Our last trip to Waikiki was in 2011 so twelve, almost thirteen years, a long time ago! We splurged this trip, double the price of what we originally thought of booking. We got good non-stop flights and a nice hotel smack-dab center on Waikiki beach, truly a dream spot to stay. The flights coincided with check in on arrival and check out on departure. We booked the Moana Surfrider which opened in 1901 and is nicknamed the "First Lady of Waikiki.". Below the pic is from their website. We didn't splurge for ocean-view as the price was already $2600 CAD each which included air/hotel and our transfers to/from airport. This didn't include full insurance which was another $180 CAD each and our luggage of course, $60 each - $30 per leg. We chose two double beds, City View room. The luxury of this trip was the LOCATION. I believe there is only seven hotels (8 with the Hale Koa 'military only' one) that sit directly on Waikiki beach and this is one of them.
I had just returned home from a British Isles trip, emptied the suitcase then turned around and re-packed it for summer weather. I wasn't looking forward to the travel portion of the trip at all...however, I was looking forward to spending the time with my son and Hawaii is his favorite vacation destination, that and Vegas. We both used esims which was ($11 USD normally) for 3 GB of data. I already had credits and referred him so we got a bit of a deal and both paid $11 CAD. That with the free wifi (well, included with resort fee - $50 USD ($69 CAD) per day!!! ๐) at our hotel we thought would be plenty. Every eyeroll emoji from here on out will be about prices in Waikiki...
Final preamble: This trip was about quality family time, R&R and would be food centric. There most likely won't be any extensive scenic shots, tourist attractions or new explorations in nature...I will try not to repeat the pics, like of "Duke", etc. ๐ It'll be hard not to show one more of Diamond Head from the beach though, won't it? And beautiful palm trees never get boring, do they? However, I think a lot of Waikiki will be new for our eyes being that it's been 12 years since last visit and "newly discovered" pic shots are a possibility... For cash, we had a budget of $300 USD ($415 CAD) for both of us...and then our credit cards we use for foreign exchange which has no additional fees for the conversion...
Sunday, November 5, 2023:
We got an extra hour of sleep due to "fall back" and Hawaii doesn't follow DST anymore, so they would only be two hours earlier than Vancouver now. Our flight left at 10:00 am so we arrived at the airport for 7:30 am. The flight was to be just under 6 hours and it was, six LONG hours, lol. My son likes to take pictures of when we're in the air, so here is one leaving Vancouver, all gray and rainy:
We sat in the last row of the plane pretty much so were also last off. It was a long walk to baggage claim and you do that through everyone else who is waiting for their flights to head out. Our esims were both working as we landed.
Upon arrival in Honolulu I pre-booked a shuttle service that was supposed to be private, direct service for $80 USD or $110 CAD return, cash only with 15% tip additional, the confirmation email requested. Our driver pulled up at meeting place shortly after and we were off. He was a nice guy, filled us in on what we'd missed in Waikiki over the last 12 years (not much he said) and dropped us off at our beautiful hotel. I tipped him $10 USD and he said he'd pick us up next Sunday. He kindly sent me a list of restaurants he recommended on WhatsApp.
Check in was quick and we were placed in the "Diamond Wing" which was at the far left of the hotel by the Chapel. Our room was nice but small.
The bathroom had a bidet with heated toilet seat but there was little to none counter space. We unpacked as much as was comfortable for now and headed out to the Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai bar.
Below is the mandatory Diamond Head beach picture required for every trip, to my son it never gets old:
Sunset happened while we were sitting and we managed to grab a couple of pics.
As we left son said he felt buzzed and so did I actually, those drinks pack a punch!
Then it was off to dinner. I had read about this Asian food court called "Stix" and apparently one of the shops had really good Ramen, so we went there.
It was called "Ramen Akatusuki" and they apparently made their own noodles. We ordered the special Shio broth with Tonkotsu and I ordered a side of spicy clams to throw in. My son got an extra egg (ajitama).
