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Hawaii recomendations


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35 minutes ago, Superhero said:

During pandemic, no one was renting cars, so rental car agencies sold their cars to cover expenses, e.g. rent, corporate type salaries, etc. Now that demand is coming back with a vengeance, there is a shortage of available cars. Low supply, high demand, yada yada.

Read the same thing.

The Wailea area of Maui is great for families/couples who want alone time. Big gentle beaches and calm winds. The Wailea Beach is magnificent at sunset. 

Maui Beach Sunset Wallpaper - WallpaperSafari

 

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we stayed at a small condo tower in Kihei.  very quiet.  nice big grass lawn before it dropped down to the beach.

the beach in front of the place wasn't big, but was well sheltered by some rocks, which made for some really good snorkeling.  we were walking distance to some good restaurants, the grocery store, and a city park with a skate park and whatnot where you could take surf lessons or just rent gear.  this was March, so lots of whale spotting, right from our balcony.  

pretty windy while we were there, so snorkeling had to happen in the morning before the chop got up and the water clarity deteriorated.  our trip to The Wild Side of Molokini turned into some fairly deep-water snorkeling out of the wind and waves.  kind of a letdown there, but we did get close to some whales on that  boat ride, and I saw a good-sized eel.

Maui is crowded.  driving sucked.  went over to the other side to checkout a surf point.  Mama's Fish House was a circus, even at 3pm.  fuck that.  

one of the best things for me was getting up early (still functioning on CST) and drinking my coffee on the top floor patio, watching meteors and satellites.  not West Texas dark, but a shitload less light pollution that Austin.

 

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9 hours ago, Superhero said:

Whaler's Village is a zoo during meal times, so modify your meal schedule a bit.

Looking at Google Maps, doesn't look like the Roya Lahaina has much in the way of kids' stuff. I'm assuming you already have reservations, but in case you can change it, look into the Westin Maui Resort & Spa. Our friends who stayed there said they have a pretty good kids area. The Westin is south of Whaler's Village.

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency just south of the Westin. It was nice, but it was lacking in kids' amenities with just a tiny play area and a small wade pool. The kids were 6 and 4 at the time so they didn't mind, but it was a HUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGEEEEEEE step down from Aulani. (I know, different island, but that's the gold standard IMO).

There should be a shuttle bus that goes to the "town" about 3 miles from Ka'anapali beach. It drops you off at a sad outlet mall, but you can walk to Front Street which has restaurants and other interesting shops. Keep going and there's a little marina where you can go for boat tours.

Ultimately, when going to Hawaii, put your mindset in chill mode, relax by the pool, play on the beach, drink cocktails with little umbrellas, and enjoy the beautiful sunsets. 

good tip on front street, thanks.  i'll have to find the shuttle.  

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On 4/27/2021 at 10:35 AM, gsoda3 said:

well most of the kids are mine.  sometimes i like them?  

 

we're staying at the royal lahaina, about a mile from the whalers village shopping center.  less crowded there supposedly.  any recs?

Lahaina has a cool little downtown with small shops and restaurants, that is a good way to kill an afternoon.  I would avoid the road to Hana, while gorgeous  it’s on the other side of the island and is a pain for even adults without kids, unless y’all are one of those “we hike all the time” families it’s probably not worth it.  Iao Valley State Park is near you and it’s a pretty cool Hawaii nature experience.  It will be super wet but it’s easy and from what I remember pretty family friendly.  Some good wineries on the winding road to the North of you (we’ve been to a few, nothing amazing but even a mediocre one in Hawaii is better than most in Texas) but you’re not allowed to drive on that road per most rental agreements (we did though).  Going South to the lava fields is cool if you’ve never seen those anywhere, but if you have they aren’t all that special but some really great beaches along the way if you want some different scenery.

