All in the name of research....

As I mentioned in my previous post, a few nights ago D and I walked over to Duke’s Waikiki for late night drinks.  D ordered the Surf Sampler, which includes four different beers from local breweries (Fire Rock Pale Ale, Duke’s Blonde Ale, Lavaman Red Ale, and Hapa Brown Ale).  D says that if you like beer and want to try the local brews this is the way to go.  You get a good sampling, decide which one is your favorite, and take it from there. 

I opted to have the Lava Flow and the Hawaiian Salt.  (Don’t judge… I do it all in the name of research!)  Pretty much every bar/restaurant on the island will offer their version of the Lava Flow.  It is a rum-based, pineapple/strawberry/coconut-flavored blended drink.  Duke’s version is oh so tasty, but dangerous because you can’t taste the liquor.  They do make this drink in a non-alcoholic version that is just as yummy.  The Hawaiian Salt, on the other hand, I would NEVER have again!  When I read the menu I was attracted to the fact that it has lemonade fruit juices.  (As you can probably tell, I love fruity drinks.)  I took a sip, and I could not taste anything but salt.  The drink looks beautiful and tasty, but don’t let that fool you!  It’s name does not lie… salt is all you taste. 

Hawaiian Salt

I've decided that I'm going to ask the bartenders for the recipes of the best drinks I try.  If they're kind enough to share them with me, I'll share them with you.  This way you can have a little bit of vacation, too!  Here’s the Lava Flow recipe compliments of Duke’s.  Try it at home, and taste little bit of Hawaii.

Lava Flow

Lava Flow

1 oz. coconut syrup

2 ozs. pineapple juice

2 ozs. light rum (Remove this from the equation for an oh so yummy non-alcoholic version.)

Splash vanilla ice milk (or ice cream)

1/2 cup ice

1 1/2 ozs. strawberry puree (Gives it the appearance of ‘lava flowing’.)

Blend all ingredients except strawberry puree. Pour the blend into a cocktail glass, then gently pour in the strawberry puree.  Garnish it with a little umbrella and pineapple wedge.  Hawaii here you come!

Cheers!

Duke's Waikiki

So today I decided that while D was at work I would try out Duke’s Waikiki for lunch.  The bar/restaurant is located at the On the Sand at the Outrigger Waikiki with great views of the ocean and walking distance from our new hotel, “Miramar at Waikiki”.  (D and I have been here before for late night drinks.  I’ll tell you about that a little later.)  I am not one of those people who usually go to a restaurant alone.  In fact, this is my first time.  I think I’m too much of a “needy person”  for that, but today I decided to step out of my comfort zone and definitely try something new.  It is an odd experience… it reminded me of when Jason Segel’s character (Peter) in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (coincidentally filmed here in Oahu) went to the hotel’s restaurant and asked for a table for 1.  The scene was hilarious to watch as everyone looked at him funny and wondered what his story was.  As I sat there I pretty much felt like everyone around me who stared was doing the same.  Wondering why someone would eat alone on vacation or making up different scenarios amongst themselves.  I’m sure that this was not the case, but I think this was an expression of my “first-time eating alone in a public restaurant” paranoia.  

Anyway, once I got over the “holy ba’jesus everyone is staring” jitters I really enjoyed my time at Duke’s.  The atmosphere was really great!  Since it's pretty much right on the beach and all open-air, Duke's has a really 'tropical' feel to it.  It's what you would expect to see in Hawaii.  Duke's is packed during lunch, but the wait does not seem to be over 10 minutes. (Disclaimer:  This guesstimate is for lunch only.  I have not experienced Duke’s for dinner, so the wait may be a little different for you.)  The staff was quick, friendly, and above all attentive! 

I asked the waiter for the drink they call a “Tropical Itch”.  He said that it was good if you like dark rum and that it came with a backscratcher.  I figured he was pulling my leg but no, he was telling truth.  The drink came to the table, low and behold there it was… a backscratcher!  I had to chuckle a little bit to myself.  If you’ve never had it before, it pretty much tastes like a sweeter version of a Mai Tai thanks to the passion fruit juice that they add to the drink.  On a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best, the drink was a 8.  It does get a 10 for comedic relief though!

Yes, that is the backscratcher.  I kept it!

The food here is overall very tasty!  I ordered the Kalua pork sandwich that came with waffle fries.  If you’ve never had kalua pork, I highly suggest you try it.  It’s the very tasty, Hawaiian version of pulled pork.

Whether you’re on vacation or live here, I do recommend you take a little trip to Duke’s.  It’s a cool place for food and drinks, and it’s reasonably priced.

(Note:  I will add more pictures to this post as soon as my camera decides to stop acting up.)

Happy Hour at the Mai Tai Bar

Before we moved to Oahu a couple of friends of ours graciously gave us a list of things to do, see and try.  I asked everyone I knew who had lived here for ideas because I was worried we would not be able to keep busy.  Little did I know keeping busy would be the least of our worries!  In spite of it’s size, there is just so much to do on this island! 

