Getting There
It was recommended to us by a Travel Agent and friends that we travel to Hawaii with Jetstar. Apparently the Qantas plane is showing its age!
We booked 4 seats on the Jetstar flight JQ 3 for the 31st of March 2012. The flights cost $5,235 for all four of us which included meals, an entertainment package (meaning rental of an ipad with movies, tv shows and games) and a comfort pack (blanket, pillow, eye mask, toothbrush & toothpaste).
The flight took about 9 1/2 hours.
We booked 4 seats on the Jetstar flight JQ 3 for the 31st of March 2012. The flights cost $5,235 for all four of us which included meals, an entertainment package (meaning rental of an ipad with movies, tv shows and games) and a comfort pack (blanket, pillow, eye mask, toothbrush & toothpaste).
The flight took about 9 1/2 hours.
Our Hotel - Embassy Suites
After a 25 minute taxi ride we arrived at our hotel Embassy Suites. We were greeted with a fresh tropical juice which was nice. We were given the above map which shows the location of our hotel - located between Beach Walk and Lewers Street - and some tourist attractions. Having been here before we knew this location was great.
The Hotel brochure above shows an image of the pool area and the bedroom and lounge inside the suites. We had a 2 bedroom suite - this consisted of a lounge area, kitchenette, an adult bedroom to the left of the lounge with a King size bed, TV and ensuite and a kids bedroom to the right of the lounge with 2 Queen size beds, TV and ensuite. The beds and pillows were very comfy. The room is very spacious and a great place to hang out when we are pooped from swimming or sightseeing.
This is the Lewers Street entrance to our Hotel. This is the entrance we used most as there are lots of shops and restaurants on Lewers St.
We swam in the pool at least once a day. There are lots of sunlounges and tables around the pool, free wifi and bar service for snacks and drinks.
Buffet Breakfast
Embassy Suites includes a free buffet breakfast. This saves a lot of money! The photo above shows the kitchen. There was lots of food to choose from - Cereals, toast or bagels with lots of condiments, donuts, fruit, yoghurt, sausages, pancakes, eggs (omlette or scrambled) and muffins. There was also a drink station with coffee, tea, juice, milk and even soft drink (for breakfast? Only in America!!)
We ate a good breakfast every day. With so much to choose from, everyone was happy. Matt loved having donuts for breakfast and knew this would be the only place he would get away with it! It felt like a bit of a zoo with so many people around but it was worth it.
Happy Hour
Every night between 5 & 6 PM the hotel had a Happy Hour around the pool. They offered juices, soft drink, cocktails and beer along with snacks like corn chips and salsa, nuts, pretzels and crackers. All this was free, though a tip was expected. Some nights after having a big lunch earlier in the day, we were happy to have this a and a piece of fruit or sandwich for dinner.
Room Service staff left these postcards on our pillows after they had finished cleaning the room. We found them to be a great way to learn about some Hawaiian traditions.
Hilo Hattie
We needed an activity to keep us awake and kill some time until our hotel room was ready. It was about 9.30 am and we were all feeling a little tired after the flight. After walking around Waikiki for a while we decided to take a Trolley Tour to Hilo Hattie. This would save our feet but also give us a free tour around the island before arriving at the shop. It proved to be a great introduction to Hawaii for Matt & Sophie - the bus drove right along the shore of Waikiki Beach before driving inland where they saw a lot of American chain restaurants they have seen on TV. Hilo Hattie is a huge shop selling lots of Hawaiian clothing and souvenirs. We spent a fun time choosing some shirts,dresses and souvenirs.
The Cheesecake factory
The Cheesecake Factory turned out to be our favourite food memory of the trip. We found it on the first day and went back nearly every day after that. The menu is huge with heaps to choose from and of course the cheesecakes were to die for!
Our first meal - complementary bread basket, fruit smoothie, lemonade and cokes (free refills on soft drinks, though they were huge to start with!).
Jim and the kids got pizzas (you can just see them in the background) and I got a chicken salad. I was warned by the waiter that their serves were large. This was the smaller lunch time size Chinese Chicken Salad. It was huge, I couldn't finish it.
The Cheesecake and dessert menu. For sweet tooth's like Matt and I the choice was overwhelming! Where do you start with so much on offer?
The Cheesecake Display.....heaven!
Our favourite meal....Pizza for Matt & Sophie, Pasta Bolognese for Jim and Tomato Basil Pasta for me. Followed of course by Cheesecake. We sampled many flavours but didn't take photos of them all. Sophie's favourite was the Key Lime, Matt & I couldn't choose a favourite...they were all equally amazing. Jim enjoyed the Chocolate Cake and the Apple Crisp.
Another menu page and receipt.
Waikiki Beach
We swam at this glorious beach every day. The colour of the water was spectacular, the temperature was lovely and it was a great way to relax and enjoy our holiday.
The statue of Duke Kahanamoku - the father of surfing - on Waikiki Beach.
Waikiki Starlight Luau
We bought tickets to the Luau on the rooftop of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel. The tickets included the show, buffet dinner, drinks and a shell lei souvenir.
Everybody gathered on the Great Lawn of the Hilton Hotel complex at 5.15 PM. A conch shell was blown to commence the Luau festivities and guide guests up to the roof top site. We dined under the stars with the beautiful Waikiki Beach in the background. Live music was played and there were activities to participate in like pineapple tossing, temporary tattoos and traditional crafts. Members of the audience participated in a conch shell blowing challenge which was very funny and the host gave everybody a Hula lesson. The dancers performed many different traditional dances from all of the Polynesian Islands with lots of costume changes. A fun night!
Hanauma Bay
We took a tour bus and travelled 20km east of Waikiki to visit Hanauma Bay for some snorkelling. We were lucky to get a sunny day with good visability. A great experience swimming with lots of tropical fish. The photo above shows the bay from the top. Below is a photo on the beach.
Easter
We happened to be in Hawaii for Easter. Finding Easter chocolate was very hard - the Americans seem to be more into candy, cake and gifts. Whereas we would find a lot of Easter eggs in the supermarket or chain stores like Target and Kmart, we could only find the eggs and bunnies shown above.
shopping
Shops and restaurants on Lewers Street, just downstairs from our Hotel.
Oh the shopping. Did I love the shopping?!! At least 40% cheaper than Australian prices and I was in heaven. Of course I only bought things I really needed and really I was saving money buying it now instead of the inflated price at home! A selection of my shopping above (shoes and 2 bags not pictured).
Sophie's shopping. 2 dresses (print one from Hilo Hattie), a bag from SportSac, Hawaiian sarong and towel, flower and clothes from Forever21 (not pictured).
Matt bought a Hawaiian shirt from Hilo Hattie, 2 t-shirts and some thongs (they look stiff as a board but are really comfortable).
Jim bought some shorts, boardies and a new DSLR camera (saving a bundle on Australian prices).
postcards
Looking towards Diamond Head (left) and away from Diamond Head (right).
Sunset over Waikiki Beach
coming home
The flight home from Hawaii took about 10 hours. When checking in to catch our flight home to Melbourne we were told the flight was quite full. Probably due to Jim's frequent flyer status, they upgraded us to business class. A nice way to fly home considering we were all pretty tired. Matt sat up the front in 1A, Sophie and I were together in the second row and Jim was to our left in the third row. The extra room was lovely!