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Tag Archives: Honolulu

The Pink Palace

05 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by blogjoiedevivre in Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

boutique hotel, Hawaii, Honolulu, Oahu, outdoors, PINK, Stand-up Paddleboarding, SUP, The Pink Palace, The Royal Hawaiian, Waikiki Beach

During our time in Hawaii, we snorkeled, hiked, surf-watched, whale-watched, and wholly explored our little hearts out.  Each day, we’d set out in a different direction on a new adventure.  Regardless of how much fun we had while out and about, we’d so relish circling back to our home base at night.  After much research into the various Honolulu hotels, we chose to spend our six days at The Royal Hawaiian, a.k.a. the “Pink Palace of the Pacific.”Image

Do ya see it there, nestled among the more modern high rises that make up the Honolulu skyline?  This historic resort, built in 1927 & a flagship hotel in Hawaiian tourism, has an understated luxury and iconic old Hollywood glamour about it.  The open-air lobby (smelling of sea air & flowers), lush gardens, and proximity to both beach and world-class shopping are definitely brag-worthy.  It’s not every trip that you get to stay in a hotel with such a legendary past, so my second cousin and I partook in the hotel’s history tour.  A rep from the hotel serves as the group’s guide, escorting you to all corners of the resort and sharing behind-the-scenes stories of their most hi-profile guests.  And honey, they’ll dish on everyone from the likes of Marilyn Monroe & Dean Martin to Justin Bieber & a funny “sorry, but we’re booked” aside on Michael Jackson.  It’s rather interesting — I’d recommend it.  As a current hotel guest, hearing about all those famous people sleeping right where you’re sleeping — well, it feels kinda fabulous knowing your leisure time is enjoyed in the same former playground of royalty, dahhhling!Image

Living up to its moniker, the hotel is very VERY pink!  Although, not as pink as it was before the renovation, I hear.  See, the Historic Wing (where we stayed) went through a huge renovation just a few years ago.  Although management kept the intricate hand-carved wooden room doors, the floor-to-ceiling PINK was toned down quite a bit in a complete decor revamp.  Even so, the place still stands as an epitome of Royal Pinkness:  the bellman’s uniforms are pink, the hibiscus juice they offer you at check-in is pink, the ceiling is pink, the bathrobes are pink, and so on.  Contrary to what one might infer, the plethora of pink decor is actually not nauseating or tacky; the hued touches are all quite tastefully & elegantly pretty-in-pink.Image

The beach towels, chairs & umbrellas are pink, too.  The hotel boasts owning a “private beach” but it’s really only a stretch of sand farthest from the water, backing up to the resort.  Um, not exactly what I was picturing in my mind when I read about a private beach.  Preferring a closer view of the Pacific, we had to search for a patch of sand among the crowd at Waikiki Beach, nonetheless.  Even more of a let down:  they charge hotel guests for use of beach chairs & umbrellas.  Daily resort fee is $35, I think, and that’s about right, in accordance to what you’ll see at nice beachfront resorts.  What I’m not used to seeing, however, is a daily resort charge AND requiring rental charges for hotel guests’ use of beach furniture.  If I’m recalling correctly, two lounge chairs & an umbrella was $50 for the day.  That’s a little steep, in my opinion.  Second row from the water line, at that.  Plus, I opted-in on the $30-an-hour Stand Up Paddleboard charge…I would totally expect to fork over a fee for a board rental, though.  –What a delight it was to SUP in clear water & waves instead of the murky, flat Lady Bird Lake back at home!  I paddled out pretty far and although deep, the water was still the most luscious shade of bright teal.  I saw a sea turtle out there, too.  🙂

Image

The first 24 hours were probably the most memorable span of time we spent at the hotel.  I say this because the rest of the vacation we were off swimming in waterfalls and hiking up Diamond Head and everything else under the sun.  Upon arrival, you’re greeted with a welcome lei of strung orchids for ladies and kukui nut necklaces for the gentlemen.  After sitting down for a personal check-in, you’re offered a warm towel and fresh chilled juice.  Our rooms weren’t ready right away, so a girlfriend and I changed in the hotel’s hospitality suite and headed straight to the beach.  That first glimpse of Waikiki Beach was to die for!  We found the perfect al fresco table at Surf Lanai Restaurant which is upscale yet beachside, so it’s exactly the calm cool atmosphere our jet-lagged souls were looking for.  We ordered a variety of menu items, including a ceviche trio, margarita pizza, and salad…um, hate to say it but honestly I didn’t care for the food.  It was one of those menus where you can’t decide what you want, ya know?  Overpriced, too.  What WAS amazing, however:  their original recipe Scratch Mai Tai!  Utilizing fresh squeezed pineapple & orange juices and served in the most picturesque setting, it was the perfect entre’ into vacation.Image

Initially, there was some going back-n-forth on our Honolulu hotel choice.  It was a toss-up between Halekulani, Moana Surfrider, and The Royal Hawaiian.  We ended up going with the Pink Palace due to its boutique atmosphere, its history, and the fact that it’s been around since luxury travel arrived to the Hawaiian islands.  Although we enjoyed the best dining of the trip at Halekulani’s restaurants, the best sunsets & live music at Sheraton’s RumFire, and original-recipe Blue Hawaiians at the Hilton; lodging at the Pink Palace was a no-brainer for that classic Hawaiian experience.  When you’re talking iconic architecture, a legend of hosting royalty/presidents/celebrities, good service and prime location — I’m convinced we made the best choice for my first visit to Hawaii!