Edited by TKthunder2
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26 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

Lahaina has a cool little downtown with small shops and restaurants, that is a good way to kill an afternoon.  I would avoid the road to Hana, while gorgeous  it’s on the other side of the island and is a pain for even adults without kids, unless y’all are one of those “we hike all the time” families it’s probably not worth it.  Iao Valley State Park is near you and it’s a pretty cool Hawaii nature experience.  It will be super wet but it’s easy and from what I remember pretty family friendly.  Some good wineries on the winding road to the North of you (we’ve been to a few, nothing amazing but even a mediocre one in Hawaii is better than most in Texas) but you’re not allowed to drive on that road per most rental agreements (we did though).  Going South to the lava fields is cool if you’ve never seen those anywhere, but if you have they aren’t all that special but some really great beaches along the way if you want some different scenery.

thanks for the input.  we are definitely not one of those hike all the time families.  there's a pretty strong desire from my in-laws to do the road to hana and i actually am pretty interested in the red and black sand beaches.  maybe we'll skip some of the longer hikes to see the waterfalls.  was there a lot of traffic on the road to hana?  i hear the drive can get pretty irritating since the traffic isn't flowing.  are the wineries good places for the kids to expend energy?  

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1 minute ago, gsoda3 said:

thanks for the input.  we are definitely not one of those hike all the time families.  there's a pretty strong desire from my in-laws to do the road to hana and i actually am pretty interested in the red and black sand beaches.  maybe we'll skip some of the longer hikes to see the waterfalls.  was there a lot of traffic on the road to hana?  i hear the drive can get pretty irritating since the traffic isn't flowing.  are the wineries good places for the kids to expend energy?  

The road to Hana is one of those things I’m glad we did but I’ll never do again.  As the road weaves back and forth there are waterfalls, road side fruit stands, coastal overlooks, etc and it would be an awesome experience if it wasn’t for other people.   You get behind an slow driver and in a train of cars it basically ruins the experience.  Give yourself a full tank of gas and a ton of spare time, bring snacks and just make it a full day activity.  It truly is one of those times it’s the journey not the destination activities because Hana isn’t all that great.  If you like to hike the seven sacred pools are great, we don’t really hike and weren’t really ready for it so it kicked our asses.  If you do the pools drive a little further south you can go visit Charles Lindbergh‘s gravesite but you’re not allowed to go any further South of that (again due to rental car agreements).

Some of the wineries has big open areas for the kids to play and they had activities for them, but we didn’t bring our kids to Maui so i didn’t pay a ton of attention, I’m sure trip advisor will have more info that isn’t me guessing from my half drunk memories.

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  • 4 weeks later...

We are going to the Big Island next weekend. I booked my rental car months ago using my corporate rate. Now I’m worried that it isn’t going to be honored. If not we will be screwed as we have to have a car given that we are staying in different spots all over the island.

Plus the need to take a covid test and risk failing is really hindering my anticipation of the trip. Could be awesome. Could be a shit show.

Assuming we make it there any tips? Was the night manta ray swim worth it? We are taking our 3 teenagers.

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2 hours ago, HookEm said:

We are going to the Big Island next weekend. I booked my rental car months ago using my corporate rate. Now I’m worried that it isn’t going to be honored. If not we will be screwed as we have to have a car given that we are staying in different spots all over the island.

Plus the need to take a covid test and risk failing is really hindering my anticipation of the trip. Could be awesome. Could be a shit show.

Assuming we make it there any tips? Was the night manta ray swim worth it? We are taking our 3 teenagers.

I did Walgreen's Rapid test about 71 hours before my flight home to Hawaii from a trip. It was easy to sign up for the drive through test and I got the results in a few hours. Easy to upload the PDF result to the Hawaii Safe Travels portal. What's nice about the Walgreens rapid test is you'll know a couple days before your trip if you failed it and can reschedule accordingly. 

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2 hours ago, HookEm said:

We are going to the Big Island next weekend. I booked my rental car months ago using my corporate rate. Now I’m worried that it isn’t going to be honored. If not we will be screwed as we have to have a car given that we are staying in different spots all over the island.

