that this would not have occurred with their airline. Whether this is true is not the point. The point is that customer service is apparently not a high priority with Northwest. It'd better start being a priority if they want to survive in the long-term.
The flight from the Twin Cities to Honolulu took a little over eight hours, landing in Honolulu at 4 p.m. Hawai`i time. You could sense the anticipation on the passengers' part; the last couple hours of the flight, many were up out their seats and roaming around. Part anticipation, part being tired of sitting on that 747 for so damn long!
Our plane waiting in Minneapolis
Somewhere over the Rockies
Approaching the Hawaiian islands!
Near the O`ahu coast
Just as the last time we were there, the first things which hit you are the warmth and that incredible smell of the flower leis. The trip to the Park Shore Hotel nearly took a bad turn when we got seperated from the tour group; luckily a mad dash through the lower level of the airport reunited us with our group and soon we were on our way to where we would spend the first six nights.
Patty on the transfer bus ready to leave for Waikiki
Park Shore Hotel
These were our digs on Waikiki Beach; they've been going through renovations for the past several months, starting on the top (18th) floor and working their way down. I was a bit apprehensive for two reasons; first being some web reviews that weren't exactly favorable in terms of cleanliness, second being how the noise of the ongoing renovations would affect us. On both counts, I had nothing to be concerned with. We were on the 15th floor, which had been renovated, and had a spectacular view towards Diamond Head which also overlooked the far end of Waikiki Beach. The room wasn't overly spacious, but who the heck spends much time in their hotel room (other than to sleep) while in Hawai`i, anyway? Size was sufficient, staff were quite friendly, and you couldn't say enough of the best view we've ever had from any hotel room. Another positive factor is that the Park Shore is the last in a seemingly interminable line of hotels which clog Waikiki Beach. From the east of our hotel across Kapihulu Avenue, there was nothing but the Honolulu Zoo, Kapiolani Park, and nearly a mile of open space. We may have been on Waikiki where thousands of tourists stay, but it sure didn't feel like it.
Obviously, the first thing I unpacked from my bag was the Coolpix 995. The first set of pictures below should give you an idea of just how outstanding the view was from our lanai ("balcony" to some of you).
With a Denny's just downstairs, we had a place to chow whenever we feel like. Two ABC Stores were within 100 feet of the hotel, as well. ABC's flourish all over the place here. They're like Circle K stores in Phoenix (for example), only more numerous. Being on the corner of Kalakaua and Kapahulu, we were directly on the bus line. The Bus goes all over Honolulu and Oahu and provides a cheap ($1.50 fare) mode of transportation to wheverever you need or want to go. We took The Bus to Sea Life Park on Wednesday; not the quickest way to get there, but who wants to rush around Oahu in the first place? We found ourselves slowing down and enjoying the journey wherever we went.
Being on Waikiki, many good restaurants were within walking distance. We would spend considerable time in the last afternoon walking to some of these places, such as Planet Hollywood, TGI Fridays, and Chili's with mixed results; I loved Planet Hollywood and especially Chili's. The "meat loaf stack" I had at TGI Friday's, on the other hand, was an entirely forgettable dining experience. Park Shore rating: 9
Our 15th floor room at the Park Shore Hotel on Waikiki
View to the west from our room
Another view with that great vantage point in the background
Afternoon view down Kalakaua Avenue
Diamond Head view
Patty relaxing on the lanai
More views from the Park Shore:
Starlet Dinner Cruise
We had spent some considerable time in the months before leaving comparing the various dinner cruises offered by the Star of Honolulu and it's smaller siblings, the Starlet and Starlet II. Included with our ticket was round-trip transportation to the Kewalo Basin (where the Starlet is based) from just a block away from the Park Shore.
The ocean was quite rough on the night we did our dinner cruise, with a Small Craft Advisory in effect for all Hawaiian waters. This led to many having to get to the top open-air deck...just in case dinner didn't stay down! Seasickness pills passed out soon after we leave Kewalo helped some but not enough.
The views were very nice, although we were not able to get as far out of the harbor as had been planned due to the high seas. The entertainment was pretty good; the food, not quite as good. The two main staples we chose form were fish and steak, and are only average. Rating: 5
On the bus on the way to the Kewalo Basin
Diamond Head Hike
Sure, you can take The Bus up Diamond Head Road, disembark, walk up the road and access the trail yourself for the $1.50 fare, but for $20, you can take a tour bus up into the crater. For the low price tag, you get water (warm), a flashlight (oops, not enough to go around our group), a backpack to put your stuff into, and commentary from a tour guide. To me, it was well worth the money spent.
The hike started simply enough, up a gently sloping paved trail. Don't be fooled by this; the paved trail ends soon enough and degrades to a somewhat uneven dirt path which is fairly steep at times. Not to mention two sets of stairs which require clambering up. The first set is 76 steps, followed by a 99 step monster (steep steps, at that). Each tenth step is marked, so you can not only see how many steps you've climbed, but how many steps you still have to go! Add to that an unlit tunnel, an unlit metal spiral staircase, and you get the idea this is no walk on the beach. But it's not as difficult as soon people claim. Either that, or the trauma gave me amnesia and I don't remember how brutal it was! On the whole, well worth it, and the views from the top are awesome.
If you take the hike by yourself, water is an absolute. A flashlight is also important, but not essential. I recommend paying the small fee for the tour. Oahu Nature Tours ran the tour I was on, and you get an 8.5x11 certificate attesting to your climb of this 763' crater. Aaron, our tour guide, was exceptional. Rating: 9
Waikiki Beach
To say this beach can get crowded during the day is akin to saying rush hour traffic in the Twin Cities can get heavy. Thousands of tourists and locals jam Waikiki every day, and with 80 degree, sunny days plentiful during our stay, the crowds made it almost inconvenient to be there. A definite "feast for the eyes" with people playing volleyball, riding their boogie boards, surfing (not much in the way of waves there for surfers, no doubt), or just laying out in the tropical sun getting brown.
At night, it became more tranquil, a perfect place to take a sunset stroll with the one you love, or just sit on the sand taking in the view of the lights of Waikiki's many hotels.
Park Shore from the Kapahulu Groin
Previous: 2/17/1996--Our Trip to Hawa`i (1996)--The Honeymoon
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