Oahu Archives - Page 4 of 4 - Jen is on a Journey

Creation-A Polynesian Journey: Luau at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Honolulu

August 30, 2011 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

Our two daughters are dancers, and our itinerary for Oahu had to include a Luau for them both to experience! While staying in the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, conveniently there was a show, Creation-A Polynesian Journey that was offered within the hotel during our stay. Not only did we look forward to an amazing indoor show and dinner, but the kids were anxious to watch the fire-knife dance that was promoted in the elevators of the hotel!

Luau at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Honolulu

We were greeted with a lei when we arrived on the second floor of the Sheraton and shown to our seats for the dinner show package. While eating and awaiting the show a small band plays lovely tunes to relax to. Each person in your party gets one drink, cocktail or beer for those 21 and over as well as the dinner buffet that is sure to fill your tummy! With fresh fruit and salads (pasta, macaroni) , there is something for everyone in your family and the Taro bread rolls are a good filler as well.

My little carnivores were thrilled by the meat selection that included Hawaiian teriyaki chicken, sweet and tender, as well as the shredded Kalua pork that my kids referred to as shredded bacon, salty and delicious and melt-in your mouth prime rib! The chow mein and steamed rice is something we eat at home, so along with adding a few new local treats the kids were happy to see typical favorites to give them the energy they need on vacation! Throughout the night, tea, coffee, and water is continuously poured. Haupia, pineapple upside down cake, and the ice cream sundae bar put smiles on everyone’s faces!

Once the show began it was spectacular, starting out with a fashion show displaying the many styles and ways to wear the traditional sarong-style wrap for both men and women. My girls loved this and have done it at home for their version of a fashion show! The show begins and the music resounds in the theater and through your insides and empowers you with excitement. This can only be done theater style with surround sound music, lights, and you’d be surprised how nice it is to be in air-conditioning after a day in the summer sun!

The costumes and changes are amazing, the talent of the dancers are astounding and my girls took time afterwards to discuss this together and delighted in shaking there hips the rest of the trip. The story telling of the birth of the first woman, the volcano eruption, and history of the island is enchanting and done so wonderfully through body and soul, even the primal grunts and hoots and music and little spoken word. The finale with the fire-knife dancer created anticipation by raising the metal chain fencing around the stage, with good reason when the knife slipped a few times from hands. My family exhausted by the heat of the day did perk up and announce how amazing and cool the entire show was and my husband and I were impressed. The history included cultural music and dances of Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand, the Marquesas Islands, Samoa and Hawaii and the Tihati Productions that puts on Creation has been awarded and personally honored by President Obama with an invitation to perform at the White House back in 2009.
We were hosted by the hotel to attend the show, all opinions are ours.

Honolulu, HI: Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Resort Review

August 25, 2011 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

When we prepared for our stay in Oahu, we immediately thought of our former island experiences. We have stayed in Maui and on Kauai, and this time we were staying in the heart of Honolulu, a different experience entirely. Kauai wins for most laid back, Lahaina town in Maui is a tad busier, but the overall island is kickback. When you are in Honolulu, especially the Waikiki area, it’s hustle and bustle, like L.A. We wanted to still have a very peaceful island experience, yet be in the hubbub of the action and our stay at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani allowed that to happen.

Located at the former entrance site of the Ainahau Estate, once home to Hawaii’s beloved Princess Victoria Kaiulani, the resort is only a crosswalk away from Waikiki Beach and surrounded by shopping and adjacent to the International Marketplace. The hotel opened in 1955 and was refurbished in the 80’s.

Checking In/Parking
A bellman took our luggage up to our room as we pulled up to the hotel, parking is self-parking only, no valet and at a rate of $25/day. Each day you show your pass and pull a ticket going in and out, parking is very secure, and we trusted the safety of our rental car when left. Garage floors are accessible from the Ainahau tower we were in, so it was convenient.

