Day 15

Waikiki Walks, Laundry Missions and Dinner at Duke’s 🍻🌴

Well, we didn’t quite get the sleep in we were hoping for. Even though the time difference between Honolulu and Los Angeles isn’t particularly huge, both of us were wide awake by around 4am. Not that it would have mattered much anyway, because two girls in the room next door decided that the middle of the night was apparently the perfect time for a screaming match. We initially hoped it would sort itself out for the sake of everyone else on that floor, but when it continued for quite a while we eventually called the front desk who promptly sent up security. Thankfully that ended things pretty quickly.

By that stage we were definitely awake, so we figured there wasn’t much point lying there trying to fall back asleep. Ted still had some bread left over from dinner the night before, so we headed down towards the beach after he made us both coffees using the little coffee machine in the room. The original plan was to feed the fish, although the birds turned out to be far more enthusiastic participants. Waikiki actually has a really nice atmosphere at that hour of the morning. There were already plenty of people out walking, jogging, surfing or simply sitting quietly watching the sunrise, and it gave the whole area a much calmer feel compared to the chaos later in the day.

One thing we badly needed to do though was laundry, considering we hadn’t properly washed clothes since Scottsdale. Unfortunately our usual reliable laundromat in Waikiki has disappeared since our last visit, which meant we needed to trek about twenty-five minutes into the suburbs to another one instead. Armed with a backpack full of dirty washing and laundry powder, we began the sweaty walk through the increasingly humid morning heat. Hawaii might look idyllic in postcards, but walking long distances carrying washing in tropical humidity definitely loses its glamour fairly quickly.

When we finally arrived at the laundromat it was surprisingly busy, especially considering how early it still was. While I stayed there to get the washing done, Ted walked over to a nearby Safeway to pick up some groceries. By the time we finished, neither of us had any interest in walking all the way back again in the heat, so we caught a local bus instead which was far more civilised.

After dropping the clean clothes back at the hotel, we headed down to the beach for a while to properly relax. Waikiki Beach might be famous and touristy, but it’s still beautiful. Sitting there watching the rolling surf, warm breeze and outrigger canoes drifting across the water was exactly the slower pace we needed after the cruise.

Ted was then keen for another visit to Ross Dress for Less for more shopping, which naturally thrilled me enormously. To sweeten the deal though, he also suggested donuts and iced coffee afterwards, which made the retail experience significantly more tolerable.

Since the weather wasn’t cooling down particularly quickly, we later headed to one of our old Waikiki favourites, Hula's Bar & Lei Stand, for a few beers. Hula’s is something of a Waikiki institution and has long been one of Hawaii’s most famous gay bars, known for its open-air setting, tropical atmosphere and views overlooking Kuhio Beach. It still had the same relaxed vibe we remembered, although the crowd definitely seemed much younger than last time we visited. Either Waikiki has changed, or we’re just getting older.

One of our longtime friends, Sean, who flies for Southwest Airlines, happened to be in Hawaii at the same time with his son Jordan and mother-in-law Andrea. We arranged to meet for dinner and Sean suggested Duke's Waikiki, which is one of the most iconic restaurants in Waikiki. Named after legendary Hawaiian surfer and Olympic swimmer Duke Kahanamoku, the restaurant is famous for its beachfront location, live music and classic Hawaiian atmosphere.

Ted and I arrived first and initially grabbed a table in the bar area because it was available immediately, but we quickly realised we’d been seated directly beside the live band. My Apple Watch repeatedly giving me high noise alerts probably should’ve been the clue. We decided we’d rather wait longer for a quieter table in the main dining room instead.

As it turned out, Jordan wasn’t feeling well, so Sean ended up coming alone and also invited two coworkers along, including his first officer. Duke’s certainly wasn’t cheap, so I decided the salad bar was probably the smarter option anyway, although it turned out to be excellent with plenty of fresh and healthy choices. What we definitely didn’t expect though was Sean insisting on paying for everybody’s dinner. It was an incredibly generous thing to do and very much appreciated by all of us.

We’re hoping to catch up with Sean again tomorrow as we still haven’t met the rest of his family yet. Hopefully we’ll also get slightly cooler weather too, although judging by Hawaii so far, that might be optimistic.Read more