I had an early morning flight to Honolulu on Hawaiian, but my company did put me in first class so I had no line to check in at SMF.
There is my Airbus A330-200 Hawaiian Airlines plane at Gate B5. This is a fairly large aircraft with 18 lie flat seats in first class.
My seat was the window seat in the third row. I had four windows just for my little pod area. LOL. I love being rich!
I love my company too! They let us fly first class on these longer flights since I am a Medical Specialist after all!
Hawaiian prides itself on gourmet food in the first class cabin.
I went with the signature Mai Tai for my welcome drink before we took off.
After take off, one of the first class stewards prepared the tray tables with table cloth for brunch. He set up an iPad to watch movies. We also got a beverage service with macadamia nuts.
Brunch was pretty good. I liked having huli huli chicken with the omelet. The coconut cake was delicious!
After having my meal, it was time to take a short nap on the flat seat. I love sleeping on these type of seats in the air!
I got some guava juice with sparkling water with the midflight snack service.
Our steward passed out Honolulu Cookie Company cookies before we landed into HNL.
Since I am Executive Elite with National, they told me to pick any car. At first, I thought about this Mercedes SUV.
However, I went with this Audi A4 S-Line since this had a moonroof while the Benz did not. LOL. I know it is a first world problem!
One needs to have a moonroof when renting a car in Hawaii!
My company booked an ocean view room for me at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
I was in the Rainbow Tower at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
I set up my company lap top and iPad on the desk so I could have this amazing view from my "office" the next few days during this conference.
I went for a nice walk around the resort after unpacking. Joy posed by this statue the first time we stayed at this beautiful resort.
There is a Lappert's Ice Cream store at the Hilton so I had to get some Ube Haupia ice cream which combines two of my favorite tropical flavors.
This is Duke's Lagoon at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
One can see Diamond Head from the beach by the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
The mural on the Rainbow Tower is in the Guiness Book of World Records.
There are lots of cool spots to take selfies at the Hilton Hawaiian Village!
The main pool at the resort is behind me here. I love Hawaii!
The valet brought up the Audi A4 S-Line at the Hilton as I was ready to depart for my gourmet dinner at the Moana Surfrider!
I enjoyed my short drive over to the Westin Moana Surfrider for dinner at the Beach House Restaurant.
The valet at the Moana Surfrider said he would keep this beauty close to the front so I could exit quickly when I was done with my dinner. LOL.
There is a cool Banyan Tree outside the Moana Surfrider by the Beach Bar where I tried their signature Mai Tai.
I had an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean from my table at the acclaimed Beach House at the Moana Surfrider!
Life is great for us in biotech!
My first course was the Kona Lobster bisque. I got hooked on that Hawaii Volcanic Sparkling Water which is filtered by lava!
The coconut kanpachi (Amberjack) crudo was amazing!
I got the lamb for my entree.
I loved the coconut vacherin dessert to finish the four course dinner! Dinner was about $140! My company let me expense it of course!
I loved how the Banyan Tree looked with the lights at night.
The Moana Surfrider is truly a beautiful property!
I walked around the inside of the hotel after dinner. They had a piano player too.
This historic hotel has been around for a long time. The interior is so elegant yet has a relaxed tropical vibe too.
I woke up super early on Sunday to attend a Problem Based Learning (PBL) session that one of the top pulmonologists was leading at our hotel. My company sponsored this.
The PBL session was from 5:15 AM to around 6:45 AM. Since I was up, I headed to Lappert's to get my iced Americano after.
I had breakfast at the Tropics Cafe which is at the Hilton Hawaiian Village too. This was my view.
I got Ube pancakes with berries for breakfast. They were yummy!
I got a work out in too that morning and posed by the Aloha sign at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
After getting cleaned up, I went to Waiola Shave Ice for the delicious Hawaiian treat. Joy and I had their shave ice before.
This was my delicious shave ice!
My Cowboys were playing the 49ers that day so I met some of the Sanofi co-promote colleagues at Cheeseburger In Paradise for lunch to watch the game.
We had a short pre-con meeting for my company and our Sanofi partners at the Hyatt Regency that afternoon. There is always food whenever we have any sort of meeting. LOL.
We had a welcome luau on Sunday night to kick off Chest 2023!
They had a full bar for us at the luau!
We were each "le'id" with these leis when we entered the luau.
They had lots of Polynesian dancers throughout the evening at the luau.
The Polynesian show was pretty cool. There were lots of finger foods too at the event.
I had a great view of the sunset from my balcony!
