During our trip to Waikiki, we stayed in a hotel that was 3 streets away from the Waikiki beach. It's called Aqua Surf Aloha Hotel. Actually, my friend and I couldn't get the name right. Everytime someone asks us, we jumble all the words - Aloha Aqua Surf, Aqua Aloha Surf, Aloha Surf Aqua... Hahaha...
If you’re planning to visit Waikiki, I highly recommend that you stay within the Waikiki beach area (anywhere near the Kalakaua Ave.) because there are a lot of things to do and places to visit when you have extra time in between organized tours. Here are some of them and they are all within walking distance:
1. Swim or just hang out at the Waikiki Beach.
You can take up surfing lessons too or rent surfboards.
While at the Waikiki Beach, don’t forget to pay homage to the Father of International Surfing – Duke Paoa Kahanamoku – a full-blooded Hawaiian. He’s an Olympic gold medal swimmer, surfer, Hollywood actor, sheriff of Honolulu, among many titles.
2. While waiting to cross the street, look down and check out educational markers that feature Hawaiian terms. Now we know that Aloha doesn’t just mean hello or goodbye but it can also mean “regards, kindness, compassion, affection and love”.
I also saw a marker which says “Ohana”. If you’ve watched Lilo & Stitch (ahem…), you know that “Ohana” means family. :)
3. Look around and notice interesting fixtures like this bike parking stations that are shaped like bicycles.
4. Visit the King’s Village. It’s a shopping center but if you happen to be in the area around 6:15pm, you can witness the Changing of Guards.
In 1820, The Royal Household Guard was an elite group of soldiers serving the Hawaiian monarchy. After the monarchy was overthrown in 1893, they were disbanded. But in 1972, the King’s Guard was reorganized to revive Hawaii in the 1800s. This attraction has been performed daily in the last 4o years and it is considered the longest-running daily event in Waikiki.
During the Changing of Guard ceremony, the flag is is lowered which is then followed by a drill exhibition. You can also have your photos taken with the King’s guards after the exhibition – and it’s for free.
5. Food trip.
Waikiki is a tourist destination so cost of living is generally high. For example, a meal in foodcourts averages USD12 and drinks/shakes are about USD4 to 5. In regular restaurants, a dish can go anywhere from USD20-35 (again, these are just regular restos, not fine-dining).
Even parking is expensive. My friend who's based in Hawaii and her niece parked near our hotel and guess how much the parking is? USD7 for just 2 hours! Whoa… For tours, a 3-hour organized tour can cost you more than USD100.
Anyway, here are some places you can try are:
Eggs N Things for breakfast. It’s touted as the best breakfast in Hawaii. But I suggest that you just take out food because the lines are really long! There are public picnic tables and benches right across the restaurant where you can enjoy your take-out food by the beach.
Eggs ‘n Things in Waikiki is located at 2464 Kalakaua Ave., Waikiki, Hawaii. They are open everyday from 6am to 2pm and 4pm to 10pm.
International Marketplace. It has various stalls offering Hawaiian, Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Mediterranean, Chinese and other fusion food.
In the following days, we again dropped by the International Market Place to try other foods. I also tried Blue Shrimp & Fish Market. Since I couldn’t make up my mind if I would get seafood or meat, the attendant suggested their trio – steak, shrimps and tuna! All freshly cooked. Yum-yum!
In one of the guidebooks, I also remember reading about Dole Whip so when I saw this stall selling Dole Whip (soft-serve, lactose-free frozen dessert) at the International Market Place, I had to go for it.
But then I saw people ordering this colorful dessert – Shave Ice – so I was torn between trying Shave Ice or Dole Whip. Haha…
Good thing I saw the Hawaiian-style Shave Ice on the menu which had a scoop of Dole Whip at the bottom. You can choose from various flavors but I just asked the attendant to make me her favorite. She picked pineapple, strawberry and mango flavors for the Shave Ice with a scoop of Vanilla Dole Whip at the bottom. Yum! The shave ice is so smooth and surprisingly, doesn’t melt quickly despite the tropical weather.
Today, its original Maui branch serves 1,200 customers per day and 18,000 cheeseburgers per month! Whoa… Here’s their Waikiki branch which is right across the beach.
I ordered its original Cheeseburger in Paradise – the burger that started it all. This big cheeseburger is USD9.99. Tasty, tender and juicy.
I also got a pina colada.
Cheeseburger in Paradise, Waikiki branch is located at 2500 Kalakaua Ave., Waikiki, Hawaii.
