Day 5

Day 5, going home day, starts off with another wow of a sunrise. Today is obviously going to be the clearest day yet. So sad to be leaving. we pack up to the music of Iz, and we%26#39;re out. We have a little time, so we pack up the car and walk over to the Coconut Marketplace where we shop - hubby gets a couple pairs of Tevas, we find a nice souvenier for our house, and we get the grandkids some neat things that will change color in the sun.

There was one last thing that I wanted to do before leaving Hawaii - get a shave ice. Well, there is a shave ice stand right there, so I decided to order one, even though it didn%26#39;t come ';highly recommended';. I told the girls who worked there that I didn%26#39;t know what it was or what to order and to make me something good. Well, after a little debate between them on what is the best flavors, they created me a rainbow concoction over mac nut ice cream that we thought was just the bomb! I have nothing to compare it to, but it sure was fluffy and delicious! It put a smile on my sad face, and then we took off for the airport.

A word of advice for anyone staying at the Islander. If you are returning a rental and need to fill up with gas, there is no open gas station between the Islander and the airport. It took us quite some time to find one! I think maybe the best thing to do is go into Kapaa and fill up first.

Anyway, we are home now. If anyone has any questions about anything we did, I%26#39;ll be happy to answer.

Just keep this in mind: do your homework, do your planning, but be prepared to let the Island take you where it will.

Aloha!

Day 5

Thanks for the heads up on that, how would we ever had known that.

Teechadeb

Day 5

Best option for gas between Kapa`a and the airport is to turn right at the light before the airport turn and go a little way towards Hanama`ulu. The station is on the left.

Suzysunshine,

Thanks for the great trip report. I%26#39;m curious, will you be writing a report for the Oahu portion of your trip also? I%26#39;m starting to plan our first trip to Hawaii for May 2009 and have decided to stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for 3 nights then on to Kauai for 7 nights! Based on your review you sound a lot like me in that you did extensive research and planning before going and also the activities you enjoyed so I%26#39;d love to hear your perspective on HHV and Oahu. I%26#39;m on these boards everyday and our trip isn%26#39;t for another 15months! LOL. My husband thinks I%26#39;m obsessed. Admittedly, I am. :o) I did take to note your advice about not getting too hung up on the ';plan'; though and just going with the flow. I will definitely do that.

Thanks Again!

drshanta - actually, I%26#39;m not doing a trip report on Oahu, but I%26#39;d be happy to answer any questions you might have. We had been to Oahu twice before and saw most of what we wanted to see, so this trip we didn%26#39;t really do anything worth writing about. We went to Oahu for the ProBowl, and we were with a group. It was actually a prize my husband won through work, and they had things planned for us, which didn%26#39;t really leave time to do much.

They took us to Paradise Cove Luau - we had done that before. Truly beautiful setting, pretty bad food, enjoyable show. If you go, you%26#39;ll get awesome sunset pics. They also took us to Roy%26#39;s, not the one in Waikiki. Excellent meal!

After the ProBowl, we had dinner at Duke%26#39;s - my most favorite place to eat in Waikiki. Please go have dinner at Duke%26#39;s! It%26#39;s an old-timey Hawaiian feeling place. Try and get a table out on the terrace, at sunset. It%26#39;s just awesome. And the food is very good, and the service is outstanding. The prices are also quite moderate for Hawaii. We also had their breakfast buffet one morning, which was pretty good. We always enjoy breakfast at the Shorebird with the great views of Diamond Head. Wait for a good table there if you have to because the view really makes it.

As you can tell, most of this trip revolved around food. LOL! And we loved the HHV. Very nice place. check out the lobby at sunset. I only wish I had my camera with me for that one! great little shops, great beach area. Fit in as much as you can on Oahu because there is so much to see and do. You are very lucky that you%26#39;ll have 7 days on Kauai, as you%26#39;ll have time to relax then.

Thanks for that information, sounds great. I%26#39;m into the food on vacation too. lol. Which tower did you stay in at HHV? Do you have any recommendations regarding that? I%26#39;m leaning towards either the Rainbow Tower or the Tapa Tower. I%26#39;d like a nice ocean view from the room, not so much concerned about the extra amenities of the Ali%26#39;i tower though. Rainbow tower rooms cost more than Tapa so trying to figure out if it%26#39;s worth it or not. Do you recommend a rental car for Oahu? I know we will definitely need one in kauai based on what I%26#39;ve read on here.

Mahalo!

We didn%26#39;t have a choice of which tower since it was a paid trip for us, so I didn%26#39;t really check it out. We were put in the Diamond Head tower. The room was very nice, and we had a balcony with a park and partial ocean view. We were very happy with it. Sorry I can%26#39;t give you more info than that.

As for a rental car, the only time we used one was for a one-day rental to do our own circle island tour. Other than that, you really don%26#39;t need one, and parking is expensive. You can walk to most places, or take The Bus, or cab it. We took a cab to Duke%26#39;s for dinner (I think $10) and walked back on the beach. but during the day we walked everywhere. If you do a luau or Polynesian Cultural Center you can take the provided transportation. If I remember correctly, we took The Bus to Pearl Harbor. Took a little long though. You can get transportation to Hanuama Bay for snorkling and they provide the gear.

Yes, definitely a rental car for Kauai. If there%26#39;s only two of you, you might enjoy a convertible.