Chill Stopover in Oahu

^{This trip was taken on June 2022.}

We flew Southwest on our LIH-HNL flight to Oahu. I wish I could say it was uneventful, but it wasn’t. Somehow my ticket didn’t show TSA Pre-Check so I had to go in the regular security line. It was super busy this morning and the line was moving at a snail’s pace. I had been in line for 10 minutes and barely moved spots. Once we got near the x-ray the elderly man in front of me was struggling to take off his belt. This was the only time I’ve ever had to ask to cut someone as my boarding time was 5 minutes away. I ran to the gate and was one of the last few people to board. Thankfully Carolyn’s ticket had TSA Pre-Check and had a seat reserved for me.

We checked into Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach where I used 2 Free Night Certificates. Most restaurants were already closed but we luckily found dinner at Barefoot Beach Cafe. It was a cute spot that had live band playing that night. We got the daily catch fish plate (swordfish that day) and tofu poke.

We had planned on going to North Shore early, but we were too tired to wake up. Instead, we went to Pearl Harbor National Memorial for a couple hours, though I can understand how people can spend a whole day here. We stopped at a strip mall for lunch and ate at Phở King Vietnamese Restaurant and did some thrift store shopping at the Goodwill next door.

Then drove up to Laniakea Beach. This beach is really packed because of the sea turtles. We were still able to find our own space, but you won’t find solitude here.

We then drove to the westernmost point to hike the Ka’ena Point Trail. We got lost around the neighborhood here thanks to Google Maps. Felt a little sketched with overprotective, overconfident dogs barking and getting in front of our car the tight streets. The hike goes through mōlī (laysan albatross) nests and ends at a cool pillbox.

The breakfast buffet at the Hyatt Place is pretty good- it’s a protein (sausage one day, bacon the next), potatoes, scrambled and boiled eggs, rice, kimchi, miso soup, etc. We checked-out of Hyatt and was our last full day so I grabbed a poi dog from Hula Dog as a snack, ate dinner at Marugame Udon.

We had an early 730a morning flight, so we booked the nearby Pacific Inn Marina because they offered complementary airport transportation. Nothing special about the hotel other than that.

Redemption Item	Cash Price	Points Used	CPP
LIH>HNL (used Companion Pass)	$84.10	paid $9.1 after $75 Southwest credit
Avis HNL	$251.98	23,100 ANA	1.091
2 nights Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach	$648.91	Cat 4 Free Night Certificates
HNL>SAN (used Companion Pass)	$220.00	16,181 Rapid Rewards	1.3596