Honolulu, Hawaii, one of the few mainstream destinations that I had never visited. I had a deluge of points and miles to burn, so I decided to make the trip.
The flight from my home base is nine hours, and due to my departure time and time zone difference, I arrived in the afternoon. I took Lyft to from the airport and arrived at my hotel, the Royal Hawaiian. This hotel is one of the oldest in Hawaii, and actually celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2027. It is distinctive for its pink color, perfect for a beach location.
Royal Hawaiian Hotel
The first stop was the beach, of course. Waikiki is full of tourists, but for a first time Hawaii visitor like myself, seemed like the place to go. If I ever return, perhaps I’ll explore other islands.
Waikiki Beach
I had purchased tickets for the Ahaʻaina Lūʻau, an evening show with hula dancing and food, which started at 5 pm. I’m glad I didn’t eat upon arrival as this was a tour de force of food.
The starter was poke, noodles, salad, and a fingerling dish.
The entrée dish was beef short rib with rice, pork, chicken and kimchi.
After all of this, there was still dessert: chocolate mousse.
Now, I started paying attention to the dancing. The best part of it was the usage of fire along with the dancing. There are several Lūʻaus in Honululu (and Hawaii at large), I simply chose this one for the convenience of it being at my hotel.
That was the end of my first day in Honolulu. I took rest as I was quite tired from the time zone difference and prepared for a busy day two in Honolulu.