Well, what a disappointment!!! I guess we're too spoiled by all the fantastic top-notch , next-level ramen in Vancouver, and this was below average in my opinion. The chashu was TOUGH which I've never had before, it's usually melt in your mouth! The eggs were hard boiled and we like soy eggs that are jammy. Anyway, they also add a 4% tip for the kitchen staff and wait staff expects their own tip as well, our server told us. It didn't impress me for our first dinner back in Waikiki and based on that bowl of soup, I wouldn't return. ๐ Son said he had zero expectations and with his Mai Tai buzz and hunger said it was fine, not excellent but good nonetheless. To each their own, haha. That might be the worst bowl of ramen I've ever eaten? We shopped a little, ended at the ABC store and picked up some wine/water and snacks for the room. We brought that back and then decided we'd go to "Duke's" for a night cap. We used to always start our trip with their breakfast buffet.
The outside was packed and no table to be found so we sat inside watching/listening to the band.
I got another Mai Tai which didn't compare...
Son got the infamous "Hula Pie" and I got a Kale/Caesar salad that was just okay (not picture worthy). He enjoyed the pie and did a good job at finishing that $16 USD ($22 CAD) monster of a dessert! I just picked listlessly at my salad, meh...
We walked back to the hotel and shared the elevator with a couple who mentioned they were swaying in their steps after Mai Tai's at the Royal Hawaiian. We agreed with them and all had a good laugh about it. Back at the room, the beds were super comfy and it was time to sleep...6.5 km walked today and our whole $300 budget was pretty much spent, like we were.
Monday, November 6, 2023:
I was awake at 4 am island time. I had a good 7 hour sleep too so it let me unpack fully and write this report. We were going to try to get to the pool for 7 am and swim for a couple hours before our brunch reservation at "Heavenly Island Lifestyle". We did make it to the pool at 6:45 am. I do love those banyan trees! This pic below was not taken early in the morning when it was quieter. Also the beach bar didn't open till 11 am.
We lined up for towels and grabbed a couple of loungers. A lot of them were reserved with people's stuff even though the pool didn't open till 7 and they didn't have pool towels on them. That really bothered me, and always does at all-inclusives as well. All good loungers were gone already.
Worse than that though was the pool! It was teeny! We were both very disappointed with it and it sure didn't make you want to return to it. Anyway, son swam and had the pool to himself as it was so early. We had a couple of coffees, a bagel w/ cream cheese and an ube (purple yam/superfood) breakfast parfait for about $30 USD ($42 CAD) from their poolside cafe. It was at this point where I realized that Waikiki was going to be an uber expensive vacation; even the ABC stores which used to be so reasonable and cheap for everything were now priced like a luxury store. I bought a bag of Hawaiian kettle chips and was shocked to see I paid $8.59 ($12 CAD) for a 7.5 oz bag! ๐ Below are the "pay loungers/umbrella"...
We went back to the room, showered and walked around, buying stuff (lol) before our lunch ressie. Waikiki is a shopping mecca! Wow, you could literally spend your day going through all the different stores here and not be bored if you like that kind of thing. The weather was was very windy which provided a nice relief from the hot sun.
We were seated on the patio where one of the chairs had blown over (up the stairs to the right, above). I had the loco moco which was a healthy version with brown rice and lentils. $23 USD or $32 CAD.
Son had a "Kalua pig" eggs Benedict that came with purple yam fries. Also, $23 USD or $32 CAD.
Both were fantastic in taste though my rice was cold and son's pork was also cold. And we were served at different times. I was half done before he got his meal. However, we could let it go as the food was damn tasty and was an excellent meal. I'd return.
We walked a little bit around Kuhio avenue. This is the street we'd normally stay on when visiting. We saw a huge line for an Udon place and it was also recommended to my son by his dental hygienist. I had seen the good reviews too, so we put it on the list. There was lots of familiarity walking along Kuhio for the blocks we walked so far, at least to Kaสปiulani Ave. We made our way back down the main strip of Kalakaua Avenue and stopped at Long's drug store. They had reasonably priced wine! So this would be my new shopping place for it. I bought a bottle of "19 Crimes" by Snoop Dogg for $12 USD and called that a bargain! My first one since we've been here! ๐ We dropped everything off at the hotel and then it was time for happy hour.
