[ SUNDAY TRAVEL ]
|
I'm lounging on the narrow lanai of a 10th-floor room at a Waikiki beachfront hotel, feet hanging over the railing, toes wiggling, the afternoon sun on my face, my eyelids feeling as if a weight is tugging them closed. Wanna get away?
Try vacationing in WaikikiBy Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.comFrom the beach below, I hear the laughter of adults and children squealing. Squinting, I make out the silhouettes of two outrigger canoes with a half-load of passengers racing along the tiny surf at Canoes while surfers on both sides of them enjoy the unseasonable South Shore swell.
Now I have a dilemma: Should I remain in this one-bedroom oceanfront suite at Outrigger Hotel's Waikiki on the Beach, or drag my lazy okole out to the waves?
I'm thoroughly enjoying my slugdom and retreating inside to the 70-degree air-conditioned living room when I feel a tad too warm. But Waikiki Beach -- on the sand or in the waves -- is not nearly as crowded as usual.
|
This is the first of two nights here, and I know the surf likely will go flat soon, so I decide to retrieve my surfboard from the garage so I can watch the sunset from the sea.My wife is on the mainland, and our daughter is at a friend's home, which is why I deserted the home front despite the never-ending home repairs and a back yard threatening to turn into a rain forest -- not to mention overdue writing assignments.
I've never been a huge fan of Waikiki; it's too crowded, too expensive, too noisy, too a lot of things. But things have changed since the September tragedies. There are fewer visitors now, great kamaaina deals, the pace is less frantic and the people more friendly.
Waikiki is cheaper than flying to a neighbor island for a getaway, and if you get bored or forget something at home, the drive can't be that far.
So I reserved a beachfront room because if I did nothing else, I could simply stare at the ocean, check out the passing parade on the beach, and for meals slip into Duke's Canoe Club or Chuck's Steakhouse on the hotel's first and second floors, respectively.
The suite, normally $450 a night, was discounted some 33 percent to $300, including free parking. I almost took a standard room with its kamaaina rate of $115, but I wanted the full oceanfront aura. My bedroom has its own television; a larger one is in the living room, where a love seat turns into a single bed. I will be sleeping here one night, with the lanai door open so I can listen to the surf, which is calling.
Wearing trunks, I hop in the elevator to the ground floor, where I hand the desk clerk my key card, scramble barefoot to the garage for my board, then out onto the sand through a private entrance.
I can hear Hawaiian music coming from the lanai at Duke's as I hit the bath water-warm ocean. I feel energized with every stroke, though the waves are small. The sky's colors remind me of Fiji.
Two hours later, I pack the board into my car, retrieve the room key and, still a bit wet, get on an elevator with a half-dozen startled visitors from Iowa.
"I guess when you live in Hawaii, you can just let the breeze dry you," says Ida, smiling.
When I reach the room, the last edge of sun is dropping below the horizon. On the lanai the breeze is drying me off. I burn a bit of retina watching an honest-to-goodness green flash.
I'm hungry, but it's Friday night and, of course, I've made no reservations. I take my chances at Chuck's Steakhouse, which I haven't visited in years. After a few minutes, I get a primo oceanfront table. Chuck's is more low-key than Duke's, a bit darker, but it still offers a glorious view as I watch tiki torches being lit along Kuhio Beach a quarter-mile away.
"Tim, how are you?" someone says.
It's my daughter's fifth-grade math teacher, who works part time here. We spend time catching up on our kids and family. Honolulu, I discover, really is a small town.
When I order opah, my favorite fish, another waiter says there's only one portion left in the kitchen.
"Say it isn't so," I whined, sipping a mai tai in which I could actually taste the rum.
The waiter sprints to the kitchen, snagging me the last piece. The opah ($19.95 including the salad bar) is plentiful, moist and grilled perfectly.
Looking toward Kuhio Beach, I can see the large outdoor movie screen where the city shows free films on Saturdays and Sundays, beginning with a free concert at 4 p.m.
Leaving the hotel, I stop by Seattle's Best Coffee for coffee using a special coupon for Outrigger guests. Across Kalakaua Avenue, a large, applauding crowd surrounds a street performer. The skinny, shirtless contortionist is manipulating his slender body through a meshless tennis racket. The crowd is clearly impressed. So am I.
Several mimes stand motionless nearby: a man in a suit painted silver; a guy painted in gold; and a third man dressed in a suit of newspapers sitting on a bench. There's also a woman in a shiny green sequin dress playing classical violin.
I do a double take at one corner when I see "Skipper" from "Gilligan's Island." The Alan Hale look-alike is wearing shorts, polo shirt and captain's cap, singing the show's theme song.
"Hi, Skipper," someone yells.
"Welcome aboard," he calls back.
The Waikiki 2 is showing a new film, but there's no line. The ticket seller tells me only 50 people are inside.
