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Aloha from Honolulu! Join me for a bit of island hopping. When we left off last week, we were on the Big Island of Hawaii. This week, we're on the island of Oahu. As luck would have it, a fluke storm system made its way through the area the week I was in town so I was forced to cancel most of my scheduled activities ... gliding over the coast, horseback riding in the rainforest, snorkeling the clear blue waters, outrigger canoeing, surfing the warm waters ... you get the picture. But I'm not really complaining. I love a good storm (as long as no one gets hurt, of course) because it leaves me with no choice but to just kick back and relax. But when the storm passed and the sky cleared, I ventured out to explore some of the island's must-see sites: Pearl Harbor to pay my respects, the North Shore for the 40-foot waves and Diamond Head for an unexpected, impromptu proposal. If you're up for chill-axing and checking into two plush hotels (one of which is home for NFL players during Pro Bowl), then grab your bathing suit and an umbrella, just in case ... we're in Hawaii ready to soak up some island sun! Or, how about some fun in the sun at a different destination? Our newest writer, Abby Luby, tours us around St. Maarten this week. And,if you can't stand the heat you can get the heck out of the kitchen by joining my sister Georgie Jet on a completely opposite adventure. This week, she's hitting the slopes in Utah.
KONA TO HONOLULU
When we left off last week, we were at the Four Seasons Hualalai. From there, I stopped to get gas at the convenient but expensive on-site Country Store. Would you believe that a lone banana set me back $1.50? Ouch! To get to the small, open-air Kona airport is just a 10-minute drive from the hotel. It took no time to drop off the rental car and a mere three minutes for the shuttle ride. Using Hawaiian Airlines' self-service kiosk was quick and easy but checking a bag is what takes time. There was a slow moving line at the baggage drop-off so you can add this to the growing list of reasons I despise checking luggage. On top of that, it took over 30 minutes for the luggage to come out at baggage claim in Honolulu. The good news is that the Boeing 717-200 (Psst! The best seats are rows 4 and 17) took off on time and the 169-mile flight took just 30 minutes.
KO OLINA
Honolulu is on the island of Oahu. Unless you're just going to Waikiki to veg out on the beach, it's best to rent a car. Car rentals are inexpensive and getting around is simple. I rented my wheels from Budget, which can be found directly across from the United Airlines terminal. Getting the car was quick and I was really looking forward to hitting the road and making my way to the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort. First of all, NFL rents out this hotel for the week of the Pro Bowl and secondly, my buddy Kevin O'Connor, a frequent visitor to Oahu, boasts that this is his favorite hotel of all time. The nice part about the Ihilani is that it's in Ko Olina, which means ‘place of joy' in Hawaiian. Getting there from the airport is a 30-minute, 17-mile drive. No wonder the NFL players stay here ... it's far from the madding crowd where they can't be disturbed or get into trouble. DIRECTIONS: From the airport, just take H1 West until it turns into the 93 and follow the signs. It's easy as can be.
DID YOU KNOW?
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates Hawaii's total state population is 1,285,498 and 909,863 of the island's residents live in Honolulu County.
GATED COMMUNITY
The Ko Olina Resort & Marina was created to be a family gated resort community
on the western shores of Oahu. It's 642 acres with 1.5 miles of white sandy beaches and four perfectly formed lagoons for safe swimming and snorkeling. There's a mix of single-family homes, townhouses and villas, as well as an 18-hole Ted Robinson-designed golf course, placing in the top 100 by Conde Nast Magazine
in 2007. The Marriott has two resorts here: The Ihilani and The Beach Club. Guests love Ko Olina because it's the best chance for them to experience old Hawaii without having to go to the other islands. However, things might change in 2011 when Disney opens an 800-unit resort. My advice? You better come quick!
