Surprise trip revealed at last...Disneyland - Day 1, April 16, 2010

I mentioned that I was taking my babe on a surprise trip for his birthday...now it is no longer a secret.  He spent his birthday weekend at the happiest place on earth...Disneyland!  He told me that Las Vegas was his first guess and Disneyland second.

Remember in a previous blog post, all I told him was to "be at the airport at 5:45pm"?  Little did he know but I was going to meet him at the airport too!  Yes, I took a long detour to fly from Sacramento to Orange County.  (mileage run addicts would approve)  It got a bit nerve-wracking when he didn't respond to my texts until 6:10pm.  He was delayed due to traffic.  I was very worried since the flight was about to start boarding at 6:20pm, with doors closing at 6:40pm.  But I didn't completely freak out as I normally do, as I noticed there was another flight out to Orange County an hour later.  I texted him the confirmation number and what gate to be at.  Thankfully he made it to the gate by 6:15pm.  I was hiding behind a pillar and then saw him getting money out of an ATM.  I ran up and stuck my finger in his back and said "Stick 'em up!"  He smiled...he wasn't too surprised to see me.  Apparently I had given away enough information that he suspected that I would be at the airport too.

We arrive in Orange County around 8pm, got the rental car, and headed over to Disneyland.  I park in Downtown Disney as parking is free for 3 hours and $6/hour for the 4th and 5th hour, so the most I'd pay is $6.  So many people in Downtown Disney!  Lots of live music going on.  We get to the monorail, but it is closed because of the impending fireworks show, so we walk all the way to the Disneyland main gate.  I took advantage of the $149 3-day hopper deal going on; it's like 3 days for 2.  You print out the tickets at home and show them to the cast member at the gate.  They scan the bar code and out pops a hopper pass, no problems, pretty efficient.  We make it in time for the Dreams fireworks display.  Then we walked onto Splash Mountain (no wait!  gee wonder why!), and got pretty soaked.  Probably not a good idea at night, but the weather wasn't too cold.  The ride picture was bad quality, but I stole a snapshot of it anyway.  (Babe prefers to remain unpictured so all you'll see is me throughout this trip report)  We made it for a couple more rides - Haunted Mansion, Star Tours, and Buzz Lightyear.  We were pretty tired, so we left at around 11:40pm (which also included a stop at the pretzel store in Downtown Disney), just under the 3 hour mark.  Note, Disneyland closed at midnight!  What is this madness?  Why not ONE MORE RIDE?  Hard-core Disney fans would be shocked, as well as budget-conscious people, as I "wasted" one day of the 3-day hopper just for 3 hours!  My goodness.

I had used Priceline and got the Doubletree Hotel Anaheim-Orange County for $46/night plus tax, which was a great deal since the going rate was around $169.  At first, I was worried about how far away the hotel was from the main drag, but as you will read, it exceeded my expectations, despite having to pay a $13/day self-parking fee.  This hotel is coincidentally right across from where my brother Allen works, the UC Irvine Medical Center.  When he is on call, he uses a room at this same hotel!

At check-in, I was surprised to learn that my PL reservation was for two beds, since normally it's just one bed.  As luck would have it, the desk clerk worked her magic and got us a king room on the 18th floor; we were supposed to have been on the 9th floor.  (I should have a separate tally for every time I say "as luck would have it".  Megan says I am a lucky person.)  We also got a couple of the famous Doubletree chocolate chip cookies with walnuts; they give you these at check-in.  They are warm and gooey, sooooo good.  I'd stay at the hotel just for the cookies!

We had to stick our room key into a slot above the elevator keypad to be able to push the 18th floor, la-dee-dah.  The floor was very quiet, and I was very glad we were not on the 9th floor, as there were 5 busloads of teenagers on fieldtrips to Disneyland and they seemed to be staying on the lower floors.  Some of them were running around the lobby in wet swimwear and riding elevators up and down.