We walked to the Beachwalk and went to Tommy Bahama. This place is a store underneath and bar/restaurant on top. Below is the view from our table when seated:
I had the usual Mai Tai ($12 USD or $16.50 CAD) and son had an Espresso Martini ($13). We split "mahi mahi tacos", one each for $12 as well.
Service was excellent and we sat here and enjoyed the wind and the warmth and I started to feel like I was in vacation mode.
Next stop was Wolfgang's Steakhouse for dinner happy hour.
Son had wanted to go here for loco moco since he had passed on the healthy one at brunch earlier, haha. We were seated and ordered the mini loco mocos ($10 USD) and lobster crostini ($18 USD or $25 CAD).
I had a Mai Tai and son had a Lemon Drop Martini, both cheap at $8 USD ($11 CAD) each and loaded with booze, lol.
We were both buzzed after this round. The food was okay. I definitely preferred the lunch loco moco though the beef was better here as it should be.
We shared the lobster crostini and that was a sad, sad disappointment. Couldn't even taste or find the lobster, could have been pollock for all we knew. Son ordered a hot fudge sundae and I got an Irish coffee to close the meal.
Both of these had whip cream on top that were like lumps of churned butter. It didn't taste very good either, like butter with sugar added to it. We both scooped it off and let our server know. He said it was supposed to be that way, so we shrugged our shoulders and let it go. Another server came over and said he heard we didn't like the whip cream. He explained that it was dairy free (being vegan in a steakhouse, lol) and was made with coconut oil. I told him it may be healthier but it looked like turds. I couldn't believe I said that and when I did, he replied, "Well, since you put it that way...." and scurried off. My son and I laughed about that all night. That's what a potent Mai Tai will make you say! It was a fair cost and bill was $95 USD ($131 CAD) after 20% tip.
We walked back to our hotel and took a rest in the room before deciding to walk through the new "International Market Place". It was night now but the pic above was obviously taken during the day.
It was kind of sad to see it redone all fancy like this but I guess it was bound to happen.
The top floor was all high end restaurants like you'll find in Vegas and the shops were upscale. We went through the food court and there was live music though lacking the "Aloha Spirit" that used to be there. We missed the old marketplace that was like a flea market atmosphere.
We ended up stopping at the Udon place which we had to queue up for. The line moved fast though and tables were cleaned as soon as someone left. Service was very efficient. We both ordered curry soup and I grabbed a mushroom and crab tempura. Son got a chicken katsu. The price was about $35 USD ($48 CAD) for everything.
UGH, I did NOT like this meal at all! I barely touched it. I guess the lineups are because of the pricing, it's something filling and affordable. It is not because the food is good! Son wasn't thrilled either and unfortunately we left almost all of it there, I ate the mushrooms and son ate the katsu, lol. Neither of us like fat udon noodles though either, to be fair...son said he thought the curry had nice flavor, I did not. Good for them though, a business model that works.
We walked back through the food court, bought a sub for lunch and a skinny wrap we could split for breakfast. We had booked loungers and an umbrella on Waikiki beach through the hotel for tomorrow and that was $100 USD ($138 CAD ๐)! Those chairs were ours from 7 am to 5:30 pm. We had to charge it to our room as that was the only option. Anyway, we overspent our budget today by $100+. We also walked 10.5 km and dropped off to sleep pretty quickly...
Tuesday, November 7, 2023:
I awoke at 5 am island time and started writing the trip report. We were ready to head to the beach for 7 am. We had coffee in the room (Keurig) and our wrap we split for breakfast. The hotel supplied two 500 ml bottles of Aquafina water per day as well included in their exorbitant resort fee.
