Oahu Tiki Trip Tips??

I'm heading out to Oahu, Hawaii end of May for a wedding. I've never travelled to any island before--except for the one I live on--and I can't imagine how to start planning the trip!! The latest TikiNews and emails with GECKO TIKI have provided great info. Any other suggestions out there regarding Cheap Hotel? Eats? Tiki sites? Museums? Attractions? Airlines? ohhh-I know I'm asking alot. But next time you'll be vsiting the Big Apple, I'll be glad to be chock full o' information.

Manic Cat,
Here's a thread with some great information:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=216&forum=1

I actually copied this thread to MS Word so I could take it with me when I visit the Islands in June.

Great! I love those threads hanging about.
Mahalo.
when in June will you be there?

[ Edited by: manic cat on 2003-02-25 11:00 ]

I know this may be far fetched but if you have any interest in scuba, get certified before you go. When we went to Oahu we stayed at a beautiful hotel (not cheap) The Kahala Mandarin. The Hotel has a turtle pool, dolphin pool, great outdoor bar and one of the best beaches! I think it alone is worth a visit. Their dive master/instructor was great! Small boat, tons of personal attention, the best dive sites, and he had a scooter he let me use. This is like a torpedo you hang on to and it pulls you around, it was the BEST! We dove a WWII fighter plane, a mine sweeper ship, and a cave where I found an octopus we played with and held. The dive master had us over to his house for a party on our last day there. Diving is unique on each Hawaiian Island so if you have any interest, try to get underwater!
I'm sure there are sports places in NY with indoor pools.
Speaking of NY, I ususally get there every summer when I visit my sis in Mass. We've been dying to see Urine Town since we passed it up for Cabaret last year. Have you seen it? We do a weekend in the city and then off to Martha's Vineyard for R&R. Maybe I can drag her to some tiki joints this year. Have fun!

The Pacific Beach Hotel has a nice bar with a three story aquarium. You can watch the fish being fed by a scuba diver while enjoying a decent mai tai. It is located a block from the beach down towards Diamond Head as I recall.

[ Edited by: mrtikibar on 2003-02-25 11:13 ]

da "maitai bar" at da top of da ala moana mall is a good place fo visit. Mai tais arent da best ya, but that's where lotz of locals hang out to listen to live bands playing reggae and a mixture of local music. Happy hour is at 8pm to 11pm and it's free cover. good pupus. old rattan chairs to sit on.

aloha

I'm getting excited! Meow!

Certification in Scubadiving is a good idea. My boyfriend is a fantastic snorkeler and he loves looking at the fishies. plus, the training will get him some good exercise. It would help me not be so timid in the water as well.

thanks for all the tips!

my co-workers say that Urinetown is GREAT! funny, tongue-in cheek...
Let me know if you wanna to get a drink when in town.

Hanamu bay is a good spot for snorkling. You have to pay though. Since you'll be at the north shore just go to this spot by sunset beach. Just ask any local where it is they can tell you.

We went there a few weeks back and visibility was great. We seen two large turtles feeding on da reef including large parrot fish, scorpion fish, puffers, tangs, etc etc.

down by the sea life park their is a hike you can do about 2 miles to go and see da whales makin babies befor dey go back to alaska.

the catamaran(sp?)in front of Dukes canoe club will take you out for the sunset and drink i think 2$ maitais.

Duke's can have their $2 Mai Tais... they are terrible. Go see Don Ho, while he's still alive. That's the one thing NOT to be missed on Oahu.

i didn't say drink $2 maitais at dukes. I sed da big canoe dat takes ya out to sea behind Dukes. If you like Kapono, he performs at Dukes all the time. It gets crowded though.
Don Ho is cool but sometimes I here he dosent sing da whole song or picks peopo to finish a song....? Or even forgets some of da words. Thats just what i have herd though. otherwise i would have sed Don Ho's sho. it's all up to you. we get plenny entertainment.

Don Ho is cool

No if's, and's or but's. He's cool.

but

Doh!

sometimes I here he dosent sing da whole song or picks peopo to finish a song....?

They're called "girls," not "people." When I went to see him, Ho was still quite swooning with the ladies. Of course, they were all typical tourists, many with the waist pouches.

Or even forgets some of da words.

Intoxica has gone to his head.

Thats just what i have herd though. otherwise i would have sed Don Ho's sho.

Well, I didn't hear it... I went. Twice in three years. You may have heard that it isn't worth it, I know that is was/is. Don Ho is the natural extension from Martin Denny... the product of Martin Denny and Elvis Presley's Hawaiian vibe. A lot of people don't appreciate Don Ho because of childhood memories of schlock, but he's totally genius, and underappreciated within the realm of Exotica/Tiki fandom.

it's all up to you. we get plenny entertainment.

That you do! Sunset looking onto Diamond Head is plenty enough every night, but there is so much more. Oahu = Heaven.

[ Edited by: BC-Da-Da on 2003-02-27 00:08 ]

Don Ho is a classic but here's my review of the show I saw a couple of years back.

It's very expensive to have dinner and the show so we reserved seats for just the show (includes a drink). We waited in a long line and then were brought in to a large box-shaped auditorium with a seating arrangement that reminded me of a high school cafeteria with long tables that were aligned perpindicular to the stage so that you had to look over the shoulder of the person in front of you to see. The drink was weak and watery.

