Hello – We just got back from our trip to Oahu and the Big Island. This trip report is for Oahu, and I will post the Big Island trip report separately. I have tried to include some info on prices/coupons as well. Let me know if you have any questions! (I had already posted this in the general forum but thought it may be better to put it in a specific forum, so sorry if you have already seen this).
Friday, Oct. 21
We took an 8 hour direct flight on Continental from Houston to Honolulu. Although this is a long flight, it seems to go by fast. The airplane had television monitors in the back of each seat and several options for movies, tv shows, radio, and games. Arrived around 12:30pm Hawaii time. Picked up our rental car from National ($21/day for full size through Priceline) – no problems here. Checked into the Marriott Waikiki – although this hotel is towards the east end of Waikiki, it is still close enough to walk to all of the shops, restaurants, etc. We paid $125/night for the room through Priceline and were given a free upgrade to an ocean view room in the tower closest to the beach when we arrived. Hotel was not luxury by any means but was still nice – we stayed at the Sheraton Waikiki last year and, other than location, we liked the Marriot much more. Had dinner at Matteo’s Italian restaurant using a buy one get one free coupon from the Entertainment Book - food here was very good.
Saturday, Oct. 22
Had a surf lesson with Hans Hedemann Surf at 9am. The instructor was good and I was able to easily get up on the board, which was a lot of fun. Also got a free t-shirt with the lesson using a coupon from the airport. Only problem was very little wave action – I went during high tide and only got to catch a few waves due to this. Although it will be hotter and more crowded, it is better to go later in the day during low tide if you want more waves. Had lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise – good hamburgers and prices are reasonable compared to other restaurants. Toured the USS Bowfin and Battleship Missouri (using half off Entertaiment coupons for each) – both of these were interesting, however, it started pouring rain on us so we were pretty rushed and didn’t get to spend as much time as we would have liked. Didn’t do Pearl Harbor this time as we had done it last year and were low on time. Took the scenic drive on Tantulas/Round Top above Waikiki, which was a very nice drive with some great views. Ate dinner at Duke’s – they stopped serving dinner fairly early, so we ended up having to order form the bar menu which had fewer selections, but food was still good.
Sunday, Oct. 23
Went to Chinatown in the morning – most stores were open by around 10am, some earlier. Had smoothies and pastries and did some souvenir shopping there. Also bought fresh leis – there are a lot of stores and a lot of options (many things that I hadn’t seen at other lei stands). We were able to get two really nice leis for under $20. Took the Pali Highway to the East side of the island and stopped at the Pali Lookout – the view was great and we got some really good pictures here. It is very windy, though! Also drove H3, which is very scenic and takes you through the mountains. Went to Valley of the Temples and the Byodo In Temple. Had lunch at The Shack in Kailua with a buy one get one free Entertainment coupon – food was very average, but okay for a quick lunch. Spent the afternoon at Kailua and Lanikai beaches – both were very pretty with nice sand, turquoise water, and offshore islands and were not crowded. Lots of windsurfers and kitesurfers in this area, which is fun to watch. Stopped at some of the scenic overlooks on the east side of the island, Halona Blowhole, etc – lots of nice views! Had dinner at Nick’s Fishmarket with a buy one get one free Entertainment coupon – this was one of the best meals on the trip.
Monday, Oct. 24
Headed up to the north side of the island and made some stops along the way at souvenir shops, orchid places, etc. Stopped by Laie Point, which overlooks an offshore island with a hole through the middle that was caused by a tsunami. Lots of good picture opportunities here. Ate lunch at Giovanni’s shrimp truck which was good and a fun place to stop. Spent the rest of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center – used a buy one get one free Entertainment coupon and chose the package with the daytime activities and Horizons show. Your ticket is good for 3 days, which could come in handy. We didn’t have enough time to see everything as there are several shows and, due to show timing, it is difficult if not impossible to make it to all of the shows in one day since they don’t open until noon. Admission also includes an Imax film on coral reefs. Rather than paying an extra $30/person for the luau, we left for dinner (fast food at L%26amp;L Drive In in town) and came back for the Horizons show. This show was good and you do get assigned seating – the earlier in the day you buy your tickets and the more expensive the ticket package, the better the seats will be.
