Island Getaway
Family visits are synonymous with island getaways as I grew up in Honolulu on the island of Oahu.
How lucky for me that whenever I return home, I get to see the extended family as I am the only one who chooses to live on the “mainland”. My explanation for not living with the rest of the family is simply island fever. I attended college in LA and stayed on the mainland after graduation for work.
Wanderings are kept pretty much in a tight radius around my parent’s home, though there is usually one excursion partway around the island to the windward side. On that drive, which is familiar to many from the opening for TV show Magnum PI, we make stops at the lookout points to take in the scenic views and a couple beaches. On the return drive, we stop at Waiola for shave ice.
I’m a marathoner and usually in training for a race. Morning runs are around Diamond Head, Waikiki and Kahala with quick stops for pics of the tropical landscape. I don’t fret too much that my race training takes a hit on mileage during these visits. With the hot, humid weather expectations are sensibly adjusted.
We make time for a night walk in Waikiki along the beach pathway, with stops at various resorts. On Sunday night, we strolled the grounds of the Hilton Hawaiian Village and the Halekulani where it was recommended that I have a pretty cocktail and coconut cake. The coconut cake was the best that I’ve had; I think I’ll make it a habit!
There’s fine dining in Honolulu, but food adventures on these trips involve comfort food, mostly Asian. For this visit: Banh-mi, Korean takeout, ramen, a Chinese 7-course celebration. Always some Hawaiian food at home.
For breakfast, a favorite is Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice. Often, we’ll get it to go from McDonald’s. However, this time we discovered Zippy’s breakfast bentos which included that option. For the return flight to the mainland we always stop by Zippy's to pick up ZipPacs for the in-flight dinner.
And for souvenirs, there is always some new islands snacks to bring back.
