We had an early flight out of Honolulu, so we decided to stay in Waikiki for a couple of days, to be closer to the airport and to visit some of the sights in town.

Day 1

We drove in from Ko Olina and got settled at the Courtyard Waikiki.  We decided to walk along the beach and visit some of the famous hotels.  We ended up having lunch at the Moana Surfrider Beach Bar.  Their Banyon tree is famous.  Our table was at the edge of the beach!  We both had fish tacos, as we wanted something light.  We agreed, the fish tacos we had at Cholo’s on the North Shore were by far the best.

We meandered through the shops on Kalakaua Drive.  Dave was quite impressed there was an ABC store on EVERY block!  What a contrast to the  “perfection” of Ko Olina!

We cooked most of our meals while at the condo in Ko Olina.  That justified a couple of splurges while in Honolulu.  The first on my list was dinner at Alan Wong’s.  Alan Wong is the father of regional Hawaiian cuisine.  He is committed to local ingredients and showcasing them at their finest.  His restaurant is not on the beach, does not have a view, and is situated on the third floor of an out-of-the-way office building.  However, it is packed every night, as it has been for over 15 years.  Dave kept asking me to describe the food.  It is very hard to do.  I can tell you, I do not remember the last time Dave was so thrilled with a piece of fish, as he was at this meal!  I did not take pictures as I did not want to bother other diners. I was able to pull a few photos from Alan Wong’s website.  (We bought the cookbook so we could make the snapper!)  Service and food were impeccable!

Here is a link to the menu: http://www.alanwongs.com/honolulu/dinner-menu-ks

 

Chopped Ahi Sashimi & Avocado Salsa Stack
Stacked on Crispy Won Ton, Spicy Aioli and Wasabi Soy

 

Salad “Bigoli”
Romaine Lettuce, Anchovy Dressing, Kalua Pig, Garlic Crouton, Peterson Farm Sunny Side-Up Egg

Ma’o Farms Sassy Salad Greens
AW House Dressing

Ginger Crusted Onaga, Long-Tail Red Snapper
Miso Sesame Vinaigrette, Organic Hamakua Mushroom & Corn

Steamed Shellfish Bowl
Lobster, Shrimp, Mussels and Clams, Bouillabaisse Style Broth, Chili Pepper Aioli

Unfortunately, we were too full for dessert.  Maybe next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 2

We got up, had some coffee and headed to lolani Palce, which is now a fully restored museum.  We had an amazing docent, Phyllis, who answered all our questions and provided a fabulous tour.  Dave had a great conversation with her as he had just finished reading Julia Flynn Siler’s “Lost Kingdom”.  A book chronicling “Hawaii’s Last Queen, the Sugar King’s, and America’s First Imperial Adventure”. Dave has Queen Lili’uokalani’s autobiography reserved at the library, and will be reading it soon.

lolani Palace is the only true royal palace in the United States and the last  official residence of the kings and queens who ruled Hawaii. King Kalakaua and Queen Kapiolani completed the palace in 1882. The design of the palace was influenced by King Kalakaua’s world travels and was the first to be equipped with telephones, electric lights and indoor plumbing; 4 years before the White House. It served as the royal residence until the dethronement of Queen Lili’uokalani in 1893.

The Queen surrendered to the provisional government to prevent the bloodshed of her people and set the stage for Hawaii to became a territory of the U.S. The palace cost $340,000 to construct in 1882 and over $7 million to restore in the late 1960’s through the early 1970’s.

The palace throne room.

The palace dining room.

A section of the quilt Queen Lili’uokalani worked on while held imprisoned in the palace.  She also composed many of Hawaii’s best known songs, including Aloha ‘Oe..

 

We finished up our tour and headed toward Chinatown, just a few blocks away.  We went directly to Little Village Noodle House for lunch.  We had some of the best Chinese food we have had in a very long time!  Unfortunately, we forgot to take pictures at the beginning!  If you go, I recommend the orange walnut shrimp, the house fried rice and the mu shu appetizer. Before you go, check out their website for a coupon! http://www.littlevillagehawaii.com/

We meandered through Chinatown for a couple of hours.  It was neither the best, nor the worst Chinatown.  We were among the few tourists, as most people were residents doing their shopping. Tired and ready for a cold beer, we jumped on the bus and headed back to our hotel.

Oh my gosh, where did the time go?  We got back to the hotel and took a time out; packing, reading and resting.  We made reservations at d.k. Steak House.  It had good reviews, was near the beach and we could eat outside with a view of the ocean….  meeting all the requirements of our last dinner in Hawaii.