Tuesday, Oct. 25
Headed out early in the morning for my husband to do powered hang gliding with Paradise Air. He took the 45 minute ride which covered the entire north shore and had a great time. He was able to steer the hang glider himself for most of the flight. You have the option of buying a video or still shots of the flight – we went with the video. The operators were very nice and provided lots of good tips on restaurants, activities, etc. Spent the rest of the day on the north shore. Went snorkeling at the tide pools adjacent to Shark’s Cove – water was too rough to go to the other snorkel spots. Watched some surfing – waves were 10-15 feet this week so there were lots of surfers out. Went to Turtle Beach where we saw two large sea turtles. Tried the chocolate cream pie from Ted’s Bakery and shaved ice with ice cream from Matsumoto’s – both were very good. Ate lunch at Breakers with a buy one get one free Entertainment coupon. The food here was average. Checked out the beaches along the north shore (Waimea, Pipeline, Sunset, etc) and stayed around for sunset. While we were there, there was a break in to a car at Waimea Beach Park (someone had broken out the back window). Headed back to Honolulu and had dinner at Sunset Grill at restaurant row on Ala Moana – used a buy one get one free Entertainment coupon here. This was also one of the best meals on the trip.
Wednesday, Oct. 26
Got up early and headed to the airport to go to the Big Island – details of that trip will be in a separate post.
Trip Report - Oahu (10/21-10/26)
We%26#39;re going to Hwawii in Feb in have seen several people mention these Entertainment coupons. How do you get these?
Thanks,
W Howell
Trip Report - Oahu (10/21-10/26)
Sounds like lots of fun, and you are able to use quite a few coupons from entertainment book which is great.
Yes - but where do you get the entertainment book?
It%26#39;s the entertainment book and you have to buy it. I believe it%26#39;s on entertainmentbook.com
I bought the Entertainment book online - used coupons for Alamo car rental, Polynesian Cultural Centre, Missouri/Bowfin, and some fast food places. The discount at PCC was $36 and the book cost $35, so the book more than paid for itself.
Sorry for the late reply. The Entertainment book can be purchased on www.entertainment.com. If your trip is later in the year, hold off on purchasing the book - the price goes down to $10 instead of $35.
I noticed you mentioned buying the coupon book later in the year as it goes down to $10. I am planning my trip for May...when should I purchase? Thanks.
Hi, I am heading to Oahu in 9 days, I am so excited I can%26#39;t wait! Anyway, I paid $9.95 for the Entertainment on Vacation package. It is similar to the Entertainment Book except you print the coupons from the website and the coupons are only good for a maximum of 14 days. I found it here; entertainmentonvacation.com/custom/…
I%26#39;m so glad to see someone else has found great use for the Entertainment book coupons. We picked one up off Ebay as the seller also posts them there. Entertainmentbook.com has a special on, for I believe $10 off now. There are a lot of dining/car rental/show coupons in it and we hope to use most of them. When you buy the book for those who haven%26#39;t, you also receive a card with a number that you must log onto the site, sign up for free and you can print coupons off the site as well. Then you can look up info on the various coupons available.
The person we bought the book from also included tourist books that are found outside most hotels with info on what is going on for the week/month-really nice bonus. He is based on the islands and will send extra info for you. Super nice fella. You can also visit ecouponshawaii.com and print them off but have a time frame of 14 days to use them so print them just before you leave.
Have a question for you texasaggie00...did you present your coupon out of the book before you requested your meal etc? Was the reception to the coupon good? This is our first trip as a couple to the islands and certainly don%26#39;t want to offend anyone. I have been there once 20 some years ago and didn%26#39;t have the luxury of using coupons in those days...every little bit helps when you are on a budget!
I am getting more excited reading everyone%26#39;s trip reports as they are first hand and personal. I love this forum and everyone is so helpful and kind.
Mahalo!
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