JW MARRIOTT IHILANI RESORT
Natalie and I pulled into the 387-guestroom, five star JW Marriott Ihilani Resort. Being so far from the concrete jungle of Honolulu, I was surprised to see that the hotel was a 17-story skyscraper itself. The entrance was packed with guests and an army of valets. Our bags and car were quickly tagged and we were off to the front desk. The friendly receptionist apologized for the fact that our room wasn't ready. Check-in wasn't until 3pm. Bummer. It was just 11:25am but what can you do when the hotel is jam-packed? Most of the guests were either tourists or members of the Washington Huskies football team, who had gotten their butts kicked by the University of Hawaii the previous night.
DON'T TRUST THE BELLMAN
The $1.50 banana didn't do the trick and I was starving. I wasn't going to lug my 15lb computer bag around for three and half hours either. FYI: This bag basically contains my life so I usually carry it myself, reluctant to hand it over to strangers under any circumstances. But I tentatively gave it to the bellman and asked him to put it in a safe place with my other bags. When I double-checked on it 15 minutes later, my bag was still sitting right out in the open. I almost went Bruce Lee on the young surfer dude, who's only defense was, "I'm sorry, Brah. I forgot." This is not just a problem with the Ihilani but most hotels in general. If you're going to check your valuables, you'd better make sure yourself they are safe.
KILLER BREAKFAST BUFFET
To kill time (and Natalie's hunger pangs), we went to one of the resort's five restaurants. The Naupaka Terrace offers all-day dining and a $26 breakfast buffet until noon. The patio overlooks the main pool and the best tables are alongside the huge fishpond that's filled with giant manta rays, hammerhead sharks and other cool, well cared for fish. I'm not a fan of spending $26 per person for breakfast but if you're a big eater like me, this breakfast buffet is well worth it. It has everything: eggs and omelets made to order, waffles, pancakes, pastries, fresh fruit, granola, oatmeal, potatoes, bacon, sausage … you name it! I even chowed down on some local creations like Kalua Pork Benedict. But without a doubt, the best thing they offer is a self-service, high-quality electric juicer with mounds of fresh fruit just waiting to be torn apart for their delicious juices. I created the tastiest concoctions ever and my favorite was grape, apple and watermelon.
GOOD TO KNOW: If you're looking for less expensive food, the town next door has plenty of options including chain stores like K-Mart.
INTERNET
It was just after noon and I was so full I could barely walk or talk. Before the rain came, I dropped my Buddha belly down into one of the secluded hammocks on the hotel grounds, so I could rub it in private. When it was finally time to get up, I went to do what I do best ... surf the net. I broke out my laptop and worked in the lobby. FYI: The lobby and conference rooms have wireless Internet but the rooms only have broadband. Both networks cost $13 a day for Internet, which is reasonable ... but free would be better.
CHA CHING!
At 2:45pm, I got a call on my cell phone from the front desk. Our room was ready. Nice touch that they actually call waiting guests instead of making you come up every 15 minutes to check on your room status. And the room was well worth the wait. Anytime you're on the top floor and your room has a double door ... well, that's just a great sign! And indeed, it was the best room in the hotel. Can you say Presidential Suite? Cha-ching! The benefits of being the keynote speaker at the previous week's tourism conference were still apparent.
ROOM 1712
Room 1712 is a monster; here's the floor plan. It has an enormous master bedroom, a living room with a desk facing the ocean and two bathrooms. When I heard the list of celebrities that had slept in this room, I was relieved to learn that the mattresses are brand new. The master bathroom is also on steroids with a Jacuzzi and walk-in closet. There are two balconies on each side of the room – one facing the ocean, the other offering up a view of lush green mountains. The touchtone phone system is state-of-the-art as guests can control all the lights in the room, plus the room temperature. But the phone isn't the only thing that's state-of-the art. Perhaps most interesting of all is the fact that the rooms are all allergy-friendly. Rooms feature an air purification system that's specially designed to keep the air clean. And the mattress covers and pillowcases are made of a hypoallergenic microfibre in order to eliminate dust, dander and other dust mite-related allergens so you can breathe easy.