As you walk into the lobby, you pass the tours and activities desk, concierge, and see the business center with computers and printers and the breezeway to the pool. Checking into our rooms, one room was ready while we waited for the other. They are guaranteed by 3pm, as we arrived a bit early from our flight.

Rooms

Honolulu, HI: Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Resort Review

We had adjoining rooms which was nice for our family of 5. Our main room had a king bed and the second room, two doubles which my son had one and the two girls shared the other. Each room has all typical amenities, though we quickly learned that the kids’ channels were are based on east coast time, so most often a hit and miss. No worries, we weren’t in the room much other than to sleep! The views from 23 floors up were amazing of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head in the distance and towards the east the buildings were dramatic especially lit up at night! Mini fridges kept our drinks and snacks cool, as well as our Leis! The beds were comfortable, the bathrooms were fashionably out of date and the doors didn’t close completely, but the rooms were just what we needed after a long day at the beach!

Resort Charge
I personally LOVED the per day/per room resort charge amenities and you will too. For $12.57 inclusive of tax you get:

-high speed internet in your room
-self-parking for 1 car
-unlimited local and 1-800 calls
-2 bottles of water per day
-children 12 & under eat free from the kids’ menu at the dining areas with a paying adult
-use of sand chairs and fresh cold towels, fruit and water service twice between 10-2 on designated areas on Waikiki Beach (behind the Duke statue)
-and 2 Princess Punch drinks per stay.

We used all of the above during our stay, the waters came in handy for our beach and car trips, you save $ at meals, and the beach service was stellar, they came with water right when I ran out, and it’s HOT, so you need it, plus whole apples were offered. My girls thought the Princess Punch (a mixture of fruit juices) was out of this world and even after our allotted 2 we continued to order them!

Pool
Upon check-in you receive pool towels for everyone in your party. You can check out towels for the pool and the beach by showing your card and getting them back when you return the towel. Don’t lose them, you will be charged per card. The pool is a great size for the kids, oval in shape it has a boundary rope for the littles to stay in the more shallow side. Plenty of chaise lounge chairs are available around the pool and it sits adjacent to the Splash Bar and Bento for your food, appetizers and cocktails (I suggest their chicken wraps and a Mai Tai). Each night during our stay there was Hawaiian music from 8:30-10:30pm poolside and you can clearly hear it softly from 23 stories up too on our balcony!

Pikake Terrace
Also adjacent to the pool and the entertainment stage is the Pikake Terrace. Serving breakfast and dinner daily with a mix of food of American and Asian flair, you can get a hearty buffet at either meal or order off a menu from a variety of selections. We enjoyed the buffet breakfast one of the mornings of our stay, the kids ate waffles, pancakes, bagels muffins, eggs, and my husband especially loved the Portuguese sausage that he had plenty of in Maui as well. The buffet includes juice (my younger 2 children and I love guava juice!) and coffee or tea. The thought of all you can eat was big for my 3 growing kids who enjoyed going back for seconds and thirds. The food was fresh and warm when it needed to be. You can sit under the umbrellas or slightly more indoors in a rain shower, but all seats are comfortable. For about $21 and kids eat free with an adult, it’s worth it!

Activities
Foremost, the Sheraton offers the show Creation, A Polynesian Journey, an exciting indoor Luau. (I will include a post solely on this!). Also, in the breezeway from the front desk to the pool, you can find tables set up on different days of the week with many cultural offerings like lei making, hula lessons, and la’u painting. There are also many fish around the property and feeding them is a hit with the young children, another activity Mon-Thurs afternoons.

Overall, our stay was pleasant, comfortable, and perfect for our family. The hotel had everything we needed, was a short walk to the beach, though not beachfront, and was centrally located to shopping, food, and activities. We would recommend the Kaiulani highly!

Our rooms were hosted for 3 nights along with one buffet breakfast, we did pay a comp. fee per room, per day. All opinions are our own.

