The first 3 days of our Hawaiian trip was at Waikiki. We stayed in a hotel that was basically on the one end of the shopping strip, and we had a nice view from the room.  We loved that we could take a walk easily for food and to buy anything; we went for a walk there at least once a day. Things had changed a lot since we were last there 12 years ago. There were now many upscale beautiful shopping plazas with many eateries.  We tried different Japanese food (ramen, udon, tonkatsu) and they were all delicious.  We also let the boys choose their favorite food sometimes too (ie, pizza).  In the evenings, there were often some entertainment like hula dancing or singing which the boys loved to take a seat to watch.

      We used our rental car to go different places on the island.  We had considered taking the kids to see the Polynesian Cultural Center, but we got convinced by the concierge to go to the Chiefs’ luau instead for its closer proximity. Once the dinner party started, we had a chance to throw spears, make some wreaths and play a Hawaiian game.  Many guests learned to do a hula dance, then we watched the ceremony of “imu” (Hawaiian underground oven).  Next it was the dinner which was not much to write about.  Finally the highlight began.  The boys really enjoyed the dancing, the singing and the audience participation. They especially liked the fire dancers which was the finale.  It was getting cold and a bit showery toward the end but we were prepared with jackets and we were given ponchos there too.  It was a fun evening.

     One morning we took the boys up to try hiking up the Diamond Head crater. They complained shortly after we started and we took many short snack breaks. But after some snacks in their system, the boys seemed motivated and we kept hiking higher. A couple of times Stuart and I had decided that we had reached our highest point but the boys wanted to keep going.  It was mainly all stairs toward the end and we made it up the peak.  We took in the beautiful scenery and some pictures there, then we started our descent.  We were so proud of the boys making it all the way up.  When we went back to the hotel, both Stuart and I needed to take a nap, however the boys were still energized and played some tablet games instead.

     With the tips from the concierge, we spent a morning checking out a swap meet at a stadium. There were tons of booths with Hawaiian art and crafts, and other goods. The boys loved looking through all the knick-knacks and taking home some little souvenirs as well.

     The highlight every afternoon was going to the beach. The hotel was only a short walk through a park to a nearby beach and the boys got used to running through the grassy field chasing the birds too.  At the beach, they played with waves, building sand walls, dipping in the water and floating with the floaters.  Two hours there each day was easily passed at the beach.

     We really enjoyed our time at Waikiki, next it was Aulani.