Plus the need to take a covid test and risk failing is really hindering my anticipation of the trip. Could be awesome. Could be a shit show.

Assuming we make it there any tips? Was the night manta ray swim worth it? We are taking our 3 teenagers.

Yes

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16 hours ago, HookEm said:

We are going to the Big Island next weekend. I booked my rental car months ago using my corporate rate. Now I’m worried that it isn’t going to be honored. If not we will be screwed as we have to have a car given that we are staying in different spots all over the island.

Plus the need to take a covid test and risk failing is really hindering my anticipation of the trip. Could be awesome. Could be a shit show.

Assuming we make it there any tips? Was the night manta ray swim worth it? We are taking our 3 teenagers.

Never done the manta ray swim.

We did a two tank dive out of Kona (which was badass) and hit up the brewery after.  We also did the helicopter tour out of Hilo which was impressive and obviously Volcano National Park.  Rented a car and went looking for the green sand beach and the statue of Captain Cook but found neither.  Other than a breakfast diner-ty place North of Kona the food was pretty un-memorable.

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Funny I was joking with a buddy yesterday that I figured out a cheap way to see Hawaii.  Simply have some inflatable furniture, towels and a good cooler ordered for Pickup at the big island Walmart, and then go rent a 15 foot U-Haul truck for $39.95 a day + $1.19 a mile.  If I was a young buck with a couple crazy buddies I could make that work.  I spend 80% of my time in or on the water at the beach anyhow.  Only reason I thought about it was the folks renting U-hauls in Hawaii because there were no rental cars available. Ahh... to be young again.

 

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Just got back from the Big Island. Did the Walgreens test, got it back in a couple hours, no big deal.  They also tested us when we landed, not sure if that was optional or not.  Try to sit at the front of the plane. They have about 5 stations processing you for SafeTravels when you get off, we got through quick but I heard people complaining about the wait. 
 

 We added a couple of days last minute and had to upgrade to a convertable for $40/day but other than that no problem with rental car. 
 

Da Poke Shack was the best place we ate. Great poke, ahi burgers and Lau Lau.  Go early because they run out. We did a Dolphin Swim plus snorkeling at Haleakala Bay. It was very good.  We heard good things about the Manta Ray swim.  Two Step Beach had good snorkeling from the shore.  I found Kilauea cool, kids (7&9) and wife were underwhelmed.  We liked the beach just north of the Airport across from the cemetery best for beach days (non-snorkeling). Hilo side was unimpressive.  The island is big and it takes longer than you think to get everywhere. Overall it doesn’t feel as nice/upscale as Maui. 

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2 hours ago, Jatrain said:

Just got back from the Big Island. Did the Walgreens test, got it back in a couple hours, no big deal.  They also tested us when we landed, not sure if that was optional or not.  Try to sit at the front of the plane. They have about 5 stations processing you for SafeTravels when you get off, we got through quick but I heard people complaining about the wait. 
 

 We added a couple of days last minute and had to upgrade to a convertable for $40/day but other than that no problem with rental car. 
 

Da Poke Shack was the best place we ate. Great poke, ahi burgers and Lau Lau.  Go early because they run out. We did a Dolphin Swim plus snorkeling at Haleakala Bay. It was very good.  We heard good things about the Manta Ray swim.  Two Step Beach had good snorkeling from the shore.  I found Kilauea cool, kids (7&9) and wife were underwhelmed.  We liked the beach just north of the Airport across from the cemetery best for beach days (non-snorkeling). Hilo side was unimpressive.  The island is big and it takes longer than you think to get everywhere. Overall it doesn’t feel as nice/upscale as Maui. 

You do Volcanoes National Park?

 

We’re going in July. Nervous about our rental car reservation. We’re staying in Kona but going to drive to Hilo for one night and stay at the Volcano House in the park.