THE SPA
The JW Marriott took over the Ihilani in 2000 (it used to belong to Nikko Hotels). It's a family-friendly hotel with a year-round children's program, two pools, six tennis courts, boutique shops and an exceptional, full-service European-designed health spa. In fact, the 35,000 square-foot spa was voted one of the top spas in the world by readers of both Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines. The men's and women's lounges come with separate steam, sauna and Roman pools. I test-drove the signature treatment: the deluxe Thalasso water therapy, which is in a tub with 160 jets. After 25 minutes of soaking, a 25-minute coconut lime scrub follows. When Samuel, the therapist, scrubbed my back, I felt like a dog getting his belly scratched. Next, I hit the 16-nozzle needle shower; each wall had four jets. What makes the Thalasso treatment special is that the water is pumped in from the ocean, so it's salt water. BTW: This is the first spa I've ever been to that actually had slippers to fit my size 13 foot.
DO THE HULA
If you want to stay in shape like the NFL Pro-Bowlers, the Ihilani features a modern gym. Personal training sessions are available including workouts like "Hip On Hula", which works your hips and thighs while you learn native Hawaiian hula. I was going to sign up for this but I was afraid I might get arrested for the sexy sway of my hips.
IHILANI OVERALL
There's no doubt that the Ihilani is a beautiful, well-run property. It has everything the discerning traveler needs and is still in reach of Honolulu's activities and dining choices. It's perfect if you've got children and/or want to get away from the crowds in Waikiki. Though the view from the 17th floor was spectacular, I'm just not a fan of skyscrapers in remote areas. They seem out of place to me. But from the looks of Trip Advisor's page on the Ihilani, it appears I'm the minority so what do I know? Rack rates begin at $322 but cheaper rates can be found on the JohnnyJet.com hotel search engines (check out the right-hand side of the homepage.)
PARADISE COVE LUAU
Inside the Ko Olina compound is the Paradise Cove luau. Natalie had never been to a luau before and since it was a seven-minute walk from the hotel, I arranged for a couple of tickets, which begin at $75 per person and included a lei and mai tai greeting and two standard drink tickets. To make a long story short, it had to be the worst entertainment we'd ever experienced. It actually made the South African cultural village, which I attacked a few weeks back, look appealing. Walking in, you could just feel how unhappy most of the workers were and their fake smiles were the complete opposite of a true Hawaiian's. Everything felt contrived to create a tourist experience and lacked authenticity. On top of that, the food from the buffet was so terrible I couldn't even eat it. Now that's saying something. The best part was arriving early to try some of the games like throwing a spear. After dinner was served, Natalie and I left 20 minutes later because neither of us could take it any longer. Yes, it was that bad.
HAWAIIANS
What I like about Hawaiians is that they are honest people. Most tour operators don't care what the weather is like as long as they get paid. So I was relieved when I called about snorkeling and other planned activities and learned that they had all been canceled due to the bad weather. They said no experience is better than a bad experience and I couldn't agree more. Amen, brother.
NORTH SHORE
The concierge at the Ihilani suggested that Natalie and I take a drive up to Sunset Beach on the North Shore and witness the astounding 40-foot waves, whipped up by the storm. Not only were the waves massive but all the top surfers in the world were riding them for the O'Neill World Cup. The drive is easy, takes about 40 minutes and the roads are well marked. Along the way, we stopped off at the Dole Plantation (Dole Plantation, 64-1550 Kamehameha Highway, Wahiawa; Tel: 808-621-8408). It's a tourist trap but kids (and the Japanese, it seems) love it because there's lots of shopping, the world's largest maze and the Pineapple Express train tour. The only thing that really appealed to me was re-learning how to select a pineapple and the tasty cone of soft serve pineapple ice cream ($4.12).