Our hotel, the Ilikai, is within walking distance to the Ala Moana Center.  It is a giant, open-air shopping center with stores ranging from Macys and Sears to Prada, Cartier and Hermes, as well as several restaurants and bars.  (A shop-aholics dream!)  If you’re wondering, the mall was not really on my friends’ lists, but one of them did add a note about trying the Lychee Mai Tai served at the Mai Tai Bar.  As it turns out the Mai Tai Bar is conveniently located on the fourth level of the Ala Moana Center. 

D and I took a walk to the mall just to check it out, and I was able to convince him to go taste the Lychee Mai Tai.  (It didn’t take much convincing.)  Upon entering the bar we were informed that it was their happy hour.  Convenient, I know! 

Lychee Mai Tai

When you get there you’ll find that the entire place is open seating.  I’ve heard that it can be a pain in the butt to find a seat, particularly with the happy hour/after-work crowd.  Not to toot my own horn, but I am pretty amazing at stalking people for tables.  Needless to say, it didn’t take us long before we were seated and ordering our drinks.  I, of course, ordered the Lychee Mai Tai while D ordered a Kona Longboard beer (brewed locally).  The Lychee Mai Tai is the single most delicious Mai Tai I have ever tasted!  It’s both sweet and a little sour.  If you like sweet drinks (not overly sweet), then you’ll definitely like this one.  For those of you who prefer beer and have never tasted a Kona Longboard, D says that it’s akin to a Yuengling.  Aside from that description, I can’t really help other than to say it tastes good to a “non-beer drinker”.

D with a Kona Longboard

Overall, we found the Mai Tai Bar to be one of the best happy hour spots we have encountered so far.  It has a good mix of people, both tourists and locals alike, as well as live music.  I also must say that they have great food, with discounted PuPus (Hawaiian for appetizers), $5 Mai Tai’s, and great deals on beer!  For those of you who want to try it out, the happy hour runs daily from 4-7 pm.

Pupu Platters

Fun Fact:  The waitress let us know that although this oh so yummy Mai Tai has lychee in its name it contains no lychee fruit or juice.  They mix a bunch of fruit juices that make it taste like the lychee fruit.  Regardless, it is definitely worth a taste.  It may quickly become your favorite happy hour drink!

A Stroll on Waikiki Beach

Finally after being here for a little over a week D and I had enough time to head over to the beach.  Yes, I know it should have been the first thing we did as soon as we landed, but this house hunt is driving us a little crazy and taking a lot of our time.  Life happened, but thankfully we got out and decided to head over to Waikiki Beach.  From where we are staying at the moment this beach is literally “right in our backyard”.  (I wish it was permanently my backyard!  Not likely to happen though….)  It’s a short 2 minute walk from the lobby of the Ilikai hotel to the sand. 

   

"Somewhere over the rainbow"

Waikiki Beach is not only beautiful, spanning approximately 2 miles from the back of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel to within walking distance of the Honolulu Zoo, but it also provides tourists and locals with a ton to do!  It’s steps from restaurants, bars, and shopping.  No matter what time of the day you decide to go out, there is always a good crowd on the beach and a good amount of people in the water.  When you look out onto the ocean it’s really all you see, sky and blue water.  Turn to your left and you see the awesome Diamond Head Crater (more on the crater in a future post), and behind you you’ll see all the hotels that sprawl along the beach side. 

Waikiki Beach with a view of Diamond Head.

D and I decided to head over to the beach around 1:00pm on a Saturday.  Since we are pretty close to the Hilton hotel we opted to lay our towels down and  stay on the beach directly behind this hotel.  Thankfully the beach is public, so you can pick a place anywhere along the 2 mile stretch to lay down without a charge.  Needless to say the view is amazing from anywhere you are on the beach and the breeze will keep you cool even on the hottest of days.

A couple of things we learned…

Sand and Seashell Mix

“Sand and bare feet don’t mix!” - Wear flip-flops or shoes ALL the time while on the sand!  If you go to the beach during the day, beware, the sand is abnormally HOT!!  We pretty much burned the soles of our feet from the get go.  The sand appears to be white sand, but it’s not.  It totally deceived us in to thinking that it would be nice and cool, a la white sand beaches on the west coast of Florida.  (If you’ve stepped on a white sand beach, you know what I’m talking about.)  Also, the sand on Waikiki Beach is really a mix of sand and seashell pieces.  The shells make it a little hard to walk on, but nothing you can’t handle!