Budget Rent-a-Car, Honolulu Airport

August 24, 2011 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

Taking the family to Oahu wouldn’t be the same without renting a car to experience the island. Having the flexibility of coming and going when you want is essential on a family vacation and relying on public transportation can be pricey, as well as inconvenient. On our last trip to the islands we went with Budget-Rent-a-Car (BRAC) for our transportation needs, and was pleased to be working with them again out of the Honolulu airport.

Right after landing and grabbing our bags, the signs for car rental are clearly marked at the Honolulu airport. Literally a walk across the street from baggage claim we found the kiosk and a line. We arrived at midday so there was quite of few customers waiting in the heat we were just adjusting to. Maybe about 20 minutes and I was working with a service representative for our car.

Our options were given on car style, size, and extras such as navigation systems. I have a smart phone that has maps and concise directions to follow, so we needn’t pay extra for that luxury this time around. Some people rely heavily on their GPS or TomTom and it’s great to know they’re available in car rentals.

We finally decided on a Ford Focus in a white color. As much as I wanted to rent a van or even an mid-size car, I kept thinking $$ in my head and what we could do to save that extra $10 per day. We opted with the compact car. Yes, there are 5 people in our family, and yes it’s a tight 5 seater car, but money was on my mind and staying in Hawaii gets pricey.

Don’t get me wrong, there was room, my two younger children are small and everyone fit nicely. The only thing is that our car at home seats 7, has 3 rows, and technically all 3 kids don’t have to sit directly next to eachother, this time they did. The first few days it wasn’t bad, they all had their electronics to occupy them when we had a drive to take, but on days 6 and 7, those long drives from one end of the island to the other were filled with “he pinched me” and “she is touching me.” I’m really going to follow through next time and say, a bigger car is a MUST.

Everything else about the car was perfect. It was compact and easy to maneuver the city with, it had great gas mileage, and it had both A/C and a sunroof, so we were always comfortable while exploring. We opted to take the car full of gas and to bring it back full this time which worked out well, we didn’t have to get gas until days 5 and 7 so it wasn’t that big of a deal. The only negative may be the leather seats on hot days (which was everyday on Oahu), the kids bottoms got hot so we learned to lay down towels before sitting!

Returning the car at the end of our trip was as easy and took literally about 3 minutes. Pull in, hand over the keys, and take the receipt. We were quoted about $233 for the week on the rental and we of course were overjoyed when our receipt read $203. I don’t question deals like that, not to mention they had some cleaning to do with all the sand we tracked into the car. Twice in one year we’ve experienced great results with BRAC, and I would recommend them to anyone looking for car to rent on their next vacation!
We paid out of pocket for the car rental upfront, but will be reimbursed a portion of our payment. All opinions are ours.

United Airlines from SFO to Honolulu Review

August 23, 2011 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

On our recent family trip to Oahu, we flew United Airlines from San Francisco International Airport to Honolulu in a direct flight. We flew on a Boeing 777, nearly 2400 miles in a 5 hour and 12 minute trip. We planned to leave our car at long-term parking in San Francisco, so we got an early start on a Monday morning. Getting to the airport with an hour and a half before our flight, we left our car and proceeded to check-in at the United counter. Let me tell you that Monday mornings at any airport, especially SFO in this case, is a zoo. We waited in a line for 40 minutes to get our bags checked and boarding passes. Luckily a kind man ushered us to the “family” line for security otherwise we would have missed our flight. Once through security we had to walk really fast to get to our gate which was already boarding, huffing and puffing we made it on our plane. Here’s the rest of the reasons to fly United Airlines from SFO to Honolulu.

Accommodations
Reservations were made for us by the Oahu’s Visitor’s Bureau and we were happy to have 5 seats in a row on the flight to the island. The seating configuration is 5 seats in the middle in economy class with two on either end of the plane near the window. Having the whole middle row was perfect for our family, made it simpler to manage food, drinks, naps, and activities on the flight. It was convenient to not have to bother strangers when we needed to get up and stretch or use the restroom. Unlike on our flight to Maui on Hawaiian Airlines, meals were not included in the price of the ticket, but food and snacks were available for a fee. We had hoped to grab breakfast in the airport, but due to the long lines and rush, we needed to purchase food on the plane. On both flights, we were happy to see blankets in sealed plastic for use. No matter how you dress, the air-conditioned cabin is cold, the blankets helped the kids and even me who brings extra socks to wear around the plane!

