Originally Posted by warakorn

Thanks for the report!
Did you see the sun at least once on Oahu?

Originally Posted by SFO777

Great report as always. How depressing to see the tired and empty HHV.

Everything is relative but what a sorry comment on the state of today's UA when you celebrate getting a crew that provides good service despite UA's pathetic catering constraints.
Dunno, but no PDB and a choice of either a blue label sandwich or Tapas box and that's the best domestic flight in some time?

Such a comedian.

Originally Posted by glasman19

Thank You SFO777. Yes it was very depressing - a lot like United.

You are so correct - and a solid 12 flights of documented Blue Labels all across the country. I'm ready for a new offering. I'm just several thousand miles from my next lifetime threshold and once locked I'm pretty much free to explore.

Originally Posted by glasman19

I love the The Hilton Hawaiian Village! I loved it a little more when Conrad and Barron owned it, but I still love this grand property. Sure there are better properties on the Island - but I keep coming back all these years later as I have fond memories of bringing my, then, young girls and their friends to the resort. This visit is different; it's an eye opener, I wasn't prepared.



I booked an Ocean Front and was notified upon check-in that I was upgraded to a corner Diamond Head view room. I was also notified that the only tower on the property that is open was the Rainbow Tower - oh, and none of the resort's restaurants or bars are open and parking is "self" - as they have no valet. Food is available across the street at the Rainbow Bazzar.



Record rain still coming down.



Gorgeous view, but wow this room and tower is tired.








I dropped my bags then headed out to the ABC store for water and supplies. I then picked up a Round Table pizza for an early dinner. I stayed in and enjoyed the storm and finalized meeting details and called it a night.





Honolulu had record rains during my visit. They recorded more rain in one day than my hometown gets annually.



I woke at 3am still on PST. I tossed and turned and stared at the ceiling until I decided to get up and go climb KoKo Crater since my meeting wasn't until 11.



I arrived at the trail head just before dawn. I was excited to to climb the 1058 railroad ties as I have climbed The Incline in Manitou Springs, CO with my daughters on several occasions when Mrs. Glasman and I are in Colorado visiting.









Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve in the distance - which was closed.



After my hour long up and back trek, I nursed my trembling legs by taking a drive out to see Robin's Nest of Magnum PI fame. Rumor has it, the compound will be the future vacation home of previous President Obama.












Time to head back to the HHV to get ready for my meeting.

We arranged to meet at Restaurant 604 by the Arizona Memorial for a working lunch.




...which claimed to have the Best Bloody Marys in Hawaii.



Ok, we will be the judge of that.



Wonderful bay front views from our table.



Adequate cocktail menu.



Workable Lunch Menu



Again great views. 😃 No photos of our meal as we had our work spread all over the table.



After a successful and extended meeting, my work colleague completed 604's contact trace form. We said our goodbyes and agreed to meet up in Dallas in April.

I then headed back to the HHV to explore the property and catch up on work.



After a quick change of clothes, I went out to explore a mostly deserted, but beautiful resort. Layers of dust in the Rainbow Tower Restaurant.






No beach towels... but a resort fee?



Rainbow Tower, est. 1968. Where we ALL were staying.



Hau Tree Bar, closed.



The famous beach front Tropics Bar.....



Pad Locked.






With 95% of the HHV stores closed and most vacant, Louis Vuitton wasn't one of them.



Tapas Bar - Closed and dusty.



I do love the posted timeline of the history of the resort located on the North side of the closed Tapas Tower. Better than Wikipedia.



Kuhio Tower. Closed. Dirty.



I could go on. I am so amazed at what this pandemic has done to our economy, especially Hawaii's! What is normally a bustling resort, is now a victim of our current state. I'm guessing the HHV is operating at 8-10% employment, that is 100's of local jobs. I don't know how they are keeping afloat. I cant wait to return in better times.

Next. Back to California; United really out-performs.

Originally Posted by edgewood49

Great post and thank you much appreciated. So here is my question there are all these "bloggers" etc that just full speed ahead to fly somewhere like Hawaii ( I know yours was business I know that story as I have been doing business in the island since the 80's and was there right after 911 some thing) So you get on a plane hoping that everyone one there has lived up to their end of the deal and land in the islands. Ok you have a choice of rooms got it. But then what do you do, restaurants are hit and miss if their open, you have to wonder how long food has sat around, walking around it's what your pictures reflect dirty dusty and mostly void of tourist or anyone for that matter, now tell me how enjoyable is that? My wife has family in the islands that we haven't seen in awhile and still we are not going just yet.

Originally Posted by Finkface

It certainly isn�t devoid of tourists. There are far too many, if you ask me. While it isn�t up to pre-Covid numbers, it is certainly getting close. And restaurants are all open. Maybe not at HHV or other resorts, but everywhere else they are. Everything is open and busy. It was paradise here back in November when it was mostly locals. Now it is all tourists again, and not the good kind either. Almost 100% Americans who got a cheapo deal on WN and eat at cheapo places. They don�t help the local economy much.

Originally Posted by Finkface

It certainly isn’t devoid of tourists. There are far too many, if you ask me. While it isn’t up to pre-Covid numbers, it is certainly getting close. And restaurants are all open. Maybe not at HHV or other resorts, but everywhere else they are. Everything is open and busy. It was paradise here back in November when it was mostly locals. Now it is all tourists again, and not the good kind either. Almost 100% Americans who got a cheapo deal on WN and eat at cheapo places. They don’t help the local economy much.

Originally Posted by edgewood49

I am going to take the "high" road in response. I am not so sure "all" the restaurants are open according to family living there, "paradise" without tourist can be great but that only goes so far. As for WN and their "cheapo" passengers ( I am using your words not mine) are still contributing to the island economy and surely they would take offense to those comments. I have been involved in business in the islands for a long time and have seen the ups and down of the economy and tourism, frankly the islands need as many WN passengers as they can get.

Maholo

Originally Posted by Finkface

My exact words were �who got a cheapo deal on WN� not cheapo passengers as you erroneously said were my words.

Originally Posted by SFO777

LOL. There was nothing erroneous about what edgewood49 wrote. Your exact words were...

Originally Posted by Finkface

Um, yeah. Exactly what I said, �who got a cheapo deal on WN�.

Originally Posted by FlyEndeavorAir

Great report, looks like I'm not going to be in a hurry to make it to Hawaii soon with those poor offerings. I understand the pandemic is still on-going but I am not going through all those hoops and hurdles just for everything to be closed and lackluster.