I had dinner at a sushi place in the Hilton Hawaiian Village. I also got some Ichiro's Japanese Whiskey.
I was up pretty early on Monday morning too because of the time difference so I went for a walk along the beach to go find coffee.
I realized the lagoon is usually cold, and I found out why. They drain and refill most of the water daily.
The name of this boat, Wicked Wahine, translates to "Wicked Woman." LOL.
I got my Hawaiian Latte at the Honolulu Coffee Company inside the Prince Hotel near the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
On the first day of the conference, I did wear a suit and tie.
I think there were nine hotels blocked off for the thousands of attendees for the conference, and they had shtutle buses too from the hotels to the convention center.
The exhibit hall had these amazing large booths. Many of them had a private cafe.
We had a private cafe at our booth too. Our baristas had malasadas too!
We also had these cream puffs too at the booth.
I went to the Ala Moana Mall near the convention center in search of my Christmas gift from Joy which is only sold in seven stores worldwide with Honolulu being one of them.
I found the Blancpain x Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms in the color I wanted (Pacific Ocean edition). Yay!
The smaller hotel routes had these open air trams as their shuttle to the convention center.
After finishing up for the day around lunchtime at the conference, I headed to Nico's Pier 38 for their fresh poke.
Nothing beats poke from fish caught that day, homemade mac salad, and a bottle of Hawaiian water for a great lunch on the island!
I drove out to the Eastern Oahu after lunch to see the famous blowhole there.
This is the Halona Blowhole.
I continued driving along the NE coastline of the island and found some amazing spots to take in the views.
I am posing by the amazing viewpoint on the Northeastern side of Oahu here. Hawaii is so beautiful!
I continued my drive on the scenic H3 highway which I think is the most beautiful freeway in the United States!
I was enjoying the power of the Audi too as I made my way to the Dole Pineapple Plantation on H3!
I had been to the Dole Plantation before with Joy, but I felt like some fresh Dole Whip for dessert so I drove out here again!
I love the fresh Dole Whip with the coconut on top!
I headed back to the beach after I got back to my hotel. I loved the view of Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach from the elevators at the Rainbow Tower.
I tried to snorkel by the beach at the Hilton, but there was not much to see.
That is Diamond Head off in the distance.
The Rainbow Tower at the Hilton is off in the distance there. I love my waterproof 4K camera.
The sunset from my balcony was beautiful even with the cloud cover!
The sun is almost gone here.
The valet brought up the Audi A4 S Line once again for me that evening so I could drive to dinner. The hotel charged $78 per night for the valet. LOL.
Yes, I blasted Bond Vs Oakenfold as I drove to my gourmet dinner pretending like I was Bond weaving in and out of the traffic on Kalakua Blvd in Waikiki!
I went to Strip Steak by Michael Mina at the International Village in Waikiki for dinner.
Michael Mina did not disappoint once again. I started with the hamachi crudo to go with my Michter's US 1 Rye Whiskey. The duck fat fries are served in lieu of bread.
I got the macadamia crusted mahi mahi for my entree. This was very good! The mushrooms added a nice compliment to it.
When the server told me they had haupia sorbet, I had to get some along with some of the other gelatos and sorbets they made there.
The night scene at the Hilton when I returned from dinner was so cool by the main pool area.
I started out Tuesday with another nice walk along the beach.
I walked by the US Army Museum in Honolulu and saw some vintage tanks and big guns. This was a World War 2 US tank.
This was a puny Japanese tank. LOL.
I ended up having breakfast at Eggs & Things on Saratoga. This waffle with acai sorbet on top was so delicious!
At the conference, one of the other booths had a selfie-ccino where they put an image on the foam of the drink.
That is the Anirban-ccino drink! LOL.
Our booth had smoothies too so the barista made me one with the edible straw.
After getting back to the hotel around lunchtime, I found a place to get a fresh pineapple smoothie!
I went to the adult pool deck and got in the hot tub after getting my smoothie.
I went paddleboarding in the lagoon that afternoon too. It was very fun!
I loved how peaceful it was paddleboarding in the lagoon and taking in these beautiful sights.
The lagoon has lots of fish too.
When I got tired, I would sit on the board and gently paddle around.
I went to the pool with the waterslides after I finished paddleboarding. Help! I am getting drenched on by the waterfall. LOL.
That little tunnel is where one of the slides empties into the pool. The pool temperature was great towards the end of the day!
On Tuesday night, I went to Eating House 1849 by Roy Yamaguichi at the International Village.