At the pool desk a man walked us to our loungers and put the towels down for us. I tipped him a couple bucks. About a half hour later, he presented me with a bill for chairs - $105 after tax. I told him that I believed this was charged to my room yesterday when I booked it. He replied that no it hadn't been and a gratuity was expected. OMFG ๐! So I put $15 on to make it $120 and I paid that gratuity for what???? - putting towels on the chair and being told I can't eat a sandwich there??? ๐ณ ๐ The truth was, I was mad at myself for tipping that much. In hindsight (which is 20/20) our hotel was so close to the beach that we didn't even need chairs. We could have just brought our key card, swam till our heart's content, grabbed a towel to dry off and left...
At about 11:30 am I went upstairs and grabbed our sub (we split a 12") and pop for my son. No sooner did we take a bite, a pool guy was at our chairs telling us we couldn't eat our food there. ๐ Seriously? My face must have expressed that as he quickly said he'd let us finish it if we hurried up. UGH, that ruined the rest of my day there. After he left I wished I would have asked him if he wanted us to step over the rope a foot away and eat it on the public beach then. I was really unhappy we couldn't eat/drink what we wanted without being spied on. Pic of rope is below (of course with another chance to show Diamond Head too, lol):
Also, little did I know, that the sub we ate would also ruin part of my son and I's evening later on as well...
We lasted till about 2:30 pm and had enough sun. It was tired and draining watching hawt instagram men/women at the beach all day, lol. The red flag/jellyfish warning had been out since we arrived as well.
My son said while he was swimming a woman in an inner tube float had told him to be careful as someone had stepped on a sea urchin yesterday and explained how the spike went right through their foot. Ouch! It put him off being in the ocean finally but he did enjoy a few good hours swimming. It was rocky (sharp) going in and I had forgot my water shoes in the room so I only went in once. The waves were forceful too and rolled me over getting out onto the beach. Rain was intermittent throughout the day as well.
We showered, I washed our swim gear out and we got ready for dinner. I had found a Japanese place that had great reviews. It was like a hidden gem, stowed away in the back of a hotel by the pool. It was called Wasabi Bistro and was packed full or reserved signs on all the tables.
Food was very good here. Everything was thoughtful and tasteful. Portion sizes were smallish but we ate enough.
Pricey bill was $135 USD ($187 CAD) after tip and service was excellent. Again, I appreciated where I live more as we have some of the most awesome sushi ever at home and in Canadian dollars...
We walked back to the hotel, stopping at a couple of shops until I had to RUN for the washroom. Ugh. My son had the same problem a short while after. At least we felt better after that. We decided to watch t.v. and just retire early. The 7 hours at the beach had taken its toll on us. We awoke to a blaring loud alarm in our room and announcement that there was an emergency and we had to evacuate the hotel. It was 11:30 pm. We got dressed and went into the hallway where most people on our floor were trying to figure out what to do. Someone called the front desk with the phone by the elevator and was told it was a false alarm and they were sorry. We went back inside. About 15 minutes later, 2 more booming loud announcements (same one 5 minutes apart) said the minor emergency had been resolved and we didn't have to evacuate. That made it difficult for both us to fall back asleep but we eventually did...I only walked 4 km today and we had $100 leftover from our budget. I cancelled my reservation for "Afternoon High Tea" I had booked at our hotel which would have been about $200 USD without drinks. I decided I was not giving them another cent of my money other than the resort fee and beach chairs I had to pay on check out. Below is the Veranda restaurant where tea was held, it's out back where the beach bar/pool is.
Wednesday, November 8, 2023:
We awoke about 7:30 am and I wrote the trip report while son had a coffee and I had a glass of wine, yes I did. This morning we were going to Uber to a "Top Cheftestant" place called Koko Head Cafe.
It is a brunch all day spot by Lee Anne Wong. I was excited to try it! Uber was $11 USD each way before tip. There was no line up and we were seated inside with the A/C as outside didn't serve alcohol.
My son ordered a breakfast plate ($34 USD or $47 CAD!๐) with his choices paying for each decision (2 eggs, hash browns, pork belly and rye toast). I have to admit I liked the heart shaped toast though. ๐
I ordered the pickled veggies which were radish, two types of turnips and sauerkraut ($9 USD or $12.50 CAD). It was underwhelming.