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  • 3 weeks later...
3 hours ago, Longhorn94 said:

Any recs for food, hikes, etc. on Oahu? We leave next Tuesday!

 

 

There’s a cool pill box hike in Lanakai. It’s an amazing view that overlooks the beach when you get to the top of the pillboxes. It’s very short, will probably only take about 30 mins to an hour. My family likes to get up and do the pillboxes about 8 in the morning before it gets crowded. You’ll get hot and sweaty then hike down to  the beach and jump in the water.

 

I think hiking diamond head is overrated but you may consider doing it if you aren’t going back for awhile. 
 

some people think snorkeling at Hanauma bay is overrated but I always enjoy it. I could spend hours floating around out there.

 

I don’t know where you’re staying in Oahu but I recommend not spending much time on your hotel beach. Drive around and find a bunch of prettier beaches like Lanakai, Kailua, multiple beaches on the north shore, Holona (sp?) cove, etc. Waikiki is crowded and eroding away. Ko Olina is good for little kids but otherwise pretty boring (no snorkeling, no surf, no views).

 

A few of our usual restaurants were shut down when we were there in March due to COVID fear. Not sure what’s open now.

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On 6/10/2021 at 8:20 AM, Longhorn94 said:

Any recs for food, hikes, etc. on Oahu? We leave next Tuesday!

 

 

I hike once or twice a week. My favorite hike Honolulu side is Wiliwilinui (https://www.alltrails.com/trail/hawaii/oahu/wiliwilinui-ridge-trail?u=i). Amazing views of both sides of the Island. About 2.5 hours roundtrip and easy to moderate difficulty. 

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We went to the KCC (Kapi'Olani Community College) Farmer's Market on Saturday. It was a good place to try local foods, drinks and snacks. We spent a few hours there buying food, eating under a tree, and going back for something else.

KCC is about 10 minutes away from Waikiki Beach.

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  • 1 month later...

Just got back from oahu. First trip to hawaii.
Did all the tourist shit with the kids.
Stayed at hilton Hawaiian villave on waikiki was really crowded. Rented a jeep theu turo which was easy.
Diamond head, catamaran, shark cage, swam with dolphins, punch bowl, pearl harbor, snorkeled sharks cove, kualoa ranch atv tour, heli tour.
Was a hell of a trip. Loved it all.
Direct from austin via Hawaiian airlines was prett good.
Covid/ mask regulations pretty heavy still.
Would recommend to anyone

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1 hour ago, williemackgarza said:

Just got back from oahu. First trip to hawaii.
Did all the tourist shit with the kids.
Stayed at hilton Hawaiian villave on waikiki was really crowded. Rented a jeep theu turo which was easy.
Diamond head, catamaran, shark cage, swam with dolphins, punch bowl, pearl harbor, snorkeled sharks cove, kualoa ranch atv tour, heli tour.
Was a hell of a trip. Loved it all.
Direct from austin via Hawaiian airlines was prett good.
Covid/ mask regulations pretty heavy still.
Would recommend to anyone

Jeez, you really pretty much did do it all. You hit up Lanikai of Kailua? Those are my favorite beaches on the island.

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  • 4 months later...

Friends, Romans and Surlyites, lend me your expertise.

 

SO and I are going to Oahu December 29 through Jan. 4. Already have MIghty Mo and Arizona tours lined up.  

But, we don't like to eat with the tourists.

Any recommendations on good foodie spots inhabited by the locals? Seafood, Asian, fresh ingredients. We will have a rental car so travel is not a problem.

Thank you Gentlemen (and possibly Ladies).

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3 hours ago, Lidig8r said:

Friends, Romans and Surlyites, lend me your expertise.

 

SO and I are going to Oahu December 29 through Jan. 4. Already have MIghty Mo and Arizona tours lined up.  

But, we don't like to eat with the tourists.

Any recommendations on good foodie spots inhabited by the locals? Seafood, Asian, fresh ingredients. We will have a rental car so travel is not a problem.