The Eating House is a fine dining establishment by the famous chef who started the "Roy's."
I started with this sashimi appetizer that night with caviar on top.
I think the braised short ribs are cooked for 48 hours. Don't quote me on that. LOL.
I got Lappert's Ice Cream when I got back to the hotel!
I woke super early on Wednesday morning to hike Diamond Head to see the sunrise. I am leaving the hotel here around 5:30 AM.
There is a single lane tunnel that leads into the Diamond Head crater. Reservations are required for parking and access to the hike.
The hike was very strenuous, but the views were worth it.
The sunrise is just amazing from Diamond Head. The crater is behind me.
This is an old military bunker at the summit of Diamond Head. The Army used this area for many years to defend the island.
The views of Waikiki from the summit at Diamond Head were amazing!
I made it to the top of Diamond Head! Wow!
Here is a good view of the old volcanic crater called Diamond Head.
I saw this cool lighthouse from Diamond Head also.
My reward for hiking Diamond Head was a malasada, or Portuguese donut, from Leonard's Bakery!
After ordering, one waits outside for them since each malasada is made to order and HOT!
Yum! I loved my malasada! This one had haupia or coconut pudding inside!
I was pretty casual for the last day of the conference. Also, I was only there for maybe an hour and a half tops.
I had them use a picture of Joy and me for my custom latte that day at the conference. This picture is from a Rangers game in Arlington back in April. My Rangers were doing well in the post season too!
I wanted to get huli huli chicken for lunch so I thought Maui Mike's would have it. They did not, but their chicken was good too! I loved the slaw!
I went up to the North Shore to find this shave ice place that was recommended on a popular website.
Kaimana Shave Ice makes their own ice cream also for the base for the delicious treat!
I loved my shave ice! This one had condensed milk on top too in addition to ice cream as a base.
I got a fresh pineapple smoothie from the Dole Plantation on my way back to Honolulu.
On the way back to the hotel, I saw this coffee farm so I had to stop since Hawaii is known for their coffee too.
That is a coffee tree with the coffee beans. Hawaii is in the coffee belt.
Hawaii has lots of wild chickens. This chick was seperated from its family and running all over the place by the coffee trees.
They are roasting the coffee beans here at Green World. I tried some of their coffee too and enjoyed it a lot!
I went to Chef Chai's for dinner that night. This is my foie gras appetizer on toast. The waiter brought me a chicken satay with naan with the compliments of the chef.
I got a lobster and butternut squash bisque with a fried dumpling as my second course.
The Miso soaked sea bass was very flaky and delicious!
I got some Honolulu Cookie Company cookies for Joy when I got back to the hotel. She loves these!
I got a bottle of The Matsui Japanese whiskey to bring back after I saw it at the ABC Store at my hotel. On Tuesday, I had this whiskey at dinner.
The Rainbow Tower looks so cool at night!
I walked over to Waffle and Berry for breakfast from my hotel on Thursday morning since this place was highly rated.
The acai bowl with a side of waffle and nutella was delicious!
The girls wanted to give me a "shaka" to thank me for dining there.
I had a nice walk around the park honoring World War II vets after breakfast. This Banyan tree was cool.
This is the park with which honors our nation's finest!
The Army Museum had this cool helicopter on the roof also.
I walked back to the Hilton via the beach!
After working out at the hotel gym, I chilled my the adult pool deck.
This was my view as I relaxed in the lounge chair.
The bell staff and valet were very efficient at the Hilton. The bellman is getting ready to load up the Audi here as the valet brings up the car.
Once I got to the airport, I was able to use the Plumeria Lounge.
The lounge only had a few snacks and limited beverages. I was not impressed.
There is a cool Japanese garden on the lower level of Honolulu Airport.
Here is the famous control tower at HNL. Aloha Hawaii for now!
Aloha Hawaii again in
2023! CHEST decided to hold their annual pulmonary conference
in
Honolulu in 2023, and my company decided to send six of us from a
pulmonary team of 84 to attend this amazing conference in paradise.
I was one of the six chosen since I was a top performer in Q2
of
2023. I did have a first world problem since I had a ticket
to go
see the Cowboys play the Whiners in Santa Clara that Sunday, but as we
will get to later, I am happy I sold my ticket at a profit and attended
CHEST instead!