The room was huge, bed was comfortable and had luxurious pillows and duvet, though the thread count was lower than I'd liked. (I have sensitive skin, so I can tell the difference!)  The toiletries were Neutrogena brand.  Plush white towels.  They had a 4-cup coffee maker with Wolfgang Puck coffee and a fridge to store your own food, which was a nice touch, even though we didn't use it.  And a cute "Sweet Dreams" pillow.  Time to go to bed.  I make sure the curtains are closed so my brother can't spy on us from across the street. :P

Time Machine: Waikiki - Day 4, March 8, 2010

Time to go back home to cold and rainy weather.  :(  Thankfully we all woke up in time.  I really didn't want to miss the shuttle.  We grab the elevator and there was an employee riding down, name tag says "Kevin".  Kevin asked if we had a good stay.  We said yes, and I asked him where the shuttle picked up.  He offered to take us there, but I had to go to the front desk to check out.  He first took us to the porte cochere; Megan and Sheri headed out there just in case the shuttle came early.  Kevin took me to the front desk where I checked out, and he offered to walk me back to the porte cochere and rolled my luggage!  How nice!  He was very friendly and talked about visiting his relatives in San Francisco, staying at the Hyatt there (using his employee discount) when he has time off.  We get out to the porte cochere, and he was surprised to see Sheri and Megan standing out on the sidewalk and gestures to them to sit down on one of the benches where people wait for their cars from valet.  Megan asks if there was a water fountain nearby and Kevin runs to the valet station and grabs 3 bottles of water for us.  Apparently Hyatt guests have free bottled water on request.  Wow!  No idea.  He asked, "Did you try the iced tea at the check-in desk?"  Nope, hadn't noticed it since I didn't know it was offered.  Wow, I really like this hotel.  I definitely would recommend staying here because of its great location, excellent customer service, and comfy rooms.  Of course, it's best if you can Priceline the hotel and get a great rate on top of that.

The shuttle was prompt and we got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. (you'd think, since the pick-up time had to be THREE hours before departure)  I did have enough e-500's to upgrade the HNL-SFO leg of my trip, so I opted to do it on this leg as it included lunch.  (Outbound was just breakfast, didn't think it was worth it)  Boarded on the red carpet again; Megan and Sheri are now spoiled.  Unfortunately, they had to make a right turn as they boarded the plane while I got to take a left into first class. ;)  The first class cabin was a 2-2-2 configuration.  I usually try to get a seat in the middle 2, as those are naturally aisle seats.  My warm fuzzy feeling went away when I found that I was sitting in front of a 6-year old.  First class doesn't necessarily mean you get immunity from getting kicked in the back of the seat (or sitting next to stinky people, weirdos, etc.).  Dad was to my right; Mom was behind him, and Daughter was behind me.  Of course, Dad wouldn't want Daughter to kick him.  So I got some lumbar punches during the flight, but it wasn't too terrible.  The movie featured was "The Blind Side"...that was outstanding!  Food was meh; I had some beef stir-fry.

We get back to SFO around 9pm.  It's pretty cold, brr.  Megan and I drove back to Folsom...the end of a great girls' weekend.  Can't wait to go on another girls' outing!  It's a different experience compared to going with guys and girls, and going as a couple.  I'm hearing that there may be a Vegas trip in the future for someone's 40th...

Time Machine: Waikiki - Day 3, March 7, 2010 (Part II)

After brunch, we looked a bit around the hotel, but since it was sprinkling, we decided to duck into the Duty Free Galleria.  We found out that even though we don't qualify for the rock-bottom duty free prices since we don't have an international ticket out of Honolulu, items are still tax-free!   The Duty Free Galleria was like an IKEA store:  once you walk in, you can't get out until you've traversed all around every floor.  Even though things were tax-free, it was still full price, and I didn't find anything that I had to have and didn't mind paying full price on.  Megan, on the other hand, found this really cute Kate Spade wristlet-style purse with a chain strap.  Unfortunately, it was the only one left; Sheri wanted to rip the purse from Megan's clutches.  After we reasoned out why it was worth buying (she had to return the Coach wristlet that was bought the day before), and checked prices online using our iPhones, she made the purchase.  Then magically, the exit appeared.  Seriously.  I wonder if the exits are invisible until a purchase is made.

We continued window shopping while heading back to the hotel.  I had to go back to Honolulu Cookie Company and get some samples, but this time, I bought.  I was just waiting until the last day to ensure an extra day of freshness!

