Aloha! Who are those two crazy people above? My super-cool parents! After our staycation in Menlo Park, they were off to Hawaii. And I hid in their suitcase! JK, I just held onto their legs and they had to take me.
So, what really happened is I thought it would be a great idea to go to Hawaii in February. Show me the falsehood! It was a four-day workweek so it was an efficient use of vacation time. I also got to spend more time with my amazing parents! We also had someone with us who was trying to reach third sister/fifth kid status: my friend Beth, who had never been to Hawaii. When she, SMS, and I were out to dinner a few months ago and she heard he wasn’t going, she said, “I’ll come.” And she did!
We landed on Monday and spent the day relaxing. The next morning, Beth and I walked to Honolulu Coffee Company, my favorite coffee on the island. We spent the rest of the day on the beach. That evening, Dad bought tickets for the Mai Tai catamaran cruise, “the wettest bar on the island.” It was my favorite part of the vacation. Everything was perfect. People were so happy, the weather was beautiful, the drinks were tasty, and the sail was just epic. So thank you Dad!
Captain Ian sailed us around and the groups aboard were great. My favorite was a group of young Japanese men (bachelor party?) who were excellent tomodachis!
Wednesday, Beth and I rented a Mazda Miata off of Turo and went on an island exploration. First, we did a small hike on the ridge looking over Hanauma Bay. If you are at all into snorkeling, I highly recommend getting first tickets of the day. This advice is based on my medical student outing during my OB-GYN rotation in 2005 (pre-blog!). Even though I didn’t want to get up early, there are so many more fish and turtles out before the sun gets high in the sky. Then, we went down the road to the “Here to Eternity” beach/cove which is at the Halona blowhole pullout. Finally, we went to the 61 to visit the NuÊ»uanu Pali Lookout. I recommend all three places!
Then, we headed to the North Shore which, in SMS’ words, “Is a long drive for mediocre shave ice and big waves.” Haha. What a Hawaii grinch. Before our shave ice, we went to a shrimp truck for shrimp plates. Beth liked it even though it was different than she was expecting. What she was expecting wasn’t totally clear- maybe something like a poke bowl? Then, we went and got shave ice. This is where I learned Beth isn’t really into sweets. No matter, I had it covered for both of us! We went to Matsumoto where I got shave ice with ice cream, azuki beans, and condensed milk. I am a shave ice maximalist. Beth got no extras and only one flavor. Oh, well. I can’t be responsible for other people’s poor choices.
Next, we went to Waimea Bay, which has a great jumping rock during the non-big wave season. I jumped off it back in 2005 but the water was way, way too rough on this visit. We didn’t go to the botanical gardens, which was a bit of a miss since they’re beautiful but I had forgotten they were there. Finally, we stopped at a strip mall, 5 star poke place which, most definitely, was deserving of all the stars. It was delicious! I think we went to the Halekulani that evening for drinks and dinner- the short ribs were amazing.
The next day, we went to Koko Head Cafe, the Shangri-La (separate post) and the Hale Koa Luau. We had a great brunch with my friend from medical school and her wife. Plus, their cute dog whose name I’m blanking on. We were going to eat outside but the dog was allowed in. So well-behaved! In the picture above, she is wondering where her drink is.
As you can see from the photo above, we bought matching print outfits for the luau. We are so cool! Beth said people were going to be confused by her Christmas card this year when she uses this photo as the centerpiece.
At the luau, we learned that the fire dancer had been with Cirque de Soleil for over 20 years and had been at the Hale Koa for the past four. He was amazing! I asked him if his hands were made of teflon and he said, no, that it actually really hurt to touch fire.
The next day was our last full day. It was a total beach day, similar to Tuesday. I’m not much of a beach-sitter…or at least, I wasn’t in the past. Now, I love it! I wore high SPF and was under an umbrella for some of it but I truly love the beach, especially with a warmish ocean. We ate at the Royal Hawaiian that night. The next day, Beth and I headed back to SFO. I usually max out all vacation time, but it was nice to come home on a Saturday- the vacation felt extra long with another weekend day off. A mental trick for sure, but one I might start using more especially with more “routine” destinations like Hawaii, i.e. places that are amazing but easy to return to, unlike a trip to, say, the Maldives.
Dang, I just wrote a reply but it got eaten! I am glad you had fun in Hawaii; it is so nice to be able to just jet over there for a long weekend, isn’t it? I never have had shave ice, but I am like Beth, and don’t really seek out sweets.
Yes, it was an awesome short trip. The West Coast is great for relatively short trips to Hawaii. I really love how “close” Europe is when I live on the East Coast, but I think those days are behind me now!
What a great trip you had with your parents! Your pictures look like so much fun. I’ve been to Oahu twice, in 2005 and in 2008. We went in summer, and had really good snorkeling at Sharks Cove, North Shore. I have heard that early is the best time for snorkeling, but I can never get my family out early enough to find out, sadly.
Did you see turtles? I hear that’s a great site for turtles (and sharks?).