My company flew me first class on Hawaiian to Honolulu direct from Sacramento on the Saturday before CHEST started. We were given a lot of flexibility to fly in early and leave a day after it ended due to the flight schedules. The usual car service arrived to get me at my house bright and early on that Saturday for SMF airport. Once I got to the Hawaiian check in counter, I saw there were no lines for first class check in. After grabbing a drink at Starbucks, I was ready to be among the first to board the Airbus A330-200. In first class, Hawaiian uses a 2-2-2 product in the first class cabin with all the seats being a lie flat seat. There were three rows in first class. After I got to my seat, I saw there was a blanket and pillow waiting for me as well as the brunch menu for this five hour and forty minute flight into HNL. One of the first class stewards came around to offer me a predeparture beverage, and I went with the signature mai tai. They garnish it with fresh pineapple too.
Once we were airborne, the steward prepared my tray table for the brunch service as well as set up an iPad for my inflight entertainment options. I went with some guava juice and sparkling water for my beverage with the macadamia nuts. Afterwards, we had a great brunch service that included an omlet with huli huli chicken. The coconut cake that was served for dessert was amazing. I made the seat into a flat bed and laid down as we made our way over the Pacific into HNL. We were offered snacks throughout the flight, and the stewards kept coming by to offer more beverages. I went with a Koloa Pineapple Passion beverage also midflight. They also passed out Honolulu Cookie Company cookies too. Overall, I loved my flight into Hawaii on the corporate dime.
After arriving into HNL, my bag was among the first to be delivered since I had a priority tag on it. Then, after I got to the Executive aisle for National's Emerald Aisle, they offered me any vehicle there. At first, they suggested I take the Mercedes SUV, but it had no moonroof. So, I went with a fast Audi A4 S-Line. LOL. Yes, I know first world problems again!
My company booked me into an ocean view room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. After valeting the car at the hotel, which costs $78 per night, I skipped the long check in line since I am Diamond with HHonors and got my room keys immediately. They did charge a $75 early arrival fee, but my company allows us to expense all this. Then, I got my name badge for the CHEST Conference before checking out my amazing view from the balcony in my room.
That night, I enjoyed an upper class experience at the Moana Surfrider Hotel. I blasted Bond vs Oakenfold with the moonroof open and windows up while still using the A/C via automatic climate control like I always do since I am not a "green environmental freak" on the way to the Westin Moana Surfrider. The valet at that iconic property took the Audi and said it would be close by since I am a VIP after all. LOL. I enjoyed a signature mai tai from their beach bar at the hotel before being seated at the acclaimed Beach House Restaurant. This restaurant serves a four or five course tasting menu in an elegant yet relaxed outdoor setting on the veranda overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I think this was one of the top five fine dining experiences of all time, and I do a LOT of fine dining as one should know. The waiter brought me out a $10 bottle of lava filtered sparkling water to start my evening. I got the Kanpachi Crudo for my first course. Then, I got the lobster bisque with Kona lobster. As for my entree, I got the lamb. The dessert was a coconut concoction. Everything was amazing!
On Sunday, I woke up bright and early for a 5:15 AM Problem Based Learning session we sponsored at the Hilton with one of the top pulmonologists in the country. It was an unbranded talk on disease state for Type 2 asthma. Afterwards, I chilled at the hotel until I drove out to get some shave ice and have lunch at the famous Cheeseburger in Paradise. I watched some of the terrible Cowboys game there. We lost badly that day. Afterwards, I had a precon meeting at the Hyatt Regency where they kept it brief so we could go out and enjoy the rest of the Sunday. They had a lot of food and a bar as usual like we do at our meetings. I attended the welcome luau that evening at the Hilton too before getting some sushi for dinner.
On Monday, I spent the morning at the conference, but I did not have to get there super early. I was amazed at our booth which had a private cafe with specialty coffee drinks, smoothies, malasadas, and other pastries too. Most of the major company booths had food on site. I talked to a few of the pulmonologists I normally meet with, but it was not a lot of "work." The company told us to enjoy our time there, and we were only at the conference maybe one to two hours a day maximum. After I attended a branded talk on our biologic, I went to the Ala Moana mall to try to see if they had the Christmas gift I wanted from Joy. Only seven stores in the world were selling the Blancpain x Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms watch, and the Honolulu store was one. I was so excited when I saw they not only had some, but they had the color I wanted. There were five different ones named after each of the oceans. I got the Pacific Ocean one which is yellow and black in color with a gray dial. Yay!