We walked to the restaurant down Kalakaua Drive.  We were just in time to catch (another) fabulous sunset on Waikiki, with about 5000 of our closest friends!

Dinner was great….not the best ever, but good.  Not too much to say about steak, Caesar salad and mashed potato!  The view was fantastic and the band playing classic 1950’s Hawaiiana style music really added to the evening.  The Yuzu Shiso martini was amazing! What a great ending to a wonderful vacation.

        Aloha `oe, aloha `oe
        E ke onaona noho i ka lipo
        One fond embrace,
        A ho`i a`e au
        Until we meet again

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly, I am back at my desk in Seattle.  I am in wool socks, a turtleneck, a sweatshirt and sweatpants.  The heat is turned to 72′ and I am FREEZING!  We arrived home just in time for a record-setting storm.  Wind gusts were measured up to 55 mph.  How quickly reality sets back in.  Dave said it best….”it’s as if we went through a black hole”.

Due to technical difficulties, I was not able to log into my blog the last few days in Hawaii.  I do want to document our final adventures and meals, as they were some of the best.

We ventured out Monday morning to hike to the top of Diamond Head.  The guide books made it sound like a “walk in the park” with a few steps thrown in.  Oh my, I felt like I was on an episode of “The Biggest Loser”, as I pushed myself up and up.  While only .8 miles, the gain in altitude was 520 feet. The view from the top was WORTH IT.  Needless to say, the hike back was a lot easier.

Notice how the infamous Royal Hawaiian Hotel stands out!

Looking toward Diamond Head from the Royal Hawaiian.

Luckily, we had stopped at The Rainbow Drive-In for “plate lunch” before the hike.  Plate lunch was intended for the plantation workers.  It is definitely not for the “carb-conscious” as it consists of two scoops of rice, a scoop of mac salad, meat and gravy.  I chose chicken cutlet and Dave chose pork cutlet.  Neither one of us could finish our meals, which totaled $17.00, with drinks. It “broke da mouth, bra!”

                    

OK, back to the hike….  The trail traverses the side of the volcano.  Every once in awhile, there will be a flight of stairs to climb.   I can only imagine what it was like to haul military equipment up these trails to the bunkers during WWII!

The trail….switchbacks and stairs.

One of the bunkers on the top of Diamond Head.

The lighthouse.

 

 

 It’s been a few weeks since the last post.  I am happy to report my absence is due to being in Ko Olina, on Oahu.  We arrived on Tuesday and are having a fabulous time.  We have a one bedroom condo with a fully stocked kitchen.  While we are not cooking anything extravagant….the balcony table and the West facing view compete with any 5 star restaurant in the world!  Sometimes “where you eat, matters as much as what you eat”.  The fabulous sunsets coincide perfectly with dinner time.  We are keeping the food simple.  We are taking advantage of Costco’s semi-prepared food. We dressed up a Costco take and bake pizza and made two meals out of a Costco roast chicken.  Dave grilled steaks one night, and we had a fabulous shrimp salad another.   Ko Olina is close to a town called Kapolei.  It is a newer town filled with numerous fast food restaurants.  We are saving our dining out dollars for a couple of splurges, when we get to Honolulu the last two nights of our vacation.

Friday, we set out for the North shore.  We had a fabulous lunch at Cholo’s in Hale’iwa.  We had the best grilled ahi; mine in a taco, Dave’s in a burrito.  Big chunks of fish, so fresh and cooked perfectly.   The grilled beef tamale was fabulous as was the homemade salsa.  To top it all off, the service was perfect and attentive. After lunch we headed North to the Bonsai Pipeline.  If you have ever seen a surfing competition, this is probably where it was filmed.  It is the home of Vans Triple Crown of Surfing competition.  The biggest waves hit in November and December.  The lifeguards are some of the best in the world.  This is not a tourist beach and the lifeguards will kick a novice out of the water in a split second.

 

From the beach, we headed to Waimea Valley; an 1800 acre cultural and nature park.  There are over 5000 native and exotic plant species.  A mile walk leads you to the site of Waimea Falls, a 45 foot fall that drops into a pool you can take a dunk in.  Life-jacket required and provided on site.  Many movies have been shot here including Joe Versus the Volcano, George of the Jungle, Lost, Ride the Wild Surf, and a few Hawaii 5-0 episodes.

We stopped in Hale’iwa on the way back “home” for a shave ice from Matsumoto.  The place has been around since the 1920’s and is listed in every guidebook and tourist magazine.  It was packed when we were there at 3:00pm on a Thursday.  I cannot even imagine what it’s like on weekends.

 

Until the next post….Aloha