First, here are a few parameters for our trip so you can determine if this is the kind of trip you would find interesting.
1. We traveled in early March to Honolulu, enjoyed accommodations on Waikiki Beach and did not travel to any of the other islands completing our vacation on the island of O'ahu.
2. We tried to do all of the touristy things as well as one coastal tour to keep it simple since our party was made up of 3 Seniors ( my parents and an aunt) and me.
3. Our priorities were spending time on the beach (me), visiting Pearl Harbor and other historic sites, and ease of transportation to those sites.
4. We did not indulge in the night life nor are we foodies, though I did try some local cuisine and I'll tell you about those.
5. This is long....very long. If you want the recap of airline, accommodations, tours and transportation, skip to the bottom recap. Otherwise, you're in for a long description of each day and our activities. :)
6. Here's a link to my photo album on facebook with some photos out of order at this point. I need to fix the order on a few of the photos that didn't make it into the album on the first day.
Day one: Travel
We traveled on an 6 AM flight from Atlanta to Honolulu with a layover in Dallas. Travel took about 13 hrs. Understand that these deep discount flights may fit in times where you get nothing to eat but pretzels and a beverage. Be prepared. We were fortunate that they did feed us on the 9 hour leg from Dallas to Honolulu. If you have picky eaters, plan to either bring your own food or buy it in the airport. We arrived in Honolulu after 2 PM HST. I'd never used Uber or Lyft before, so we got a discount for first time user plus American Airlines had a discount code in the in-flight magazine.
We arrived at the Ilikai Hotel and Condos after 3 pm and went right up to our unit. Got settled and got an Uber to Walmart for some groceries since the majority of our party wasn't interested in trying local cuisine. It saved us lots of money, but be aware that Hawaii is expensive. We saw immediately the difference when purchasing everyday grocery items. Some items cost twice as much as we would have in Newnan. I then got on the Waikiki Trolley in front of the hotel and went to the Waikiki Trolley office to pick up the trolley passes for the 4 of us. I booked the Waikiki Trolley on-line and took advantage of the 5 day advance online price. We each purchased a Hop On Hop Off Tours 7 day pass for all 5 lines for $63 per person (mere $9 per day). We did use the trolley everyday and took all 5 lines: Red Line (Historic Sites), Purple Line (Pearl Harbor), Green Line (Scenic Tour), Blue Line (Coastal Tour), Pink Line (Shopping Loop). See Waikiki Trolley for more information. We acclimated ourselves to the hotel amenities and I found the shortest route to the beach. It was a struggle to stay awake so that we wouldn't wake up so early the next day with the 5 hour time difference.
Day 2: Beach and Historic Tour
I went to the beach first thing the next morning. The forecast indicated rain on several days. Wednesday was one of the days it wasn't supposed to rain. So I took advantage of it. I was one of the first people on the beach. Waikiki Beach is broken up into different segments. Here's a good article on the different areas http://www.best-of-oahu.com/waikiki-beach.html The Ilikai is located closest to the Duke Kahanamoku Beach. I found the beach a little harsh on my feet with lots of shells and rocks. After a while, I decided to walk down the boardwalk to explore the other sections of the beach. I did not know about the link above until well after I'd gone to the beach that day. So, I was surprised that the Fort DeRussy Beach section was the section I'd like most. I loved the park and the grassy areas in that section. The beach had a bit of a hill to it, so it was harder to get in and out of the water having to climb the hill. A few seniors on the beach struggled with the sand shifting and the hill but it wasn't very crowded on a Wednesday morning and not hot. The water was actually much cooler than I expected. I spent most of Day 2 on the beach while my parents and aunt took the Waikiki Trolley Red Line: Historic Sites Tour.
Later that day, I decided to take a trolley tour to just see some of the city. It happened to be International Women's Day and the protesters were out in force. They were all over the city and converged on one spot. You guessed it Trump Hotel.
Day 3: Pearl Harbor
I underestimated the popularity of the Pearl Harbor Historic Site. I will say it was confusing trying to figure out the best deal. I'm still not sure if we got the best deal. I went to Viator.com where I usually find great deals. I browsed those deals ranging from $47 to more than $100 for a variety of things that included transportation. Since I couldn't determine what was best, I figured the government site would have the bare necessities and a better explanation. I went online to Recreation.gov and found a better explanation. There are several packages available. The USS Arizona Memorial is free, but you have to have a reservation for a specific time to see it. Since there is limited space in the memorial and on the boat that takes you to it, you must have a reservation. You can get online months in advance and book a free time slot and get the optional $7 audio tour. You can risk it and get there early to stand in line for one of the 1000 tickets that are available each day first come first serve. Or you can go online either the day of your visit or the day before your visit and try to book something when they release all of the unsold tour company tickets at 7 AM HST. I went online Wednesday at 7AM and booked our tickets for Thursday. We went ahead and got the all inclusive ticket for $65 per person plus a reservation fee. It included the free reservation for the USS Arizona Memorial, the audio tour, the tours of the USS Bowfin, USS Missouri and the other museums on the property. We took the Waikiki Trolley Purple Line to the site. We could have waited to take the almost 10 AM trolley that stops in front of the Ilikai Hotel to the site. It would have gotten us there at almost noon. We decided to walk to another stop around the corner that left earlier to get us there much earlier. We had noon reservations for the USS Arizona. We arrived around 10:30 AM and took tours of the USS Bowfin and some of the museums before resting a bit before watching the Pearl Harbor film and getting on the boat to the site. It was hot and humid at Pearl Harbor. Even my mother who is the coldest natured person I know was hot. Be prepared. After we finished the tours and visited the gift shop, we went up the hill to wait on the Trolley. The found the trolley overall to be run either on time or even 5 maybe 10 minutes late. But don't miss it. There are long windows between trolleys for some of the lines.
