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INTERVAL WORLD
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Fall 2015 IntervalWorld.com
DAY ONE
Make your way to breakfast at the Hau Tree
Lanai. Beware: Golden hau blossoms may drop
into your Kona coffee. The dawn patrol (local
execs getting in their surfing before business) will
be just paddling ashore, and the long curve of
Waikiki will be basking in the first rays of the day.
Power up with a legendary Benedict,
whether it’s the classic, the crab cake Benedict,
or Super Kaimana Benedict with beef filet, foie
gras–infused mushroom spread, and lobster.
It’s okay to have a cappuccino, too. You’ll work
it off hiking to the 760-foot summit of nearby
Diamond Head.
Bring water and allow a couple of hours for the
round-trip into the crater, along a switchback trail, up a
steep flight of stairs, and through a tunnel to jump-for-
joy views from the Waianae Mountains in the west, to
Koko Head in the east. If it’s winter, there may be whales.
Afterward, explore the local neighborhood of
Kapahulu, brimming with shops and restaurants. Don’t
miss Bailey’s Antiques and Aloha Shirts, where you can
choose from among 15,000-plus vintage to trending,
new aloha shirts.
Hungry? Mr. Ojisan is a small, classic Japanese
restaurant offering feather-light, crispy tempura and
tonkatsu
(fried pork cutlet), bespoke sushi, and
wafu
steak. If you’re
looking for heartier fare, try the no-frills Ono Hawaiian Foods for
industrial-strength local
kaukau
(chow). Dig into the Laulau Plate
for taro leaves, fish, and pork steamed in a ti-leaf bundle. Ono in
Hawaiian means delicious — and it is.
Save room for dessert at Leonard’s Bakery, famous for
malasadas
(Portuguese doughnuts). Have one plain, or dusted
in
li hing
(ground dried plum skin) and stuffed with chocolate or
haupia
(coconut pudding).
Stagger back to Waikiki and set sail on one of the catamarans
pulled up along the shore. The boat will surf the waves. Beyond the
reef, the captain may let down the ladder for snorkeling. Smile —
dolphins often show up.
Evening cocktails will be on the lanai of the classic Moana, the
oldest hotel in Waikiki. Hawaiian music will serenade you in the place
where the famed Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson once
enchanted a young Princess Kaiulani with his tall tales.
Dinner will be right there at the hotel’s elegant Beachhouse at
the Moana. The specialties are Angus beef and fresh local produce.
Opt for one of chef David Lukela’s prix fixe menus, then kick off your
shoes and stroll Waikiki Beach barefoot in the moonlight.
Glow Images/SuperStock; Richard A Cooke/CO/age fotostock; Stock Connection/SuperStock; North Light Images/age fotostock/SuperStock
More than 900,000
people visit Diamond
Head every year for
sweeping views of
Oahu's coastline.
Hunting for island garb? Nothing
says “I just got back from Hawaii”
like an aloha shirt.