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Long-Overdue Honeymoon in Oahu, Hawaii

A June 2005 trip to Oahu by chih

I know you're probably thinking, "Oh, how cliché - Hawaii for your honeymoon? And Oahu of all islands - couldn't you have been a little more original?!" Perhaps, but it was something I had to experience.

  • 8 reviews
  • 1 story/tip

Long-Overdue Honeymoon in Oahu, HawaiiBest of IgoUgo

Overview

Eat well in Hawaii, especially if you're doing fish/seafood. Do Pearl Harbor, but get there EARLY (like 7am). The line for the entrance goes around the block, and you never know when you'll get in or even if you'll get in. On the day we went, the first guy in the line got there at 6am because he didn't get in the day before after waiting for hours - ouch! Also, visit Chinatown and see the fresh-food market, snack on some old-fashioned, freshly made, and savory flat noodles ("fun"), and feast on some great dim sum!

Quick Tips:

Most of the fish is fresh in Hawaii, but the seafood items (i.e., shrimp, scallops, crabs, etc) are usually flown in from the mainland - such items are not native to the surrounding waters of Hawaii.

Best Way To Get Around:

Go by car, but I personally did not rent one. I was local for most of the time in Waikiki. When I ventured out of the comfort zone of Waikiki, I either took the bus (if you're not the really patient type, don't even bother) or a cab (which was ridiculously expensive).

Hilton Hawaiian VillageBest of IgoUgo

Hotel

We got a corner room on the top floor of the Tapa Tower facing the ocean/coastline. It was breathtaking! The room was bigger than my NYC apartment - how sad is that!! The ceiling was 12 feet, and we had a flat-screen panel TV (my husband was in heaven!). For those who may be interested, there is no fitness center in this tower, but there was a decent one in a neighboring tower, which cost $12 for non-status guest and $9 for silver Hilton members, and was free, I think, for gold/platinum members. But I would personally recommend skipping the gym and running on the beach! In general, the Hilton Hawaiian Village was truly a village, as it had everything: shops, convenient stores, museum, restaurants, bars, pools, access to beach, and an excellent spa.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by chih on June 29, 2005

Hilton Hawaiian Village
2005 Kalia Rd. Honolulu 96815
(808) 949-4321

La MerBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Fabulous! It was very accommodating and had a polite staff. They knew it was our honeymoon (thanks to the AMEX travel agent who told them so) and gave us a lovely table facing the sea. The decor was romantic yet quaint. The food was fresh, beautifully presented, and most importantly, delicious. I was stuffed and did not have room for dessert, but they brought us one anyway, with a lit candle, to celebrate our recent nuptials.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by chih on June 29, 2005

La Mer
2199 Kalia Rd. Oahu, Hawaii 96815-1988
808/923-2311

Alan Wong'sBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

They serve absolutely delicious Hawaiian food! Before I go into the food, I have to tell you how surprised we were to see our names on the menu. The restaurant knew it was our honeymoon, and they printed our names on the menu that day (the menu changes daily) with a "congratulations" and the entire staff's signatures. After dinner, they rolled up the menu and gave it to us as a souvenir.

Now for the food - I had the vegetarian six-course menu, while my husband had the five-course tasting menu (he added a salad to match my six courses).

  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by chih on June 29, 2005

Alan Wong's
1857 S. King St., 3rd Floor Oahu, Hawaii 96826
(808) 949-2526

Mei Sum Chinese Dim Sum RestaurantBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

We stumbled upon this as we aimlessly meandered our way around Chinatown. The food was typical dim sum fare, but fresh to the taste and really hit the spot!
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by chih on June 29, 2005

Mei Sum Chinese Dim Sum Restaurant
65 N. Pauahi St. Oahu, Hawaii 96817-5176
(808) 531-3268

Hau Tree LanaiBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

It was probably my most relaxing meal when I think back on it. We went there for a late breakfast the day after Father's Day. We were seated right by the beach (it was literally right there!), nicely sheltered by a giant banyan tree. I think it was the tree that gave me a calming effect. I had French toast with varying dashes of coconut and maple syrup. I guess I must have had high expectations before the meal, as I was pretty disappointed with the French toast - why did I expect to have great French toast in Hawaii? Beats me - it was probably too much sun from the previous days.

My husband had the breakfast special, which included poi (taro) mini pancakes, sweet sausage (which he did not like), eggs, and fresh fruit. The poi cakes where delicious, especially with my coconut and maple syrup.

  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by chih on June 29, 2005

Hau Tree Lanai
2863 Kalakuau Ave. Oahu, Hawaii 96815
(808) 921-7066

USS Arizona MemorialBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

It can be quite solemn and intense. The tour guide (a good one like the one we had) will give you the short yet comprehensive story behind the incident at Pearl Harbor. You start to wonder what it would have been like to be there that fateful and unfortunate day. It was a little unnerving to be standing on the USS Arizona Memorial when the actual sunken battleship was right beneath us, oil still leaking from it.
  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by chih on June 29, 2005

USS Arizona Memorial
1 Arizona Memorial Place Honolulu, Hawaii 96818
(808) 422-0561

Battleship Missouri MemorialBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "USS Missouri "

I'm not sure why we did this tour - probably because it came with the tour of the USS Arizona Memorial. All in all, it was fine, as it was pretty cool to be on a real battleship and hear how things operate as our tour guide took us through it.
  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by chih on June 29, 2005

Battleship Missouri Memorial
Pearl Harbor Oahu, Hawaii
(808) 973-2494

All I had expectedBest of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

If you've read the other entries related to this journal, you may have noticed that it's all been dining and lodging related... well, you need to understand that that's all I wanted to do for my honeymoon - eat, beach, and sleep well.

I love eating well, so all the dining entries should not go as a surprise. However, I also love exploring and making tracks where ever I go - so why not this time?!

1) My husband was with me - he's not much of a walker/sightseer
2) For once, I wanted to experience the art of doing nothing in a "foreign" environment, especially one as relaxing as Hawaii.

So, for those of you looking for some amazingly insightful and exotic words that disclose some of Hawaii's hidden secrets, here are unlikely, yet obvious, ones: be there, do nothing - and don't feel guilty about it.

About the Writer

chih
chih
NYC, New York

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