Off to Honolulu
Feb 16, 2021 | 7:23 am
#31
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...There was a line around the corner for Lapperts and we may or may not have waited in it for a Valentines treat (totally worth the wait). Round Table pizza in the shopping area was packed and the stores that were open were fairly busy, including the touristy pearl-in-the-shell kiosk (2 couples at it). I didn’t look at other restaurants. Walking back, the usual 30 or so people were waiting for a table at the Cheesecake Factory and a table set up outside for pick up orders was overflowing. California Pizza was full of people and the sidewalks as busy as any normal day.
Feb 16, 2021 | 11:37 am
#32
Join Date: Apr 2013
Programs: Aadvantage Platinum, Marriott Gold
Posts: 73
I live on Oahu and can attest that the majority of restaurants are open and busy - bars are still closed, but many have re-formatted themselves as restaurants (aka added some food offerings to their menu). Hawaii is open for business, and as someone who draws a paycheck based on tourism, Im happy to invite everyone to come back (and while some people here have developed quite the anti-tourist attitude, it's by far not everyone. the local economy depends on tourism, and most people recognize that and are happy to have every tourist back, regardless if they flew WN or another airline)
Feb 16, 2021 | 1:01 pm
#33
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: YVR, HNL
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Posts: 8,436
Trust me, Lapperts wasn’t cheap. We paid more for two ice cream sundaes than a lot of people pay for two meals. And at least it is a local business we are supporting, not a massive chain.
Feb 17, 2021 | 10:17 am
#34
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Location: San Francisco
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I’m not sure if any place has that traditional Aloha spirit like before and I’m looking forward to future vacations in Hawaii. Ok maui. I love Maui. I still love this TR and the Hawaii subcategory in ft. Looking forward to more Hawaii trs because I never see enough trs for Maui compared to global F services (all great) except it’s maybe more fun to land in Hawaii compared to landing in Frankfurt or Newark :-)
Feb 17, 2021 | 7:30 pm
#36
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountain Time Zone
Programs: AS Million Miler/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/ IGH Ambassador
Posts: 6,126
Im not sure if any place has that traditional Aloha spirit like before and Im looking forward to future vacations in Hawaii. Ok maui. I love Maui. I still love this TR and the Hawaii subcategory in ft. Looking forward to more Hawaii trs because I never see enough trs for Maui compared to global F services (all great) except its maybe more fun to land in Hawaii compared to landing in Frankfurt or Newark :-)
Feb 17, 2021 | 10:34 pm
#38
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: San Francisco
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Feb 21, 2021 | 10:46 pm
#39
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 1,501
Not that I am advocating coming here because the reception is decidedly less than warm but Waikiki is back. Yesterday, we walked down to the HHV just to see it. The beach the entire way along Kalakaua was just as jam packed as any other busy day from years past and the weather was overcast with intermittent rain. Shoulder to shoulder packed. You would never know this wasnt any normal day in any normal year. The HHV was buzzing and while probably not as packed as normal (I never go there so cant compare) it was definitely busy. In the lobby, I counted 30 people waiting to check in at the general line and 5 at the elite line. At the pool, every single chaise was taken (they have spaced and reduced the number, looked to be about half the usual number) and people sitting on the deck at the edge of the pool. This was at 4pm. There was a line around the corner for Lapperts and we may or may not have waited in it for a Valentines treat (totally worth the wait). Round Table pizza in the shopping area was packed and the stores that were open were fairly busy, including the touristy pearl-in-the-shell kiosk (2 couples at it). I didnt look at other restaurants. Walking back, the usual 30 or so people were waiting for a table at the Cheesecake Factory and a table set up outside for pick up orders was overflowing. California Pizza was full of people and the sidewalks as busy as any normal day.
Feb 22, 2021 | 2:23 pm
#41
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Feb 23, 2021 | 12:16 am
#42
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 11,245
Nice pictures, thanks for this report. I miss Hawaii. I made a December trip to Honolulu and the Big Island a near yearly thing this past decade and now I 'm unsure of when I'll be able to make it back, I doubt I'll be able to freely travel from China easily, even at the end of 2021. Also, beautiful pictures of the city where I grew up, Oakland, and of the SF Airport. I've had the westerly arrival a few times on flights back from Asia, mostly in the winter, but usually the weather is so poor you can't see the ground until you're about to land, was good to see such a nice picture with everything clearly visible. Nice to get a little nostalgia from a FT trip report!
Feb 25, 2021 | 7:38 am
#43
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountain Time Zone
Programs: AS Million Miler/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/ IGH Ambassador
Posts: 6,126
Mar 1, 2021 | 3:32 pm
#44
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountain Time Zone
Programs: AS Million Miler/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/ IGH Ambassador
Posts: 6,126
watch out ALERT the "Cheapo's" are coming
Flash Sale: Southwest Flights From $29 One-Way (Hawaii Routes From $99)
Last edited by DanielW; Mar 2, 2021 at 2:10 am
Mar 1, 2021 | 3:53 pm
#45
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Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
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watch out ALERT the "Cheapo's" are coming maybe Finkface needs to find another island
Flash Sale: Southwest Flights From $29 One-Way (Hawaii Routes From $99)