MATSUMOTO SHAVE ICE
By lunchtime, we were both hungry enough to wait in the long line at Ted's Bakery (Ted's Bakery, 59-024 Kamehameha Highway, Tel: 808-638-5974). We ordered a cheeseburger and a plate lunch but passed on their famous chocolate Haupia cream pie. That's because down the street in downtown Haleiwa is the world famous Matsumoto Shave Ice. While other neighboring stores sell shave ice, there's a reason they have no takers. Matsumoto has been around since 1951 and have an army of high school workers whipping up the fastest, best tasting shave ice you will ever have. Here's a list of their flavors but my favorites are Lilikoi (passion fruit), Watermelon, and Lychee. A small will set you back just $1.75 and a large is only $2. To add a scoop of ice cream at the bottom is just an extra 50 cents. Matsumoto Shave Ice, 66-087 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, Tel: 808-637-4827.
OUTRIGGER WAIKIKI ON THE BEACH
Nine miles from the Honolulu airport and smack in the middle of Waikiki (across from the International Marketplace) is the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach. If you love the fast pace and crowded action of Waikiki, then this is the hotel you want to be at. The Outrigger On the Beach
(there are two Outriggers in Waikiki) has 524 guest rooms and suites and has a contemporary island style. There are only eight hotels on Waikiki Beach and this one has to be the best deal as rack rates begin at $225. Not only that but they don't charge a resort fee and get this … they offer free Internet access and free unlimited phone calls to the U.S. and Canada. Now that's insane but a welcome surprise! And if that's not enough, they provide free water in the fridge, which is the perfect size for leftovers and the in-room safe is large enough to hold laptops. If that's not inviting what is? Oh, did I mention the view of Diamond Head?
OUR ROOM
We were assigned a deluxe one-bedroom corner oceanfront room. It had three balconies and two bathrooms. The only thing wrong with it, besides the pillows being too bulky, was that the water pressure wasn't very strong and the water temperature wasn't piping hot. That was kind of a problem because our room was so cold (the A/C had a mind of its own), that I would jump into the shower to warm up. But who's complaining? When it wasn't raining, we left the patio doors open to thaw out and hear and smell the ocean waves. The Outrigger has a small pool and a tiny whirlpool that's probably germ-infested but why would you venture into them when just a few steps away is Waikiki Beach, the most famous beach in the world? As touristy as Waikiki Beach is, I just love it. I could never ever get sick of the rolling blue waves and the commanding view of Diamond Head. If you don't want to just lie on the beach all day long, there are a wide range of beach activities and water sports.
DUKE'S
Conveniently located in the Outrigger is one of my favorite restaurants in the world; Duke's Waikiki. Yes, it's always crowded and touristy. But it's just steps from the Pacific Ocean and it's so laid back you can wear flip-flops and shorts to dinner. Everything on the menu is tasty and it's reasonably priced, too. The breakfast buffet is so-so and priced accordingly at $14.95. Duke's Restaurant and Barefoot, 2335 Kalakaua Ave., Tel: 808-922-2268.
PLANTATION SPA
On the top floor (the 17th) is the Outrigger's new Waikiki Plantation Spa. It's small but has a killer view of Waikiki. The quiet lounge is on the roof deck, which is designed like a W hotel. I somehow got suckered into having a couples massage and got the Lomi Pohaku -- a fusion of Hawaiian Lomi and Lava Stone (Pohaku). I've got to say: the massage was excellent but there's really no reason anyone should ever get a couples massage. One: You aren't on the same table. Two: You don't see each other. Three: Do you really want to see each other even if you could or do you want to relax? And finally, all you can hear is the other person's masseuse asking questions and adjusting the room the way they like it (turning the A/C up or down, for example.) Unfortunately, the view from the massage room was great but they don't make the most of it. They keep the curtains closed making it so dark, you could just as well be in the basement.
WAIKIKI
I hadn't hung out in Waikiki in four years and since then, the place has undergone some major changes. All the new high-end shops and malls that have sprouted give it a bit of a Las Vegas feeling. Although you can find almost every store imaginable, including the most upscale shops you've ever seen squeezed so close together and a slew of chain restaurants like The Cheesecake Factory, I just don't feel the love. The street is filled with a mixed bag of people: from derelicts and Japanese tourists to pamphlet-pushers mostly advertising an indoor shooting range. Who the heck would want to go shooting in Waikiki?