I spent the rest of Monday driving around the eastern side of Oahu to check out the famous blow hole and scenic viewpoints before taking the H3 highway to get to the Dole Pineapple Plantation since I was craving their Dole Whip with coconut flakes! That evening, I went to Michael Mina's Strip Steak in Waikiki for dinner. He did not disappoint me again! I blasted Bond vs Oakenfold again as I somewhat aggresively drove the Audi A4 to the restaurant pretending like I was the new Bond.
On Tuesday, I attended another branded talk at the conference and got a selfie cappucino at one of the other booths before just chilling at the resort. I got to paddleboard too around the lagoon! For dinner, I went to Roy Yamaguchi's Eating House 1849. I tried this Japanese whiskey called The Matsui, and I really liked it! I was able to find a bottle of it at the hotel so I got it to bring home.
I woke up early on Wednesday morning since I had a 6:00 AM reservation time to hike up to the summit at Diamond Head. Since it gets hot during the day, I figured this was the best option to go early. The hike was very steep, but it was worth it to catch the sunrise as well as the views of Waikiki from the summit. After my hike, I went to Leonard's Bakery to get their famous malasada. I got the one with haupia pudding inside! Yummy! I was only at the conference for maybe and hour and a half on Wednesday. Afterwards, I went up to the North Shore to find huli huli chicken and try a famous shave ice place. Maui Mike's did not have huli huli chicken, but I enjoyed their chicken and the slaw too. On the way back from the North Shore, I stopped at a coffee farm to try their coffee and check out what coffee trees look like. I was glad I rented the car so I could get out of Honolulu and enjoy other parts of Oahu too. That night, I went to Chef Chai's for dinner. This fusion place had a lot of great items on the menu. The foie gras was delicious. I liked the lobster and butternut squash bisque too. The sea bass was great too! After getting back to the Hilton, I got cookies for Joy at the Honolulu Cookie Company also.
On Thursday, I walked over to Waffle and Berry for breakfast. This place opened at 8:00 AM, and there was a line waiting outside! I got their acai bowl with a side of waffle and nutella. The girls at the place were very friendly and gave me a "shaka" as I took a place of this mom and pop restaurant that gets rave reviews. I enjoyed walking around the park that honors our military heros before getting ready to head out for the airport after working out at the hotel. Aloha again (good bye) Hawaii! I loved my week there!
My company flew me first class on Hawaiian to Honolulu direct from Sacramento on the Saturday before CHEST started. We were given a lot of flexibility to fly in early and leave a day after it ended due to the flight schedules. The usual car service arrived to get me at my house bright and early on that Saturday for SMF airport. Once I got to the Hawaiian check in counter, I saw there were no lines for first class check in. After grabbing a drink at Starbucks, I was ready to be among the first to board the Airbus A330-200. In first class, Hawaiian uses a 2-2-2 product in the first class cabin with all the seats being a lie flat seat. There were three rows in first class. After I got to my seat, I saw there was a blanket and pillow waiting for me as well as the brunch menu for this five hour and forty minute flight into HNL. One of the first class stewards came around to offer me a predeparture beverage, and I went with the signature mai tai. They garnish it with fresh pineapple too.
Once we were airborne, the steward prepared my tray table for the brunch service as well as set up an iPad for my inflight entertainment options. I went with some guava juice and sparkling water for my beverage with the macadamia nuts. Afterwards, we had a great brunch service that included an omlet with huli huli chicken. The coconut cake that was served for dessert was amazing. I made the seat into a flat bed and laid down as we made our way over the Pacific into HNL. We were offered snacks throughout the flight, and the stewards kept coming by to offer more beverages. I went with a Koloa Pineapple Passion beverage also midflight. They also passed out Honolulu Cookie Company cookies too. Overall, I loved my flight into Hawaii on the corporate dime.
After arriving into HNL, my bag was among the first to be delivered since I had a priority tag on it. Then, after I got to the Executive aisle for National's Emerald Aisle, they offered me any vehicle there. At first, they suggested I take the Mercedes SUV, but it had no moonroof. So, I went with a fast Audi A4 S-Line. LOL. Yes, I know first world problems again!
My company booked me into an ocean view room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. After valeting the car at the hotel, which costs $78 per night, I skipped the long check in line since I am Diamond with HHonors and got my room keys immediately. They did charge a $75 early arrival fee, but my company allows us to expense all this. Then, I got my name badge for the CHEST Conference before checking out my amazing view from the balcony in my room.