We got back and we decided to do a little shopping. We bought leis and took some pictures on the beach. After that I decided to take advantage of the Magic Island Park to see the sunset and get in a evening walk for exercise. I didn't really know if the walk to Magic Island would be ok or not so I took the Pink Line to Ala Moana Mall and walked across the street to the park. Such a beautiful park. Many of the locals use it to exercise and many people were out that day grilling, swinging in hammocks that they brought or sitting on the beach watching the sunset. There was a mom's exercise group there with strollers and all getting in evening workout. The homeless population was much larger than I anticipated, though crime is quite low from all accounts. I walked around the trail on Magic Island and walked back to the Ilikai for a good 1.84 miles.
Day 4: Red Line Tour (Historic Sites)
Though my parents an aunt did the Red Line on Wednesday, they didn't go inside of the museums or inside the Capitol. We stopped at the most popular section of Waikiki Beach near the Duke statue. It was very crowded in one section, though not so much in the family friendly section with the wall. There is a nice section where the water is shallow and calm so that families with small children can safely play in the water. The children in the section were adorable. There were lots of surfers just outside of that section and many water activities to do. I didn't get a chance to get in a surf lesson. Oh well, maybe next time.
Our first stop was the Hawaii State Capitol. I was very surprised at how open it is. It's literally a 3 or 4 story walk up. It has an inner courtyard and all of the rooms on the floors open up to it. I'm used to the heavy security and scanners of other state capitols. Nope they really are open and relaxed in Hawaii. We walked in and up to elevator to the other floors without a sign of security. There on the ground floor are the House of Representatives Chambers and the Senate Chambers. Just walk in and watch if they are in session. They wore leis and casual clothes during the session. I saw 2 security guards in the whole place. Must be nice.
We left the capitol and walked to the I'olani Palace around noon for a tour. It is the former Royal Palace of the Hawaiian Royal Family. It is the only royal palace in the USA. The Royal Hawaiian Band was playing on the lawn when we arrived. They were great. We listened for a while and went to the gift shop to buy the $14.75 audio tour tickets (as opposed to the $21.95 guided tour) but they were sold out until 2:15pm. So we left and went to the Hawaii Art Museum about 2 blocks away. We ate lunch there. I tried the Ahi Tuna sandwich. The raw fish was actually okay.
The tour of the I'olani Palace was beautiful, enlightening and sad all at the same time. I did not really know the history of how Hawaii became the 50th state. The short version is that the US overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy. The palace is a reminder of that beautiful monarchy and how it fell. I loved it that the monarchy was not a people trapped in the bush and blessed that the US found it and saved it. On the contrary, the palace had lights, phone and other technology well before many other countries governments did. The tour highlighted their innovation and heritage. I loved it. Not to mention the decor and the queens wardrobe are beautiful!
From there we got back on the Trolley and continued the driving tour. I stopped at the Hawaii Convention Center to pick up my 5k race packet while my parents and aunt traveled back to the condo. Most of the trolleys run between 8 AM and 4 PM so you have to get up and make most of the day if you're going to make it back to your hotel before the trolley stops. The Pink Line is the only one that runs past 5pm. It operates until 10pm. So I had to walk back to the hotel from the convention hotel. It wasn't too bad of a walk in flip flops.
I got back in time to meet my parents and aunt in the courtyard for dinner, hula dance show and the Friday evening fireworks over the water.
Day 5: Green Line (Scenic Tour) and Blue Line (Coastal Tour)
We got up fairly early and were downstairs for the Green Line Tour. Every Saturday there is the KCC Farmer's Market. We wanted to walk around it and see Diamond Head Crater along with some of the other mountain views of the island. We took the earliest trolley and rode around the crater and to the entrance of the park and trail head. It costs a $1 to get in and hike the trail. We skipped it though I had hoped to come back on Monday to hike it myself. It didn't happen. My fitness level and my aspirations were far apart. :) The next stop after the crater was the market. There were several vendors of everything from honey, flavored salt, coconuts, flowers and many other foods. It took place in the parking lot of a college campus. I tried some of the jams and jellies, lotions and got business cards for those who ship goods to the mainland. We walked around the college campus a bit and then took the trolley to one of the hubs. The Green Line only goes to the Ilikai in the morning as a courtesy to the early risers. So we had to transfer to another line. We realized that we'd finished our tour before noon and decided to wait for the Blue Line to take the Coastal Tour. The coast of O'ahu is simply the most beautiful views I've ever seen. It is very different from the tourist crowded areas of Waikiki. We did not go up to the North Shore on the tour but we did get around the East Shore. The turn around point is Sea Life Park. We were able to stop for photos and views at 3 stops including Haunama Bay (the only paid beach on O'ahu). It is simply gorgeous and most likely worth the $7 fee to get in. Our driver said people arrive prior to the 6:30 AM open in order to get in and get a good spot. There is a limit on how many get in and there are rules to ensure the beach and sea life are preserved.