PEARL HARBOR
If you visit Honolulu, you must pay a visit to the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor (Here’s the website). The National Park Service runs it and entry is free. Like most of the world, after 9/11 strict security measures were implemented, so don't even try to bring a bag inside. They are prohibited and you'll be sent back to your car to drop it off before being admitted entry. Once inside, you get a number that has a personal story about one of the brave men that lost their life. Every 25 minutes, a new group is called and taken out to the memorial and it took 45 minutes before our group was up. To pass time, there's a museum, a takeout coffee shop with some nasty sandwiches and a beautiful backyard with views of the harbor.
USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL
Once your group is called, it's time to watch a 23-minute documentary. It's dated but moving. Then, it's time to board a shuttle boat for the five-minute boat ride to the memorial. As requested, no one talks. But I don't think anyone wants to after seeing how the 1,177 crew members lost their lives on December 7, 1941. Going out to the memorial is essentially visiting a beautifully designed cemetery. The memorial sits right above the sunken ship where 900 of our soldiers are entombed down below. Although, the surprise attack happened over 65 years ago, oil is still leaking and sits atop the water, creating a faint rainbow effect. One park ranger said it's believed to be the tears of the men below. If that doesn't make you want to cry, what does? Overall, the attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 cost 2,388 American lives. The highlight of the visit was meeting one of the only five Pearl Harbor veterans left who regularly volunteers at the USS Arizona Memorial visitor center. Words cannot describe the encounter. I only hope you get to meet these brave men before it's too late.
DIAMOND HEAD
A great way to begin your day is to climb Diamond Head. Diamond Head is the most famous volcanic crater in the world. In 1919, the U.S. military constructed an observation deck for target sighting at the summit. To get there from Waikiki is either a five-minute drive or a 45-minute walk. Natalie and I did the latter in the rain. The entrance fee is $5 per car or $1 per person that walks in. The park opens at 6am and the tour buses don't usually start showing up until 8am. So my advice is to get there early. I would also bring a bottle of water and use the lavatory (there's only one at the bottom) before the eighth-of-a-mile climb.
THE TRIP TO THE TOP
Depending on what kind of shape you are in, the climb up Diamond Head should take between 20 and 45 minutes. There's a paved path to the base of the mountain and then it turns into unstable rocky ground. There are fences, so you needn't worry about falling off. Unfortunately, the 225-foot narrow tunnel is no longer dark. I'm sure because of insurance reasons they had to install lights so visitors don't need a flashlight. Gosh, it used to be so fun to scare my friends before! The steepest part consists of two sets of stairs; one is 76 steps and the other is 99 steep steps. Then there's a dark spiraling staircase. The trip to the top is definitely worth the panoramic views.
A DECENT PROPOSAL
It was pouring rain and there was just one other couple getting soaked at the summit. After I quickly took a picture of Natalie, the guy asked if I could take a picture of him and his girlfriend. Just as I was about to snap the picture, he gets down on his knee and asks her to marry him. I was like ... WHAT?! I threw Natalie my other camera so she could capture the special moment on video. We later sent him the video and the pictures and he was so appreciative. Ha! I guess it was appropriate to bust out a big ol' diamond at the top of Diamond Head.
VIDEO
Here's a four-minute Johnny Jet video of my trip to the island of Oahu. We also have all the Johnny Jet videos ever made on YouTube.
NEXT WEEK
Next week, we head back to the mainland but instead of hanging out in California, we travel over 2,300 miles to a not-so-touristy beach destination.
Happy Travels,
Johnny Jet
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Note:
This trip was sponsored in part by
Go Hawaii,
JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and
The Outrigger On the Beach.
Copyright 2007 JohnnyJet
, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.