Banai Pipeline Lee and I have spent several weekends (both long and short) over the summer visiting friends and family.  Each one of them has been super fun.  But we decided a few weeks ago that we wanted to take a few days to explore a new place, just the two of us.  We opted for Oahu.  Thanks to great tips from friends who have lived on the island, we had a really great time.

We debated for quite awhile At the Puka between staying at a recommended hotel at the base of Diamond Head or on the north shore.  But our friends tipped the scale to the hotel in town and it was just perfect for our first trip to Oahu.  We stayed at the Lotus and loved it.  The service was fabulous and although it was a 15 minute walk into Waikiki, it didn't feel crowded and we were able to avoid the congestion of downtown.

Arriving at the Puka We arrived on a Tuesday night and had four full days before having to return to real life.  The first day we were there was a great one.  We got up early (thanks to the time change) and were hiking before 9am.  The hike is called the Pali Puka and starts from the Pali Lookout.  My coworker recommended it and we loved it.  At times the trail was quite narrow with a steep drop off the side.  Not one you'd do in the mud or wet weather.  But the destination (maybe a mile or so up) is a hole in an arch with beautiful views of the island and the ocean.  I'd highly recommended it to the adventurous.    Waiola Shave Ice From there we headed to Waiola Shave Ice.  Our good friend Adrian made the bold statement that it is the best shave ice on the island, so we had to try it.   Three bites in we knew he was right.   We finished our first cup and I bought a second.   I then planned every day around getting to Waiola's for a shave ice.   Probably the best part of staying in Honolulu was having access to that perfection.  Nothing will ever come close to the standard set by Waiolas!

On the Bowfin Sub at Pearl Harbor We were able to get tickets to visit Pearl Harbor on the Wednesday afternoon.  We spent close to four hours there and were really impressed with it.  The narrated tour was really informative and we were touched by the things we saw and heard.  Sunset at the Spitting Caves We concluded our time there with visiting the Bowfin submarine - which was pretty cool.   We were the last ones there and one of the little Chinese ladies working there grabbed our camera and moved us quickly from one place to the next snapping pictures of the two of us together.   Most of them are crooked and a little funny, but we have more pictures together because of it.  She cracked us up.    From Pearl Harbor we headed to the Spitting Caves in Hawaii Kai area for sunset.  The views were beautiful and the "spitting cave" was really cool.  Another great recommendation from Adrian!  Followed by an amazing dinner at 12th Ave. Grill.  It was a pretty perfect day!

Waimea Beach Thursday morning I went for a trot before we headed up to the north shore.  I am NOT used to the heat and the humidity and am convinced you must REALLY have to enjoy running to want to go out in those conditions.   The weather that day wasn't all that great.  It was cloudy and spit rain here and there.  But we still enjoyed ourselves.  We stopped at the Dole Plantation for the recommended "Dole Whip" cones (which we now would also recommend) on our way north.  Our first (and only) luau We stopped at "Lani's" beach in hopes of catching the honu basking in the sun -- but no such luck.  We spent an hour of two chilling on the beach watching them play and feed in the water, but they never got any closer.   We concluded our afternoon at Waimea Bay.  That place was gorgeous.  We had never been to a beach with such a steep drop and playing in the water there was a lot of fun.  I wish we would have had more time at Waimea.  But since we popped for luau tickets at the Polynesian Cultural Center, we had to cut it short.   The luau and the show were worth doing though.  The luau is pretty authentic (so we've heard) and it was pretty darn tasty too.  We hadn't had lunch that day Dragon's Nostrils and we stuffed ourselves full of kahlua pork, fresh pineapple and everything else delicious.  We also enjoyed the "Ha - Breath of Life" show.  Hard to believe it's a production put on by college students - especially since they play with live fire!

 Friday was our day on the eastern side.  We started by hiking to the Makapu'u Tide Pools.  They weren't as cool as the ones in Hilo on the big island (I don't know how anything could be), but they were still fun.  You can swim in them and snorkel with the fish.  We also were entertained by the Dragon Nostrils (a pair of blowholes that make it seem like a dragon inhaling a hiss of air and then exhaling steam).  We enjoyed the stop.  First Bite of Teddy's Bigger Burgers By then it was time for lunch and we were HUNGRY.  We drove back to Hawaii Kai and ate at yet another recommended restaurant - Teddy's Bigger Burgers.   Oh man, were they delicious and oh so very messy.  We were full for HOURS.  I wish we had a Teddy's in California.  We then tried another recommended shave ice place (Kokonuts) but it paled in comparison to Waiolas! Post lunch we chilled out on Lanikai beach -- an absolutely beautiful beach on the east shore outside of Kailua.  Lanikai Beach We loved it.   We caught sunset from the beach at our hotel -- it was pretty breathtaking with all the sailboats out on the water.   What a pretty place Oahu is!  After dinner (which wasn't a place we are raving about) we walked into Waikiki and enjoyed the cooler temperatures and watching all the shoppers.  It was a fun night.

The Punchbowl Saturday was our last full day.  We started it with Hawaiian doughnuts from Leonard's Bakery.  They are a cross between a doughnut and a beignet.  They were good, but not quite as good as a Paris beignet...   From there we went to the Punchbowl - the national memorial/cemetery for those who died fighting in the Pacific during WWII, the Korean and Vietnam wars.   It was another beautiful, informative and sobering stop.  I'm glad we prioritized going.  We then had to go back to Honolulu for Waiola shave ice before driving up to the north shore for one last day at the beach.   Fish at Sharks Cove We knew parking at Waimea on a Saturday would be impossible so we decided to go off the beaten track a little.  We made camp at Three Tables Beach where we were able to snorkel quite a bit, eat a very tasty lunch at the Papukea Grill Food Truck and then walk over to Sharks Cove.  Sharks Cove is one of the top snorkeling spots on Oahu.  We could see why.  It was shallow and easy for families and the water is calmer given that it's protected by reefs.   It wasn't St. John snorkeling by any means, but it was still pretty fun and we got to see new fish!   We concluded our day by spending the last couple of hours of daylight at Banzai Pipeline beach.   That beach is beautiful!  The sunset was gorgeous and made even better by watching it from the water.  The waves were super fun to body surf and I felt like a kid again.  It was a highlight.  Once it was dark it was time to head back to Honolulu for yet another Waiola shave ice (thank goodness they recently opened a store that is open until 8:30pm!) before going back to the hotel to clean up and pack.   Banzai Pipeline Since places stop serving food relatively early in Oahu, options can be somewhat limited.  But we walked into town to Tikki's where there was live music and pretty decent bar food. 

Sunday morning we didn't have time for much.  We went to an hour of church before (yes you guessed it) one final stop at Waiolas.  It's never too early for shave ice!  We cut it somewhat close as we went from the car rental to security to boarding the plane... Worth it though for one more Waiolas!  We had a great few days and would love to go back again!

We took lots of pictures but we haven't had the chance to process and post them yet.  Hopefully within the next month.  I can report that I finally finished the pictures from our two days in Cesky Krumlov in April.  Those are here.