Destination - Oahu, Hawaii

Oahu - Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head

"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." Henry Miller

As a travel agent, booking Hawaii is what we considered our bread and butter. Living on the west coast, it is probably the most popular destination, for families, honeymooners, retired people, you name it. Everyone goes to Hawaii at least once. I had someone every week inquiring about trips to Hawaii. I have to say though, that not everyone who thinks about going to Hawaii actually is that familiar with the destination. I once had a client tell me that since she didn't like to fly, she would like to take a train to Hawaii. I thought she was kidding, but she really thought she could. So many clients came in over the years and said “I want to go to Hawaii”, and then I would ask them which island they were interested in, and they didn't have a clue that there was more then one place to go in Hawaii. So, I thought that I would talk about Hawaii today.

There are 4 main islands – Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii, and there are 2 other islands that are becoming more popular all the time, they are Lanai, and Molokai. I have been to all but Molokai. They all are great places to go, anytime of the year. Remember that Hawaii is in the tropics, so even in January the weather is warm and so is the water. It rains all year long, but usually just for a little while, and the rain is warm too.

The main island is Oahu. The city of Honolulu is on Oahu. Also, Diamond Head volcano, Waikiki beach, Pearl Harbor and the Polynesian Culture Center. I usually suggested to clients that if they had never been to Hawaii, this was an excellent place to start. There is more to do on this island then any of the others. It's the most economical, and it has the great weather, the beaches, the food, everything you could want. It is also the most commercial of the islands, so if you are looking for a laid back beach vacation, to just get away from it all, then one of the other islands might be a better fit.

Dole Plantation

I love Oahu myself. One of my favorite things to do is to take a car and drive around the island. If you head north out of Honolulu up the Kamehameha highway you will reach what is known as the North Shore. On your way you will pass the Dole Plantation. It is worth a stop. There is a train you can ride around the plantation, and they will show you how they grow pineapples. There is a store, where you can sample the pineapple, and purchase all things pineapple.

Matsumoto's Shaved Ice

Driving on, you get to the town of Haleiwa. When you see the general store Matsumoto's, stop and order a shaved ice. Hawaiian shaved ice is drenched with sweet syrup, similar to a snow cone, but because the ice is shaved very fine, it is so much better. And you can order it with a variety of extras. My favorite was with ice cream in the middle of it, and I also like the adzuki beans. If you asked for the snow topping it comes with sweetened condensed milk on the top. Do not pass Matsumoto's without stopping!

If you stop at any of the beaches on the north shore, remember that they are not all safe to swim, some have strong currents, and the waves are quite often more suited to surfing then swimming, especially if you are there in the winter months.

Waimea Falls Park

Waimea Falls Park is another good stop on your drive around the island. There is a path inside the park which leads you through a botanical garden to the falls and pond. There are replicas of thatched buildings from early Hawaiian times as well. You can swim in the pond below the falls. A nice break in the day. There is an entrance fee to the park.

Somewhere past the park you will probably see some food trucks alongside the road. There are several different trucks along this north shore route. They are the shrimp trucks. The shrimp is fresh and the food is delicious, and really quite inexpensive for the amount of food you get. I loved the garlic shrimp, it came with brown rice and a salad. My husband had the coconut shrimp, and it was crispy and also delicious.

shrimp plate from the shrimp trucks

On your circle island trip you will also come to the Polynesian Culture Center. This center covers 42 acres and is certainly one of the islands top tourist destinations. The park has seven theme villages representing Samoa, New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, Tonga the Marquesas and Hawaii. Each “village” contains huts and handicrafts of their region, and people dressed in authentic costumes who do demonstrations. The entrance fee also includes boat rides, a talent show, IMAX theatre and in the evening there is a dance show. You can also purchase a buffet package which includes a buffet dinner. If you are planning to circle the whole island in one day, you don't have time to stop here, but you can always come back, or stop now and then do the rest of the island another day.

If you would like to spend the afternoon snorkeling or swimming, a great place to stop for the afternoon is Turtle Bay resort. There is a cove there with a great beach. You don't have to be a guest of the resort to use the beach.

View from the Pali Highway Lookout

You can take the Pali Highway across the island and only do half the island, it is a scenic drive with a lookout point. Or continue around the island stopping at the town of Kailua on the windward side. The town has a wide variety of restaurants and is know for wind surfing. Agnes Bake Shop in Kailua is worth a stop just for their Portugese Malasadas which are served hot, they take about 10 minutes wait and cost less then a dollar a piece. Another stop as you come around the island is Hanauma Bay nature preserve. We saw several mongoose's running around the grounds, they were very cute. Good views of surfers from the overlook. This  also has a good beach for swimming.

