Last Stop: Oahu

John said he wasn't going to go to Hawaii and miss seeing Pearl Harbor, so once we landed in Oahu, we went directly there. I recommend taking the boat ride from the museum and seeing the Arizona Memorial. The bright-white memorial set off the red, white, and blue flag that was whipping in the wind above, glowing from the sunlight coming in from behind. Looking down from the white memorial is the true Arizona, a looming shadow of brown and red beneath the waves. It is a time to be thankful.

This was our third island on our trip, so it was strange for us to see a real highway in Hawaii. We took the highway toward the North Shore.

We found our rental at Ke Iki Beach Bungalows at Sunset Beach. The waves were big, the sand was golden, and the breeze was warm. Somehow, we unwittingly ended up with the best unit, the Orchid. It is the only unit on stilts and offers the best view. The Orchid was not fancy, more like a cabin. It was clean and homey, though, and had a million-dollar view. There were never more than five or six people on the beach, so it felt like our own. Here, we watched sunsets, listened to the crashing waves, and made our own fireworks.

Haleiwa is a little surfer’s town near Ke Iki Bungalows. Along the beach there were a lot of surfers and some sea turtles just below the surface of the water and only a couple of yards out from the beach. It was fun to people-watch and wonder what these people do for a living. Shop the shops, eat Matsumoto Shaved Ice, and eat lunch at the bakery and dinner at Jameson’s. Nearby we watched a television crew shooting the show "Lost."

On our last day on Oahu, we drove back into town and went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. This bay was declared a protected marine life conservation area and underwater park in 1967. The color of the water here ranged from royal blue to seafoam green. There were hundreds of fish, and almost as many snorkelers!

I can’t believe I went to Oahu and never saw Waikiki Beach and didn’t hike up Diamond Head. But with the time we had there, I wouldn’t change a thing!!

Quick Tips:

Some local grocery stores offer discount cards meant for locals, but if you ask, they will give you one.

Best Way To Get Around:

To see the whole island, you will need to have a rental car.

Ke Iki Beach Bungalows are less than an hour north of Waikiki, on the north shore of Oahu. Don't expect luxurious accommodations here, but you can expect a million-dollar view on a 1.5-acre private beach!

This isn't the easiest place to find, so watch your detailed directions closely. You can get the directions from their website, www.keikibeach.com. This is in a residential neighborhood, so there are no big hotel signs here.

Once we arrived, our host, Greg, sent us on to our unit, the Orchid. We ended up in the nicest unit without even knowing we were getting it. The Orchid sits up on stilts, with the best view from the deck out front. The inside of the unit was nice and clean, and it had a pullout couch in the living area and a full kitchen with utensils and spices available if you want to cook. There are also charcoal grills and picnic tables just outside. It has full bath, a bedroom with a king-size bed, and a nice-size closet. It wasn't fancy, but felt like a real home away from home.

The atmosphere on this part of the island is total relaxation. We spent more time doing nothing here than at any other time during our vacation in Hawaii and loved it.

The beach is right outside the door, and there was never more than five or six people on it at one time while we were there in February. In the summer months, you can swim, snorkel, and sail. In the winter, the surf is very high, so we looked at it more than played in it!! If you want to play in it, there are beaches nearby. During the winter, Waimea Bay and the Banzai Pipeline are home to the largest surfable winter waves and mere minutes away.

The sunsets here are fantastic. We spent each evening in a lawn chair facing west and a bottle of wine in between us.

After a wonderful day cruising to the north shore in the Jeep Wrangler with the top down, watching the surfers at Shark’s Cove, checking in at Ke Iki Beach Bungalows, watching huge waves and the sunset and taking lots of pictures at Sunset Beach, we cruised into Haleiwa to have dinner at Jamieson’s by the Sea. We got a great table with a nighttime view of the marina lights (too dark to see the water!). Our waitress was great. She had great recommendations and great advice about what to do on the North Shore!! Jamieson’s has a nice gift shop with things like watercolor prints and sterling jewelry. They serve lunch Monday to Friday 11am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5pm, with a breakfast menu Saturday and Sunday till 12-noon. Dinner is served nightly from 5 to 9pm.

I had the chowder for starters, with a glass of white wine and the baked stuffed shrimp, which was butterfly shrimp baked with a mixture of bread crumbs, crabmeat, and cheese, topped with a Hollandaise sauce. It was very good! We shared our dinner with the cats that wandered nearby, obviously waiting for handouts!

Located in the North Shore Marketplace, Cholo's is a fun place to sit and have a good meal and a margarita. We sat outside in front of the restaurant for lunch. It was fun to watch the mama and baby chickens running around and a lazy cat lying on one of the restaurant's chairs, completely ignoring them.

This restaurant had the laid-back attitude of the North Shore. Bright colors and authentic Mexican art adorn the walls inside, and some is for sale. The food was very good and well priced for the generous serving. I had the spinach quesadillas and rice, and John had the fish tacos (only $6.75!) with fresh ahi from the area. Cholo's food is made from scratch, and the veggies were fresh. Margaritas are very good, made with fresh-squeezed lime juice.

If you're spending time in Haleiwa (lucky you), try out their food here. If you like great, authentic Mexican food, you'll like Cholo's!

We stayed three days on Oahu, with our main destination being Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor is a museum, a memorial, and an experience.

When you arrive and find a place to park, don't pack up your camera bag and purse. All bags must be left in the car or at your hotel. You may bring your camera in, though. There is an audio tour for the museum for a nominal fee. The audio tour helps to bring the museum to life and is the only fee you will need to pay, as the rest of your visit is free.

As you enter the museum, you will receive a ticket for the boat ride into the harbor to see the Arizona. When it is time for your group to go, you will be directed into a theater to watch a short movie about the attack on Pearl Harbor, then out a side door to the boat that will take you across the harbor. It is a striking image to see the stark white Arizona Memorial with the bright red, white, and blue flag whipping in the wind above it. The Arizona is just below the water, and the rusty red bulk is like a shadow in the dark water. There is a marble wall inside with the names of all those who were lost carved into it. You get about 10 minutes at the memorial, it is a quiet time of reverence. There you will find everything from detailed information about the attack to personal belongings and letters of a soldier who died that day. You can take as much time as you want in the museum, and next to it is a gift store with some good books and other neat items.

It is a powerful thing to see, and I wouldn't have missed it. I thought it would be a lot more emotional, but maybe my expectations were too high. I recommend that you take two or three hours to see this piece of American history.