Hawai'i -
Surf and sunsets (and more sunsets)
Surf and sunsets (and more sunsets)
O'ahu
Hotel
Waikiki Parc Hotel. We spent our last few days in Waikiki before returning
home, and this was a great choice for us. I reserved a deluxe ocean view
room for $220 per night, including a very good breakfast buffet. The rooms
are small, but that was fine for a few days. The hotel is smaller than some
of its neighbors and only has about 12-15 rooms per floor, so it has a
much quieter feel in the public areas. It is a sister to the Halekulani, so we
had signing privileges there (but we could not use the Halekulani's pool).
The Parc does have a small, quiet pool on the eighth floor. We were very
happy staying here, and I would certainly do so again.
Food
Café Hale'iwa, in Hale'iwa. Good stop for breakfast/lunch on a drive around
the island.
House Without a Key, at the Halekulani in Waikiki. We liked this so much
we went there two nights in a row. We sat in the open terrace, near the
musicians, and had drinks and pupus. The best mai-tais on the trip.
Highlights
Drive along the north and east shores. Very scenic and not a huge amount
of traffic, at least when we went.
Sitting on our balcony at the Waikiki Parc.
Wandering through the Halekulani, Royal Hawaiian and Moana Surfrider. If
you are interested in a brief history lesson on Waikiki, the Moana Surfrider
offers a free tour -- I don't know if it is every day, but there were two times on
the day we happened to be there.
Foster Botanical Garden. If you are into trees, there is a very interesting
collection in this once-private garden that was started over 150 years ago.
It is right on the fringe of Chinatown and could be combined with a walk
through that area.
Note: we've both been to the Arizona Memorial on previous trips, so we
skipped it this time. It is a must-do, and I will definitely go when we take
Allie to Hawaii.
Lowlight
Trying to drive into Waikiki and read the map at the same time. There are a
number of streets that named after former rulers that start with K and have
multiple syllables. If you aren't careful, you can end up on the wrong one. I
would recommend reading the map and writing down the specific streets
and turns before making the drive.
Logistics
our travels
home
contact us
Hotel
Waikiki Parc Hotel. We spent our last few days in Waikiki before returning
home, and this was a great choice for us. I reserved a deluxe ocean view
room for $220 per night, including a very good breakfast buffet. The rooms
are small, but that was fine for a few days. The hotel is smaller than some
of its neighbors and only has about 12-15 rooms per floor, so it has a
much quieter feel in the public areas. It is a sister to the Halekulani, so we
had signing privileges there (but we could not use the Halekulani's pool).
The Parc does have a small, quiet pool on the eighth floor. We were very
happy staying here, and I would certainly do so again.
Food
Café Hale'iwa, in Hale'iwa. Good stop for breakfast/lunch on a drive around
the island.
House Without a Key, at the Halekulani in Waikiki. We liked this so much
we went there two nights in a row. We sat in the open terrace, near the
musicians, and had drinks and pupus. The best mai-tais on the trip.
Highlights
Drive along the north and east shores. Very scenic and not a huge amount
of traffic, at least when we went.
Sitting on our balcony at the Waikiki Parc.
Wandering through the Halekulani, Royal Hawaiian and Moana Surfrider. If
you are interested in a brief history lesson on Waikiki, the Moana Surfrider
offers a free tour -- I don't know if it is every day, but there were two times on
the day we happened to be there.
Foster Botanical Garden. If you are into trees, there is a very interesting
collection in this once-private garden that was started over 150 years ago.
It is right on the fringe of Chinatown and could be combined with a walk
through that area.
Note: we've both been to the Arizona Memorial on previous trips, so we
skipped it this time. It is a must-do, and I will definitely go when we take
Allie to Hawaii.
Lowlight
Trying to drive into Waikiki and read the map at the same time. There are a
number of streets that named after former rulers that start with K and have
multiple syllables. If you aren't careful, you can end up on the wrong one. I
would recommend reading the map and writing down the specific streets
and turns before making the drive.
Logistics
our travels
home
contact us
House Without a Key, Halekulani
Sunset from Waikiki
Oah'u coast
Cannonball tree, Foster Botanical Garden
