Travel: Hawaii - Oahu - Day 1

            The Hawaiian Vacation we didn't know we needed. The good, the bad, & the ugly. We have also included some tips that we discovered along the way.

Tip 1: Plan ahead to maximize your money. Groupon is your friend! Make reservations prior to your departure for the attractions you want to visit. They may be sold out before you get there if you don't book ahead of time.

            In preparation for the trip, we spoke to people who had already visited Hawaii to get ideas on what we should do while on vacation. One of the greatest suggestions we received was to buy the Go City Pass on Groupon for our visit to Oahu. This turned out to be a life AND money saver. This pass is an all-inclusive attraction hopper. You pay for the amount of days you want to use the pass and you can visit any attraction on the list during those days. You can visit multiple places in the same day. We would have paid much more if we booked each attraction separately. We also decided not to rent a car for the entire Oahu portion of our trip. It was cheaper for us to Lyft around vs paying for a rental car, gas, and parking at the resort. We did rent a car for 1 day to drive around the entire island to take in the views.

Tip 2: Take a picture of your vaccination card or negative Covid-19 test results. We had to show it EVERYWHERE we went. It was easier to pull up the picture on our phone than to worry about carrying the physical paperwork.

            Our vacation started with a flight on American Airlines to Oahu, Hawai'i with a layover in Los Angeles.  We do not fly American Airlines often. It had been years so we did not remember what to expect. We do not have any major complaints other than Delta has us spoiled. American Airlines does not have screens on the back of each chair to allow you to watch movies/tv/videos. However, the seats were comfortable, we had decent leg room and they do offer Wifi where you can watch movies/tv/videos on your own device. Overall, no complaints about the flight itself.

            Once we landed, we had to go through a screening process where they verified our negative Covid-19 test and/or vaccine card to determine if we were required to do the 10 day quarantine period. Once we finished that process, we took a Lyft to our resort. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Resort. Their check-in process took over an hour which was ridiculous. They verify your vaccination status and/or negative Covid-19 test multiple times. There is an employee that goes through the line to verify your Covid-19 documents but you still have to show it again to the employee at the front desk which didn't make sense. Once we finally got to the front desk, we asked if they did anything to celebrate special occasions. We were informed that they don't but they would upgrade our room for a discounted price. We paid an additional $100 and they moved us to a room on the top floor of the Tapa Tower. Afterward we dropped our luggage in the room; we barely made it to a restaurant for dinner before they closed.

Tip 3: Don't be afraid to ask the locals where to eat and do not just eat at the resort.

            The first night, we ate dinner on the resort at Tropics Bar & Grill. We had a short wait for a table. We sat outside and had a beautiful view of the ocean. We loved the fact that they have netting around the exterior of the restaurant. It helped keep the bugs and birds away so we could enjoy our meal. We ordered the nachos with grilled chicken and the Signature Paniolo Burger which were both delicious. We also each had a Mai Tai to drink. While the service was great, this restaurant is a bit pricey. After the tip, we spent approximately $100. Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️