We head back to the hotel and there is a huge group of elderly Japanese women waiting for the elevator, looking like they just checked in.  We all pack on and they're speaking animatedly in Japanese and happy to see each other.  They are wearing name badges from some "MSC" company.  Megan compliments one of the women on how great her skin looked.  They all get excited and tell us they're in a skin care club and here for a convention.  Some women took our hands and told us to touch their faces, how smooth the skin was, and that it was all natural, no makeup!  It was rather soft, bright, and very supple.  One of the women said she was 79 years old but you couldn't even tell, her skin was that good.  They got so caught up in telling us what to do with our skin in broken English and gestures that a couple of the women forgot to get off at their floor, haha.  We reach our floor and get off with some of the women.  The ones who missed their floor waited for the down elevator, and the other two remaining happened to have the room next to us.  They were so cute, trying to tell us about the MSC (I forgot what M stood for, but SC was Skincare Club) but we couldn't get a good conversation going from the language barrier.  We help them get into their room and then we went into ours to freshen up for our last night on the town.  I hear some music outside and look down, and there's a wedding going on.  It was practically over in five minutes:  "Do you?"  "I do." "Do you?"  "I do."  "I pronounce you man and wife."  Did the hotel charge by the minute?

Tonight, we decided to finally hit the indoor shooting range and a nightclub.  All dressed up, we hit the streets, looking for the guy who was handing out flyers to the gun club for a discount.  He offered to walk us all the way to the gun club, and we said "No thanks."  Then when we got closer, another guy was handing out the same flyer and offered to take us.  This time, we agreed.  He took us down this quiet alley and Megan was getting a bit nervous.  I wasn't really that concerned, as I knew we were heading in the right direction.  We see a huge sign for "Hawaii Gun Club" in front of this narrow building, entered through the door after getting buzzed in, and walk up the stairs to the gun club.  We purchase the cheapest package containing a rifle, semi-automatic gun, and a revolver, all 22 caliber.  We also had to purchase a target.   You'd think it'd be included, but nope.  They only had one copy of a "person", so Sheri got that one; she had never fired a gun before.  Megan and I went with the bullseye target.  We enter the firing range and there were already two Japanese men firing guns.  The instructor, Ken, was all happy to see us, and mentioned that he hardly see women come to the range.  Especially women all dressed up!  He gave us instructions to read and ear protection.  One of the guns the Japanese men were firing was so loud, I almost jumped out of my skin, even though I had the headphones on.  I felt it in my chest.  I can only imagine what it's like out there in a war zone.  Ken gave us capes to wear to protect our bare shoulders from hot casings bouncing out of the gun.   He also gave us an empty revolver and told us to practice while he was busy with the Japanese men.

Megan went first.  She shot the rifle.  Then she asked Ken if she could move the target farther.  Ken was baffled at the request, but then figured out that we weren't exactly novices.  He then asked Megan if she wanted a bigger gun, and she heartily agreed!  It was a semi-automatic gun that was really loud.  Apparently the rounds were left over from a previous patron, and Ken didn't mind if Megan shot it.  Then finally the third gun, he gave her another big revolver.  Megan did a great job; most of the shots were near the bullseye.

Then came Sheri's turn.  She was a bit apprehensive about firing a gun as she had never held or shot one before.  But after the first few rounds of rifle shooting, she proclaimed, "This is fun!"  Though somehow she ended up hitting the metal bar holding the target, which spun it around, hehe.  She opted not to try the bigger guns.  At one point, her semi-automatic was not firing, and Ken had to reload it many times.  The 22 caliber revolver worked fine at least.  Sheri left feeling strong and powerful, yay!

It was my turn, and I hadn't shot a rifle before.  I saw that there was not much recoil, but it was probably because the rifle was only 22 caliber.  Ken asked if I wanted a bigger gun.  Of course!  Then I got the revolver.  It was over too quickly.  But it was fun.  I didn't want to spend too much money, though I was tempted to try the top-of-the-line package that included an AK-47.  Maybe another day, when I am not dressed in high heels.  It was nice of Ken to offer us different guns than what we paid for, and he even gave Sheri many extra rounds when her gun was sticking.  I'm sure being hot Asian chicks helped. ;)  When we were all done, we asked Ken where to find "Zanzabar" nightclub and he told us the general direction.  Then he wrote down his phone number on the map, gave it to me and said to call and he'd come with his friends.  So sweet, hehe.  After we left the building, Megan and Sheri were giving me a hard time.  I told them that I just happened to be the closest to him, so that's why he gave me the phone number. :P


