First off, mahalo nui loa to Dusty and everyone else who has posted valuable info in this forum, it certainly helped make our first trip to Hawaii a success!
Day One
Arrived at HNL late and caught the Alamo shuttle outside the baggage claim door. We rented a Jeep Wrangler online and did the prepay and online check-in, when we arrived at the rental lot we simply went to the Jeep section and picked out the one we wanted, then showed our confirmation and driver%26#39;s license at the booth on the way out, never set foot in the building or stood in line! The Jeep was a brand new %26#39;08 model, only 1200 miles on it. After reading the rental company reviews I was a bit nervous about going with Alamo, but we had a fantastic experience 鈥?I honestly can%26#39;t come up with anything they could have done to make it better. We drove to the windward coast to our condo at Pat%26#39;s at Punlau%26#39;u, vrbo unit #134630. Again, I was nervous given the past reviews of Pat%26#39;s, but they have finished the remodeling and our particular condo has also gone through a recent extensive remodel and it showed. It is a penthouse end unit with 2 walls of glass offering beach views, 3 sliding doors for the ocean breeze, wraparound lanai, full kitchen with high end appliances, huge flat screen with satellite and 100s of channels, Bose stereo system in the living room and in the bedroom, Pier 1 furnishings, very clean and very nice. The condo also included lots of necessities that I wasn%26#39;t expecting, like toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, dish soap, spices, foil, trash bags, dishwashing and laundry detergent, all those things you normally have to buy and then waste at the end of the week, so no telling how much that saved us versus buying them from the Foodland. The area itself was a bit remote, but it worked well for us because we split our time between the North Shore and the East Shore, so it was right in the middle. I%26#39;d say Pat%26#39;s is three quarters residents and one quarter vacation rentals, so if you want the local feel instead of the touristy feel this place is great. Everyone we talked to at the condo was friendly as well, no stink eye from the locals.
Day Two
Groceries at the Foodland in La%26#39;ie 5 minutes up the road, lunch at the condo, then off to the East Shore. Our first stop was Makapu`u Beach, a beautiful little cove with some of the bluest water we saw, great beach and view of the lighthouse. We worked our way on down the coast line just taking in the sights all the way to Diamond Head crater. Got there around 4:00pm, the sun was bright and warm but not too intense, then again we%26#39;re from Arkansas so anything below 100 seems pleasant :o) We do quite a bit of hiking, and I certainly wouldn%26#39;t call this trail easy. If you take your time it%26#39;s not too intense, but I was glad to have on proper shoes and shorts. Several people were in flip flops (or even jeans and heels!) and many of them appeared to be struggling by the top. The trail winds up the hillside with several switchbacks along fairly smooth terrain, it%26#39;s not paved and is uneven but nothing too bad. Then you get to the last stretch, which begins with a steep staircase of about 100 steps, followed by another climb up a circular staircase that is inside the bunker, think lighthouse staircase, but it only climbs about 3 stories. Well worth it when you reach the top, absolutely gorgeous views in all directions. Looking out over Waikiki at all those high-rises made me really glad we were staying someplace else :o) The crowds and congestion just aren%26#39;t our scene. We were back down by 5:30, grabbed a mango smoothie from the snack truck in the parking lot and headed back to the condo. We went to Jameson%26#39;s by the Sea in Haleiwa for dinner. Great atmosphere, we got there after dark but you can tell it%26#39;s a great place to catch the sunset. Service was friendly and fast, however the food and the prices left a bit to be desired. I got the Ulua and my wife the Baked Stuffed Shrimp. Both were good, but portions were small for $25-$30 entrees.
Day Three
Up for the sunrise over the ocean from our lanai, on to Kailua for breakfast malasadas at Agnes%26#39; Portuguese Bakeshop. I%26#39;d describe it as something between a donut and a funnel cake, but not quite so sweet. I could have eaten the whole dozen! This place is a must-stop for anyone with a sweet tooth as they had a whole assortment of desserts and a great local coffee shop atmosphere. On to the Makapu`u Lighthouse trail, this trail is paved the entire way and a much easier hike than Diamond Head. It%26#39;s exposed to the sun and uphill the whole way there, but nice breezes and views the whole way up. The top is again magnificent, you%26#39;re actually over the lighthouse looking down at it, along with sweeping views of the Pacific and the Waimanalo coastline. The trail was about a mile one way, and took us about 1.5 hours to do the whole thing. Stopped and looked at the blowhole and Sandy beach on the way back, and made another stop at Makapu`u Beach for pictures again, then back to the condo for lunch and in to Waikiki to the Waikiki Shell for the Kokua Festival. The Kokua Foundation was started by Jack and Kim Johnson to support environmental education in the schools and communities of Hawai%26#39;i. The Kokua Festival is the annual benefit, this year%26#39;s concert included Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds in addition to Jack Johnson. What a perfect setting for a concert, outdoor amphitheater on the beach in Hawaii with two of my all-time favorite artists, I still can%26#39;t believe we were there!