Hawaii Highlight: Hanauma Bay

29 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by blogjoiedevivre in Travel

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, Hawaii, Honolulu, Oahu, Route 72, scenic lookout, snorkeling, travel, tropical fish, Waikiki Beach

As I was editing our photos from our trip to Hawaii last week, I was particularly inspired by our shots from Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve.  It was not the quality or artistry of our photography, but looking at those snapshots brought me right back to the experience of being surprised & delighted by this natural gem in O’ahu.Image

So, Hanauma Bay:  If you are ever visiting Honolulu (even for a night before hopping on to another island) — Go!  Please.  In fact, I wish I would’ve planned an entire day around this place.  Rather, visiting was more of an afterthought:  “Oh yeah, someone told me to go to Hanauma Bay, something about good snorkeling?  Let’s try to swing by before lunch.”  So we jumped in the car, trying to squeeze a field trip in before hotel checkout.  We had a mere hour there on the day we were leaving the island altogether — not. enough. time.  Ah, at least I’m glad to have seen it.

First, parking is an issue.  Deliberate, I believe, on the part of local governing authorities, in order to limit the amount of visitors impacting this protected marine ecosystem.  The park opens at 6 a.m. and their lot fills up fast…once it’s full, there’s really no other options.  When our car was turned away at 10 a.m., we continued our drive along the main coastal road to stop at the various scenic lookout points.  Actually, my second cousin who has lived on Oahu for years recommended we take this drive, raving about the breathtaking vistas along Kalaniana’ole Highway, Route 72.  Excellent diversion — she was right!Image

We made stops at Halona Blowhole, Eternity Beach Cove, and Makapu’u Lookout before heading back to Hanauma Bay.  All beautiful and worth stopping at, even for two minutes to get out & take in the scenery.  Luckily, our second try around Noon got us in…folks left for lunch, I guess?  –There’s no food sold down by the bay, only at the gift shop area at the top of the hill.  In typical state park fashion, parking is cheap at one measly dollar.  (Admission to the beach area is $7.50 per adult.)

One thing they make you do before going in is watch their safety video.  We were annoyed at this notion, given our time crunch, and tried to skip it.  Don’t do this.  They will catch you.  And don’t think saying you saw the video on your last trip there will get you out of it…they keep a list of names.  They are very proud of their facilities (rightfully so) and want you to pay heed by watching their program as an entrance prerequisite.  I was very glad, in the end, to have seen the video because it’s a valuable overview of the reef’s inhabitants.  Later, I would be mentally checking off fish shown in the video with fish I was seeing firsthand.

OK, so you manage to nab a parking spot, pay admission, get past the educational film, walk down the big hill and YOU’RE THERE!  Not excited yet?  Neither was I.  It’s a pretty cove, but not the prettiest I’ve seen.  There’s a nice sandy beach, too, but the sand’s not the whitest you’ll find on the many local beaches at your disposal.  And as for the small circular stretch of beach that it is, it feels almost as crowded as Waikiki.  –Not the same vibe as Waikiki, though, and that helps, for sure.  Plus, what you learn to be actual living reef just looks like plain ol’ rocks from far away.  Or seaweed mush.  For a first-time snorkeler who doesn’t know what they’re looking at, it’s nice…but not hugely appetizing.Image

Plus, just as we were in line to pay the entrance fee, the skies suddenly turned grey and it began to sprinkle on us…and the little raindrops were quite chilly.  😦

We brought our own snorkel gear (all packed into my ONE carry-on bag, thankyouverymuch!) so we didn’t need to rent any.  But, that’s all ready & available for ya down at the beach if needed.  I’d recommend renting…looking back, I don’t know HOW I got six days worth of clothes plus two sets of snorkel gear into my single carry-on luggage?!?  –Guess I’m becoming quite the efficient packer!  Holla.

So, it’s raining-ish and the seawater feels cold (always does, at first, right?) and it’s still cloudy and I’m barely inching my body into the water when I spot the first one…

–a spritely little Convict Tang is inches from my shin!  I spin around in reaction to my husband (unwilling to get in the water) gasping & pointing, “There’s one!  They’re right here at your feet!!!”  Herein lies the beauty of Hanauma Bay:  you do not have to pay an arm & a leg for some ‘snorkeling excursion,’ take a boat off to some far off location, get seasick & worry about reef sharks; the huge variety of wonderous colorful tropical fish of Hanauma Bay are EVERYWHERE, swimming up to you even in knee-deep water.  Image

It’s simply amazing.  Aside from the previously mentioned Convict Tang (name’s appropriate — they are white with vertical black stripes, resembling being behind bars), here’s a short list of the fish I particularly remember interacting with:  Achilles Tang, Surgeonfish, Butterfly Fish, Sea Urchins and the Hawaiian State Fish:  the Humuhumu-nukunuku-apua´a, or the Reef Triggerfish.  Here’s a link to Hanauma Bay’s official Fish I.D. Card.  Might I point out, that this was my very first salt water snorkel experience…part of my amazement is likely due to the shock & awe of the much-loved hobby of snorkeling, period.  But, I’m convinced that this is still a very special place, indeed.  Image

It was just my husband and me, but I feel like this would be the perfect family destination…a place in which everyone from little kids to grandparents could enjoy.  There are lifeguards and a nice palm tree-shaded beach for sunbathers.  Oh, speaking of sun:  once I saw that first fish skim past my shins, I was all in!  That little sight of undersea wonder was all the motivation my pussyfootin’ butt needed to dive right on in.  The ocean was warmer than standing around in the rain, anyway.  Even so, the sun came back out in full glory within maybe ten minutes.  The fish were so plentiful, curious, hungry and all-up-in-yo-face.  I was taken aback at how close they would swim up to me.  I just loved it and didn’t want to leave…not Hanauma Bay, not Oahu later that evening.  I’m very glad to be nestled back home in my beloved Austin, Texas now, but I tell ya:  this natural wonder was such a treasure.  Hamuama Bay was the best part of my first-ever trip to Hawaii.

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