We get to Zanzabar a bit too early, around 9pm.  We were starving since we hadn't eaten since the huge pig-out at brunch, so we head across the street to get a snack at the L&L Hawaiian Barbecue and hung out there until 10pm.  We went back and Megan talked the bouncer into giving us discount coupons to enter, reducing the cover charge to $5 per person.  It was pretty dead when we got in, since it was a Sunday night.  At least the drinks were pretty cheap.  Megan and Sheri were on the dance floor while I sat at a table watching the purses and nursing a Bud Light.  In the next hour, more people start to show up.  This one guy came up to me and asked me to dance and I declined.  There was a guard/bouncer standing near me, and I overheard him talking to another guy, saying "Yeah, she scared one guy away already."  I wonder if he was referring to me?  Sheri came back from the dance floor, so I got a chance to dance a bit with Megan and also took a bio break.  I eventually returned to the table and let Sheri dance a bit.  It was hilarious at this point because I saw a guy that looked like Vanilla Ice bounce around the dance floor.  I wanted to tell him that the 80's were over.

A little while later, this guy came up and told me he checked me out while I was walking to the bathroom and wondered if I would dance with him.  I kindly told him no, that I was watching over "my girls", but that he seemed like a nice guy.  He responded, "What, you can read palms?" and I said "Actually, yes I can!"  He was nice enough not to bother me again.  Then this cute guy sidles up to me a bit later and screams over the loud music, "I had to come here and tell you that you are very beautiful!"  Wow, that's quite to the point, never had that happen before.  He didn't ask me to dance at all.  I tell him that he was very kind.  Eventually we get into a conversation, and he takes a seat next to me. (note, the purses remain in between us)  I find out he's from Ireland and that he was on a 6-month trip making his way from the East Coast to the West Coast and he has 2 weeks left before he goes back and has to work off his trip debt.  He showed me pictures on his camera from places he'd been.  I offered to take a picture of him at the nightclub and also suggested he take a self-portrait of us.  He said, "At least I will have a reminder of when I met this beautiful lady from Sacramento."  What a charmer.  I didn't mind his company, as that would keep other men away, and he just wanted conversation.  Sheri came back from the dance floor, so I introduced him and told him he should go dance.  He said, "No, I don't dance."  I guess either he was really just looking for company, since he didn't want to dance with Sheri, or he was trying to work me.  Eventually he disappears for a bio break.  At this point, Sheri and Megan are back from dancing, albeit a bit drunk, and a group of guys start homing in.  They were trying to get us to go to their condo, apparently it's the bomb.  I'm graciously declining.  They brag about how much money they made last year and they were out celebrating because of it.  One of the guys says, "I know I'm totally out of your league, but will you just make out with me?"  Total desperation.  I told him, "My lips belong to someone else."  It doesn't faze him; he keeps asking me to make out with him.  At least he's not trying to touch me.  Eventually I had enough and said, "We got a flight to catch tomorrow, we're taking off."  So we left.  It was 2am by now.  I was hoping that we'd would wake up in time so that we wouldn't miss our shuttle pick-up!

Time Machine: Waikiki - Day 3, March 7, 2010 (Part I)

Today was the day we go to Halekulani for brunch!  I was looking forward to this the most, as I had read a lot of reviews and blog posts about brunch here.  It's not cheap - I think it was $55 per person, plus tax and tip (I didn't see the bill as Sheri paid my share to reimburse me for our last mileage run).  But what a spread!  Everything looked fresh.  I didn't have enough room in my stomach to sample everything.

We walked from our hotel to Halekulani.  Google Maps said that it was just a 12 minute walk, but it started to rain halfway there.  We were running from awning to awning and ducked into a mall.  I really didn't want to be late to this posh restaurant, even though they probably are used to fashionably late patrons.  Our reservation at Orchids was for 11:30; we made it to the hostess station by 11:28, whew!  The hostess directed us to the waiting room, which looked like a living room inside a huge mansion including a real fireplace.  Very elegant surroundings.  Of course, orchids were prominently displayed.

After a few minutes, we were taken to our table.  I had read some reviews and blog posts mentioning to request a table outside on the patio, but I forgot to do that when I reserved on OpenTable, and I couldn't find a way to add the request after the reservation was made.  But as luck would have it, we were seated right along the edge of the patio!  There were views of the ocean and also of Diamond Head crater.

