May 2018
If you went to Hawai’i and didn’t rent a soft top Jeep, did you even go to Hawai’i? On our epic trip to Oahu, the soft top of our Jeep was cursed so we got caught in far too many tropical torrential downpours… I guess that is the risk when you travel to the middle of the Pacific Ocean and spend the weekend atop a dormant volcano.
62 Hours Left…
We landed into Honolulu airport and ran to pick up our Jeep. We arrived pretty late at night, so we wanted to get to our hotel as quickly as possible to make sure we could still grab dinner somewhere near the beach. We dropped our bags in our room at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and then took off right away to walk around Waikiki.
Yauatcha had just opened a few blocks from us, so we decided to check it out. The dimly lit restaurant with accents along the walls shine against porcelain teapots in the lobby by the welcome desk. The restaurant is half indoor, half outdoor, and fully beautiful. We enjoyed ourselves some cocktails, a hot pot of tea and a vast array of delicious and delicately wrapped dumplings.
50 Hours Left…
Luckily we had breakfast included at the hotel, so we grabbed a plateful of fresh pineapple, watermelon, and other fruits at the Kuhio Grill before we set off for the North shore.
You can imagine our first priority on the way to the North shore was shrimp trucks! They are the crown jewel of food in Hawai’i and the ones in Oahu are not to miss. We tried out Jenny’s shrimp truck in Haleiwa and got a plate of the spicy garlic shrimp and regular garlic shrimp. The plates of juicy shrimp come with the most delicious buttery garlic rice and some fresh pineapple.
We picked up a case of Maui Brewing Co. beers and found a nice spot at Lanikea Beach to relax on the sand and watch for sea turtles for the rest of the afternoon.
We started on our way back to downtown Honolulu for dinner and had an awesome Vietnamese fusion dinner at Pig and the Lady. Unfortunately, they had taken their epic bone marrow dish off the menu (which Maya thoroughly enjoyed last time she was there), but we did have the most delicious tuna tataki ever created along with a bowl of noodle soup and shrimp pasta.
36 Hours Left…
We finally had enough R&R to attempt a hike, so we drove over to Kailua to try the Pillbox Hike. Unfortunately, it had rained all night and, because the path was really steep, it had essentially turned into a mudslide. We decided to save this one for our next trip out to Oahu 🙂
Some of Maya’s relatives lived nearby so we met them at the delicious Cinnamon’s for brunch. They are known for their eggs benny so we ordered those along with their killer pancakes.
After feasting and chatting about their retirement to Oahu we meandered through a nearby crafts market to admire some of the hand crafted art.
It was about that time again. Beach bum time! We laid our blanket down at the beautiful Kailua Beach for a few hours and spent some time listening to music and swimming in the ocean. It’s the perfect way to keep cool in the heat after a big meal and to also contemplate where and what to eat next…!?
It wasn’t long before we found ourselves at Uahi Island Grill enjoying heaping bowls of poke and washing it down with a nice cold beer.
We continued around the island and drove by Waimanalo Beach and took in an awesome view from the Makapu’u Lookout. Beautiful views of the ocean with a nice gush of wind to keep us on our toes and to almost knock our hats off!
Hopping back in the Wrangler we departed for Hanauma Bay (famous for snorkeling). The view from the top is mesmerizing as your eyes take in the breadth of the panoramic views it offers.
Last but not least on our trip around the island, we sat down for a beer and our favorite garlic bread at Kona Brewing Co. If you ask for their roasted whole garlic and blue cheese appetizer, you won’t be disappointed. Sit back on their outdoor patio overlooking the harbor with a few beers and you’ll never want to leave!
We made our way back into town in time for sunset. We parked up and took a stroll over to the beach to watch the sun dodge in and out of palm trees and it dipped into the ocean for a late night swim.
Back at the hotel we took a quick dip in the hot tub, followed by a leisurely stroll along Kalakaua Avenue to Agu Ramen for a huge bowl of ramen. Their menu allows you to customize the level of spice using some rather interesting choice of words. Starting from levels one through five followed by “EPIC” and “WTF!”
12 Hours Left…
We literally eat, sleep and dream noodles so it was no surprise the next morning we woke up craving some more. Quite possibly the best udon we have had in the U.S. was the delectable bowls we enjoyed at Marukame Udon for breakfast. The soft but firm noodles with the flavorful pork and crispy shrimp tempura was worth the long wait that is to be expected at this spot.
To work off the heaping bowl of udon (which was literally like 2 meals in 1) we laced up our Nikes to hike up to Diamond Head Crater for the “on top of the world” view of Waikiki and most of the island of Oahu.
After we came down from the summit we couldn’t help but make our way over to the coconut cart nearby. We watched the coconut magician wield his cleaver to crack open the coconut and hand us our well earned prize for hiking in the heat.
To further cool off, we headed back to our hotel to jump in the pool. With a couple of drinks from the bar, this was where we would be spending the rest of the afternoon, relaxing and eating by the pool at Moana Terrace. We had a bacon cheeseburger and tuna poke tower on top of brown rice.
That evening, we said our goodbyes to the ocean, returned our car, and were on our way back to SFO on a redeye.