I consider buying a ticket but decide instead on the city's free beach theater. By the time I get to the Kuhio venue, the film has already started. People sit on beach chairs and blankets or relax on big, colorful pillows. Some eat dinner provided by nearby vendors; some have brought food from home. Several people drink wine from paper cups. The mood is festive and friendly.
I make a pillow out of sand when a mom with two small children offer me a beach towel.
The theater is delightful, and I vary the time looking at the screen, the stars and Diamond Head's silhouette. It's not long before I'm dozing.
"Excuse me," a woman whispers. "The movie's over; we need our towel back."
I could easily sleep on the sand, but instead I take the beach route to the hotel, wading in and out of the water. A 20-something couple darts past me into the water. They're fully dressed.
By the time I reach the Outrigger hotel, I've convinced myself that spontaneity isn't reserved for the young. I dash into the ocean in my aloha shirt and linen shorts, swimming some 100 yards offshore.
"This is crazy, this is crazy," I tell myself, laughing at my silliness.
With no towel to dry with, I sneak across the hotel lobby, leaving small puddles with every step. When the elevator door opens, I bump into Iowa Ida and her friends, decked out in aloha attire.
The group, again with stunned looks, all burst into laughter.
"Forgot your swimsuit?" Ida asks.
"No need," I joke, punching floor No. 10. "Nobody pays much attention what you swim in here."
I shower and head to my lanai. From the beach below I hear laughter and hoots and a familiar voice. It's Ida and company. They're waist deep in the ocean. And they're wearing their evening clothes.
Here are a few kamaaina deals being offered in Waikiki: Good deals abound for kamaaina
who dare to venture into Waikiki
Outrigger Hotels & Resorts
>> Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach: standard room, $115 to $280; suites, $290 to $375; free parking. Through June 30 there is a $249-a-night special rate for deluxe, oceanview accommodations, single/double occupancy.>> Outrigger Reef on the Beach: standard, $135 to $280; free parking.
>> Waikiki Shore Outrigger Resort Condominium: oceanview studio, $184; one-bedroom oceanview, $263.
>> Outrigger Islander Waikiki on Lewers Street (near the beach): standard, $98; partial oceanview, $110; studio city view, $115; junior suite, $225; free parking.
Toll-free reservation line: 800-OUTRIGGER (688-7444)
Aston Hotels & Resorts
Hotel guests get free parking at all Aston hotels in Waikiki except Waikiki Beach Tower. Late checkout, at 4 p.m., for kamaaina. Guests also receive a coupon book on checkout, a $700 value.Aston room rates begin at:
$51, Hawaii Polo Inn
$58, Honolulu Prince
$58, Waikiki Grand Hotel
$63, Aloha Surf
$63, Coconut Plaza (with free continental breakfast)
$65, Coral Reef Hotel
$81, Pacific Monarch
$89, Waikiki Beach (there's also a $65 renovation rate on some rooms)
$90, Waikiki Circle
$99, Waikiki Joy
$105, Waikiki Beachside
$94, Waikiki Banyan (a one-bedroom unit with full kitchen)
$99, Waikiki Sunset (one-bedroom unit)
$302, Waikiki Beach Tower
ASTONishing meal deals
Take in a free Polynesian dinner show with all-you-can-eat prime-rib dinner buffet with the purchase of one ticket. Aston guests can also get 50 percent off meals (with purchase of one full-price meal) at Nick's Fishmarket, Matteo's, Trattoria, Sunset Grill, Tanaka of Tokyo, Sansei, Crouching Lion Inn, Hong Kong Harbour View, Davey Jones, Waikiki Steak & Lobster, Fuji Restaurant, Royal Yakiniku, China Garden and Compadres.ASTON toll-free reservation number in Hawaii: 800-321-2558
Free Waikiki
>> Waikiki Historic Trail: Guided tour with a detailed telling of Waikiki history begins at the corner of Kalakaua and Monsarrat avenues, directly across the Honolulu Zoo near the banyan tree; 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays.>> Ukulele lessons: Learn to play this famous Hawaiian musical instrument at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
>> Duty Free Galleria Waikiki, 330 Kalakaua Ave.: Check out the Tube, a large aquarium that allows you to walk under and around hundreds of tropical fish; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
>> Torch-lighting Ceremony: Nightly at 6 p.m. starting at Kuhio Beach and moving Ewa along Kalakaua Avenue.
>> Hilo Hattie's: Take a trolley from Waikiki to Hilo Hattie's with stops at Aloha Tower Marketplace and Ala Moana Center. Ask hotel management about pick-up locations. At the store, you can receive a freshwater-pearl bracelet with purchase of a freshwater-pearl necklace, a canvas tote bag with purchase of a Hilo Hattie's-labeled garment, a collectible coffee mug with any purchase of $25 or more, $10 off any garment from Hilo Hattie's Collections, and a gold-imprinted Hawaii coffee mug with any purchase over $100.