Thank you Gentlemen (and possibly Ladies).

Oahu is one of the only places that I can think of where I'd rather be around the tourists than the locals. 

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1 hour ago, Gil Bang said:

Oahu is one of the only places that I can think of where I'd rather be around the tourists than the locals. 

Pretty much this. That island doesn’t have many off the beaten path types of spots.  Food trucks/shacks are about the only primarily local places you’ll eat and they also get tourist business, just not as much as those near the hotels/attractions.

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1 hour ago, TKthunder2 said:

Pretty much this. That island doesn’t have many off the beaten path types of spots.  Food trucks/shacks are about the only primarily local places you’ll eat and they also get tourist business, just not as much as those near the hotels/attractions.

Well... fuck a big old hairy duck. Thanks for the head's up Fellas.

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12 hours ago, Lidig8r said:

Friends, Romans and Surlyites, lend me your expertise.

 

SO and I are going to Oahu December 29 through Jan. 4. Already have MIghty Mo and Arizona tours lined up.  

But, we don't like to eat with the tourists.

Any recommendations on good foodie spots inhabited by the locals? Seafood, Asian, fresh ingredients. We will have a rental car so travel is not a problem.

Thank you Gentlemen (and possibly Ladies).

Honolulu has a big Chinatown area.  We spent a Christmas day there and had a gastronomical feast.  Nobody acted like they spoke English, but we just pointed at pictures on the menu in the restaurants or at food being prepared in the open-air markets.  It was one of the highlights of our trip. 

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7 hours ago, DalTxHornFan said:

Honolulu has a big Chinatown area.  We spent a Christmas day there and had a gastronomical feast.  Nobody acted like they spoke English, but we just pointed at pictures on the menu in the restaurants or at food being prepared in the open-air markets.  It was one of the highlights of our trip. 

I found that the food in Hawaii was generally mediocre, but I had some good cheap meals in some of the divier parts of Honolulu. Three places I remember are Yama’s Fish Market, Palace Saimin and Ethel’s Grill. Ethel’s was a Bourdain place I think.

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On 12/25/2021 at 1:47 PM, Lidig8r said:

Friends, Romans and Surlyites, lend me your expertise.

 

SO and I are going to Oahu December 29 through Jan. 4. Already have MIghty Mo and Arizona tours lined up.  

But, we don't like to eat with the tourists.

Any recommendations on good foodie spots inhabited by the locals? Seafood, Asian, fresh ingredients. We will have a rental car so travel is not a problem.

Thank you Gentlemen (and possibly Ladies).

If you go to Kailua, Oneawa Market has great bbq plates. One of my sisters (a 20-year local) lives 2 minutes from there and they go there at least once a week.  
 

My other sister likes Buzz’s Steakhouse; however, I’ve never been. It may be touristy. 
 

When I’m in Kailua, I go for a sunrise swim at Lanakai beach or hike to the pillboxes every day. Regardless of the activity, I hit up Kalapawai Market for a breakfast sandwich afterwards. 
 

Although it may appear touristy, Haleiwa Joe’s in Kaneohe has a great prime rib. They don’t take reservations, so get there early. 

Edited by HornPhD
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On 12/27/2021 at 9:18 AM, Billy Pilgrim said:

There’s a good Korean bbq/Kalbi beef truck on the North Shore. It’s near Giovanni’s shrimp truck which attracts a lot of tourists but the Korean bbq truck itself doesn’t have a lot of tourists. I can’t remember the name but it’s in the same vacinity as Giovanni’s.

The North Shore food trucks are legit. 

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On 12/27/2021 at 12:01 PM, DalTxHornFan said:

And I don't care about being around tourists, or not, but the calamari at Duke's (any location) is the best we've ever had.  Pair that with a couple of Lava Flows and you are en route to a great evening.

