Hawaii Hints & Tips
Places to Eat:
Cheesecake factory (Next to Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach) Tip: Massive sized serves. Note: it is well worth waiting for. The Yardhouse (near the Embassy Suites) 100 beers on tap, and good food PF Changs (in Royal Hawaiian Shopping Centre). Good modern Chinese Food. California Pizza Kitchen (in Holiday Inn Beachcomber complex).There is also one at the Ala Moana Shopping Centre. Dukes at Outrigger Waikiki on the beach (Mostly for the ambience an being right on the beach. Drinks at the Sheraton Waikiki Beach Bar and Rumfire - nice music each night and they serve tapas/bar style food. There is a nice food court style set up in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping complex. Jimmy Buffets is also a good reasonably priced meal - in the Holiday Inn Beachcomber. ABC shops will sell all the everyday needs, including wine and beer. There is a store called Food Pantry which offer more “Woolworths” variety food shopping.
Shopping:
Waikele Factory. Before you go, sign up to be a VIP member on www.premiumoutlets.com. After you have done this you can download and print a voucher for a coupon booklet, plus other discount vouchers in addition to the coupon booklet. It is really good value and will save you 100’s. Waikele is only about a 25 minute easy drive from your hotel. Nordstrom Rack and Ross Stores. If you don’t mind a good “fossack “ through the racks, you will find some awesome bargains at these 2 stores. Nordstrom rack is in the “Staples” centre behind Ala Moana shopping centre. There is a new Ross store in Waikiki - 333 Seaside Ave right in the heart of Waikiki, others are close to Ala Moana Shopping Centre (opposite Walmart). It can be a bit “hit and miss” but with stock changes daily, it is worth looking more than once. Lots of famous brands at a fraction of the price. If all else fails, the Ala Moana Shopping Centre will delight, with every brand name, including the biggest Macy’s you have ever seen. All international travellers get 11% discount on all purchases. Just get a card by showing ID at the Customer Service desk before you start shopping. P.S. it's better to shop at Macy’s on the weekend as there are always extra sales on over the weekend.
Other things to do:
If inclined, a walk to the top of Diamond Head is absolutely awesome, but you must get there early – say at 8 am, before the crowds and the heat of the day. Pearl Harbour. As you have a car, you can do this yourself. Go either early in the morning i.e. get there at 8am for the first boat trip, or later in the afternoon for the last boat trip. It’s actually free, but the tour operators get first preference than people just showing up. North Shore Trip. A must to see Sunset, Pipeline and Waimea Bay. Surf may still be big at this time of the year. Worth seeing. Maybe finish this day with a visit to Waikele Outlets as this is very close to the North Shore Turnoff. East Coast and Hanauma Bay. A nice half day trip. Snorkelling at Hanauma Bay attracts many tourist and if worth going to early in the day. The Town of Kailua is a nice place for a swim, or paddle boat and lunch. Catamaran Sailing - off Waikiki Beach. You will see a number of catamaran’s sailing from the beach - some have all you can drink Mai Tai cruises, but we went on the Blue and White one (in front of Outrigger) We just wanted a 1.5 hour cruise and it cost US15 per adult and US10.00 per child for a 1 or 3 pm sailing. If you go at sunset, it’s lovely but will cost you double. A very memorable thing to do though.
Have a safe and wonderful holiday!