Oahu trip, Part 3

Day 5

We took it easy, and hung out at the lagoon by our resort, and at the pool. We really love the grounds of this place, and the proximity to the beach can't be beat! We went to lunch at a "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives" place that has been on my Oahu food list for ages... Aiea Bowl. I mean, it's a bowling alley, right? Well, I must say it lived up to the hype. K and I split a Tasty Chicken plate, and we were both wanting more! I didn't have room for dessert, but they looked amazing too. 

I was curious about this manapua place I found nearby on Yelp. It was a hole in the wall, and the buns were pretty good, but I wouldn't go out of my way for them. They did offer both steamed and baked buns, and interesting array of flavors like shoyu chicken and spicy options.
 

K wanted to stop at Pink Box again to shop. Then we met up with Auntie Harue later for dinner. We ate at Gyotaku in Waipahu. K still qualifies for the kids meal, which comes with a drink, dessert, and a toy prize from the treasure box. :-) I got a bento with misoyaki butterfish, sashimi, and tempura. 

Day 6

It's our last full day in paradise! We took it easy again, and hit the beach and pool. Funny, K didn't have much fun snorkeling. She just wanted to swim in the pool. I got out the boogie board and she loved it! We should have done that from the beginning! I have a pretty strong fear of being submerged, and only snorkeled a bit at Hanauma Bay this time. We played on the boogie board and had some nice chats. Then, you guessed it, lunch time hit! Off to Zippy's for some fried chicken, and dobash cake. We actually did some exploring before returning for my cake, and by then the display case was empty! I asked, and they hunted down a slice in the restaurant kitchen for me. Whew! This is my favorite cake ever!

 

We visited Barber's Point Lighthouse and beach. The waves were pretty rough here. Was watching hubby take pictures and thought he might get swept off the rocks by the huge waves! 

 Then, we drove up the West side of the island, past our resort at Ko'Olina. We had never ventured past that way. The traffic on the one lane highway was bumper to bumper, so we stopped at Maili Beach and took some pics, and turned around.

Headed back to the condo for some more musubi, finished the leftover steak hubby had grilled, and enjoyed the final sunset of the trip. Can't beat a Ko'Olina sunset! The bar at our resort makes a drink by the same name, and it is delish! (K is having a Shirley Temple)

Day 7

We are checking out today, and the resort has a lei making class K had signed up for. If I had known it was orchids, I would have signed up too. All the spaces were full, and the teacher had to turn away many disappointed guests.

We checked out, and picked up some musubi at Foodland, and manapua at Chun Wah Kam in Kapolei, for our plane ride home. I had bought so many food and gifts, we had to expand our carry on suitcase and check it! Then, we had lunch at Nico's Pier 38 (also a Diners Drive Ins and Dives location)

Check out the goodies from the fish market inside!

Just down the road, a food fave of mine, Liliha Bakery, and their amazing coco puffs! This new location is huge, and nice! Very limited parking though.

That's it for Oahu! See you next time! Aloha!

Oahu trip, Part 2

Day 3 in Paradise

To North Shore! We had done the Dole Plantation train last time, so we just stopped by for some Dole whip. K was fascinated by the "pick a pearl" booth, and we grabbed a coupon for half off (regular price $14.95) so we let her pick an oyster. Of course they mounted it so nicely in a dolphin pendant, we got that too. Then they let her pick another oyster for free, and she got 2 pearls in that one! So yeah, we bought a ring for one of them. They let Mom pick a free pearl too! I didn't fall for the tactic... at first. Balking at the $300 rose gold setting, I opted for a much cheaper one, and skipped the chain. They let me pick another "free pearl" which I just kept plain. 

We then set out for Waimea Falls, and a leisurely mile walk. We enjoyed the beauty of the park, and didn't jump in the waterfall. 

We walked up an appetite, so headed to Haleiwa town for some lunch. We enjoyed the food and views at Haleiwa Joe's. The line at Matsumoto shave ice was way too long, so we skipped that.

Went back for a rest at the resort.
Dinner was at nearby Kapolei, at a new to us place, Takumi. I enjoyed a cold soju drink, mango Chu Hai. It was refreshing! I also read a review about bacon wrapped mochi on their menu, so we had to try it. So delicious!

Day 4...

The next morning, I woke up early enough to catch the sunrise from our bedroom window, which faced the mountainside.

Then we headed to the Aloha Swap meet. It was hot. And traffic was bad. We only had about an hour to shop. Which was fine by the hubby man. 

Next, we met up with a former work buddy of the hubs, at Shirokiya Village Walk at Ala Moana Shopping Center, also known as my happy place. Shirokiya used to be a Japanese department store the last time we were here 3 years ago. No longer... it is now a huge group of food stalls. What to eat??

I discovered a new food fave... Hello Kitty waffles from Kulu Kulu! We got custard, chocolate, and regular. So cute and yummy!!

Then we hit the mall, and I picked up some cookies (They have both Big Island Candies, and Honolulu Cookie Company... maybe part of the reason why this is my happy place), and had to search out Uncle Clay's HOPA stand (House of Pure Aloha). He makes his own syrups, and it was quite tasty!

I know it seems like we are always eating, and my hashtag for the trip was #eatingmywaythroughoahu... but after a rest, we had dinner at Monkeypod Kitchen. I really enjoyed this place last time, and the fish and chips did not disappoint!