Unfortunately the rice was not crispy enough on the Bibimbap. ๐
I also ordered the "Mary Mary" drink ($14 USD or $19.50 CAD) which said it was made with homemade tomato water. Meh, it just tasted like watered down tomato juice...
The food was good, but when it's this pricey, it's hard not to be picky and it wasn't great. We've had better, and while flavorsome, it wasn't near being worth the cost for breakfast. I had one drink only and son had one cappuccino. I enjoyed our first breakfast at Heavenly Island better even though it was cold, lol.
They also added a 5% service charge for the kitchen with the explanation at the bottom of the bill. Bill was $112 USD after 20% additional tip or $155 CAD. OUCH, DANG ๐!!!! Service was spot on though. They didn't provide free wifi either. I was disappointed overall, I guess my expectations were too high...
We took an Uber back to Kona Coffee Purveyors. This is supposed to be the best coffee on the island, confirmed by our Uber driver who was a coffee aficionado like my son is. My son splurged on a 100% Kona Coffee bean bag that was $52 USD or $72 CAD for a 12 oz/340 gram bag. OUCH, lol ๐!!!!! We enjoyed a cup there as well and my son had a pastry. Bill worked out to $108 CAD!
From there we walked down Kuhio to Kapahulu and were saddened to see that Kuhio was no longer a vibrant stretch of street with local shops, restaurants and grocery stores. It looked like a run down ghost town. It was HOT and no breeze today, that and we were walking in midday sunshine. We turned down towards the beach on the main strip and walked back to our hotel for a rest.
We walked over to the Outrigger Reef. On the way I saw this Musubi shop below. I hoped I'd get back but I never did. I wanted to pick it up for my meal on the plane home. Please don't poke the musubis! ๐
We went for happy hour at Monkeypod.
This was a real nice spot set right on the beach. It was hot though so we sat inside with the A/C. It was still beautiful in there. There was live music too.
We both had a Mai Tai ($14 HH price or $20 CAD) and they were good. Every place claims they have best Mai Tai in town...
We split the baked wings and a pizza and both of those were fine too, nothing special but no complaints really.
Proletariat Pizza - 13 USD or $18 CAD: pepperoni, all natural sausage, onions, green peppers, olives, fresh mozzarella, red sauce (We got the pizza sans olives as son doesn't like them)
Service was good and our bill came to $67 USD or $92.50 CAD pre-tip They also included a 4% kitchen surcharge. We left and finished our gift shopping and walked back to the hotel for a rest before dinner at Iron Chef Morimoto's "Momosan Ramen". I took the picture below in the afternoon when we walked by it.
The seating was outside and though the website said "communal tables" they weren't.
We got our own two seater; that's the top of my son's fat head above on the bottom left. Haha, I'm just kidding about his head and seeing if he's paying attention. ๐ The shared tables were probably pre-covid. I tried Morimoto's brand of Sake. This one was the cheapest ($9 USD or $12.50 CAD). It was okay, easy to drink.
We each ordered a "set" which came with ramen and an appy and we shared those. $30 USD each or $42 CAD.
We chose karaage and sticky ribs (above). I thought since we were at Morimoto's we should order sushi, so we selected a California roll.
WOWZA! The Tonkotsu broth might be the best I have ever put in my mouth! I immediately had buyers remorse when I tasted it. It was mind blowingly delicious. Rich, luscious, bursting with umami flavor though for sure artery clogging goodness; just heavenly! I'll dream about it forever...
The chicken broth I got was also amazing but clearly the winner here is the Tonkotsu - 10/10. And the eggs (ajitama) were done right, nice and jammy and soy marinated, properly. Noodles were perfectly cooked with just the right amount of al dente with a slight chew. YUM! We couldn't even eat the roll or half the sides, so took it to go. The sides were delicious too though, those sticky ribs were literally melt in your mouth and the chicken seasoned perfect and crispy. Bill was reasonable at $86 USD or $119 CAD) pre-tip, no kitchen surcharge. Service was good but not outstanding. Son was possibly going to buy Morimoto's coffee but there was no description of what type it was, only that it was whole bean. We asked our server and he said he didn't know but would ask his manager. He came back and said all he was able to find out was that it was a Hawaiian blend. So son passed on it and said no thanks, he wanted to know what type of roast the beans were. Anyway, BEST meal of the trip so far without a doubt! We wandered back to the hotel in a food coma and went to sleep after watching a bit of t.v. We were both tired today after our lousy sleeps the previous night and traipsing around in the hot sun all day. We spent all the budget including yesterday's leftovers and walked 9 km today.