The buffet was divided into different sections.  There was the omelette station where you can get made-to-order omelettes and eggs.  There was the sushi section where there were different rolls, sashimi, poke, and shellfish.  A salad spread was alongside one of the walls.  There was also a cold appetizer table offering selections such as cheeses, cured meats, pasta salads, etc.  A hot food area contained breakfast foods, fish, chicken, rice, etc. normally found in warming trays, along with a carving station offering prime rib, kalua pork, and turkey.  The dessert table was full of all kinds of cakes, cookies, mousses, you name it.  An ice cream station was available with a person scooping assorted flavors and you add your own toppings.  Lastly there was a "popover" station alongside a selection of breakfast pastries.

Halekulani is known for their popovers, so I had to try it to see what the hoopla was about.  I got one, a dollop of orange marmalade, and a "pain au chocolat" (chocolate croissant) as that is one of my favorite pastries.  I tried a bite of popover; it reminded me of Yorkshire pudding (tasteless), but eaten with marmalade versus gravy.  Maybe I had a bad one, but I didn't understand the appeal.  Glad I had the chocolate croissant as a backup!

I hit the sushi table, as this is where I was going to try to eat $55 worth of food.  There was salmon and tuna sashimi, jumbo shrimp cocktail, cold mussels, four different types of poke, and assorted rolls such as California roll, maki roll, etc.  Everything was fresh.  The sashimi melted in my mouth, no stringy parts.  The poke was tasty.  My favorite kind of poke is "shoyu"-style.  I even tried octopus poke, as I usually avoid chewy foods, but it was actually tender.  As you can see in the photo, I couldn't resist getting some smoked salmon from the appetizer table, topped with capers.  It was so good.  It had a slick texture to it, brightly colored and slightly translucent, versus the fishy, pink opaqueness of smoked salmon you get in a package at Costco or Trader Joe's.

I had a couple of plates from the sushi section and then tackled the warm food area.  I skipped the bacon, waffles, and eggs benedict as I didn't want to fill my stomach with foods I can get from other buffets.  I tried some kalua pork (I asked for the skin, and the chef was all "You want the skin!?" as if it was unheard of) and it was okay.  Then followed by "island fish with caviar sauce" (ie. whatever fish we could find with sauce made up of tobiko eggs that normally top sushi rolls) which was "eh".  Megan wanted only half of a cheese blintz, so I got the other half.  That reinforced why I don't normally get cheese blintzes, yuck.  I found some canned lychees.  I know, canned?  But it was the only lychee selection available, and they were good.  I had wanted to hit the cured meat and cheeses but decided to save my stomach for dessert!

Halekulani is also known for their coconut cake, and I had to have some.  At least I can agree with the reviews, it is good.  I don't normally like shredded coconut (again, I am adverse to chewy foods) but I was able to look past it and enjoy this light and delicate cake.  I read somewhere that you can order this cake from the hotel for something like $150, plus shipping!  I also sampled other wonderful sweets such as the Valrhona chocolate cake, strawberry jelly roll, haupia, vanilla custard, and a huge strawberry topped with real fresh whipped cream.  I know it must have been freshly whipped because it was inside a stainless steel insulated container, and in order to get a dollop, you had to open the lid of this container, grab the big spoon which was COLD, scoop some, and try to slop it onto your plate without making a mess.  That whipped cream was over the top.

My stomach was about to explode, but I could not neglect the ice cream station.  I skipped the omelette station, even though I love eggs.  But ice cream is one of my weaknesses.  The flavors of the day were chocolate, vanilla, some fruity sherbet, and coconut ice cream.  I tried the coconut ice cream.  It had coconut flakes in it (yuck) but I was able to enjoy it anyway.  I topped it with fresh fruit, a few nuts, chocolate shavings, and a cherry on top.  I realized I could've eaten into my $55 budget by scarfing the fresh berries from the ice cream topping bar.  BKM's noted.  (best known method...a term used a lot at my work)

All in all, the Orchids brunch buffet at the Halekulani met my expectations.  (they were high because of everything I read beforehand)  The service was excellent as every empty plate was swiftly taken away, and our requests for beverages were quick too.  The food was abundant, and none of the selections ever looked "almost empty"; it seems like the staff always tried to keep the stations full.  There was a harpist there providing live music to go along with the ambiance.  The view was excellent.  I would go there again and recommend others to try it, if they don't mind the $55 price tag.  Thanks to my friend Garett who mentioned this place in his Facebook updates; otherwise I wouldn't have even thought of going!  I also want to stay at Halekulani itself.  The hotel exudes a relaxing atmosphere, an unlikely escape from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki Beach.

