Thanks to the pandemic, I had a backlog of timeshare weeks, so I exchanged one for Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club, located on the west coast of Oahu. We planned to visit our friend Quan, who had taken advantage of flexible "work-from-anywhere" company policies and moved to Honolulu. Kaleb and I would arrive a couple of days earlier before check-in date to spend time with Quan and do some hiking. The last time we were at Ko Olina was almost 10 years ago for New Year's, and we left after 4 nights. I had to reread my old blog entry to remember what we did, so in essence, this upcoming stay would be like the first time. My parents were also coming along; it would be their first long-distance trip since the pandemic began.
FLIGHTS
We and my parents redeemed a bunch of Alaska Airlines travel credits from canceling a trip to Kauai back in spring 2021 due to continued Covid. Kaleb's one-way ticket to Oahu was on Southwest Airlines using his points, then applying his Southwest Companion Pass for my ticket, trying to squeeze as much usage as possible out of the pass since he had qualified for it in March 2020.
TRANSPORATION
Quan would pick us up from the airport, then two days later, return us to the rental car center so we could get a car, pick up my parents and drive to Ko Olina, about an hour's drive away.
LODGING
The first few days in Honolulu, Kaleb and I would stay in the guest bedroom at Quan's place.
The Marriott website priced the seven-night stay for a Ko Olina two-bedroom villa at $6700, making the timeshare week such a tremendous value as the maintenance fees cost about $1000. $150/night for a two-bedroom in a nice resort is a steal. It's not easy to garner deals of this caliber - it requires a lot of flexibility, purchase of a high-value Marriott timeshare resale for trading power, and plain know-how. I recommend extensive reading of the Timeshare Users Group website and its forums if any of my readers are interested. If that's too much to research, I recommend simply renting timeshare weeks on redweek.com.
Let's get on with the vacation...
Over the past year, tourists traveling to Hawaii had to deal with Covid protocols such as pre-departure PCR testing and filling out an online form. Fortunately by the time we departed for Oahu, the only requirement for fully vaccinated travelers was to fill out the online form to get a QR code that needed to be verified either at your home airport or after landing in Hawaii. Since we arrived at the airport early, the line to be verified by airline staff wasn't terribly long. We were given wristbands to signify our completed status.
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It would take over five and a half hours to get to Honolulu. Masks were required to be worn during the flight. Going to Hawaii, Southwest served more than snack mix; we brought our own food for lunch. There was a limited drink menu available.
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When we arrived in Honolulu, it was quick to exit the terminal as we had our wristbands. Folks without wristbands lined up to have their QR code verified.
Quan got us from the airport and we headed to his place to drop off our luggage and change clothing for a Koko Head Crater hike this afternoon - hitting the ground running! The trail went straight up the mountain, with railroad ties as a staircase. It was challenging for me, huffing and puffing most of the way, but reaching the top was exhilarating.
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Then we headed into Waikiki for some al-fresco dinner at Barefoot Beach Cafe. Live Hawaiian music was playing and you certainly can feel (and taste!) the aloha. Proof of vaccination was required to dine here.
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17-second clip of live music:
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| Waikiki at night |
The next day, after stopping by a farmers market to purchase some fruit, we did a short hike on the Mau'umae Trail to the top of the ridge.
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Afterward, we went on the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail and enjoyed spectacular views of peaks and Honolulu in the distance. The trail started in a gated housing community with paved portions, eventually becoming dirt and (dried) mud. We were lucky that it hadn't rained recently.
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| Thanks to Quan for taking all these awesome pics! |
As a reward for our efforts, we each got a cup of shave ice at Uncle Clay's and enjoyed it at a nearby beach park.
We then drove along the eastern coast to visit some of Quan's favorite spots. I can't remember the names of all the places!
Post from RICOH THETA. - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
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| sunset at Magic Island |
We grabbed some poke and other snacks from Foodland Farms at Ala Moana Center to take back to Quan's place. The fruit in this store was just as good as at the farmers market, and with better prices.
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On Sunday morning, we visited some attractions (Tantalus Lookout, Byodo-In Temple) and went on a hike to Lanikai Pillbox.
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Then we enjoyed a beautiful drive down Interstate H-3 back to Honolulu airport. The 8 mile section in the mountains was exceptional! After Quan dropped us off, we got the rental car, picked up my parents and headed to Ko Olina Beach Club. We were lucky to be assigned a lagoon view villa.
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| view from our balcony |
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| fruit haul from farmer's market and Foodland |
Since we had a car, we shopped at Costco to make breakfast, lunch and a few dinners in the villa. We also drove into Kapolei town for food:
- Standard Thai fare from Thai Lao
- Delicious bowls of pho from Pho & Co, almost as good as in the Bay Area
- Combo #1 and #2 at Da Crawfish & Crab Shack
Upon request, you could get bibs and rubber gloves to reduce the messiness.
- Shabu shabu at Hawaii Pot Shabu Shabu House
It was all-you-can-eat: the server would bring the raw meats but the rest was a buffet with fresh vegetables, create-your-own dipping sauce, plus assorted seafood (including oysters!) and other goodies in the refrigerator. Everyone got their own hot pot filled with choice of broth. When the liquid boiled down, the server would fill it back up.
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One night, we walked over to the nearby Four Seasons Resort and had dinner at Noe, an Italian restaurant.
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It may seem like all we did was eat, but we did enjoy the fresh water pool and hot tubs (replete with waterfalls), as well as floating in the lagoon.
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| snorkeling was poor in our lagoon |
35-second clip of not a lot of fish:
1-minute video of us swimming in the lagoon:
During the week, Kaleb did the Pink Pillbox hike solo and traversed the Kuliouou Ridge Trail with Quan.
And that was the end of our trip to Hawaii - many thanks to Quan for hosting and showing us a different side of Oahu. I also enjoyed our time at Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club and hopefully won't wait another 10 years before returning.
What is next on the horizon? A short visit to Southern California for a family Thanksgiving gathering...stay tuned!
(Missed reading about our staycation in San Francisco and sailing the Bay? Click here! Don't miss a single update! Click here to subscribe and have the latest delivered straight into your inbox...opt out anytime.)
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Getting excited reading about these trips and want to go? Contact me at kat (at) yellowdogtravel (d0t) com with your ideas and I can help you plan it! Or if you've already put a deposit on a cruise through the cruise line, contact me to get more information on transferring the reservation to me to get bonuses like extra onboard credit or gifts. I have lots of happy repeat clients - references always available.
Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
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