Day 1: Sunday 8/16/2026
We got up at 3:15 am and our friend Debbie picked us up at 4:30 am to take us to the airport. There were no lines at the counter, and since I checked in and paid for our luggage online, it was easier to check our bags. Don’s bag weighed about 23 lbs., and mine was 26 lbs. We went through TSA and got to the gate 2 hours early. The flight to Detroit was nice. The person never came to the window seat, so we had all 3 seats to ourselves. We had an hour layover in Detroit, and then we had an almost 10-hour flight to Honolulu. When we were taxiing out of Detroit, the captain said we had to go back to the gate to let maintenance check on something. Then we were cleared for takeoff. It was a long flight, but we landed about 2:10 pm (Hawaiian time) and had to sit and wait to get to a gate for over 30 minutes. When we got off the plane, we got our luggage and went to the SkyTrain station to buy our HOLO cards. Then we called the hotel to pick us up.
The hotel is very outdated and didn’t feel very secure. But maybe we are tired, and the weather is yucky. The hurricane came through yesterday and today, and thankfully we came in on the tail end of it so it didn’t affect any of our flights.
After we checked in, we walked back to the train station to buy another HOLO card because he couldn’t find the one we had bought him. Then we rode the train in both directions and saw every stop while it rained intermittently. On the way back to the hotel, we had dinner at McDonald's, which was horrible (again, maybe we are just tired). I ordered at the kiosk, and they ran out of paper, so I never got a receipt. I had to stand in line at the register, and then it took him forever to find my order and print a receipt. It took over 30 minutes for us to get our food. When we got ready to leave, the garbage at the trash can was almost to the ceiling!
When we got back to the hotel, the bathroom was covered in gnats! We don’t think they are bed bugs, but we are too tired to deal with it tonight. The amazing thing was that Don found the HOLO card that he thought he lost. We were in bed by 9 pm.
Day 2: Monday 8/17/2026
I was awake by 2 am and played on my computer and knit until Don woke up around 3 am. IHOP didn’t open until 6, and our hotel didn’t serve breakfast until 7, so we decided to ride the bus to Waikiki at around 5:30 am and find an IHOP there. The manager there told us that they had no internet and flood damage, so they would not open. She suggested we go to McDonald's or Denny’s for breakfast. So, we walked to Denny’s and were seated, but after 20 minutes, we left because no one took our order. We walked to McDonald's and had breakfast there. Then we walked down Waikiki and stopped at historic landmarks, hotels, and statues. It was fun to watch people learning to surf and those who knew how to surf. A big observation platform was being assembled, so I asked one guy what it was for. He said the surfing competition (Duke Kahanamoku OceanFest) started tomorrow. We walked all the way to the Diamond Head State Monument Park and had great views of Diamond Head. We talked to a bus supervisor who was training new bus drivers, and she said the routes did go in a loop, so that was a good way to sightsee. Then we walked back up until we found a bus stop that took us to the Iolani Palace, the State Capitol, and King Kamehameha’s statue, which was impressive. For lunch, we found a great place in Chinatown. We got two “mini” plates for $11 each (Don got roast duck and rice, and I had roast pork and rice). Then we took the 42 bus back down to the Honolulu Zoo and enjoyed the air conditioning. By then it was around 3:30, and we were ready to return to the hotel. We went to L&L Barbeque for dinner, which was right across from our hotel. We got one Mixed BBQ plate with short ribs (included teriyaki beef and BBQ chicken) for $20 and shared it. We also bought 2 fountain drinks for $2.49 each, but when I went to get Diet Pepsi, they were out of it. Instead, she let me get 2 bottled drinks. There was a lot of meat and rice but no vegetables. Don ate the chicken, and I ate a little of beef, but it was hard to cut with a plastic fork and knife, so I ate more rice than meat. I think I was too thirsty and tired to eat much. Before going to bed, we walked over to Dunkin Donuts to get a donut and were surprised that donuts were almost $3 each! We took our donuts back to the room to eat, but neither of us liked them (Don got a Boston Cream one, and I had a jelly one). I gave mine to Don because it looked like it was filled with some kind of yellow custard and I was expecting raspberry jelly.
Don cleaned the tub, and the gnats seem to mainly be in the tub area. We think they were caused by the high humidity and the hurricane. After he cleaned it up, we only saw a few every day after that. They were never in the bedroom area, but we kept the bathroom door closed.