Time Machine: Waikiki - Day 2, March 6, 2010

We had a late start to the day due to last night's festivities, so we hit the beach at around lunch time.  We ended up grabbing lunch at "Hyatt at the Beach", which was counter service.  I ordered a HUGE foot-long hot dog. (sorry no pictures!)  Note that I haven't eaten a hot dog from then until now, even though I enjoy hot dogs.  It was just way too big, and I will never order that size again unless someone is sharing with me.  We laid out for a bit and then bobbed in the ocean.  Went back to the counter to order shave ice.  Yes, it is called "SHAVE" ice.  It's a snow cone with finely shaved ice, topped with different kinds of syrup and other ingredients.  This treat is quite refreshing on a sunny day though you have to eat quickly before it melts.  We shared a shave ice that had banana, passionfruit, cherry and strawberry syrup, topped with sweetened condensed milk ("snow cap") and azuki beans, yum.  Too bad they didn't offer ice cream on the bottom; that would've been the best!

We went out on a shopping spree after we freshened up from the beach.  There was a Coach store right at our hotel, so we popped in there since Megan needed a wristlet.  We got a couple of tips from the employees there on which nightclubs to hit.

We returned to the International Marketplace to look for some more Korean BBQ, as I had found some favorable reviews from my iPhone Yelp app.  That night at the food court, there was a live band playing Hawaiian music, so that was a plus!  Megan and I grabbed some Korean BBQ food and Sheri got some Unagi-don from a neighboring Japanese stand.  Very tasty and reasonably priced.  I could eat this stuff all day.

There was a store called "The Stupid Factory", where they sell T-shirts with humorous sayings/slogans on them.  I'm sure you have seen these shirts before.  I remembered one shirt from when I saw it on the show "Big Brother"; it said "Gold digger - like a hooker, just smarter".  I didn't buy any shirts, but Megan bought a few.  One of them was really cute; it said "If life hands you lemons...squirt them in people's eyes!"

One interesting thing about Waikiki is that on every street corner and even in between blocks, there are convenience stores called "ABC Store".  The prices are decent for being in a tourist area, and a place where I can find my favorite "7D" dried mangoes.  What's funny is that I see a lot of tourists carrying ABC Store bags, and then they pass by another ABC store, and go in!  Every store carries the same stuff.  I don't understand.

Another store I enjoy is the Honolulu Cookie Company.  They sell delicious shortbread cookies that are dipped in chocolate.  They are individually wrapped, which keeps them fresh.  And they offer free samples!  I would say they are unlimited, since no one is really policing the sampling.  Eventually people stop sampling because either (1) they are satisfied with the amount they sampled, (2) they feel bad taking too many samples, or (3) there are no more samples left of their favorite flavor(s).   There's also a water cooler with paper cups to satisfy your thirst.  You'd think that free samples would take the company down, but actually it's a great idea, because cookies break from time to time and no one wants to buy a broken cookie.  The broken cookies are cut into little pieces, and offered as samples.  After sampling, you'll want to buy them, believe me.  At around 65-80 cents a cookie, I think they make enough profit to pay for all the samples, so I don't feel bad when I go into a store, sample a few, drink some water, and leave. :)

We went back to the hotel room, intending to go out again to haunt nightclubs, but we were so tired from the night before and still jet-lagged that we stayed in and just gabbed about life, everyone and everything.  This is what a girls' weekend is all about!  The funniest part of it was when Sheri was trying to access the in-room safe but she forgot the combination.  Megan and I, lounging on the beds, were reciting the numbers out loud but then stopped at the 3rd digit, as we remembered that the walls were thin and someone could overhear.  We started to whisper the remaining digits, and Sheri complained, "Why are you whispering?  I can't hear!"  Then I showed her the next digit with my fingers and she said "I can't see!  My contacts are out!"  Then I typed the remaining digits on my iPhone, and Sheri said, "I can't see that!"  We were just rolling over and laughing.  Then later in the evening, Megan was trying on one of her cardigans and asked how it looked.  Sheri responded, "It looks nice.  But I can't see."  We cracked up again.  Megan and I had Lasik done in the past.  Sheri is still holding out.

