Aloha! It all started on Wednesday (Aug 29). I work 50 to 60 hours a week. I am exhausted and stressed out. After dealing with too many survey disasters in one morning, I decided I needed a break. I called R and said let’s go to Hawaii. Less than two days later, we were laying on a beach and soaking up the sunshine. What better way to spend the Labour Day weekend! Three and half days of paradise.
Choosing which island to go to was easy. On such a short notice, it’s rather difficult to be picky. Flights to Honolulu were the most convenient so Oahu we choose. It was the least amount of research I have ever done for a trip.
We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa on Waikiki Beach. It was much nicer than any Sandals I’ve been to. I am not sure if the beach is private or not but it is at the end of the strip which makes access difficult if you don’t stay at the resort. There were even African penguins and flamingos to keep us company.
Our flight was delayed (boo) so we arrived in Hawaii at 3pm. We hung out by the beach, had our first cocktail (those are addictive!), and relaxed.
Saturday, we walked along Waikiki beach and vegetated some more on the beach.
Sunday, we rented a car and drove around the island. Oahu is small enough that it is actually possible to do a full a circle in one day. Renting a car is the way to go. Organized day trips are grossly overpriced.
Dole Plantation
(Excuse the tackiness!)
Waimea Falls
If your time in Hawaii is limited, skip the Dole Plantation and Waimea Falls. It's nothing to write home about.
Now, here's the only reason I would go back to Oahu: Giovanni's shrimp truck in Kahuku.
Best. Shrimp. Ever. ($12)
North Shore (In-land)
I told the travel agent that despite the fact that we live in SF, we are not American so we don’t care. Second, being fluent in French we could even pretend to be French if needs be! They wouldn’t budge. The new hotel looks cute, but definitely not in a 5-star kind of way.
Curious Moi spent some time this weekend trying to find out what that “unusual behaviour” was. Great success, as Borat would say. What happened is that the hotel increased their price from 180 Euros to 720 Euros per night even for guests who booked months ago (like us). When an American traveler called to argue, he was told by the French manager: “If you Americans don’t like, you should stay home and do the world a favor!” 