Food and Drink
Turkey sandwiches come on a pretzel roll with cheese and are a good size but will set you back $7 each! Also, their snack boxes are around the same price but offer treats for the family. On the flight to and from Honolulu, I’m sure we spent about $80 for meals and snacks, make sure you plan accordingly. Drinks such as soda, water, coffee, juices, and tea is offered for free and on a 5 hour flight, the cart comes around twice. Water, tea, and coffee is walked around about 2 times between carts as well. Items for purchase are easily paid for now with your credit or debit card, United no longer accepts cash, making it convenient.

Entertainment
Music and television shows are offered on the flight the entire flight which is nice. Earphones are provided in each seat-back pocket for free and plug easily into the arm rest. Music is provided by Zune and about 20 different music varieties are available to choose from. On both flights there was a time at takeoff and landing where you could tune into the captain’s quarters to hear their conversation with the airport towers, my husband enjoyed that! Comedy TV shows like “Parks and Recreation” and “Big Bang Theory” were shown which we all loved and laughed to. On the flight to Hawaii the movie presentation was “Arthur” with Russell Brand, and to my children’s utter delight, “Rio” was shown on the flight home. Music and video really keeps kids and parents help pass the time, I rarely saw my kids aged 5, 10, and 12 pull out their personal electronics due to being kept busy thanks to United!

Hemispheres
Along with the SkyMall catalog that just got my two older kids chatting the entire trip about all their unique gifts, Hemispheres is United’s magazine filled with a mix of news,
technology, fashion, business, lifestyle and in-depth features. You can also find crossword puzzles, games, and menus in the magazine along with the TV, music station, and movie guide at the back of issue. Like SkyMall you can take the magazine with you if you wish.

Overall we had wonderful airline hosts during our trip, there was always an abundance (8, if I remember correctly) and were available for questions and needs. Both flights were smooth, little turbulence, and gentle landings. My son and husband are thankful for the smooth ride, but also were dosed with Dramamine due to motion sickness. We did feel that this airline was competitive with their prices, our family paid about $500 for a RT to Honolulu which was about $125 less than competitor prices at the time of booking! It was a pleasure to fly with United and I’d look to them again.

My flight was hosted, we purchased four RT tickets for our family. All opinions are our own.

Oahu for Families

August 9, 2011 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

picture courtesy of PicturesDepot.com

I must admit that we caught the island bug. Back in May when my husband and I went to Maui, we became hopeless addicted to the warm waters, the unique stretch of beaches all with different colored sand, and the laid back attitude of the locals that the paradise of Hawaii offers. Now, this week, we are on a quest to take a slightly different approach as we did with our couple’s trip and are bringing the whole family to the island of Oahu.

Over the next week, we’ll be enjoying stellar accommodations via a few different hotels in the Honolulu area, visit some of the North Shore’s culture, and my youngest wants to see dolphins swimming freely out of the Wai’anae Harbor.

With tips from friends and our trip planner, we will enjoy delicious food from various local shrimp trucks, delight the kids with island-renowned shave ice, and the mouth-watering kalua pork at some casual family-friendly restaurants!

I want to let my readers and followers know how a family of five can have a wonderful experience on the island through our excursions, scenic hikes, and movie/tv-related tours. Of course we’ll be at the beach plenty, boogie boarding, surfing, and snorkeling. But, my husband and I are really interested in visiting the USS Arizona and the Battleship Missouri Memorials and sharing that piece of history with our kids. Will it inspire you to take a trip to Oahu

Read my posts why Oahu for families is the perfect destination here, http://jenisonajourney.com/tag/oahu.

I’ll be checking here often, any tips for those of you who’ve gone before, let me know! Mahalo!