Looking forward to Day 3, as I had reserved a table at Orchids at the Halekulani for brunch!

Time Machine: Waikiki - Day 1, March 5, 2010

I mentioned that I was going to talk about my past travels to pass the time to my next trip.  "Time Machine" entries are now born!

Last month, to celebrate my friend Megan's acceptance into the EMBA program at Sac State (meaning the next 15 months of her weekends booked) and also to catch up with my cousin Sheri, I decided to plan a 3-day girls' weekend to Waikiki.  I've been to Honolulu before, but I knew this trip would be really fun since it's just the girls.

My travel philosophy has been likened to "champagne wishes on a soda-pop budget".  I enjoy luxury, but I try to find the best deals.  I had found a great package deal but by the time Megan and Sheri committed to the trip, the deal was gone and it was cheaper to piece the trip together from multiple sources.

Airfare was booked on United (of course!).  I found the hotel through Priceline.  I use Priceline a lot when I just need a few nights' stay.  It's easy to learn how to bid.  I monitor several forums on the Internet that provide information on winning bids, so I know around how much I'd need to spend.  I also search for tips on bidding.  I ended up scoring a "Resort" category room at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki for $95 a night! (plus taxes)  The cheapest rate on the Hyatt website at the time was around $180, so that was a chunk of savings.  I had to re-bid for several days before I was successful.  Because we'd be hanging around Waikiki, I didn't get a rental car, so I researched ways to get to the hotel.  An affordable option was to use the Roberts on-site airport shuttles.

The flight was out of San Francisco (SFO) early Friday morning.  I planned it such that Megan and I would spend Thursday night at Sheri's house in San Francisco.  We didn't get there until almost midnight, and we had to wake up early to get to the airport for our 6:40am flight!  The trip was already beginning to be action-packed.

Sheri and I used upgrade certificates (the now defunct "500-milers") to sit in first class on the SFO to LAX leg.  Poor Megan had to sit by herself, but she was in the exit row, where our original seats were located.  (Perks when you fly with elites!)  Empty middle too!

We only had a few minutes after landing in LAX to make it in time for "red carpet boarding" on our flight to Honolulu.  I planned the seats on our first flight such that we'd be able to dash out of the plane and get to the next one including a bio break.  However, by the time we got to the gate, they were already starting Seating 1.  Thanks to my 1K status, we went to the red carpet line and the gate agent halted the long line of people and allowed us to board.  I'm sure they were throwing poison darts at us with their eyes.  Sheri and I didn't have enough 500-milers to upgrade the flight to HNL, but we were all sitting together in Economy Plus, so it was comfortable.

We arrived in sunny, warm and breezy Honolulu, a drastic improvement over the chilly and rainy weather we'd been having in Northern California.  It wasn't difficult to find the Roberts shuttle stop; I asked an airport employee to make sure.  We boarded the coach, but as with many shuttles, it won't leave until it's full of passengers.  So we had to wait for about 15 minutes, but all of us own iPhones and not in any particular hurry (we're on vacation!), so we entertained ourselves reading email and posting on Facebook.  The bus finally took off, and the fare was collected on-board.  $15 for a roundtrip, cash only.  It's amazing how the bus driver can maneuver around town, get into the tightest places to drop people off at their hotels.

We get to the Hyatt and it's 1pm.  Check in time is 3pm, but sometimes you might get lucky and a room is available early.  I go to check in.  The front desk lady asks if I would prefer a king or two double beds.  Note that Priceline only guarantees accommodations for two people, and having two beds may not be available.  I politely request for two double beds.  She types and types and she tells me that she's having a hard time finding one, and that my Priceline reservation was for a cityview king room.  (yes, she said "Priceline" aloud...I looked around to see if anyone heard)  I was preparing myself to be disappointed and sleeping on the floor, and also conjuring up ideas like getting a rollaway.  As luck would have it, she was able to find a double room, which also happened to be oceanview!   But...it's not cleaned yet, she said, and if I didn't mind waiting until 3pm.  Heck no!  She calls housekeeping and tells them to expedite the room cleaning.  My cell number was noted so that they could call me when the room was ready.  I thank her profusely, returned back to the gals and told them of our fortunate circumstance.  We pass the time walking a few blocks (with our carry-ons) to look for some food and a store to stock up on snacks and forgotten toiletries.