Day 3: Tuesday 8/18/2026
When I got up, the internet wasn’t working, so I had to use the hotspot on my phone. We got up early and went to IHOP when they opened at 6 am. We were shocked to find that there was no value menu, and the 55+ menu prices were so much higher than they were at home. Then we went to the bus stop and rode Bus 42 to Ewa Beach for 2 hours. We had to get off early (not sure why) so we crossed the road and got on the Express bus E back to Waikiki. It only took 90 minutes that way. We got off the stop with the statue of Duke (the famous surfer) and watched some of the surfing competition. The contestants kept exchanging colored shirts that they wore during their heat so that the judges could see which contestant they were. That was a lot of fun! Then we bought a couple of t-shirts as souvenirs. We walked around a little and then decided to take the bus to Chinatown for lunch. We ate the roast pork and noodle soup ($23), which was delicious. After lunch, we rode the bus to the Hawaii Army Museum. We spent about 90 minutes at the museum and decided we were ready to head back to the hotel. We had to wait an hour for the bus because of delays and didn’t get back to the hotel until after 6:30 pm. We decided to go to McDonald's for dinner, and like the first night, it was an experience. The service was a little better until I went to get a refill on my soda. They were out of Diet Pepsi, and the manager told this guy to go back and check it. The lady next to me said she was waiting for the same thing, and 2 people already went back to check on it and never came back! Eventually, the guy came back and said it was fixed. We both were so tired that we couldn’t stop laughing about funny things that happened during the day while we ate!
Day 4: Wednesday 8/19/2026
The internet was working this morning, and I was able to get us tickets for the USS Arizona at 2 am! At 7 am, we had breakfast at the hotel, which was pretty good! Then we walked to the SkyTrain station and took the train to the Aloha Stadium stop to go to the Swap Meet (flea market). Don found a Hawaiian license plate for $5, and I found some souvenirs made by the owner of the booth, and then Don found 2 wooden cigar boxes for 7 plus tax. We were able to watch the movie and see all of the exhibits before our 2 pm trip to the USS Arizona. I did run out to get our water bottle out of my bag since water was allowed on the USS Arizona. I’m glad we got to go to that. When we returned to the visitor center, we had about 30 minutes before our 3:15 Ford Island Bus Tour. We boarded the Waikiki Trolley and had a ranger-led tour to the USS Utah and the USS Oklahoma memorials. It was interesting to find out that both rangers had been full-time teachers. Ranger Holly had been a special ed teacher, and Ranger Suzy was from Greenville and had gone to school at Furman! After the tour, we got to the bus stop about 5 minutes before Bus 42 arrived and dropped us off right in front of our hotel. We went to McDonald's for dinner and called it a day!
Day 5: Thursday 8/20/2026
After breakfast, we took the bus to the far side of Diamond Head and walked through the Lēʻahi Millennium Peace Garden. Then we continued down Diamond Head Rd. to the overlook and the lighthouse. It was pretty hot so I’m glad we went early in the day. Since we were halfway around the base of Diamond Head, we continued around to Waikiki and walked along the beach. We watched some of the tandem competition before walking up towards the convention center. The Made In Hawaii event started at 6:30, and we bought VIP tickets in advance ($25 each), and I was told it was sold out. When we got to the line at 5:15, it was already down the side of the building (about 2 blocks long), and when it was time to go in, the line had doubled back to the front of the building. It was very crowded, and people went crazy over certain clothes lines. We got samples of lots of different foods and even won 2 bags of snacks (tortillas and kettle corn). We left about 8 pm to catch the bus back to the hotel. We got back to the hotel by 9:30 pm. We walked 9 miles today!
Day 6: Friday 8/21/2026
After breakfast, we took the bus to the Fort Street Mall Open Market, which was a dud. Then we walked to the Foster Botanical Gardens ($5 each), and it was worth going to. We saw a lot of trees and plants that we’ve never seen before, such as the leopard orchid, the wax seal palm, and the quipo tree. We both were exhausted from this week, so we sat and rested a lot. After about 90 minutes, we decided to head back to the hotel and do laundry. We met a guy from California, Oscar, who was here doing restoration work. He was also doing laundry. After laundry, we went to McDonald’s for lunch and then rode the SkyTrain to all the stops. On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at McDonald’s for an ice cream, but they were out of ice cream. We went back to the room and packed our suitcases. I took a nap, and I felt better after napping. We had an early night.
Things I’ve Learned:
The Holo card is worth getting.- If you are staying less than 7 days, don’t buy the 7-day pass. The most they will charge you is 7.50 each day (fare capping).
- The bus drivers aren’t friendly or helpful.
- Google Maps was important for finding the bus routes to take to your destination.
- I wouldn’t buy tickets to the Made in Hawaii event again.
- Eating lunch in Chinatown was great!
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