We ended our day in the courtyard listening to a local Hawaiian musician then walked down to the beach for the Annual Honolulu Festival fireworks. They were not visible from the courtyard this time.
Day 6: 5K, Parade
After booking this trip, I searched for activities going on during our stay. It happened that the largest cultural festival was happening over the weekend. Everything from a food festival, dance competition, parades and a 5k race were going on. So I registered for the Honolulu Rainbow Ekiden 5K. This was a new concept to me having a relay 5K. There were teams of 5 and the Lite team of 3 plus the Individual Fun 5k run and kids mile. They even opened it up to put individuals in the groups that were timed. I didn't want to make anyone mad so I did the untimed 5k. Each team member ran a 5k for a total team 25k or 15k. I wasn't thinking about the course when I signed up. The course was clearly along the coast around Diamond Head Crater. That's up hill the first mile! I knew I was really slow when the first running met me at the 1k marker. I had just made it to the 1k and he was on his way back down the hill and passing the 4k marker.... yup. But I made it. And I did it with style. They encouraged costumes and they were awesome! There was a team of Power Rangers, Super heroes, The Incredibles, Japanese animated figures and of course corporate teams that dressed in team t-shirts or polos. I was proud of myself for doing my first 5k in years. My parents and aunt met me at the finish line and took photos. I dressed up for colon cancer awareness wearing a blue tutu and the Angelyn Y. Jenkins Colon Cancer Fund t-shirt in remembrance of my sister.
Afterwards, we walked about a half mile to the trolley stop. They had to reroute the trolley due to the race. Later in the day there was a parade. I made reservations at the Tiki Bar and Grill so that we would have great seats on the balcony to watch the parade go by and have a good dinner. The parade was supposed to start at 4:30pm. It took it until about 5:30 to get to us as we were near the end of the route. That was the longest parade I've ever seen. After 2 hours, we decided that was enough processional for us. We caught the Pink Trolley and headed back to the hotel. I can't remember if it was this night or the another night but we rode the Pink Line around at night to see the city lights. Hawaii is simply beautiful day or night.
Day 7: Shopping
The Ala Moana Mall is the 7th largest mall in the US and the largest open air mall. If it's a high end store, it's in this mall it seemed such as Louis Vuitton, Kate Spade, Dolce and Gabbana in addition to some of your regular stores like Old Navy, Ross, Macy's. A coupon for Old Navy was in my race packet so that was our first stop.The Pink Line takes you there along its shopping loop. My dad and I tapped out early and sat in the performance areas waiting on my Queen Bees to finish shopping. Afterwards, I went to the beach. It was the last day for us to relax and enjoy it. Fortunately for us the condo provided beach chairs and beach towels along with a large bag cooler and umbrella.
Day 8: Travel back home
I rose early to enjoy sunrise on the beach and enjoy the water for the last few hours. That was the first time I saw evidence of rain. Though the forecast said it would rain several days; not a drop the whole time we were there.
We packed up and left checked out before 11AM. I loaded Uber to my dad's phone to get the first timer discount and we went to the airport. Our flight left around 2pm on very crowded flights. They checked our bags and I found out the joys of pre-boarding with seniors. I wish I'd known I could ask for that before. My mom just became my excuse to board with a senior on every flight! Just look pitiful for 2 minutes mom. :)
Other than that thought the flights were not comfy as we had more than 15 hours of travel and mostly overnight. Unlike our flight from Dallas to Honolulu, we received pretzels and a small cup of a beverage complimentary on 2 legs of the flight and a single juice cup on the last leg. We had to walk a good distance with our carry ons at LAX to connect. Fortunately Charlotte was in the same terminal. We arrived back in Atlanta on a 30 degree morning after enjoying high 70s and low 80s temperatures in Hawaii after 10 AM Wednesday. All in it was a great trip. My family enjoyed it.
Recap of accommodations and tours and costs:
1.We flew American Airlines with flight deal alerts from sites on Facebook ($499 per person).
2. We had accommodations at the Ilikai Hotel and Condos Resort through HomeAway with Hawaiian Vacation Properties, LLC ($1170 for 7 nights divided among 4 people).
3. We took Uber from and back to the airport and to and from Walmart ($42 among 4 people).
4. Main transportation was Waikiki Trolley 7 Day 5 Line Pass ($63 per person with purchase online more than 5 days in advance). The Trolley also provided tour narrator except the Pink Line.
5. Pearl Harbor Tours ($65 per person plus online reservation fees)
6. I'olani Palace Tour ($14.75 per person for audio tour)
7. Rainbow Ekiden 5K Race ($30 plus online fee for individual runner)
I think that's all the costs other than food and souvenirs.
