Hello fellow travelers,
Contrary to popular belief, I did not fall off the edge of the earth...... :-) I've just been busy at the job that actually pays me! Oh, to find a job that would pay me to travel, sigh!
After our lovely 7 day cruise on the Pride of America, our floating hotel, we landed back on Honolulu! Off to check in to the Waikiki Marriott! Our room was not ready, but no big deal, we stored our bags, and headed across the street - Waikiki Beach!
We spent the day exploring on foot, getting our feet wet and enjoyed the surf culture surrounding us, which was in full swing when we arrived on the beach at 11 am.
We walked to the beautiful Royal Hawaiian hotel......historic & lovely.
If you want to learn to surf, here is the place! Lessons offered up and down the beach. To CJS it was eye candy that had to be photographed! The beach, the waves, the surf boards every where! People in the water doing every kind of activity!
We took a short paid tour around the Island to get the lay of the land. Beautiful scenery all around us ~ too bad the tour guide wasn't that good, but we enjoyed it all the same.
Towards the end of the day we headed back to the hotel, and after showering, had a quick bite to eat, then bed... all that surf & sun....! We were both exhausted.
Nice way to spend a day, I think I could get used to this..........
Day 2 - our last day and it's off to the North Beach area via the SURF BUS !
We wanted to see the North Shore, but did not want to rent a car for the day. We found a fantastic alternative... The Surf Bus. I found them on line. They pick you up at your hotel in a small bus - 24 passenger I think. They have a tiered price system depending on what you want to do on this all day tour. Here is their web address:
http://northshoresurfbus.com/pricing.html
We were out front of the hotel promptly at 8:30 for our pick up. The Surf Bus pulled up right on time!
Our driver, Keoki was a self professed 'North Shore Boy' who promised to show us all the best places along the shore to surf, snorkel, swim, boogie board, ride bikes, get shaved ice and maybe an extra stop if we stayed on schedule! Keoki was as good as his word, and we had a fantastic time!
First stop, Sharks Cove. The name is not due to sharks but the shape of the rocks. We enjoyed snorkeling there.
We had stops at the Banzi Pipeline, where the big surf boarding competition is held every winter when the waves are the largest and Sunset beach, where we used our bikes to ride along.
We stopped along the way to get fresh coconut juice, to keep ourselves hydrated.
We stopped at the small town of Haleiwa for lunch and a shaved ice at the famous Matsumoto's. Even if you find a line when you get there -- Go For It! It's worth the wait is all I am saying......
Our las stop of the day was at the Dole Pineapple plantation. They had Rainbow Eucalyptus trees on their grounds.... I'd never seen these before, at first I thought they were fake or painted, but nope, their real!
The scheduled return time was 5 pm....We actually got back at 7:30 pm! But I have to say it was a Grand day and worth every single cent! Needless to say, once again we were exhausted, yet satisfied and feeling great after our adventure to North Shore!
And so ended our Hawaiian vacation! The next morning it was a leisurely check out and then to the airport and home.
We loved Hawaii & think you will too!
Contrary to popular belief, I did not fall off the edge of the earth...... :-) I've just been busy at the job that actually pays me! Oh, to find a job that would pay me to travel, sigh!
Anyway, for those of you that are still interested in finishing up Hawaii with me, please read on...........
After our lovely 7 day cruise on the Pride of America, our floating hotel, we landed back on Honolulu! Off to check in to the Waikiki Marriott! Our room was not ready, but no big deal, we stored our bags, and headed across the street - Waikiki Beach!
 |
| Our hotel for two days |
 |
| The view from our room! |
We spent the day exploring on foot, getting our feet wet and enjoyed the surf culture surrounding us, which was in full swing when we arrived on the beach at 11 am.
We walked to the beautiful Royal Hawaiian hotel......historic & lovely.
 |
| at the Historical Center |
If you want to learn to surf, here is the place! Lessons offered up and down the beach. To CJS it was eye candy that had to be photographed! The beach, the waves, the surf boards every where! People in the water doing every kind of activity! 
We took a short paid tour around the Island to get the lay of the land. Beautiful scenery all around us ~ too bad the tour guide wasn't that good, but we enjoyed it all the same.
Towards the end of the day we headed back to the hotel, and after showering, had a quick bite to eat, then bed... all that surf & sun....! We were both exhausted.
Nice way to spend a day, I think I could get used to this..........
Day 2 - our last day and it's off to the North Beach area via the SURF BUS !We wanted to see the North Shore, but did not want to rent a car for the day. We found a fantastic alternative... The Surf Bus. I found them on line. They pick you up at your hotel in a small bus - 24 passenger I think. They have a tiered price system depending on what you want to do on this all day tour. Here is their web address:
http://northshoresurfbus.com/pricing.html
We were out front of the hotel promptly at 8:30 for our pick up. The Surf Bus pulled up right on time!
Our driver, Keoki was a self professed 'North Shore Boy' who promised to show us all the best places along the shore to surf, snorkel, swim, boogie board, ride bikes, get shaved ice and maybe an extra stop if we stayed on schedule! Keoki was as good as his word, and we had a fantastic time!
First stop, Sharks Cove. The name is not due to sharks but the shape of the rocks. We enjoyed snorkeling there.
We stopped along the way to get fresh coconut juice, to keep ourselves hydrated.
We stopped at the small town of Haleiwa for lunch and a shaved ice at the famous Matsumoto's. Even if you find a line when you get there -- Go For It! It's worth the wait is all I am saying......
Our las stop of the day was at the Dole Pineapple plantation. They had Rainbow Eucalyptus trees on their grounds.... I'd never seen these before, at first I thought they were fake or painted, but nope, their real!
 |
| Keoki our fabulous driver |
The scheduled return time was 5 pm....We actually got back at 7:30 pm! But I have to say it was a Grand day and worth every single cent! Needless to say, once again we were exhausted, yet satisfied and feeling great after our adventure to North Shore!
 |
| The photographer & I on our balcony at the Marriott |
And so ended our Hawaiian vacation! The next morning it was a leisurely check out and then to the airport and home.
We loved Hawaii & think you will too!
Mahalo Hawaii!