Of course, at some point, you should visit Pearl Harbor. It is a memorial to the sneak attack that started World War II, and is worth the visit.  I'd save that for another day as the drive will take the whole day.

View from our table at Duke's

Honolulu has some wonderful hotels and restaurants, lots of shopping opportunities, including the international marketplace in the heart of Honolulu. My favorite place to eat is Duke's Canoe Club which is in the Waikiki Outrigger hotel. It is right on the beach, the food and drinks are good. Atmosphere can't be beat. There is a breakfast buffet and a lunch buffet. In the evening there is live Hawaiian music with your dinner.

As for activities on Oahu, there are tours of the island you can book, if you don't want to drive. There are tours that will take you to the Polynesian Culture Center or Pearl Harbor, you can book a luau, or a snorkeling trip or a dinner cruise. You can take surfing lessons. There is plenty to keep you busy.

Next posting we will go to the island of Kaui, then on to other islands in future postings.

Sweets - Around the World

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."  
 Charles Schulz

I admit it, I'm a chocoholic. I don't even try to hide it. So wherever I go I tend to pop into chocolate places and buy a few to sample. Usually more then a few. I haven't been to Belgium yet, and I know they are most famous for their chocolate. But I have been to Switzerland, and so far they top my list of having the best chocolates in the world. And Oprah agrees with me. She had these chocolates on her My Favorite Things show. The chocolates are – Teuscher champagne truffles. (http://www.teuscher.com/)//

Teuschers New York at Christmas

I have to admit that the first time I tried these I was not traveling. I had a client who had gone to New York and had gone into the Teuscher store there and had purchased a box of nine truffles for me as a thank you gift. He was a regular client who I had helped many times, a very nice man. The funny thing is, I had watched Oprah's show the week before and had actually gone to Teuscher's website and looked them up. They were a bit expensive, so I did not order them, but thought that if I ever got to Switzerland where they are actually made, I would definitely go to their shop and buy some there. Then my client brought me the box. They were to die for. I savored every single one of those truffles, one a night for 9 nights. A few years later I found myself in Zurich, Switzerland. We were walking down Storchengasse Street, and there was the Teuscher store. I went in and bought quite a bit of chocolate. They even gave samples. There are stores in major cities throughout the U.S., and they sell their chocolates online. 

My friend having a Frozen Hot Chocolate

If you are into chocolate, then a stop at Serendipity's in New York city is worthwhile. They are famous for their drink – frozen hot chocolate. It is quite tasty. They have quite a few other desserts that looked quite good also. But it's not just a dessert place, their meals are quite good also.  I had their lemon chicken with asparagus for dinner, and loved it.  But leave room for dessert.   http://www.serendipity3.com/)

Chocolate is not my only weakness. I love to sample pastries, and while in Paris I have to say that we had the best croissants. And they were memorable for more then one reason. My daughter and I were in Paris for the first time, back in 1989. We had breakfast at our hotel. We were on a limited budget, and I knew we would be sampling food later, so I suggested that we just have a cup of hot chocolate, and head out. We ordered, and then the waiter placed a basket of croissants on our table and walked away. I thought, how nice. So we enjoyed the croissants with our hot chocolate. Then our bill came, and we found out that we were charged per croissant that we had eaten. Our breakfast was over $20 each. That put a limit on the rest of the days spending. But they were melt in the mouth delicious, and probably worth every cent.

Tip: Never assume something is free, just because it is set on the table. In the USA if a basket of bread is put on the table, it is usually free, but in many countries, it is put there as an option, and if you eat any of it, you will be charged per piece.

In Jerez, Spain we spent a wonderful afternoon touring the Gonzalez Bypass where they produce some wonderful sherry. We fell in love with their 1847 Solera, and brought a couple of bottles home with us. Since then we have ordered cases to be shipped to us. I know we have good sherries that we can get here in the states, but sometimes something is so good, and it reminds you of a wonderful experience, so it is worth the extra trouble and expense to relive that experience.

Teuschers Chocolates

So when traveling, I say sample the things from that region, especially the sweets. When in Italy you must eat gelato. Even if you've had gelato elsewhere, nothing beats the gelato in Italy. And Shaved ice in Hawaii is to die for. If you ever find yourself in the town of Kanlica, Turkey make sure you stop at the cart in the main plaza and try their homemade yogurt with the powdered sugar toping, I've never had anything quite that good. Whenever you travel, stop and try the local sweets, the Turkish delight, marzipan, chocolates wherever you are, sherry in Spain, gingerbread in Germany, and even the tofu cookies in Japan. You won't know until you try them, they may become a new favorite.