Just Back From ...

Hawaii

By Kathy Zilcer

I recently flew to Hawaii with Hawaiian Airlines.

The flight departed Sydney at 9.00 pm. The great part is, due to the time difference, I gained a whole day arriving in Honolulu at 10:50 am the same day!

The airline was pretty comfortable. There are 12 Business class seats and then the economy cabin. Due to new laws in America no curtains separate the classes any more, so we saw what was going on the whole time. There’s heaps of leg room in economy class, though there are no TV screens on the back of your seats. Meals were average, we were served dinner an hour into the flight and then breakfast just before landing in Honolulu.

In Hawaii I stayed at the Ohana Waikiki East. To be honest, it does not matter where you stay as everything is so central. Honolulu is comprised of hotel after hotel, with a beach in the centre and an ABC shop on every corner!

In Hawaii I visited the Arizona war memorial. If you are planning to do this, I recommend you get up really early as the memorial gets very busy very quickly. It can take up to 3 hours to take the ride out to the ship. I also did the traditional paradise cove laau (highly recommended), and a circle island tour. I strongly suggest you prebook everything in Australia. Tours can get very expensive in Honolulu. By the time you have added on meals and tips you have spent $40-$50 more than you would have done by pre booking the tour at home.

The outer islands are very different from the main island of Oahu. They are much quieter and more peaceful. Movies set in Hawaii are usually made on the outer islands as this is where you find those typical white sand beaches, clear blue waters etc. These outer Islands are excellent for honeymooners. One tip is that you really need to hire a car to explore properly as I found public transport limited!

On the way home I flew 9 hours and lost 2 days. Dealing with jet lag was an experience, I recommend planning at least 1 day at home before going back to work.

Overall it was a great introduction to Hawaii!