Paradise. It's the first word that comes to mind when I think of Hawaii. Also...far. That might be the second word.
I'd been thinking about visiting Hawaii for the past couple of years, but was always deterred by other trips - mainly to Taiwan or other international trips with family. I haven't been since I was a kid, but I still remember those spellbinding sunsets with colors in the sky that seemed impossibly beautiful. And of course, I remembered the food. With such heavy Japanese influence, how could I not? I'm pretty sure that Hawaii was the first place I'd ever had conveyor belt sushi, and you know that experience was MAG - I - CAL.
So I was pretty excited to start planning this trip with my boyfriend ("ecstatic" would be putting it mildly when he agreed to go with me)! We were already planning on being in San Francisco for a wedding, so we decided that it would be the perfect time to hop on over to Hawaii from there - and I say "hop" but what that really means is take a 5 hour flight over. We arrived Monday afternoon and stayed until Friday night, since the flight back is a pretty long one. Here's what we did!
Stay: We chose a more economical route by using AirBnb instead of looking at resorts. By doing so, we found a good deal on a condo at the Aqua Aloha Surf hotel, which was located in Waikiki close to the beach and International Market area. It had a great view and was walking distance from an Enterprise car rental, the beach, luggage storage, and tons of shopping and dining.
Car Rental: While I knew we should rent a car in order to visit North Shore, I didn't think it'd be worth the cost of the car and parking (parking was about $35/day) to rent it for our whole trip. So, we decided to rent a car for only 2 days, 1 night. Again, it was super convenient as there was an Enterprise very near to the condo.
Places to Eat: Grab a snack, this is gonna take a while!
Leonard's Bakery - NECESSARY. These malasadas are some of the best donuts you will ever eat in your life. It will be very difficult to try and choose which flavors you want to try, so you can do what I did and just order them all.
Ono Seafood - amazing poke with huge portions. Not much seating, so it's good for takeout.
Giovanni's Shrimp Truck - oh my goodness. This shrimp is SO good and worth all the hype. Parking is terrible, but they have a system where you wait in line for a parking attendant to direct you to the next available spot. Get the scampi - your breath and fingers may smell like garlic for the next 24 hours, but, like I mentioned...worth it.
Marukame Udon - there's always a line at this udon restaurant that makes their own udon in-house. Don't worry about seating, they'll hold the line if the seats are all full. The udon bowls are huge and cheap, but you'll definitely want to pick something up from the tempura bar.
Rainbow Drive-In - this place is on all types of lists, and it's walking distance from Ono Seafood and Leonard's. We tried the loco moco, which is like the ultimate Hawaiian comfort food. It's rice, covered with burger patties and a thick gravy, and it'll definitely keep you full for a while!
Modo Donuts - This donuts place is located inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace at the International Marketplace in Waikiki. Mochi donuts are my jam! I love the chewy texture and they're not super sweet...perfect! They have great flavors, like matcha, black sesame, and guava.
Ted's Bakery - I heard good things about this place's food, but we didn't have much room after eating Giovanni's shrimp. So we just stopped for dessert...donuts and haupia pie. Worth a stop if you're in the North Shore!
Helena's Hawaiian Food - yessss, this was our last meal in Hawaii and one that's been on my list for a while! Tried to order as much as possible, though they were out of butterfish. Loved the ribs and surprisingly the chicken longrice - it has a ton of ginger flavor and reminds me of home. We tried the poi, and well...I actually like the texture. It's the sour flavor that gives me a hard time, but you can eat it with the meats to offset that flavor.
Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha - ooooh, shave ice. This place is awesome. I believe we tried the passion fruit and mango (or guava?) flavors and added a scoop of ice cream. I cannot stress enough the importance of adding the ice cream. Do it! It adds a level of delectable creaminess to that fruity shave ice that is so irresistible.
Shirokiya Japan Village Walk - this is like the ultimate Japanese food court. It's nearly impossible to determine what/where you want to eat, though, with so many stands and walkways to go through. I decided on some poke, and my boyfriend picked a hearty meat bowl. What you do need to get is dessert from Kulu Kulu Cafe - we ordered a green tea shave ice and a coffee jello dessert and both were amazing. Also, there's a beach right across the street, so if you'd like, you can grab your food to go and eat near the water!
AGU Ramen - my boyfriend found this place as we were walking through Waikiki, and it was a great find! Satisfying broth and awesome noodles. They have different types of broths, too - chicken, pork, and vegetarian.
Things to Do:
North Shore - this is a beautiful, if far, drive. Plenty of spaces to park on the side of the road and enjoy beaches or snacks. And, you already know you can't miss the shrimp trucks!
Dole Plantation - YES. As a pineapple fan, this place is awesome. You can eat here or just grab a dole whip...because did you even go to the Dole Plantation if you didn't get a dole whip?! You can also get tickets to ride the pineapple express, go through the maze, or take a garden tour. We decided to get the combo tickets to ride the train and go through the maze (AKA my boyfriend figured out the maze while I followed, taking pictures).
Waimea Valley - ohh, this place is gorgeous. You pay entrance fee to walk to the waterfall, and if you'd like, you can swim there. We chose to just take the walk, and it was really beautiful. Definitely get those Jurassic Park vibes here!
Koko Crater Trail - did I ignore all the warnings of "HARDEST TRAIL IN OAHU" and only listen to reviews of "BEST VIEW EVER"? Yes. Did I then fall and slightly twist my ankle coming down this trail? Absolutely. Look, I won't lie...I was EXTREMELY unhappy during both the ascending and descending parts of this trail. BUT. The views you get on top, in addition to the feeling of satisfaction once you're done...it's great. Just be prepared if you do try this. Wear sneakers, a hat, plenty of sunscreen, and BRING WATER.
Ala Moana Shopping Center/Beach Park - this is where the Shirokiya Japan Village Walk is, and makes for great pre/post lunch shopping. They have UNIQLO there, and several other shops. I like that this, along with many other shopping centers, is half indoors and half outdoors.
88 Tees + Punchbowl Coffee - all Terrace House fans! You definitely have to visit Avian's family store (two locations) as well as Eric's coffee shop. You can see the sign he worked on with Lauren there, as well as other memorabilia from the show and its cast members. We met Eric, and he's super cool, even telling us a little bit about some of the photography there and what other cast members are up to. This made my boyfriend's trip complete.
I also want to say that I had a lot more hikes and places to visit on the itinerary, but after I twisted my ankle on the Koko Crater Trail, we just took it easy. The two I heard the most about were the Manoa Falls trail and the Diamond Head hike.
Have you been to Oahu? What are some of your favorite Hawaiian spots or eats?
- HungryDeb
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