For dessert, go for Honolulu Coffee Company (known to be the best Kona coffee in Hawaii) located at the Moana Surfrider Hotel.
Honolulu Coffee Company has yummy desserts too. We tried the Tiramisu which the attendant said was their bestseller. Super rich, moist and sinful. :)
4. If you’re in Hawaii on a Sunday, don’t forget to hear mass. St Augustine by-the-sea Church - and it's really by the sea because it's right across the Waikiki Beach.
Inside the church, we saw a statue of a saint named St. Damien.
St. Damien is a Belgian missionary who moved and served in Hawaii taking care of lepers, building churches, homes and coffins, and organizing schools and farms. In 1884, he contracted leprosy and died 4 yrs after. He was beatified by Pope JP2 in 1995 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. He is highly revered in Hawaii.
Sunday Catholic Mass Schedule at St. Augustine by-the-sea are as follows:
5pm on Saturdays (anticipated mass)
6am, 8am, 10am and 5pm on Sundays
There are flagship stores for luxury brands like Tiffany & Co., Prada, Tory Burch, Kate Spade etc. and more affordable brands like Crocs, David & Goliath, Le Sportsac, etc. Also an Apple Store!
There’s also DFS Galleria and Macy’s. And a Ross Store if you’re looking for great bargains of branded items.
But the most visible stores are ABC stores – they are state-owned stores selling Hawaiian delicacies, souvenirs and grocery items. If I remember right, our tour guide said there are about 36 branches in the Waikiki area alone. They are in every corner!
Here are cute Hawaiian figurines I saw in ABC stores.
The International Market Place is a popular shopping destination for tourists. It’s an open air shopping center in Waikiki where you can buy souvenirs like pearls, accessories, beach dresses, artworks, etc.
The International Market Place also holds Hawaiian entertainment throughout the week and we luckily enjoyed some Hawaiian music performance over lunch.
According to guide books, the International Market Place is open 365 days a year from 10am to 9pm.
7. Watch artists in action. In the evenings, there are several artists on the streets that give life to the city like magicians, painters, sketch artists, bands, singers, dancers and even palm readers.
Here’s one from artist from King’s Village, Wayne Gabaylo, also tagged as the Word’s first juggling and dancing spray paint artist. He does Art in Motion shows regularly at the King’s Village right outside Burger King.
Here's a wooden sculptor in action. We also some sculptors who do miniature surfboards and they can carve your name on the surfboard if you wish to.
8. Watch shows. There are 3 main shows widely promoted and highly recommended by brochures and tour guides in Waikiki – Magic of Polynesia featuring illusionist John Hirokawa, Lani in Waikiki featuring Filipina singer Lani Misalucha and Legends in Concert’s Rock-a-Hula featuring impersonators of Elvis Presley, Elton John, Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga. Due to limited time and budget (haha...), we had to pick only one and among the three, we went for the Legends in Concert and it was so much fun!
Photo-taking isn’t allowed during the show but I got this photo from gohawaii.com which features the stars of the show.
In terms of style and movement, they really sang, danced, moved and talked like the real stars but in terms of physical apperance, I think Michael Jackson and Elton John topped it.
Here’s a photo of the MJ impersonator named Damian Brantley. Apparently, he is the 2011 Best Impersonator in the Broadway World Las Vegas Awards.
It was one fun, colorful night with a lot of hula dancing during Elvis Presley’s segment.
Outside the entrance/exit of the theatre at the Royal Hawaiian Center, there are also memorabilia of the real stars on display. Here’s a poster of the History World Tour of Michael Jackson in Honolulu in 1996.
And here’s the original jacket worn by Michael Jackson when he sang “Heal the World” during his Dangerous World Tour.
More Michael Jackson memorabilia including a belt and the iconic glove he wore for Billie Jean. These were given by Katherine Jackson to the Royal Hawaiian Center.
There were Elvis Presley memorabilia too like commemorative stamps, concert ticket in Hawaii and a signed letter by none other than Elvis Presley himself.
This is a replica of Elvis Presley's American Eagle jacket.
And just in case you’re wondering how much were Elvis Presley’s embellished jumpsuits, check out this authentic invoice for his custom-made orders in Hawaii. USD5,190 for a bunch of stuff and considering this was in 1973! :)
There are several packages for the Legends in Concert show like VIP package, dinner buffet plus concert, cocktails plus concert, etc. but we only got the basic package which is about USD50. You don't really need to get premium seats because the theater isn't that big.
