Fast Week in Honolulu

We spent 6 days on the glorious island of Oahu, and can't wait to return. The best way to see the island up close and personal is to rent a car and drive the perimeter. The car rental agencies give you a magazine with your car rental that has great maps for navigating the island, with point-of-interest stops as you go. Be prepared to spend, at the very least, one whole day, if not more, discovering Oahu.

If you rent a convertible, be prepared to slather on the sunscreen, as the sun is fierce, even on cloudy days. We saw many a person with severe sunburns from driving about in convertibles. We made the mistake of having made reservations for a show the evening that we drove around the island. The result was a fast and furious trip. As such, we missed quite a few sights and side trips. So be sure not to have anything else planned that can interfere with your excursion.

And be sure before you leave the rental car agency that the car you have has good brakes. We got a humdinger from Dollar the first time, and had to take it back. They gave us another after some waiting, as they were very busy, with only one attendant in the office.

Quick Tips:

Before you exit the airport, pick up a couple copies of the free catalogs and magazines on the racks beside the doors and info desk. They have a great many coupons and helpful ideas in them that will save you several bucks on the expenses.

And we learned firsthand why not to schedule too much to do. Do not schedule activities for every minute of the day and night. You will exhaust yourself and feel very rushed. At the very least, you will feel shortchanged because you didn't stop and smell the flowers.

Rent a car for a couple of days, and take the bus some, and then take a taxi some. Experience it all, and gain your own sense of Honolulu from all angles.

Best Way To Get Around:

Taxis are great and plentiful, but when first arriving, we found out that if you can get hotel transfers included with your trip, it will save you lots of frustration and expense. The taxi drivers are all very nice and helpful, but say very little. So if you have questions, you don't get many answers. There was one taxi driver that we were lucky enough to get one night that was great. An old Greek gentleman named George. He was very informative and knowledgable, and extremely funny. We always tried to get him when we looked for a taxi.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village is a wonderful resort. They welcome you at check-in with a delicious pineapple beverage as you wait in line to register. Although the lines were long, they were very quick, efficient, and friendly when getting everyone their rooms. One hint: if you have Hilton Honors, you will get faster service. We know that now. They make your wait in line pleasurable at the very least. Very gracious staff and housekeeping.

We had a room in the Tapa Tower that was wonderful and spacious. The room was listed as partial ocean view, but we considered it a lot of ocean view, along with a lot of city view. No matter which way we looked, we could see ocean or city. The hotel has several towers to choose from and any of several views to go with them. Although we did not eat at any of the restaurants at the hotel for the cost expense, they had several to choose from with great views as well.

They have penguins that they feed at about 8am and 3pm every day--a treat for the young and old alike. Along with the penguins, they also have flamingos, parrots, black swans, and a number of birds that wander about and are a picture to see. Also a delight to the senses are several pools, ponds, and fountains. All of these are very well maintained and cared for.

Don't do as we did and not spend any time at the hotel. We made the mistake of having too much planned and not enough time to just sit back and enjoy the sights and smells of the Hilton and the great beach they have. The valets are talkative and give fast service, and are always quick with a funny story, information, or a joke--a major plus in my book.

Most of the major Waikiki sights are within walking distance or a short taxi ride, if you are like us and short on time. The city bus picks up at the curb, for jaunts around town for just pennies. And it goes quite a distance out from town, with very easy routes to figure out. So, if you are out for a true delight to your senses and a delightful vacation spot, the Hilton has it all.

This is the place to go if you are on a tight budget and want to experience Hawaiian coconut syrup. What a great way to start a day--pancakes or waffles with strawberries and coconut syrup. The place is open 24 hours and stays busy all the time, so be prepared to wait in line at times for a seat, although wait times never seemed to be for more than a few minutes. Great waitstaff and fast service.

The Luau was picture perfect. We could not have asked for a better first time Luau. The food was great and plentiful; the before-show entertainment was a lot of fun and most relaxing. The beach was beautiful, almost like heaven. The drinks at the entrance were much better than the ones at the bar, so be sure to ask your server to fix them the same way. There are a couple of different seatings and prices--as far as we are concerned, the most expensive, in the Royal Box, is the way to go. The view from the box is much better than the floor seats, and the perks are better. We signed up for the tour with Hawaii Activities.com, and they did a great job of entertaining us on the bus out and back. If you plan on having any alcoholic beverages, then the bus is a great bonus--although be prepared for the singing on the way back. It was money well spent.

Although Don is getting up in age, it has in no way diminished his appeal to the crowd. We went for a dinner and show package that, although very nice, served food that was not that great. But I do have to say that Don more than made up for the not-so-good dinner. He put on a wonderful show that lasted a couple of hours, with a lot of his hits included. There was a very pretty hula dancer that joined him for a couple of songs, and several guests from the audience were called up, with quite a few of them being kids that had come to the show with family. It was a great way to spend an evening.

What a fantastic show. This was one great dinner and show combo that is a must to see. These young men have put together a variety show that is both funny and entertaining. If you go, get the dinner and show package that has the buffet at the hotel where they are performing--it has the best seats. And be sure and get there early enough so that you can get a good seat. The buffet is great, with enough variety to satisfy everyone.

While we were on this Fast Week in Hawaii, we took the oportunity to get married. And we could not have found a better or more beautiful place to do it.

Before we left for the trip we contacted, after searches on the internet, Affordable Weddings of Hawaii and the Dept. of Health. The folks at Affordable Weddings, were more than helpful and made everything seem effortless for us. They arranged everything, from the location that we picked out on down to the flowers.

We decided to have the ceremony at Diamond Head State Park and it was the perfect setting with the ocean in the foreground and Diamond Head in the back.

We went down to the Dept. of Health in person and with just $60 were able to get the marriage license in just a few minutes. We had been advised by Affordable Weddings that it was good idea to be there early in order to get out quickly, and it worked like a charm. We took the city bus to get all this done and sure enjoyed the jaunt around town.

Although we didn't think it was a problem when we read the directions that Affordable had printed out for us to get to the park and where to park the rental car we had, we soon found out that it was a small problem. We had to park up the hill from the park quite aways and walk back down to the park as there wasn't any parking allowed at the park itself. In hindsight we should have gone ahead and gotten the limo rather than the car.

The ceremony was beautiful and the minister very eloquent. The sun was shining and waves splashing against the break were added bonuses. The photographer was very professional and did a wonderful job of putting us at ease, and getting some great photo keepsakes.

Affordable Weddings of Hawaii is a family run business that is tops in our books. From the girls in the office, the minister, to the photographer they are all family, and a professional one at that. And they strive to give you the most perfect service for your dollar.

We had ordered our rings online from Isabel Jewelry in Kaneohe, and they delivered on time for us to pick up in person. The rings were exactly what we ordered and beautiful. The employees were a joy to deal with from beggining to end.

We would say that if you are planing on getting married sometime in the future, do it in Hawaii. Everything was exceptional.