Honolulu

We spent a week on Kauai two years ago, but otherwise it has been over 20 years since David had been to Hawaii. LInda had a conference in Honolulu more recently, but that was still several years ago. On this trip we decided to spend a couple of days here to check out the city today and visit the Polynesian Cultural Center, something we had not done previously. 

We arrived at our hotel from the airport and our overnight ride from Fiji around noon of the day before we left. The International Date Line taketh away and returneth later, not that we really notice the dates anymore. After checking in, we went looking for a place to eat, but first stopped to inquire from a street hawker about the Cultural Center, even though we remembered that a stop here could mean a visit to a presentation for a time share. Jason turned out to be a big help. While we did choose to listen to the presentation, he did set us up with a bus ride to the Cultural Center at a 50% discount the next day. 

The Duke

We continued walking towards the oceanfront to find a place to eat. A couple of blocks later we ended up at the Harbor Pub where we had sandwiches and drinks with a minimal view of the water. The food was good, the restaurant has been there many years and is showing its age. Oceanfront establishments seem to come in two varieties. One is the upscale, fancy place that usually costs significantly more for food that is no different from anywhere else. These places have to be refurbished every few years to overcome the havoc that salt water air and sand wreak on any place that is close to the beach. 

The others are like the Harbor Pub. Catering to locals and low budget tourists, they are usually off the main drag even if they still have waterfront property. They don’t have the budget to refurbish every few years so they do show their age. Many, like the Harbor Pub, offer excellent service and good food, especially for the price. Guidebooks often ignore these places because they don’t meet the standards set by the ritzier places in the center of the tourist area. We like to find them because they lack that touristy feel and when the food is good, it is very good. 

Inside the Crater

 That night we did something we rarely do while traveling: we ate at a chain restaurant. Looking for something light and easy after the big lunch we chose Buffalo Wild Wings over IHOP, McDonalds, and the Red Lobster also in the neighborhood. There really wasn’t much else that appealed this evening. 

The next day after our presentation, we took advantage of one of the tourist trams for a ride up Diamond Head, another part of Oahu we had not visited before. For part of the ride we were the only passengers so our driver took excellent care of us with a couple of extra stops for pictures and a side trip through one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Honolulu where we saw some very nice homes. 

We finished our tour on this tram in the middle of Waikiki, walked over the the beach to watch some surfers and take pictures of the Duke Kahanamoku statue, honoring one of the early surfers who really popularized the sport beyond Hawaii’s shores. From there we walked the beach a while before taking a break at the Mai Tai Bar in the Royal Hawaiian. The Royal Hawaiian is the original luxury hotel on Waikiki. It is still called the Pink Palace and still offers luxury accommodation. I figured I needed a Mai Tai and Linda chose to have a Moscow Mule. We sat at the bar and nursed these excellent drinks enjoying the people watching. Tonight that included watching the bartenders play jokes on each other. 

Then it was off to find a place to have some dinner. That turned out to be a bit of a project as we first had to find our way through the hotel to the street. We only lost our way twice before finally asking for help. I’m still not sure how the cars found their way off the street to the entry way, but we did manage to reach the street. 

We chose the Maui Brewing Company Pub a few steps up the street where we enjoyed another good meal accompanied by a Maui IPA and Linda’s Sauvignon Blanc. The street entrance is quite modest with a greeter and a choice of stairs or elevator. The elevator took us up three floors to the pub that turned out to be nearly a block long filled with people. It’s only been open a few months and is obviously doing very well as they expanded from their Maui roots. 

Another tram returned us to our hotel and a good night’s sleep before we headed off to the Cultural Center in the morning.