Thursday, November 9, 2023:
I woke early, 5 am and couldn't sleep any longer so I cracked some bubbles (breakfast of champions) open and worked at the trip report. Today was pretty much open except for happy hour I booked because reviews said they had great Mai Tai's. None of them have come close to the Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai bar as far as taste goes, though a few have been equally as potent...
I really wanted to have Oxtail soup while here and saw that Liliha Bakery (locals spot) at the International Market Place had it on the menu so we decided to go there. They had a great looking bakery attached to the restaurant and I read their speciality was coco puffs. We were seated on the patio. It was a lovely but warm day and those pesky island birds drove us nuts wherever we were. Below was the view from our table:
They serve these complimentary sweet rolls (below) and I noticed my son had no problem polishing them off, they were kinda like French toast in taste.
Son ordered a Waffard (waffle with custard) $18.50 USD or $26 CAD and I got the soup with saimin (noodles) $28.90 USD or $40 CAD ๐.
It also came with rice which I didn't eat. The portions were huge. The soup was delicious and had 3 pieces of oxtail that were fall off the bone yumminess. We enjoyed our meal here and service was great. We waddled out of there.
It was sooo hot out we had to get to the beach to cool off. Just outside the resort, closer to the ocean, chairs & umbrellas were rented for $20 an hour, flat rate. I gave him $40 and he gave me a tag to hang on the umbrella and off we went. The water was nice and cool and refreshing. We fully enjoyed our stay there, son was in the water for most of the time and a couple of hours is really all we needed, it was just perfect and much more affordable! Plus we could eat/drink what we wanted.
We showered and got ready for happy hour dinner at Michael Mina's Stripsteak. This is the place I took my son to for his 21st birthday in Vegas. I still remember the ribeye cap steaks we had. It was an awesome meal. We managed to snag the last two seats around the bar and of course ordered Lilikoi (passionfruit) Mai Tai's. Hawaii is the only place I drink Mai Tai's...
Son ordered the burger and I had the "Adult Happy Meal".
Both meals were pretty good. Then son had a Long Island Ice Tea and I switched to Prosecco. Both of us were a little buzzed now. The bartender was nice and friendly and we enjoyed our time. We also asked about the fries we saw going around as we remembered them from our dinner in Vegas.
They're duck fat fries with 3 dips, truffle aioli, ketchup and kalbi sauce. He gave us some complimentary. Bill was $93 USD pre-tip and I left $120 USD ($166 CAD). It was worth it. We went over to Liliha Bakery and my son got an eclair, a cinnamon sugar cruffin and of course the cream puff to go. We walked along to Long's and the sidewalks were sooo packed wall to wall with people it caused me anxiety. It is so much like Vegas now, like walking the Strip. We got some wine for the room and went back to the hotel. We were going to go out for a night cap but started watching "BravoCon" on the t.v. and decided to just pack it in. Son enjoyed his eclair with a coffee. Most of budget spent, minus $60 and 6 km walked today. We'd use that $60 for beach chair rentals tomorrow.
Friday, November 10, 2023:
We slept in! Well, 7:30 am island time was a good sleep in for us. The longer you sleep in Waikiki, the less money you spend, lol. We didn't really have any plans today so thought we'd go to a food truck we saw for a burger and then go spend a couple of hours on the beach again.
The truck had "elote" on special - Mexican street corn so we got a side of that. We got two cheese burger sliders on those little Hawaiian sweet buns, two waters and four cheese fries. Bill was $45.25 ($62 CAD ๐). The pictures ain't pretty. He's into cheese blankets, lol.
