09/25/2025
Sorry it took me a while (been dealing with lot of personal issues) but here is the Hawaii part of our CARPE DIEM trip around the world …
July 2025 Honolulu
We flew from San Diego (SAN) to Honolulu (HNL) on Southwest on a nice day flight about 6 hours. They are now charging for bags but if you have the Southwest card they give you a credit for first bag on your statement. If you decide to get a Chase Southwest credit card please use my referral link here -
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/226j/R5P8H9W1D3.
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Don’t forget that Southwest does not offer meal service onboard - just a couple of diff snacks. They were very generous with them and even gave me extra oat bites to take with me.
I booked a stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Waikīkī. Use the Hilton American Express card for 12x points at any hilton property and 6x points at restaurants, grocery store and gas stations. If you get the card, you get automatic gold status.
Here’s my Amex referral link. Use it and we could both earn rewards if you are approved and get a Card. Check out offers and Card benefits. https://americanexpress.com/en-us/referral/hilton-honors-american-express-business-credit-card?ref=LAURIDCBNi&xl=cp01
I had actually stayed there years ago and found it to be a good central location. It’s a couple of blocks to the beach - and best thing is there’s a Target store across the street lol. The hotel has an excellent tapas restaurant and you can charge it to your room. As a Hilton diamond member we got $30 daily credit (2 in room), which could also be charged to the lobby convenience store where they had a coffee shop with grab and go items. Get your ice from the hotel ice machine on the 17th floor as they charge for it in the shop.
There’s a nice pool and bar on the 3rd floor with free suntan lotion and aloe vera, a pool table, connect four game and table side service form the downstairs restaurant. Also on the 3rd floor is a weight room, a cardio room and they even offer a free 8am yoga class. Our 18th floor room was nice with a very small balcony - a “city view”.
The concierge desk was very helpful in booking excursions - we opted for the turtle canyon snorkel with Iruka Hawaii. It’s a nice 2.5 hour snorkel event that departs from the Kewalo Basin Harbor Slip F-16 (free pickup from the Hyatt Regency), a nice 15 minute drive. Included in the tour is snorkel gear (snorkel, mask, fins), prescription mask if needed, water, wetsuit for rental ($5-10). Bring swimsuit (wear onboard), towel, sunscreen, etc. They also had a drink - hot tea or hot chocolate after swimming. The crew was excellent and provided an amazing experience. We saw lots of fish, a bunch of turtles up close, and they also found and shared sea urchins, starfish as well.
You can book private charters, you can cancel with full refund up to 48 hours in advance. If you are not fortunate enough as we were to see any turtles, you get another free reschedule. If you can’t reschedule the credit is indefinite and can be used with any tour. To schedule a turtle canyon snorkel or any of their other tours (dolphin etc) call 808.636.8440 or visit www.hawaiidolphin.com.
We ended up getting both of our excursions free by attending a timeshare presentation with another Hilton property. It’s really not bad - two hours of talking with someone - say no and get $300 worth of fun!
We had an excellent dinner at Morimoto Honolulu. We actually managed a last minute reservation and it was excellent - the ambiance, the service and food all perfect. I greatly enjoyed the shrimp pad Thai. My friend had the angry lobster - it was pricey but a very delicious and special dish.
If you are looking for inexpensive souvenirs, my go-to was the ABC shops - they are on every corner. We found good cheap water floaties, T-shirts and even decent Hawaiian shirts.
We also booked the Kia Moana Luau through the concierge at the hotel. We got the “celebrity seating” - which put us right up at the font table! The show is at the Aloha Tower, we took an uber - just be aware there is a lot of traffic especially at rush hour. The ticket included a fresh flower lei, free mai tai, 2 drink tickets per person (select drinks only), an all-you-can-eat buffet dinner (which we were served in VIP), a souvenir gift.
Get to the show early and there are several free activities - lei making, hula lessons, coconut headband weaving, Hawaiian drum lessons, and demonstrations in coconut tree climbing and fire making. They had a very nice buffet including fish, chicken, pork, veg, rice, rolls and dessert. The show included dancing, singing, traditional dancing - it was a bit of a variety show. The 2+ hour event is held outdoors, rain or shine and can be quite warm so dress accordingly. My daughter and I greatly enjoyed the entire experience and I recommend you add it to your list when visiting Honolulu!