It's a bit past 3pm and I'm thinking I won't get a phone call, so we head back to the hotel.  I go to the front desk and a different lady is there now.  I ask if my room is ready.  She looked me up and says "Oh, yes!  The room is ready, I am very sorry for the wait!"  And she repeats what kind of room I have, an oceanview room on a high floor, upgraded from a cityview room, and apologizes again for the delay.  I'm thinking to myself, "I'm getting a steal of a room, I should be apologizing!"  It's nice to know that no matter what you spent on the hotel room, that you still get great customer service at the Hyatt.

The room is pretty big and I love the Hyatt "Grand Bed" with plush pillows, soft sheets, and duvet!  Then we got to discussing who would sleep where, as the double beds are a bit small.  This suddenly caused a brain flash - the night before at Sheri's, Megan and I were sharing a double bed in the guest bedroom, and sometime during the night, Megan had rolled over and put her arm around my waist!  I was awake at the time and just let it go, figuring Megan was dreaming or something.  A few seconds later, she jumps (realized what was going on) and rolls as far away from me as possible in a double bed!  I don't know why I didn't remember the incident until we were in the hotel room!  All of us were laughing.  And Sheri and I decided to let Megan have her own bed. ;)

The bathroom was standard with tub/shower combo and shower curtain.  The toiletries were Portico brand, with eucalyptus.  The bath soap is shaped with hard nubs on one side to "massage" you.  What's nice about the Hyatt is that they also include a travel size Aquafresh toothpaste.  It came in handy on my last mileage run as I forgot to pack toothpaste.

We head down to the beach.  It's convenient right across the street.  The Hyatt gives you yellow towels to use at the beach.  I had read reviews saying they let you borrow beach chairs too, but I didn't want to lug them over.  The beach wasn't as wide as I'd liked, but the water is pretty calm, for a long distance out.  There were a lot of people way out in the water trying to catch a wave on a surfboard, with not many succeeding.  We stayed until the sun set, and headed back to the room to clean up and look for dinner.

The main drag is Kalakaua Avenue; lots of people walking everywhere.  We roamed around the International Marketplace, where there are a bunch of vendors hawking almost the exact same stuff.  I don't know how they make money if one cart is selling a necklace, and a similar necklace is available from the cart across the way?  There were also some brick-and-mortar-type shops surrounding the carts, and even those stores are selling the same coconut hula bras, same dashboard hula girls, same beach bags.  Eventually we made it to the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center and ate at the food court there.  I had some BBQ combo from "Yummy's" and it was quite tasty.  I forgot to take a picture of the food though. :(

We had seen an advertisement for an indoor shooting range on the 4th floor of the center, so we head up there.  We didn't even make it inside the shooting range, as we got intercepted by a group of Navy guys taking a smoking break at the top of the escalator.  I'm sure they couldn't help but to notice three hot Asian chicks! ;)  We talked for a while and they invited us to join their buddies at Senor Frogs downstairs.  This is the first time I've ever been to Senor Frogs.  It's supposed to be "fun" I guess, with the silly decor, including games the employees play with the patrons on stage, etc.  I prefer a nightclub environment where people dance.  Anyway, we find out that the guys were getting shipped out the next day or two to Guam for a month-long tour of duty.  It was fun to talk to them and learned a few things about Navy life, but eventually jet lag set in and we had to get some sleep badly...the Grand Bed was calling.  Day 1 already gone. :(

My next trip...

I wish I could tell you about my next trip in a little over a week, but it's a surprise for my babe's birthday.  All I told him was "Be at the airport at 5:45pm."  Plus, he reads this blog.  You will all have to find out after the fact.

I'm looking forward to seeing my cousin Ada in Ann Arbor. (or as she calls it, "A2")  She's got a food itinerary planned so I'm psyched, not only for my taste buds, but to share pictures to make your mouth water.  I've already been yelled at by my foodie friends, accusing me of torture.  But as my friend Jennifer puts it, she enjoys the images and it's 0 calories.