The food was good, fries were hand cut. We sat with an "Aloha Ambassador" who was on his lunch break. The chef/owner came in a couple times to ask how we liked the food and then told my son to finish the fries. My son sheepishly had a few more, lol. Still pricey for a food truck though they did have a little air-conditioned space next door where we were able to sit down and eat which made the experience better.
We went to the beach and rented the chairs/umbrella again for two hours or $40 USD ($55 CAD). Son spent the whole time in the water, I had a couple of dips to cool off. Son said he saw a turtle too!!! When our time was up we went to the room to shower and wash our suits.
Happy hour was at a place called "The Hideout" in the Laylow hotel. It was a nice setting. We tried the Mai Tai's and had a Hawaiian beer after.
We split the Kalua pig egg rolls as well (I didn't love these at all). Service was very good and they had live entertainment (Gabe).
He reminded me of John Mayer's voice. After tip, bill was $87 CAD. ๐
We only stayed an hour and then made our way to our dinner reservation which was at Island Vintage Wine Bar.
This was a cute little place that joined their coffee shop next door. The menu was huge and it took a while to decide for my son. I had already decided I was having "poke" and it's why I picked the place.
They had a special of burrata/prosciutto toast with honey that we had to order for $15 USD ($21 CAD). It was heavenly and so worth the price. Menu said they make their own burrata too.
Son ordered garlic shrimp ($28.95 USD or $40 CAD) and I had the Ikura salmon poke bowl ($25.95 USD or $36 CAD).
Both dishes were very good and felt relatively healthy. Son worked hard to get those shells off, then went in for the kill. He was so stuffed after, maybe because of his coconut milkshake?
Bill was $100 USD or $138 CAD and I left a $20 tip ($28 CAD).
We walked to coffee shop and got Kona Americanos ($10 USD) and while we were seated outside drinking it, we managed to catch a fireworks show. We made our way back to the room and called it a night. $90 of budget leftover and we walked 5.5 km today.
Saturday, November 11, 2023 A.K.A. Last Day:
We slept in again, 7 am island time. The walls were paper thin at the hotel and I listened to someone in the next rooms on both sides cough and hack, hack, hack all night long. One side was a man and the other side sounded like a kid. Other than that though I had a decent sleep. We had reservations for brunch at a place called "Dean & Deluca's which was in the Ritz Carlton residences store. We tried to book high tea but it was unavailable. Anyway, I was sold on the fancy loco moco they offered for brunch.
The Matcha Lilikoi Iced Latte ($8 USD or $11 CAD) was very good and that's where it pretty much ended. My son's French onion soup ($9 USD or $12.50 CAD) below was barely warm and the cheese barely melted.
My grilled Caesar salad was MEH ($10 USD or $14 CAD). Unfortunately lunch was underwhelming. Our meals came while the appetizers were still on the table and he brought some crackers out too, we had no room on the table at all.
My son's prime rib beef dip panini was also served cold, including the au jus. When we told our server he took them away. I asked if they could just be heated up but I saw him talking to the chef who was rolling his eyes and shaking his head. New dishes were prepared. The rice was still cold when my new dish came out but I didn't say anything, I just didn't eat it. Son's au jus was never hot either. Bill was $92 USD or $127 CAD and I accidentally tipped $30 USD or $42 CAD. ๐ ๐๐ I made the servers day for sure. ๐ It bummed me out as that was $169 CAD for an okay meal with average service. ๐
We shopped and finished getting everything we wanted to take home. Then we rented the chairs at the beach and son went swimming. He said he met the lady who stepped on the sea urchin. He said she was feeling better now but the first night the lifeguards just gave her vinegar to soak her foot and pull the spikes out. That was it for treatment. The beach was packed today!
Also, I got an email from our hotel saying there was a "Kalakaua Festival" outside our hotel at 4pm today with 10,000 participants so perhaps that would be interesting? Haha, I was open to at checking it out, it meant more spending and crowds. ๐
Our next stop was when we smelt the BBQ's going. We queued for Vietnamese Lechon (like Italian Porchetta). We got it with pancit (rice noodles). $18 USD ($25 CAD) and we shared that too.
