Reflections and Musings

Reflections and Musings

Here I am back at home now and have been for a day. It is rather cold out today, and while I normally don’t feel the cold, I am today. I guess, I just got used to the nice warm temperatures in Hawaii. I have already been staring at the Waikiki Web Cam and wishing I was there.

I’m busily downloading the six digital tapes worth of video that we shot, to start the process of editing out a DVD of our experiences in Hawaii. I thought while I was waiting for Tape Number 4 to download I would offer up some recommendations.

TRAVEL

Harmony Air treated us very well. Their fares are reasonably priced and the service is great. The flight crew were very helpful in every aspect and very friendly. The food we had on both flights was surprisingly good. Crepes for breakfast on the way there and a nice stuffed chicken breast on the way back.

HOTEL

We stayed at the Aqua Aloha Surf. This is rated as a 2.5 star hotel, but I think the rating is low. In my opinion, the hotel should be rated much higher than this. It is great! We were very happy staying here and would not hesitate to go back again. Granted it does not have the amenities such as restaurants etc., but the staff were very friendly and helpful. The hotel is clean and the room very comfortable. There is free high speed internet access in the room and free high speed wireless access in the lobby. There is a small security safe in the room for a small fee of $2.50 a day. The room is equipped with a coffee maker, fridge and microwave. Included in the price is what is listed as a free Continental Breakfast. It consisted of a muffin, yoghurt and tropical juice. The muffin was small and tasty and I normally do not like muffins. The juice was very good. Yoghurt, I can’t comment on as I hate the stuff. It is a good snack to start off the day, and then we usually went to Starbucks after for our coffee. All in all, I can highly recommend Aqua Aloha Surf. Now, granted we had an upgraded room on the tenth floor, overlooking the canal, so I am unable to comment on any other rooms. But, ours was great!

RESTAURANTS

Without doubt the best food we had on the trip was the food included in our Ambassador Package at the Polynesian Cultural Centre. We had a nice rib dinner at Tony Roma’s and their cocktails were the best that we had. A little pricey, but then again, it was cheaper than the Tony Roma’s here at home. We also had pizza in a little sports bar down the street from our place, again a little pricey, but the pizza was great. The place we ate at the most was called Perry’s Smorgy. Great food served buffet style and lunch is $7.95 while dinner is $9.95. Very reasonable prices and you cannot help but walk away full. Contrary to popular belief, you can eat inexpensively in Hawaii.

SNACK FOOD

A snack bar on the beach, right near the web cam served good nachos and even better shave ice. The best shave ice I had though was from the vendor at the bottom of Diamond Head mountain. That may just have been because I was hot, tired and sweaty after the hike. Best hot dogs around were at the USS Bowfin submarine museaum. They even include a bag of chips in the price, a reasonable $2.50 for jumbo dogs.

TOURS

Best tour without doubt was the Polynesian Cultural Centre. It is a full ten hour day and you still don’t have time to see everything. They do have a three day return policy on all tickets. If you return within three days, you get in free. The city bus will get you back there for only $2.00 and a 2 hour ride. Our charter bus took 90 minutes. I would recommend the Ambassador Package. It is the most expensive, but very well worth the price.

Pearl Harbour and the Arizona Memorial are must sees. We got a package tour which included, The USS Arizona Memorial, The USS Missouri and a tour of the Punchbowl cemetery. There is another tour which includes the Bowfin submarine museaum as well. This enables one to see where World War II started for the States and where it ended for the world. Be aware that security on the base is high. Pearl Harbour is still an active military base, so you cannot bring bags with you and there are areas you cannot photograph.

The most spectacular and least expensive is the hike up Diamond Head. Go early or it gets way too crowded. Take water with you as there is nothing at the top. The trip cost $2.00 on the city bus and $1.00 to get into the park. The hike is up to you.

TRANSPORTATION

The city bus, called appropriately enough The Bus is inexpensive at $2.00 and will take you virtually anywhere on the island. Taxis are expensive and the taxi company is just called The Cab. Our most popular mode of transport was on foot. The Waikiki portion of Honolulu is easily accessible on foot to get anywhere.

BEACH

What can I say, Waikiki Beach is one of the most famous beaches in the entire world. Miles and miles of sand, warm water, surf and spectacular views.

NIGHT LIFE AND ENTERTAINMENT

Neither Renee and I are night clubbers, so I can’t comment on the clubs, although there are lots of places to go. There is a lot of entertainment available free, including street performers, hula shows, movies on the beach and sightseeing. The Waikiki area is actually busier after dark. We were told, do your tours and beach time during the day and do your shopping at night. Everything is open and there were more people on the street at night than during the day.

GROCERIES ETC

The Pantry is about the only grocery store that I saw, but the prices are high. ABC Stores are everywhere and the prices are pretty good. One of our tour guides said that ABC stands for “All Blocks Covered” or “Always Bring Cash”. All blocks covered sounds about right, as you can’t seem to walk more than a block without seeing an ABC store. International Marketplace and Duke’s Alley are about the best places to shop for souveniers. There are hundreds of shops and everyone will dicker on price.

That’s about all that I can offer up for now.