A Great Place for a Stopover!

We’re back in Hawaii and Waikiki once more…. this time just for a few days before we continue onto the mainland!

Before travelling to Hawaii, neither Suz nor I knew how Xander would react to being cooped up inside an airplane for 10 hours… and to be honest, we were not really looking forward to it either.

Well, the flight between Sydney and Honolulu ended up being a night flight, leaving Sydney about 21.00. We thought this may be a great thing as that way Xander could sleep throughout the night and avoid the entire flight…. or so we thought! The flight started great and we ended up with 4 seats between the three of us (and Xander is not even supposed to have one). That way Suz and I were at both ends and Xander had two entire seats to lay out across for his sleep…. Well, let’s just say that he didn’t want to sleep and the only reason he eventually got 1-2 hours sleep was through sheer exhaustion. Never ever are we doing another night flight!

We eventually arrived in Honolulu and disembarked the airplane among some evil glares from some passengers. The problem now was that it was only 10 in the morning and we couldn’t check into our accommodation until 15.00. We did however managed to spend the time lounging around the man made lagoon in front of our hotel.

This trip we had decided to try a Condo accommodation instead of a normal hotel and we have to say that it was a great idea. We got a one bedroom apartment located inside a normal hotel which offered a full kitchen, living room and a great balcony with stunning views over the ocean at a fraction of a price that a hotel would have been. We’re sold on the idea and will not be going back to normal hotels anytime soon…

The rest of that day went by very fast as we were all exhausted… We had an early dinner out that night where Xander was slumping forward in his chair and I had to catch his head as he fell asleep. We transferred him to his pram and as he slept, Suz and I finished out dinner.

Over the next few days we relaxed as much as we could either at the beach, the lagoon or the pool. We did also attempt to walk along the shoreline of Waikiki but gave up quite soon as the beach, at some sections, is very narrow and there’s barely enough room for a person to walk past, even without a pram.

On our last day in Oahu we rented a car for the day so we could have a chance to explore what else the island has to offer.

Our first stop was the Nu’Uanu Pali lookout which offers a great mountain and ocean views over the eastern part of the island. Our trip continued to Kailua where we stopped for some brunch at a great little restaurant where we enjoyed their Macadamia Nut Pancakes!

After our brunch we decided to see what the beach in this area was like and started driving towards it. We drove and drove along a road parallel to the beach but could not access it. The main issue being that if you’re not staying in one of the houses along the beach, you can’t access the beach. Eventually we did find the beach park, which is available to all, and were able to gain access to a beautiful beach. It was great to be at a beach and not having a large hotel building just 3 metres beyond the beach (as you do in Waikiki).

After our visit to the beach, our trip around the island continued with a few stops along the North Shore. The best stops along our route were without a doubt the Garlic Shrimp Shacks where we had to stop to sample some for ourselves 😉

On our way back to Waikiki we also made sure we stopped at the super tacky Dole Plantation! We didn’t do the maze, or the train around the plantation or any of the many other tourist traps on offer. We did however taste their pineapple ice cream which was very creamy and very yummy!

We only had one day in the car to explore Oahu and I have to say, we did all that we wanted to see… We drove in a large circle around the island and managed to get away from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet.

It was also great that we were able to make our way to Kailua so that we could get an idea of what it was like and if it would be a great place for a family get-together in a few years! And yes… renting a large house (or two) here will be a great place to relax, and still be within reach of Waikiki just in case 😉

We had a great few days relaxing from the airflight, Hawaii is always a great spot for a stop over (however a few more days wouldn’t have hurt).

Time to board another 10+ plane ride to meet the family….