Day Four
North Shore day, stopped by the La%26#39;ie Point Arch on the way. It wasn%26#39;t exactly marked but wasn%26#39;t hard to find either. Turn towards the coast at the red light in La%26#39;ie, follow the road up the hill and turn right when it dead ends, will take you down to a park area where the Arch is located. Headed to the Waimea Falls Park, run by the Audubon Society now. Beautiful scenic stroll through a deep valley of lush vegetation up to the Waimea waterfall. This was a very easy hike, about three quarters of a mile, all paved and shaded. $10 per person entry fee, but we felt it was worth it, nice relaxing peaceful morning. Headed into Haleiwa from there, ate lunch at Caf茅 Haleiwa, great little surfer%26#39;s diner, greasy cheeseburger really hit the spot! Hit Matsumoto%26#39;s for shaved ice, another must experience! Walked the town for a bit, then worked our way up the coastline. We stopped at Waimea Beach for a bit, watched the cliff jumpers and took in the scenery, this was the happening spot and was pretty crowded and by now we were spoiled by the empty beach in front of our condo, so on to Three Tables and Shark%26#39;s Cove, the tide was up so made it hard to see the tables, but Shark%26#39;s Cove was a neat place to explore, lots of snorkelers, rough going in flip flops over the lava rock, would recommend some type of water shoe if you spend much time here. On to Ehukai Beach (Bonzai Pipeline), this one is not really marked so a bit tricky to find, but it%26#39;s the first parking lot past Shark%26#39;s Cove when heading north on Kamehameha. Waves were small by their standards, but when you%26#39;re used to the Florida and Eastern US waves they still seemed pretty big. Big enough to crest over in the pipe, and there were some surfers in the water, we hung out here for the rest of the afternoon and watched the sun set. Ehukai and Sunset beaches run together, and believe me when I way Sunset Beach is named appropriately.
Day Five
We attempted to get up early to get to Pearl Harbor, but man it%26#39;s hard to get up on vacation, finally got there about 8:45am. I was expecting a 5 hour wait at the Arizona Memorial given all I%26#39;d read, but I guess we got lucky and hit it right. We had about 10 minutes in line to get our tickets, and they were for the 10:25am tour. Spent some time seeing the visitor%26#39;s center and museum and taking pictures across the harbor of the memorial and the USS Missouri, even grabbed a snack and headed back out to our car to sit and eat. Tour begins with a video narrated by Stockard Channing that gives a good overview of the events leading up to and occurring on that fateful day, followed by a boat ride to the memorial, where you get about 10 minutes to look down upon the final resting place of 1,177 of America%26#39;s finest who gave their lives for us. A very moving and humbling experience, although it%26#39;s frustrating that so many treat it with such little respect, as if it were just another tourist attraction. Please don%26#39;t wear your bathing suit and wait to make your lunch plans until you get back to the parking lot, rather than doing it loudly ON the memorial. We finished up and were in the car headed out by noon, went back via the Pali Highway to stop at the lookout. Very cool spot on top of the mountain with great views of the Kaneohe and Kailua areas. We spent the afternoon on the beach at our condo, then in to Kailua for dinner at Lucy%26#39;s. Now we%26#39;re talking! Great atmosphere, bar area outside with seating and a bar inside. Eclectic and full menu, Pacific Rim mostly, but lots to choose from. Our waiter was also the pastry chef, I order the Cr猫me Brule and he told me not to get it, that it didn%26#39;t turn out right today for some reason and that he%26#39;d give me anything else on the house. That type of honestly goes a long way with me, ended up with a fruit crisp that was fantastic. Definitely recommend Lucy%26#39;s as a dinner stop if you%26#39;re in Kailua!
Day Six
Spent the morning on our beach before packing up and heading to the airport. Rental return was just as easy at Alamo, pulled in the parking lot and she had me scanned and receipt printed before I even managed to get out of the car, shuttle to the airport and we were on our way back to the mainland :o(
Trip Report - 4/18 to 4/23Wow! Great trip report. Thank you for all the details about hiking and food.
Are you planning your next trip yet? :)
Trip Report - 4/18 to 4/23Very nice trip report. You managed to pack in a lot of things in 6 days.
I like Waikiki Shell. First major concert I ever went to was there. Johnny cash %26amp; Statler Brothers in 1970.
';On to Ehukai Beach (Bonzai Pipeline), this one is not really marked so a bit tricky to find';
There is a really small sign there that you cannot see until you get into the parking lot.
Many years ago, there were some decent signs at the most popular beaches. But they get stolen for souvenirs %26amp; disappeared almost as soon as they were put up. Even the large ';Historic Haleiwa'; sign was stolen many times.
Great trip report.
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