Up very early, Sharon and I wandered out to the beach and explore the neighboring hotels. Eventually, we got Starbucks and headed back to the room.
There was a two part plan for the day. The first half was to hike Diamond Head. When we got to Diamond Head a little before 8:00 am, the parking lot was already full. We ended up driving back out of the crater and parking down at the Junior College. This only added a little less than a mile each way to the trip. I enjoyed the hike a great deal; it includes a tunnel, a long staircase and a circular ladder. The views from the bunker on the top of Diamond Head were spectacular.
Back at the car about 9:30 am, we started off on the second half of the plan for the day which was driving on the north shore of Oahu around the island. Along the way, we made stops at the Halona Blowhole and La'ie Point. We had intended to stop at the Valley of the Temples, but due to Memorial Day it was absolutely packed.
We stopped and had lunch at Giovanni's Aloha Shrimp Wagon in Kahuku. The place was packed. By the time we ordered, got our food and eaten, we were probably there almost an hour and a half. The shrimp plate was excellent and worth the wait. After lunch, we stopped at the Turtle Bay Resort for a drink in the bar.
The section of coast after the Turtle Bay Resort is home to some of the best surfing in the world. This includes the Banzai Pipeline. It is home to the best surfing in the world in the winter, not the summer. This time of year, the surf is surprisingly flat.
Eventually heading back towards Honolulu, Jack wanted to stop at the Dole Plantation. We ended up going through the maze and having some ice cream.
We rolled back into the hotel about 5:30 pm. Jack wanted to work out in the gym. I ran 4.49 miles on the treadmill, while he lifted.
Sharon had made a 9:00 pm dinner reservation at Allan Wong's. Once we got cleaned up, Sharon and I had a couple of complementary Mai Tai at the hotel. We got a cab to dinner about 8:30 pm. The three of us all ended up selecting the chef's menu with wine pairings. The entree's included snapper and a short rib. Sharon was less than thrilled by the meal.
By the time, we got back to the hotel and down for bed it was after midnight.
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