Notes on Oahu

So, we are now on Maui and have been here for an entire day, but I wanted to wrap up our trip to Oahu. Most of this info is best for the ARI group, for anyone who will be staying in the condo.

The condo was fantastic. It was huge, larger than the first two bedroom apartment that Jon and I lived in, but with a much better view. We each brought our laptops, however, ARI also provides a laptop in the condo, so even if we hadn't brought our laptops, we'd have had a computer. The location couldn't have been better. We were a block away from the widest and least crowded stretch of Waikiki Beach, across the street from the Hilton which has a bunch of shops/fish pond/birds/flamingos/penguin exhibit (which is really it's own complex with several towers of hotels), a ten minute walk to Ala Moana Center (the mall), and a block away from Kalakaua, the main street of shopping where there's a Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Tiffany, Armani Exchange, Hermes, etc. There were also two Starbucks within two blocks, and lots of restaurants.

Other notes. We rented from Alamo. When we arrived in Oahu, they did not have a clean convertible Sebring available for us, nor did they have one available at the Maui Alamo, even though we'd reserved one in advance online. Also, in Oahu, Alamo is not located near the other rental car returns, so we spent some time all yelling at each other (including Evan) in the car, trying to find the place. The good part however, was that actually returning the car was fairly simple and painless.

Other than that, I highly recommend purchasing Oahu Revealed if you travel to Oahu. This book was invaluable. We left our copy in the condo for future visitors. It's like reading a Frommers written by locals. We (finally) learned the best ways to get to the H1 to get into and out of Oahu, which is slightly different than what the book recommends based on the location of the condo. Basically, from the condo, taking a right onto Ena out of the parking garage:

To get to the H1 West, towards the airport, turn left onto Kalakaua. Turn right onto King St. into the far left lane. Turn left onto Punahou. Turn right onto Dole. Follow the signs to H1.

To get to the H1, towards Diamond Head, turn right onto Kalakaua, left on Pua, right on McCully, right on Kapiolani, and follow the signs to the H1 East.

Coming from the H1 to the condo, take the H1 towards Waikiki. Get off at the University exit. Drive towards the ocean. Turn right on Kapiolani, left onto McCully, left onto Kalakaua, right onto Ala Moana and right onto Ena.

One last thing. For groceries, try Walmart first, then check out Foodland. Walmart is behind Ala Moana Center, the Foodland is in Ala Moana Center, but you may want to look at a directory of where exactly it's located in the center, since Jon spent some time driving around trying to find the place. Also, they apparently don't have shopping carts, so you can only buy as much as you can carry. Walmart, on the other hand, does have shopping carts, and Jon felt that the food that they did have at Walmart, which was pretty much staples for the fridge and cupboards, was cheaper there. We also spent a lot of time going to the ABC Store across the street from the condo, or the ABC Superette on Hobron an Ala Moana for quick stuff like milk for Evan or limes for Coronas.

Ok, dinner has arrived, so I'm off. I'll write more about Maui, whale watching, and "sand-burn" on my knee, later.