Our last stop was so son could get a "shave ice" which is a Hawaii thing though New Orleans may argue with me. This one was a DIY where you select your own syrups. $6 USD ($8.50 CAD).
Lastly we went to the ABC store and I bought some "Tito's Vodka" to bring home. Cheaper buying it there than at Duty Free. We called it a night. I requested late check out at noon. They told me I would have to call back at 7 am to see if it was accepted. Our airport ride was coming at noon to get us. We spent our whole budget minus $20 we saved for any small incidentals tomorrow . We walked 5.5 km today.
Sunday, November 12, 2023:
I woke up at 5:30 am island time and showered. Then I was ready to start packing. I called the front desk and not surprisingly they said no we could not check out an hour late. Son went for a swim and I packed and ate the leftover pancit/lechon for breakfast. Son said a lady had put her towel right in front of him on the beach when there was hardly any people around and blocked his view. But worse he said was she ate a croissant and then put all the flakes from it around her towel, scattering it about so the birds would come and eat the crumbs. UGH, glad I didn't see it. He said he picked up his towel and moved, lol.
We checked out at 11 am, bought a coffee and spiked it with Baileys from the ABC store.
We sat on the front veranda at our hotel waiting for our ride. Below was the view from our rocking chairs:
We saw another wedding taking place; there was at least one per day that we saw while staying at the hotel:
Our driver was right on time, same person as last time. We went to airport, had an expensive crappy meal although my son enjoyed his Lilikoi cheesecake (though sweet) from "The Local @ HNL", where we ate:
Below are my son's shots taken from the plane on the way home:
Trip Summary:
On the other hand, I doubt that Hawaii is in my future again. It reminds me of Key West in that it has just gotten more and more unaffordable over the years and caters to the rich elite. Yes, we could have done it cheaper like buying food at the grocery store for meals, but when we go on vacation we want to do/eat/see what we want. For us a budget of $500 USD per day would have been comfortable and we will probably be over that when we actually see the final credit card purchases. There are beaches just as nice around the world that don't require the amount of money Waikiki did to visit. Maui is even more expensive than Honolulu! The hotel was really priced out of our league and it was hard to enjoy because of that fact. I get it, we were over our heads in affordability. Well, and the fact that the Canadian dollar sucks soooo bad didn't help either...Maid service was great the first couple of days but then slid when we got a different one, I always had to chase her down for toilet paper, water, tea, etc. as she never replaced anything. For my $50 daily resort fee I wanted what we were entitled to. ๐ I tipped $5 USD a day and that was all I was going to.
I found that not many of the workers at our hotel had any "Aloha Spirit" in them from front desk, pool attendants, bar staff and maids. It was hard to find genuine smiles; we did find a couple but very few... it was everyone just doing a job. I get it, the last night there I even dreamed (well, had a nightmare) I was working at my old job again but everyone now worked in train cars and you had to trade off with others if you didn't like the people in your car, lol. Anyhow, staff was polite but with zero personality...when we used to visit regularly the kindness/Aloha spirit was what we enjoyed most. I will say that outside of the hotel most wait staff at the restaurants/bars were fantastically great but I guess tips are their bread & butter so it suits them to be...
Regardless, my son and I found a way to enjoy the trip with humor. I had to get over my disdain as it was bringing him down. It took me a few days to move past the sticker shock of everything. Once I did, I enjoyed the visit and looked at it nostalgically which brought great memories of my son when he was young. ๐ Seeing him in the ocean everyday made me joyful as he was so happy. Hawaii will always have a special place in his heart, no matter what. He even mentioned his surf lesson and instructor so I guess he was also feeling sentimental. No matter what, you cannot take away the beauty on a scenic level on the island. I wrote this very detailed report as I always do when I travel with my son, so the memories will always be there for him. Forever Love. ๐
And now, it's time to say Aloha to this report and head into full blown Christmas season mode, I'm two weeks behind! ๐คถ๐ ⛄❄๐๐ Even Waikiki is ahead of me in decorating!
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