Duke’s is ultra-touristy but you have to do it. Good people watching in the restaurant and on the beach. I’ve seen a few celebrities (pro athletes) in there before.

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2 hours ago, HornPhD said:

If you go to Kailua, Oneawa Market has great bbq plates. One of my sisters (a 20-year local) lives 2 minutes from there and they go there at least once a week.  
 

My other sister likes Buzz’s Steakhouse; however, I’ve never been. It may be touristy. 
 

When I’m in Kailua, I go for a sunrise swim at Lanakai beach or hike to the pillboxes every day. Regardless of the activity, I hit up Kalapawai Market for a breakfast sandwich afterwards. 
 

Although it may appear touristy, Haleiwa Joe’s in Kaneohe has a great prime rib. They don’t take reservations, so get there early. 

Damn I love Kailua. It’s been about 5 yrs but ate at buzz’s, it was ok to good from what I barely remember. There’s a local brewery in town there too that’s solid.

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4 minutes ago, bluto said:

Damn I love Kailua. It’s been about 5 yrs but ate at buzz’s, it was ok to good from what I barely remember. There’s a local brewery in town there too that’s solid.

There are a few breweries in town; however, I have not been to any of them during my visits (something I will will change next time). I have been to Creekside on numerous occasions. 

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Booked today for 6 nights/7 days late Feb early March. Staying at the ritz in Waikiki. Can cancel a few nights and do other shit. Planning on hitting all the touristy things in 2 or 3 days then go into wandering mode. 

Will be with pregnant wife (early, still moving around fine) And no kids. 

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Doing the extended Kalalau (22+Day hikes into the valley) mid Jan if it doesn’t get rained out. Probably won’t risk the Honopu Beach swim due to the winter water, but would love to give it a try (or kayak there) someday.

Any good post hike recs for a no kids trip? Remaining time will be split between Hanalei and the south shore.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 2 months later...

Am in Hawaii for a few more hours.  Will make the lighthouse hike later.  Hawaiian Airlines from Austin is the bomb, for the food alone.  Fed us a. hot meal, b. two good snacks, and c. sandwich meal in the last half-hour before landing.  All in the span of 8 hours! 

 

Wish I could say the same for American.  Am flying back with 2 snacks from HNL to DFW, and then one more snack I guess from DFW to AUS.  

 

Btw, is seat guru accurate?  If so, I am getting a few extra inches legroom on the way to DFW. 

 

 

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On 4/18/2022 at 10:36 PM, TexasEd said:

Going to Oahu in July. Taking Hawaiian directly from Austin. Staying in a cottage on the Marine Corp base (nephew hooked us up). May get a vrbo for two days somewhere. 

Hey how did your nephew get that sweet deal?  I called all of the military bases, because I was visiting my Navy son here, and they all said the same thing, that because of the war games(RIMPAC) there were no vacancies.  

 

Let us know how good that MC cottage is. 

 

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2 hours ago, JGrayDBU said:

Am in Hawaii for a few more hours.  Will make the lighthouse hike later.  Hawaiian Airlines from Austin is the bomb, for the food alone.  Fed us a. hot meal, b. two good snacks, and c. sandwich meal in the last half-hour before landing.  All in the span of 8 hours! 

 

Wish I could say the same for American.  Am flying back with 2 snacks from HNL to DFW, and then one more snack I guess from DFW to AUS.  

 

Btw, is seat guru accurate?  If so, I am getting a few extra inches legroom on the way to DFW. 

 

 

Bellows beach next to the Air Force base, near the lighthouse hike, is a good beach for body surfing. My favorite beach in Oahu is Lanikai.

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23 hours ago, JGrayDBU said:

Hey how did your nephew get that sweet deal?  I called all of the military bases, because I was visiting my Navy son here, and they all said the same thing, that because of the war games(RIMPAC) there were no vacancies.  

 

Let us know how good that MC cottage is. 

 

We booked a long time ago. RIMPAC recently took up any vacancies 

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