That night, I enjoyed an upper class experience at the Moana Surfrider Hotel. I blasted Bond vs Oakenfold with the moonroof open and windows up while still using the A/C via automatic climate control like I always do since I am not a "green environmental freak" on the way to the Westin Moana Surfrider. The valet at that iconic property took the Audi and said it would be close by since I am a VIP after all. LOL. I enjoyed a signature mai tai from their beach bar at the hotel before being seated at the acclaimed Beach House Restaurant. This restaurant serves a four or five course tasting menu in an elegant yet relaxed outdoor setting on the veranda overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I think this was one of the top five fine dining experiences of all time, and I do a LOT of fine dining as one should know. The waiter brought me out a $10 bottle of lava filtered sparkling water to start my evening. I got the Kanpachi Crudo for my first course. Then, I got the lobster bisque with Kona lobster. As for my entree, I got the lamb. The dessert was a coconut concoction. Everything was amazing!
On Sunday, I woke up bright and early for a 5:15 AM Problem Based Learning session we sponsored at the Hilton with one of the top pulmonologists in the country. It was an unbranded talk on disease state for Type 2 asthma. Afterwards, I chilled at the hotel until I drove out to get some shave ice and have lunch at the famous Cheeseburger in Paradise. I watched some of the terrible Cowboys game there. We lost badly that day. Afterwards, I had a precon meeting at the Hyatt Regency where they kept it brief so we could go out and enjoy the rest of the Sunday. They had a lot of food and a bar as usual like we do at our meetings. I attended the welcome luau that evening at the Hilton too before getting some sushi for dinner.
On Monday, I spent the morning at the conference, but I did not have to get there super early. I was amazed at our booth which had a private cafe with specialty coffee drinks, smoothies, malasadas, and other pastries too. Most of the major company booths had food on site. I talked to a few of the pulmonologists I normally meet with, but it was not a lot of "work." The company told us to enjoy our time there, and we were only at the conference maybe one to two hours a day maximum. After I attended a branded talk on our biologic, I went to the Ala Moana mall to try to see if they had the Christmas gift I wanted from Joy. Only seven stores in the world were selling the Blancpain x Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms watch, and the Honolulu store was one. I was so excited when I saw they not only had some, but they had the color I wanted. There were five different ones named after each of the oceans. I got the Pacific Ocean one which is yellow and black in color with a gray dial. Yay!
I spent the rest of Monday driving around the eastern side of Oahu to check out the famous blow hole and scenic viewpoints before taking the H3 highway to get to the Dole Pineapple Plantation since I was craving their Dole Whip with coconut flakes! That evening, I went to Michael Mina's Strip Steak in Waikiki for dinner. He did not disappoint me again! I blasted Bond vs Oakenfold again as I somewhat aggresively drove the Audi A4 to the restaurant pretending like I was the new Bond.
On Tuesday, I attended another branded talk at the conference and got a selfie cappucino at one of the other booths before just chilling at the resort. I got to paddleboard too around the lagoon! For dinner, I went to Roy Yamaguchi's Eating House 1849. I tried this Japanese whiskey called The Matsui, and I really liked it! I was able to find a bottle of it at the hotel so I got it to bring home.
I woke up early on Wednesday morning since I had a 6:00 AM reservation time to hike up to the summit at Diamond Head. Since it gets hot during the day, I figured this was the best option to go early. The hike was very steep, but it was worth it to catch the sunrise as well as the views of Waikiki from the summit. After my hike, I went to Leonard's Bakery to get their famous malasada. I got the one with haupia pudding inside! Yummy! I was only at the conference for maybe and hour and a half on Wednesday. Afterwards, I went up to the North Shore to find huli huli chicken and try a famous shave ice place. Maui Mike's did not have huli huli chicken, but I enjoyed their chicken and the slaw too. On the way back from the North Shore, I stopped at a coffee farm to try their coffee and check out what coffee trees look like. I was glad I rented the car so I could get out of Honolulu and enjoy other parts of Oahu too. That night, I went to Chef Chai's for dinner. This fusion place had a lot of great items on the menu. The foie gras was delicious. I liked the lobster and butternut squash bisque too. The sea bass was great too! After getting back to the Hilton, I got cookies for Joy at the Honolulu Cookie Company also.
On Thursday, I walked over to Waffle and Berry for breakfast. This place opened at 8:00 AM, and there was a line waiting outside! I got their acai bowl with a side of waffle and nutella. The girls at the place were very friendly and gave me a "shaka" as I took a place of this mom and pop restaurant that gets rave reviews. I enjoyed walking around the park that honors our military heros before getting ready to head out for the airport after working out at the hotel. Aloha again (good bye) Hawaii! I loved my week there!