United States

Valley of the Temples–Oahu

Hawaii Oahu November 28, 2015 0 Comments

Best kept secret of Oahu   The memorial park is easy to get to from Honolulu by taking Route 63, Likelike Highway and turning left on Route 83 on the windward (eastern) side of the island. The 1968 replica of the 11th century Buddhist temple complex was our main reason to visit this area. You will immediately realize it is…

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Koko Crater Botanical Garden–Oahu

Hawaii Oahu November 28, 2015 0 Comments

A hidden gem away from Waikiki The crater was formed about 50,000 years ago and is a botanical garden for dry-land plants. It is “free” is taken care of by non-profit Honolulu Parks. At the beginning of the trail is a box for a free guide listing the various types of plants and trees along the trail. The crater trail…

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Waimea Falls Park–Oahu

Hawaii Oahu November 28, 2015 0 Comments

Visiting Waimea Falls Waimea Valley, known as the “Valley of the Priests” for over 700 years is now the home of a “World Class Botanical Gardens.” Over 5000 tropical and subtropical plants live here in this park which is over 1800 acres. A non-profit organization takes care of the gardens. There is an entrance fee of $16 for adults and less…

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Duke’s Waikiki

Hawaii Oahu November 26, 2015 0 Comments

What are you waiting for? An icon restaurant along Waikiki Beach named after the legendary Hawaiian Olympic star and surfer, Duke Kahanamoku. We have always made it a point to have at least one meal at Dukes. This time we stopped twice. We like to get there early for lunch and sit along the railing. Actually, great views can be…

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Kilauea Lighthouse–Kauai, HI

Hawaii Kauai November 24, 2015 0 Comments

Closed on Sundays and Mondays   As our stay on Kauai was for several weeks, we had the opportunity to come back to Kilauea Lighthouse after finding it was closed on Monday. A tour group was highly disappointed to find this factoid out too, though, not having the opportunity to revisit. The best you can do is to take photos…

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Kalalau Lookout–Kauai

Hawaii Kauai November 21, 2015 0 Comments

Tips on visiting one the top lookouts in the world It is highly recommended that you travel to Kalalau Lookout when there is good chance of clear weather. We have made this trip six times, one being completely fogged in. When the weather is fine, indeed, it is one of the best lookouts in the world. We like to take…

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Kilohana Plantation Estate–Kauai, HI

Hawaii Kauai November 16, 2015 0 Comments

Not to be Surpassed, The Kilohana Plantation With our fifth visit to Kauai, we finally stopped at the Kilohana Plantation Estate. This is definitely a unique plantation built by Gaylord Wilcox back in 1935. The large Tudor home, 16,000 square feet of it, is now shops and the famous Gaylord’s restaurant. It was interesting walking around. For some reason, the…

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