Friday, September 10, 2010

Honeymoon in Hawaii - Part 2...

First of all, HAPPY Friday everyone!  I'm sure all ya'll are happy this day's finally arrived.  Any plans for the weekend?  I have a lovely birthday outfit for you today, but will save that post later after I have more pics of this weekend.  So stay tuned.

Now back to my island adventure...

The morning after we had our ramen dinner, we woke up early and walked to the shopping center on Waikiki to get my usual morning coffee.  The mocha made with macadamia nut coffee beans was delish!  And Chris made an impulse buy at the Apple Store.  His first Iphone ever!  The 4% tax really did it for him haha since we pay 9.75% here!  :)

After spending money at the Apple Store, we were pretty hungry.  We saw an episode of Man vs. Food and one of the places Adam, the host, visited during his visit was to Helena's Hawaiian Foods.  This was a hole in the wall place in one of Honolulu's neighborhoods and if it weren't for the show, we would have never stopped here.  We're sure happy we did.  It was some of the best food I've ever tasted and the service was superb! 

After our lunch, we decided to stop at the famous Liliha Bakery to try their coco puffs before we headed for the rest of the day.

That night we had made luau reservations at Paradise Cove, and one of the fun things I've always loved doing while traveling is what I call "hotel crashing"...so we stopped at the Ko Olina JW Marriott resort next to the luau to chillax a bit by the pool.  We ordered our beers, brought our own beach towels and relaxed!

The luau was wonderful.  It was my second time going but Chris enjoyed it for the first time. 

The next morning, we drove all the way around half of the island to get to the Hukilau Cafe!  If anyone's watched 50 First Dates, the Hukilau Cafe played an important role in the movie.  It was where Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore's characters met.  But the cafe in the movie was a built set, the real Hukilau is a dive but the food was sooo good.  I had the famous burger!

We then headed over to the Dole Plantation.  They had the world's largest maze shaped like a pineapple...so we had to complete that.  It took us over an hour! :)

We returned back to Waikiki after the maze and decided to hotel crash again at the Sherton on the beach.  It was almost sunset and the view was great!  There was a local band playing and I enjoyed some Sangrias!  Enjoyed...yum!

And of course in Cindi and Chris style, we end our day with FOOD!  Korean House was a place my friend brought me to the last time I was in Hawaii and of course I had to bring Chris here.  I loved all the little dishes they gave us!

More drinks!

There's a big Korean community in Seattle with some decent food, but my favorite place that served Gham Ja Tang (pork bone and potato soup) closed down!!!  So when they had this soup on their menu, I had to order it.  And it was so good.  Mix that in with some bibimbop (mixed rice with egg and beef above) I'm a happy camper!!!

Phew!  I'm still not done!  Part three will come soon! :)

Have a great Friday everyone!

13 comments:

  1. Your hotel crashing sounds like a blast and something I might have to try....
    Can't wait for part 3!

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  2. Looks like you had a blast and hit up some favorite local spots. I'm glad you guys had such a good time. The great thing is that you can go back anytime. Hawaii is such a short flight from Seattle. :)

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  3. Aw, it's great to know you guys are total vaca-foodies too! For me, it is all about the food whenever I'm somewhere new, so I am loving these posts!

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  4. Hey! that Gam Ja Tang looks familiar~! hh just blog hopping and landed on yours. I too went to Hawaii for our honeymoon last winter!! Looks like you had such a blessed time there and I mean you wouldn't??

    Now that I live in the East Coast(takes about 18hours between flight and everything from here to Hawaii), I am not sure when I can go back for s'more Hawaiian getaway.

    Come check my blog~I recently started blogging
    http://frugalanthropologie.blogspot.com/

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  5. I'm glad you had a great time in Hawaii. My husband and I spent our honeymoon in Hawaii too. I'm looking forward to going back in a few years to relive it, and you guys can do that too :)

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  6. It is a mistake to read this before lunch.... I lose all the appetite for the lunch I brought because it looks so un-appealing in comparison

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  7. omg, your food looks so good! What a fabulous honeymoon! Plus, Hawaii sounds amazing right now.The weather back here in Seattle is so grey and dreary!

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  8. theanthropologieconnoisseur - It is a great way to enjoy the hotels' amenities without having to pay for the hotel itself. Haha!

    Cat - I know! There were definitely a lot of west coasters there when we were there. At the luau we met a couple from NYC and it took them like almost 24 hours to fly there!

    Lisa - I know! I have some friends that don't really care about what they eat when they travel but focuses more on like hiking trails. And they'd pack sandwiches they'd make for meals. That just makes me sad!

    LilMissSeamstress - I know...flying from Seattle to Hawaii is nothing at all. You probably feel like you're going out of the country when you go there!

    mcmanda - I definitely can't wait until we go back again. Not sure when that'll be yet but maybe we'll plan to retire there! :)

    Yi - You're too funny. I hope you didn't go out to buy something instead as a result of reading the blog.

    Lori - Isn't it just sad the weather we're having? I'm fearing that our summer is gone and we've only had two weeks of to enjoy it. Ugh!

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  9. You two sound like my kind of travelers. I always love to eat a new places and places I've seen on TV. Everything looks so good and and you both look so happy!

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  10. Another great post -- thanks so much for sharing!

    My favorite line was "After spending money at the Apple store, we were hungry." Shopping makes me hungry too! Or maybe thirsty? Whenever I shop, I need to have a frappucino afterwards. Adds $5 to every shopping trip!

    Wow -- 9.75% tax in Seattle? I didnt' realize it was that high!

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  11. Hey there Cindi! Sorry I haven't been commenting lately I've been on the road lately, rest assure that I still have been following ur posts since your beautiful wedding. Cuurently on my iPhone so I cantwrite as much. You and your hubby look really happy and relaxed on your honeymoon! That food looks Delish. You look absolutely radiant too! Congratulations again!!

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  12. Yay for Hawaii! :) I just got back and had the most AMAZING time, ever! It was beautiful and soooo relaxing plus, a much needed break for some sunshine since we kind of had a bummer summer here in seattle/tacoma...

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  13. Hotel Crashing - love it! I admit J and I have done this a few times before.
    Paradise Cove - memories - it was where we had our rehearsal dinner. :)
    Hukilau Cafe - is going to be on my must visit list for next time.
    Looks like an incredibly fun time!

    xx Vivian @ http://diamondsandtulle.blogspot.com

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