Makai was already on Kauai for three weeks when Dallas and I flew to Honolulu. Before we went to get him we were going to spend two nights at The Royal Hawaiian on our own to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We always wanted to invite friends and family to Hawaii to celebrate 10 years, but because of Covid, that didn’t happen. Since we were going to stay in Waikiki, we did not rent a car. Not that we could. Cars were SO expensive, IF available at all! So, for the first time ever, we took an Uber from the Honolulu airport to Waikiki.
We checked into The Royal Hawaiian and were greeted with kukui nut leis. It was nice, but I recall getting a fresh flower lei the last time we stayed at the Royal Hawaiian. Also, I wondered about the banana bread in the room. I was sure they wouldn’t have it because of covid, and I was right! Instead we got a slip to get something “special” at the bakery. When I turned it in, it was a bag of banana muffins.
We had to get up at 3 am for our flight. Then 4 hours to Phoenix and 5 (?) hours to HNL. Then an Uber, then the check in…. all while wearing a mask. We were so exhausted and hungry! We walked around Waikiki for SO long looking for somewhere to sit down and eat. I was so tired I told Dallas I couldn’t walk around any more. Everywhere had wait times of 30 – 60 minutes. Maui Brewing had a 2 hour wait! Now that Hawaii is more open to tourism, it is crazy. We travelled using our vaccine card to avoid the mandatory quarantine.
We finally found a place to be seated and have a drink and some pupus at Doraku on the 2nd floor of the Royal Hawaiian shopping center. I don’t recommend this place, really. It was expensive and the poke had gochujang on it. Also it was our first experience with covid tracing. We had to scan a QR code and enter our contact info into a web form. This was pretty standard at most Honolulu restaurants. Once we were seated and rested a minute we could try to figure out what to do. We called Sansei, one of our favorite Waikiki restaurants, but there was no answer. We then called Side Street Inn because it’s off the beaten tourist path in Waikiki. They said come in NOW or don’t come for 2 days!
Side Street Inn was a great choice. There was no wait and it was all locals. Dallas knew what to order because he’s seen Side Street Inn on TV and has been there before. This was a place Bourdain really liked. We ordered the special of the day – lumpia. It was soo good. We also got the kimchee fried rice, which was huge. A MOUNTAIN of rice. Then we got the fried pork chop. And for dessert we got the chocolate peanut butter crunch. The lychee martini was $8 at Side Street Inn compared to $13 at Doraku.
After dinner we took an Uber back to the hotel and went to bed. By then we’d been up for something like 20 hours!
We woke up early at like 4 or 5am because of the time difference. We went to eat breakfast at Surf Lanai in our hotel really early to beat any rush! The food was good, but expensive. A small place of 3 slices of papaya was $13! We decided to get the continental breakfast, which was all you can eat for $25 AND included papaya! I had 5 slices of papaya, plus other fruit, quiche, and pastries. Dallas had POG + vodka.
After breakfast we were walking around and went to Lawson’s to get a few things for the beach. Lawson’s is a popular convenience store in Japan! Dallas went back to the room and I stopped by ABC store too.
On the way back to the hotel I swung by to see the Princess. Princess Bernice Pauahi, great-granddaughter of Kamehameha I, penned her last will and testament at this spot, establishing the Kamehameha Schools, dedicated to educating children of Hawaiian descent.
At 9am we went to our reserved beach chairs. We had to pay $60 to reserve chairs from 9-6. We had to reserve weeks in advance and actually were really lucky to get these chairs! I was checking every morning to try to get chairs or a cabana!
I stopped by the Royal Hawaiian bakery for some free treats, which were 3 banana muffins, instead of the banana bread they used to leave in the rooms. Also, I had to go to the Waikiki Apple store because I forgot my watch charger at home.
When we’d first settled into our seats, I gave the guy who set up our umbrella $20 for tip, thinking he’d be serving us all day. We never saw him again! At 11am we could go to the Mai Tai bar and get our own drinks and walk back to our chairs. Not the luxe experience I was thinking of when I paid for those chairs! Dallas had a beer. I asked for a lava flow but they made me a SUPER STRONG pina colada. The water had such a turquoise hue and a great view of Diamond Head!
Cute Java Sparrow outside the Royal Hawaiian entrance.
For lunch we went to the Royal Hawaiian food court to get something fast and cheap. I ordered a loco moco burger with fries and a Big Wave beer from Mahaloha Burger only to find out Dallas didn’t want anything from any restaurant in the food court! So I ate while he stewed.
We went to Yard House to check on the wait time. This Gabby Pahinui statue is right outside. The wait time was about a half hour so Dallas waited outside and I walked around the little shops in the area. Dallas got ahi nachos and wings. I already ate so I just got a mini creme brulee cheesecake.
Afterwards Dallas went back to our room to rest (he had been up so early). I went back to the beach. I had to get our full value from our reserved chairs!
We got really lucky with reservations that day. I happened to be on the Open Table app when all the listings for Eating House 1849 opened up. I booked a time immediately. I cancelled our reservation for Wolfgang Steakhouse, who, by the way is NOT Wolfgang Puck, much to the confusion of many tourists we heard talking about it. So lucky. The Eating House on Kauai was fully booked til late August! Dallas’s parents had tried to go with Caroline and Jose.
This is a selfie we took before dinner. Dallas was reluctant, but I made him!
Eating House is in the International Marketplace, which is SO fancy now. I felt bad for all of the families who were walking in asking to eat and getting turned away immediately. We learned that lesson right away upon landing on Oahu. We actually later in in the trip started booking meals and planning days around it.
We had pork and crab “pillows” and a seafood platter (4 oysters, 4 giant tiger shrimp, 3 ahi sashimi, 3 salmon sashimi and 3 kampachi sashimi). We each ordered “Fish your way” and both got Kona kampachi. Dallas got his grilled with pancit. I got mine sauteed with truffled garlic caper beurre blanc (butter sauce). The wait staff was so great. Even the busser went out of his way. They’d asked earlier if we wanted the molten lava cake and I was a for sure YES!
I started off dinner with a lychee martini, but then finally did get my lava flow.
We were so stuffed. I wanted to walk around Waikiki a little bit, but it was so busy. Like think… Las Vegas at night busy. Dallas said he’s never seen it SO crowded. There were street performers out and people everywhere. We ended up just going back to the peace and quiet of the hotel.
The next morning I got up at 6am and got coffee at the Royal Hawaiian bakery along with some croissants and the muffins from the day before for breakfast. We packed and took a cab to the airport ($40). Our flight to Kauai was at 9:30 am.
An anniversary note and a love note to The Royal Hawaiian…
Makai has been with his grandparents on Kauai for 3 weeks already. We’re here to pick him up and bring him home, but before we do that we took 2 nights at The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort to celebrate our 10 year anniversary.
We were lucky enough to stay at this hotel one other time in 2009, during the recession and on a friends and family discount. This time we used points. I love when we can figure out a way to stay at The RH.
Both of our stays have been in the historic tower, which is the original building from the 1920s. The rooms are not huge and luxurious, but I do not mind. I love being surrounded by the history. Every nook and cranny has photographs, art and memorabilia from the last nearly 100 years.
I also love that because they were the second hotel in Waikiki (Moana is just a little older), the have a larger footprint and are removed from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki and Kal?kaua Ave. The grounds are beautiful and relaxing and I love to sit in a rocking chair on the expansive lanai and read or write or just… sit.
We’re on our way right now to the airport for an inter island flight to Kauai to get our boy. So long to The Pink Palace. A hui hou! Happy 10th anniversary,
Dallas Crowell.