Our trip to Hawaii
For anyone who doesn't know (as if there's anyone left), I recently won a recipe contest in which the grand prize was a trip for two to the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii. The following is a detailed synopsis of our trip.
We left friday, the 11th of February, and after about 16 hours of travel, we landed in a rainy Honolulu after dark. For the first time in either one of our lives, we were greeted at the airport by one of those guys holding a sign with our names on it (and 2 leis). So cool!
We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, a 22 acre resort on the beach in Waikiki, complete with restaurants, shopping center, several pools, a spa (to which we had full access), and the walkways between everything was lined with ponds and wildlife from flamingos to penguins to those big goldfish.
We got breakfast every morning from our choice of 2 buffets, and the first morning we had some free time so we headed to Honolulu to take a tour of the Iolani Palace. It's the only royal palace on American soil, as Hawaii used to be a monarchy (I'll probably post a future blog on THAT topic too...). It was lovely and fascinating, complete with a traditional Hawaiian wedding taking place on the front lawn.
It rained a little during the day, but it didn't really bother us. That evening, transportation was provided for us (and about 50 others who were being handled by Athlon Sports travel agency) to one of the nicest luau' on the island. Traditional games, demonstrations of customs, dancing, live bands and plenty of mai tai's was followed by one delicious authentic feast, complete with the roast pig. Good times were had by all, and the weather was cooperative!
The next morning, a driver met us in the lobby to take us to the game. He dropped us off at the "Official NFL Pre-Game Tailgating Party". They gave us all kinds of free gifts and souvenirs at the door and there were mermaids and some sort of ocean theme all around the grounds. Buffet of hawaiian food, sushi, and other intersting dishes, and an OPEN BAR! Ka-TSHHHT! (that's the sound of a beer can opening.... over and over and over). Dan Marino, some hometown Hawaiian players, and live bands entertained us for a few hours, and then it was game time.
Loads of fun! Of course there were more Steelers there than any other team, and we were 8 rows up from the bench at about the 25 yard line, AFC side. Thank goodness we were on the "shady side" of the stadium too, cuz we BURNED even without the sun. AFC dominated and won, I took too many pictures of the players and stuff, and the legendary DON HO sang his signature "Tiny Bubbles" at halftime.
Monday was Valentines Day, and my adorable girlfriend suggested that we rent a convertible. So we did, and headed out for Diamondhead Crater. We parked in the crater and headed on a hike to the lookout point at the top. We lost about 14 pounds between us on the sweaty hike up, but the breeze and the view at the top were worth it. Breathtaking.
We then called my uncle George's nephew, Brett, who lives on Oahu in a town called Kailua. He agreed to meet up with us later in the afternoon when he was done with work. We drove on H2, the Hawaiian "interstate" (yes, they have interstates in Hawaii) up the middle of the island, past the Dole pineapple plantations, and up to the rough rocky 'North Shore'. We stopped at a local supermarket for some sushi and fresh fruit to have a picnic on one of the local scenic beaches. Not very swimmable, but beautiful. The road twisted around the coast line all the way down to the windward side. There, the volcanic landscape is tall and jagged against the ocean, yet still lush and green.
Brett met us at the Kailua beach park and we just chilled with him while we watched the kite surfers. Kailua is a very local town--not a lot of tourists/hotels etc. We walked about a block up a hill to his apartment where his wife Jennifer was waiting for us with a couple of cold ones. We sat and chatted on the balcony overlooking the beach park and ocean. Need I say more?
We stopped at a real little hole-in-the-wall authentic Hawaiian restaurant on the way back to Waikiki for some dinner. Lau Lau pork, poi, something that resembled beef jerkey, and about a half dozen other side dishes that I can't pronounce filled our bellies till we rolled out smiling ear to ear. Then we went back to the resort for some champagne and chocolates to top off our Valentines Day adventure.
Tuesday, we didn't have to meet our driver until about 6:30PM, so we just relaxed at the resort and took advantage of the spa, the beach, and the pools. We walked into Waikiki for some last minute souvenirs and concluded with 2 awesome burgers at Cheeseburger In Paradise: Waikiki. The secret ingredient? a slice of grilled pineapple!
The plane ride home was a breeze as we slept most of the way...and now, with each flake of snow that falls on Jersey ground, we long for paradise lost.
