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New Years Eve in Hawaii, what a great place to be! I had such a great time. Ok the weather was a bit here and there, but nothing that a bottle of Moet can’t fix.
 My suitcase weighed more going over than coming back. 75 kgs going out and about 40 coming back. I was going to Hawaii for almost 2 weeks so I had to be well prepared. So I averaged 1 bottle of champagne per night. So that makes it 14 right? Ok so we brought out 16 bottles, we tucked away 6 bottles each amongst our clothes and bought 4 more at the airport. I know it sounds crazy, but I wanted to make sure it was going to be a trip to remember.
We arrived on a wet rainy morning but by the time I got to the hotel and unpacked my bags, the sun was out. How quickly did I get out the bikini and run down to the beach?
I stayed in the same hotel as last year, The Pacific Beach. Great location, great views, clean, spacious, what more can you ask for right? I even had a 24-hour gym downstairs. Don’t laugh but I actually became a member and was there every day. Usually after I ate a triple cheeseburger so I would feel a bit better.
In Hawaii the fast food seems to be the only way to go. I mean every where you turn there is a Burger King, McDonalds, Jack in the Box, Cheeseburger Factory, Taco Bell, it was ridiculous.
There is a fantastic Italian restaurant, “Arancino’s”, under the Marriott Hotel, a block from where we were staying, which I spent a few nights. The last few years I have been to Hawaii, this is the first port of call, as I know the food is close to “authentic”. However I found another Italian restaurant which opened 3 months ago. The whole of Lewers St has re-opened, with a strip of up market restaurants and the new Embassy Suites opening as well. This new Italian restaurant is called “Taormina, the Sicilian”. Which is actually quite ironic, because I stayed in Taormina when I went to Italy last July and the food is as authentic as the real thing. So thumbs up for this place. Down the road you will find this really posh French steakhouse, that serve top French champagne as well.
 If you want a close-to-proper coffee, you will have to go to Starbucks. When I asked for skim milk they looked at me like I was an alien. But then when I looked around and saw all the obese Americans, I sort of knew why. But the coffee there was passable and not as bad as the dirty water you get given at other local shops.
On the weekend we hired a car and drove down to Waikele factory outlets and managed to pick up some great bargains, as it was summer clothes on special as we were there in their winter. Anything from Ralph, Gucci, Puma, Barneys, you name it. I also managed to find a new shop that I instantly feel in love with……. Godiva chocolates. Yummy! Ok it was a tad expensive, I mean 1 coconut macaroon and 1 crème brulee chocolate button, cost me $16USD. What was that all about?
Later that night, it was actually New Years Eve, so we booked ourselves on a cruise to be as close to the fireworks as possible. I thought $200USD per person was a bit steep for a baby lobster, piece of steak and mashed potatoes, accompanied by a bottle of $12 champagne that tasted like vinegar. But I soon found out that ordering cocktails was the way to go!!!! They obviously don’t have good taste in champagne!!!
So the rest of the time I was there, just lazed around, tried to get as much sun as possible in between the light sprinkles of rain, I ate, drank and relaxed, ate, drank, relaxed, ate, drank and relaxed…….. get the picture????? It was a lovely break!!!!
However I am going to say that one thing bugged me……… The service of Hawaiian Airlines. They have gone downhill so fast, that they have left a bad taste in my mouth. I wont be flying with them anymore. Here are some issues I encountered:
- Boarded the flight, was delayed.
- No trolley service with refreshments, not even water but were offered dinner 2 hours into the flight.
- Were advised that there were only 15 digi players on the flight, so entertainment was a problem. The general tv's only played 1 hour into the flight, then between the 1st and 2nd movie, the tv would be turned off. There are no other shows or documentaries in between or even a flight path of the journey.
-The staff in general were not happy to work for Hawaiian Airlines they obviously didn’t enjoy their jobs. Everything was a problem. To ask for water the 2nd time, I got scared, I had to get my partner to ask.
 - Coming home to Sydney, the meal was a sandwich with chips. It came with mayonnaise and mustard, but no cutlery to spread it with. I was so hungry I asked if there was any fruit or muesli bars or crackers anything, and the lady replied: "there will be a snack coming soon" I waited 1.5 hours and we got chocolate fudge ice-cream. That was our meals.
I have to say, after paying top dollar over peak season and then being fed "junk food" was the worst experience in a very very long time.
-Departure from Honolulu was also delayed, but by 1.5 hours. The main reason is always that there are only 2 service counters doing the check-in, doesn’t matter what time you get to the airport, they always have the same re-occurring problem.
-The seats in front of me were falling apart - I could put my finger through the material in front of me and poke the passenger in front of me. The table tray didn’t even stay up.
-The toilets coming back were disgusting. They were dirty, basin and floor. There was no soap left mid flight, that we had to tell the staff about it - they weren't keeping an eye out for it.
-In our plastic bags with our headsets, we had a flyer about claiming "free chocolates" from "Hilo Hatte" but last time I checked that shop was in Hawaii, not Sydney.
I came back to Sydney and opened my suitcase and laughed when I saw that I only came back with 1 bottle. That’s all I had left out of 16.
Beside the fact that I am on serious detox, I am also on a diet to get rid of the 3 kgs I put on. That was the cheeseburger’s fault, I guess.
I had a great time and expect that same feedback from such a beautiful destination. I would recommend Hawaii, Waikiki to anyone. If you like the beach, shopping, relaxing and eating, then this is the place for you. |
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