Well that’s the end of a Hawaiian getaway.. Time to jump on board the big white Hawaiian Airlines jet and head towards home….where to next????

Just down from the hotel was the International Marketplace, plenty of markets selling all the usual tourist stuff and some good places for a feed or beer.

U.S. military museum features the military history on the Hawaiian Islands from the ancient times through the modern era

The US really know how to do a memorial and Pearl Harbour is no exception, its pretty impressive what they have done to commemorate on of their darkest hours. There is plenty to see and learn although its very ‘Americanised’ and far from humble. There was a lot of mention of American Heroes, Liberty, Freedom, God and all the stuff the US seems to dwell in and very little mention of the sacrifices and commitment from the coalition of countries who also fighting to end this war well before the US got involved. Interestingly there were many Japanese tourists visiting the memorial, that seemed a little strange, as there was no question that much of the messages being delivered in many of the displays and especially the very propaganda like video that was shown would have felt a little uncomfortable.

You certainly know you are in the United States of America when you see the food. There really are some delicious treats and its leading up to Halloween so there’s plenty of pumpkin flavoured stuff including sundaes, lovely… But do be alarmed all food places seem to have a defibrillator just incase. Uh-oh, my heart’s stopped beating. …. Oh, it’s started again.

There is another Sheraton across the road, the marina next door is the one Gilligan left from for his 3 hour cruise. This hotel had live penguins and a Japanese garden, very fancy. The pool bar was amazing set in between palm trees and tropical plants, perfect place to enjoy a few beers.
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The beach is beautiful, it sits around a crescent shaped bay and the sand is a bit gravelly compared to our great beaches but its wide and looks spectacular. There are palm trees and the skies are so clear, its a beautiful day in paradise.

We are staying at the Sheraton on Waikiki. The huge crescent shaped beach is backed by a long strip that connects most of the hotels. The main strip is a collection of mainly tourist shops, cafes and ABC shops, they are like 7/11 and sell everything from nick naks, beach towels, snack food and beer. There are so many of them, there are even ABC Shops next to ABC shops.- its out of control. The Waikiki are has a bit of a Surfers Paradise feel, from the 1950’s or 1960’s, the architecture is a little dated and there is zero advertising, no billboards or huge signs pushing surf brands, burgers or soft drinks, very weird for a major US city.

We hired a beautiful Chevy Monte Carlo, one of the more stylish vehicles in the Hertz Fleet. The car had some questionable styling both inside and out. There were some lovely scenic locations around the island and a lot of farm districts with pineapples and sugar being popular crops.

We visit the Aloha Tower a historic pier precinct near Downtown that is now a tourist attraction. There’s a great brew pub and many of the brand name diners are there like Hooters and Bubba Gump. It was a nice place to kick back for a few hours and take in the sights.

We are staying at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, its a little dated but pretty flash. There’s a great pool with bar and plenty of facilities to enjoy. The beach is across the road and its located in the middle of the main strip and close to the big tourist marketplace. The gardens are very tropical and lush and full of lizards.

We take a submarine ride off the coast of Waikiki Beach. The ocean floor was about 100 ft down and there were lots of artificial reefs made from old planes and other sunken machinery. We saw several turtles some sharks and plenty of beautiful tropical fish.