“Cheap umbrella anyone?” - Buy a beach umbrella when you get here!  I know this may seem like a pain to do, especially if you’re only here for vacation, but I highly recommend it! D and I literally tried to use a palm tree to shade us from the sun.  As the sun changed location so did we.  I’m sure we looked crazy getting up and moving every 2 minutes, but if you know me you know that I turn 10 shades darker by just walking outside so I need the shade!  If you have a rental car drive out to the mall or the closest grocery store and get yourself one.  No car, no problem, buy the cheapest one you can find in the closest ABC store (the general store you’ll see everywhere in Waikiki).  The price to rent an umbrella from one of the stands on the beach is ridiculous, and it’s only for a few hours or for the day at most.  It is likely that while on vacation or “staycation” you will head to the beach several times, and you’ll thank me each time you use the umbrella… that is, unless you want to go the “Jersey Shore” route and tan like leather. (No judgment here.)  Once your vacation is over, give it away to another vacationer.  Good karma is always welcome in my book!  

“More foes for your feet.” - The beach and water closest to the Hilton Hotel’s lagoon is very rocky, so be careful where you walk and swim.  D says that it is a better area to snorkel rather than swim.  We did see a  handful of people out there with their snorkel gear.  I’m not entirely sure if there is anything too crazy to see since it’s not a reef, but try it and let me know.  That said, once you swim out a bit it gets better.

“Music everywhere.” - If you are on the beach around lunch/dinner time you’ll have the music of live bands or DJ’s to add to your experience.  We were near the Hilton’s “Tropics Bar & Grill” where they have bands play each afternoon/evening for their guests.  Most of the larger, beach-front hotels also have music playing.  Luckily this allows those on the beach get to enjoy the music as well. 

This is not a great picture, but you get the point.

   

A little bit of everything to rent.

“Rentals, get your rentals!” – There are plenty of stands along the beach and shops a little further away from the beach that will rent you anything from snorkel gear, to paddleboards, surfboards, giant water tricycles and much more.  As with any touristy area the rentals can be on the expensive side.  My suggestion would be to look at the Groupon and/or Livingsocial sites.  These sites tend to have several coupons for rentals and lessons.  We’ve been told that they try to gear these coupons towards locals, but there is nothing that says tourists can’t use them as well.  Keep an eye out.  They can save you a pretty penny.  Just a thought…. 

This upcoming weekend we’re planning to check out the North Shore for the first time.  We’ll see how it compares to Waikiki and what we’ve heard about it.  I’m super excited!   

The House Hunt Begins (or began)...

For the last week or so D and I have actively been on the hunt for a house or condo here in Oahu.  To tell you the truth, I’m pretty much torn with what to do.  Prior to us arriving on the island, I looked on every possible website for houses on the market and for a general idea as to what we should expect.  Needless to say, what I expected was totally different than what we’ve seen so far.  The island is tiny, and space is definitely at a premium.  I really thought that living in the D.C. area would prepare me for the prices and space constraints that an island presents, but that was not the case!  Reality, it’s not so nice to meet you.

For those of you who are not very familiar with Oahu here’s a crash course.  The island is divided into 5 areas (as depicted in the picture below). Honolulu is the capital of the state of Hawaii, also known as “Town” and if you live there you’re known as a “Townie”.  Waikiki is the resort area where most people who vacation in Oahu stay.  There is the North Shore where they have the surf competitions and some awesome shrimp trucks (more on this in a later post).  Central Oahu is supposed to be beautiful and much cooler since it’s in the mountains.  The “Windward” side (East Oahu) where Kailua and Kaneohe are located.  Some say the windward coast has the best beaches on Oahu.  Finally, the “Leeward” side (West Oahu) contains the Ewa Plain.  This area tends to be hotter with the mountains blocking a lot of the tradewinds. 

Out of all of those areas, we’ve pretty much filtered our search to the Ewa Plain, Honolulu, Waikiki, and the windward side.  I know if seems like a lot, but there are not a lot of places that fit our budget and other items on our must have list.  The houses are cute and small, some of the condos have pretty amazing views of the ocean, and they all come with a price tag that matches.  I’ll break it down as we go.  


To be continued…

Aloha!

Hi All! 

A good friend of mine encouraged me to start a blog about everything and anything Hawaii.  More importantly about the experiences I have while making the transition from Washington, D.C to the beautiful island of Oahu.  It’s been wild so far, and it’s only been 6 days since we boarded our flight out of D.C.’s Reagan National Airport. 

To give you a little background, my fiancé (for blog purposes we’ll call him D) and I moved from D.C to Oahu six days ago.  He was offered a job out here, and we decided to jump on it with only a month’s worth of notice!  As you can imagine… it’s been a whirlwind, to say the least!

As I explore and learn new things about Hawaii and this process as a whole I’ll fill you all in.  I’ll use this blog as a means to pass along tidbits that I learn along the way, such as where to eat, sights to see, interesting things to do, and of course the odds and ends of making such a big move.  Hopefully I’ll be some help not only to those who are moving here, but also to those who are visiting and just want to know what to do while here on vacation or even on a "Staycation".


If any of you have questions, comments or suggestions on things I should try/blog about let me know!  I’ll try them (if possible) and fill you in on how it went.