In a word, PERFECT.
We left friday, the 11th of February, and after about 16 hours of travel, we landed in a rainy Honolulu after dark. For the first time in either one of our lives, we were greeted at the airport by one of those guys holding a sign with our names on it (and 2 leis). So cool!
We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, a 22 acre resort on the beach in Waikiki, complete with restaurants, shopping center, several pools, a spa (to which we had full access), and the walkways between everything was lined with ponds and wildlife from flamingos to penguins to those big goldfish.
We got breakfast every morning from our choice of 2 buffets, and the first morning we had some free time so we headed to Honolulu to take a tour of the Iolani Palace. It's the only royal palace on American soil, as Hawaii used to be a monarchy (I'll probably post a future blog on THAT topic too...). It was lovely and fascinating, complete with a traditional Hawaiian wedding taking place on the front lawn.
It rained a little during the day, but it didn't really bother us. That evening, transportation was provided for us (and about 50 others who were being handled by Athlon Sports travel agency) to one of the nicest luau' on the island. Traditional games, demonstrations of customs, dancing, live bands and plenty of mai tai's was followed by one delicious authentic feast, complete with the roast pig. Good times were had by all, and the weather was cooperative!
The next morning, a driver met us in the lobby to take us to the game. He dropped us off at the "Official NFL Pre-Game Tailgating Party". They gave us all kinds of free gifts and souvenirs at the door and there were mermaids and some sort of ocean theme all around the grounds. Buffet of hawaiian food, sushi, and other intersting dishes, and an OPEN BAR! Ka-TSHHHT! (that's the sound of a beer can opening.... over and over and over). Dan Marino, some hometown Hawaiian players, and live bands entertained us for a few hours, and then it was game time.
Loads of fun! Of course there were more Steelers there than any other team, and we were 8 rows up from the bench at about the 25 yard line, AFC side. Thank goodness we were on the "shady side" of the stadium too, cuz we BURNED even without the sun. AFC dominated and won, I took too many pictures of the players and stuff, and the legendary DON HO sang his signature "Tiny Bubbles" at halftime.
Monday was Valentines Day, and my adorable girlfriend suggested that we rent a convertible. So we did, and headed out for Diamondhead Crater. We parked in the crater and headed on a hike to the lookout point at the top. We lost about 14 pounds between us on the sweaty hike up, but the breeze and the view at the top were worth it. Breathtaking.
We then called my uncle George's nephew, Brett, who lives on Oahu in a town called Kailua. He agreed to meet up with us later in the afternoon when he was done with work. We drove on H2, the Hawaiian "interstate" (yes, they have interstates in Hawaii) up the middle of the island, past the Dole pineapple plantations, and up to the rough rocky 'North Shore'. We stopped at a local supermarket for some sushi and fresh fruit to have a picnic on one of the local scenic beaches. Not very swimmable, but beautiful. The road twisted around the coast line all the way down to the windward side. There, the volcanic landscape is tall and jagged against the ocean, yet still lush and green.
Brett met us at the Kailua beach park and we just chilled with him while we watched the kite surfers. Kailua is a very local town--not a lot of tourists/hotels etc. We walked about a block up a hill to his apartment where his wife Jennifer was waiting for us with a couple of cold ones. We sat and chatted on the balcony overlooking the beach park and ocean. Need I say more?
We stopped at a real little hole-in-the-wall authentic Hawaiian restaurant on the way back to Waikiki for some dinner. Lau Lau pork, poi, something that resembled beef jerkey, and about a half dozen other side dishes that I can't pronounce filled our bellies till we rolled out smiling ear to ear. Then we went back to the resort for some champagne and chocolates to top off our Valentines Day adventure.
Tuesday, we didn't have to meet our driver until about 6:30PM, so we just relaxed at the resort and took advantage of the spa, the beach, and the pools. We walked into Waikiki for some last minute souvenirs and concluded with 2 awesome burgers at Cheeseburger In Paradise: Waikiki. The secret ingredient? a slice of grilled pineapple!
The plane ride home was a breeze as we slept most of the way...and now, with each flake of snow that falls on Jersey ground, we long for paradise lost.
In a word, PERFECT.
posted by Your Massage Therapist at 1:35 AM
1 comments
