As I get older and I acquire more funds to travel around the world, I shall share my tales and experiences through this blog. Here’s hoping this can give some people future insights if they choose to travel wherever I go in the future.
United Airlines Flight: 4/5. Pretty good experience. I didn’t get dragged off the plane like that one Asian guy many years ago, so I will say that is a plus.
Embassy Suites: 4/5. We stayed at this hotel, located walking distance to Waikiki Beach. The hotel was super clean, and convenient, with a $40 daily valet parking fee. The thing that elevated our stay was of course the daily free breakfast, which was delicious but also contributed to quite a hefty weight gain for me. There was rice, eggs, bacon, sausages, an omelet station, and unlimited drinks. We also got free drinks every night at the evening reception, which I got relatively sick of, and made my stomach uneasy the last night (mostly because I drank too quickly). Overall, I would recommend this hotel to anyone staying in Oahu.
Avis Car Rental: 3/5. It was convenient getting the rental car. However, they did not give me a full tank even though they said they would. They also gave me a Mazda 6, which I did not enjoy driving at all. First off, to accelerate the gas it requires quite a lot more pressure than my current car (Honda), which was annoying. I also had trouble readjusting the car and figuring out how to open the trunk. In the end, I will opt for a more familiar car in the future.
Of course, that brings us to the important part of the trip, the things we did, as well as the food!
ABC Stores: 4/5. Oahu is filled to the brim with many ABC stores, many within a single block of one another. They all sell about the same types of things and souvenirs and were relatively convenient. Spam musubi is great and affordable here for anyone looking for early or late-night snacks. We spent a combined total of many hours exploring these gift/convenience stores.
Diamond Head: 4/5: Even though the website lists this hike as “easy”, it did require a lot of stairs. I think for the average human being (especially the obese in America), it will not be easy. That being said, the view was worth it. We went relatively early at 6am in the morning, and it was not too crowded, so it was a pleasant experience overall.
Moana Falls: 5/5: That being said, it was probably a bad idea to do two hikes in one day. And yet, we somehow managed. The hike brought us through a beautiful jungle, and though it was quite muddy overall, the sights and scenes were beautiful. It was my kind of hike too because there was shade all throughout the entire trail, culminating in a beautiful waterfall at the very end.
A La Moana Center: 3/5 Oahu’s biggest shopping center. It didn’t impress me too much, but it was nice that there were boba places there so we could get a taste of California while in Hawaii.
Kualoa Ranch: 5/5. Also, a very beautiful place where they filmed some parts of the Jurassic Park / Jurassic World movies. We went on the ATV tour (Katherine drove), and it was nice bumping into rocks and enjoying the various views of the ranch. It would be a beautiful place to live if I ever wanted to live in the middle of nowhere, and gave us some important picture taking opportunities.
Byodo Temple: 3/5. It was a nice temple, which was relatively beautiful, and a good place to pray if you are a Buddhist. The gift shop didn’t have much though, and there was not much to do other than feeding the fishes for $2.
Dole Plantation Factory: 3/5. Definitely a tourist trap, but we went just to take pictures, and of course to explore the gift shop. I definitely think you should go if it’s on the way to something else, but I wouldn’t drive all the way to the middle of the island just for this.
Polynesian Cultural Center: 4/5. Pretty good experience seeing the different Polynesian islands and their various unique cultures. We saw how food got made in Samoa, as well as witnessed a wedding in Tahiti. The evening luau was okay, with the food being very disappointing. They did give us free pineapple smoothies that were delicious though, so that made up for it. The final evening show was also great, showcasing different dances from the different Polynesian islands, which ended in a climax of fire.
A La Moana Beach: 4/5. This beach was located driving distance from our hotel, and was relatively nice. A lot less crowded than Waikiki beach, and the sand felt smooth and soft. We enjoyed our time in the water, which was not very strong, with no heavy tides. It was good for a non-swimmer like myself.
Halona Blowhole: 1/5. Not sure if this rating is really fair, but so be it. The scene looked nice, but the blowhole wasn’t blowing anything when we went. So it was pretty sad and mostly uneventful. Bad luck I guess.
Waikiki Beach: 3/5. This beach was still pretty nice, but the only downside is how crowded it is. I guess that’s what happens when you have a billion hotels located there though. The water was also much rockier and splashed me more. It was sad, and reminded me of when I was bullied in my elementary school days. Whiplash.
Poke Waikiki: 4/5. Our first meal in Hawaii happened to be at the Royal Hawaiian Center food court, located close to our hotel room. Surprisingly, it was very delicious – though I don’t eat fish often, it was a pretty safe taste of crispy chicken, with a good mix of rice, spicy Ahi, and a vast assortment of vegetables. It definitely makes me want to try Poke in California now that I’m back.
Surfing Pig Restaurant: 2/5. This was not good, and a disappointing dinner indeed. My burger was just okay and Katherine’s fried rice was lackluster and burnt…
Cowcows Tea: 3/5 This is kind of a boba place in the heartland of Oahu – however, it is more of a rice drink with small bits of rice in it. I got the ube drink which was okay, but I got sick of the rice portion of it after a while. Would not go back. Definitely prefer my boba.
Marugame Udon: 5/5. Absolutely delicious. The wait wasn’t too bad when we went either (about 30 minutes), and the food quality was nice and affordable.
K Baby Bros Fish and Ice: 2/5: I got the Spicy Ahi again as a comparison point to Poke Waikiki. It was definitely more fresh, but not as flavorful. I’m also disappointed that it only came with fish and rice and no vegetables. Being that I don’t like fish too much, I would need other things in the dish to even out the food. Katherine was disappointed as well.
Zippys: 2/5. Got the Korean chicken. Nothing to rave about. In fact, I’d much prefer McDonald’s (which we ate the day after) over this. Nothing beats Koko Chicken.
North Shore Crepes: 4/5. We didn’t even drive here for this, but we were pleasantly surprised by the freshness and quality of the crepe and ice cream. It was a delicious combination that sweetened our taste buds on the North Shore.
Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck: 3/5. It was okay. I’m not sure why people overhype this so much. The flavor of the shrimp was okay, just a little too greasy and garlicky for my taste. I also don’t like that you have to peel it yourself. Why can’t they just do it for me?! Anyway, I don’t think it was that good, but I’ll let you judge it for yourself if you ever go.
Matsumoto Shaved Ice: 5/5. This was definitely worth it, and the best shaved ice we had. We got the Hawaiian, which was a combination of coconut, pineapple, and banana, and added vanilla ice cream to it. It was not only colorful but delicious.
Beer Lab: 3/5. Maybe I’m not the best judge of character, because I don’t really like beer. It was okay, but I liked the design of the cups!
Roy’s Hawaiian Waikiki 5/5. Pretty good, and an amazing dinner to finish out our beautiful trip to Hawaii. The sushi roll was pretty good, followed by Katherine’s salmon and my 8 oz filet mignon steak. Wish there was one in California!
In the end, I’d love to go back to Hawaii again someday and perhaps explore the other islands. Who knows? Future travel adventures will await us after marriage.
