After a sleep, that was not long enough, we headed to the airport for our flight back to Honolulu.
The car rental drop off, check in, and the flight were all fast and easy and we arrive on time. We have been amazingly lucky considering the number of flights we have taken.
We left a beautiful day on Kauai and landed to an equally beautiful day in Honolulu.
Rather than a personal shuttle I opted for the Speedishuttle service. It was about 1/5 of the price. If they turned out to be really bad I could book another company to go back to the airport.
Instead they were fabulous, we had our bags, and were on a shuttle within 30 minutes of landing.
With only one day of holiday left, there was no desire to waste any minutes waiting on pickups or standing in queues.
I definitely recommend this service, check them out when you are travelling. http://www.speedishuttle.com/
We were dropped off at our hotel, Halekulani, which, according to our driver, is one of the best hotels on the island.
Well it certainly did look impressive.
The nice men at the entrance took our bags and we went to reception.
A lovely lady called Joy scooped us to one side and started the check in process. At this time our room was not ready, but we could go to the pool or anything we like until it is ready.
Then, Jason drops the H bomb.
He tells Joy that this is the very last night of our Honeymoon and how we have been looking forward to this hotel, even though it means our two month adventure is over.
WELL! Joy, god bless her, kicks into over drive. She goes looking for an upgrade, and an upgrade that is ready now, within 20 minutes we have a beautiful large room, with pool and ocean view.
At this hotel they do not hand you the keys and give you directions to your room, no, no, no. They walk you through the hotel, pointing out all the things you can do, and where to go to get help, and where all the restaurants are.
You are then escorted up to your room where they point out all the facilities and ensure you do not have any questions before departing.
My god, it’s like being back on the cruise, but BETTER.
Joy departs and then the porter arrives with our bags.
The room is amazing, and the balcony is lovely. I wish we could have stayed here longer. Just don’t think about the price.
We take out what we need and store our suitcases in the massive wardrobe. Time to hit the streets and get a look around this place. It is getting close to lunchtime so it would be great to find a place to eat.
At the concierge desk we sort out an ocean view table for dinner, obviously the fact that it is our honeymoon is now on the computer, and everyone goes the extra mile to ensure we are happy. Why didn’t we drop the H bomb more often! Damn it.
The concierge recommends where to go to eat. Where to walk and what to see.
Outside the weather is heating up nicely. We walk around the main street, popping into the occasional shop. If for no other reason than a hit of air conditioning to breathe life back into Jason’s wilting body.
This place is busy, a lot busier than Kauai.
We find the lunch spot that was recommended and it smells fabulous. Jason has BBQ on his mind, and there is a BBQ place right there.
It’s a very cool set up actually. Like an upmarket food court. There are about 8 different food options, and two bars. You purchase what you want to eat, and what you want to drink, then park up.
So Jason got his BBQ and I got my tuna poke (there is no such thing as too much fish) and we sat at the bar.
As always Jason goes for a local beer, and I select a local wine. Which just happened to come in a can. Yep, wine in a can. It was actually really nice. And an awesome serving size! 333mls, that’s nearly half a bottle, for 10USD. Happy place. If you are in Honolulu check this place out, International Market Place – http://www.shopinternationalmarketplace.com/dining_entertainment
Fed and watered (well wined anyway) we ventured back outside.
The shopping centre was so very cool, with a massive tree in the centre atrium, water features, lounging areas. And not filled with masses of people.
We did a little shopping, ok I did and Jason watched, before heading back to the hotel for a swim and a bit of relaxation.
When we arrived back at the room a lovely fruit platter, courtesy of the hotel, was there to greet us. Why do we have to leave!!!
The pool and the beach were calling us.
The beach was lovely, golden sand, and warm water. Easily felt like you were climbing into a bath. There must have been some erosion of the beachside because the water crashes into the pathway, and parts of it are now closed. Not entirely clear how they will protect the hotel land from being eaten away – regardless of what they do, my money is on Mother Nature.
We finish with a dip in the salt water pool before getting changed and heading out for walk down to Diamond Head Park.
Even though it is late in the afternoon there are still a lot of people on the beach and around the town. What is very evident on this walk is the high number of homeless people that set up camp by the beach. I am not sure how that works as every second lamppost has a sign saying no camping.
I guess if you have to sleep outside and rough it, there are worst places to be than the Honolulu beach front. We did not see any trouble and there is a very high police presence.
Back at the hotel it was time for another swim and a drink on the deck before our dinner reservation.
It is our last night and all, we needed to make the most of this place. There was a knock at the door and a lovely man was there with a complimentary bottle of bubbles to help us celebrate our honeymoon! Farking love it!
We polish off the bottle as we get ready for dinner.
The food was delicious and the excellent service continued. A couple of raspberry mojitos helped the mood along too.
There was live Hawaiian music and Miss Hawaii 2016 performed hula dances – not the stereotypical grass skirt and shaking hips, but the rhythmic and subtle story telling hula. Very beautiful.
With our final day in Honolulu winding to an end we head off to bed.
Such an amazing end to a fabulous trip.
Tomorrow we head home. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
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