Don Ho himself was pretty good (but his drunkard schtick wasn't as charming as Dean Martin's). His jokes were funny at times and awful at other times. The worst thing was he brought out several other entertainers that he said were friends of his. A couple of them were good but most were bad. Then he showed videos of his daughter who is in her early 20's and performs in a contemporary R&B style. At that point we quietly left and spent the rest of the evening looking at the ocean while sipping Mai Tais.

Hum. Lots of different opinions regarding Don Ho. Sounds like not quite worth the expense but still worth the legend. Too much buck for the bang (and for bad seating) but I guess when in Oahu, do as Don Ho does. Thanks for the suggestions.

I've decided to stay at the famed Hawaiiana Hotel for its tikis as well! Is it just as fabulous as I hear?

I saw Don a few years back at the Del Mar Fair and I saw him last year in Oahu. Hoku was at both shows. The Del Mar show was at 11:00 in the morning, he was spot on, there were no lapses and he had the aging crowd in the palm of his hand. In Oahu it was after dark and he was off his game, maybe one to many Maitais. He did Give Shelley his motel room number, now that's entertainment.

Shelley on stage with Don

Mahalo,
AL

manic cat wrote:

I've decided to stay at the famed Hawaiiana Hotel for its tikis as well! Is it just as fabulous as I hear?

Definately! Otto Von Stroheim stayed there during his honeymoon so it's gotta be great! When I went we stayed in one of the rooms with a lanai around the back pool. The front rooms don't have lanais but they have those tropical wooden shutters over the windows so you can open the windows while maintaining some privacy. There are several tikis on the grounds - some are old and rotting and some are fairly new (the owners care about the tikis!). Also, within a short walk there is Buzz's Steakhouse with polynesian decor and a few small tikis. I heard last year that they planned to tear it down but I don't know if that's happened yet. Gecko?

Bon Voyage!

Hey Cat,

Duke's is worth a visit, especially at sunset but as Gecko says, it gets really crowded at that time but wild too! T and I happen to like their Mai Tais (called the Maui Mai Tai - kinda reminds me of Inky's Meow Tais) and the best part is that you can stake your claim on Waikiki Beach, walk into the barefoot bar for drinks and bar food, then stagger back to the beach.

Also, if you are so inclined, try the Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian (pink hotel). It only takes one of their version of the Mai Tai to get you going, but I must disclose that they make them with pineapple juice! Don't fret, I think they are pretty tasty, and that's just kinda the way it goes around there.

As we indicated before, if you want a real Mai Tai, then you either make 'em yourself or go to Trader Vic's. Maybe Gecko knows where they make 'em Trader Vic's way. But hey, I like both ways as long as know what I'm gettin. Different strokes, man!

oh--I like pineapple juice in general, and it'll be so fun to continue the NYC quest for a good mai tai at "da source." I am getting all juiced up for this trip. Thanks so much for the tips! And the good news is that it looks like with the frequent flyer miles, I'll have a "free" ticket to take me the Hukilau when I'm done!!

[ Edited by: manic cat on 2003-02-27 16:25 ]

http://www.dakine.net/hawaii/guide/oahu/oahu-shaveice.shtml

ooo--my man Shalom Aloha loves da shaved ice! thankx.

On 2003-02-28 15:05, manic cat wrote:
ooo--my man Shalom Aloha loves da shaved ice! thankx.

never been but i've read/heard from a # of sources that Waiola Shave Ice is well worth checking out!

enjoy,
chris

My trip is coming up fast!!! I'm just re-posting this in case there's any more suggestions out there.

Gecko--I hope to meet you at La Mariana!
I can't wait to see all DA TIKI!!!

I, and many others here, have written quite a bit about Hawaiian vacations here: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=216&forum=1

Have a great time and be sure to relay your own tips to us when you get back!

-Weird Unc

Hi you two!!!! Jus wanted to sey I wen had plennty fun wit da both of you guys!!!

You're welcom here anytime as long as you keep playin da ukalele li'dat!!!hehe

I hope you're happy with your tiki. Hope you enjoyed paradise! You represented(sp?) NY well with plenty Aloha!! Mahaloz and see you back in the beautiful south seas again my friends.Aloha!

Gek

Thanks for having us at La Mariana and your home, Gecko+Ailia Wahine. It's taken me some time to re-adjust to the Big City since leaving Oahu. It is such a beautiful and special place. I know I'll be back soon! and I think that you'll both be visiting NYC TIKI someday too! Our Gecko Tiki made it back safety in a carry-on garment bag. I packed in light clothing and he hung the entire way in the airplane closet without threat that someone was going to put a heavy suitcase on him. The tiki mug altar will be hanging soon and I'll snap some pics and post 'em. Mahalo!

Thanks everyone on TC for your advice on the island. all your posts helped out immensely. The Hawaiiana Hotel was perfect, the tips on the food and drinks were right on the mark, snorkling, driving, you name it--TC contributed ALOT to my wonderful visit. Mahalo, Ohana!

PS. I'm proud that I provided a good representation of NYC. Like Hawai'i, I think that this place is really special too.