Oahu Trip (Day 3)

Day 3: Saturday, September 2
[Scuba] Aquarium & Roy's of Waikiki
We had booked a beginner scuba dive (our second) with Reef Pirates, but due to the choppy water conditions and low visibility, the dive was cancelled. Darn! But better to have the dive cancelled than to go forward and be disappointed by the experience and lack of honu sightings. Next time...

So then we had to figure out an alternative plan for the day. I tried to join the 8am yoga class, but it was way too crowded, so instead I did my own yoga in the room and then went to the infinity pool for the 9am "Yogaquatics" class. Mr. E went to the nearby Starbucks Reserve location with his laptop to get some work done, and I met up with him there a bit later in the morning for coffee and breakfast. This Starbucks location has some great decorative features that uniquely highlight its location, including a tall paneled wood wall with carved cutouts of the Hawai'ian islands.

We dropped off a few items at the hotel and then set off on foot to the Waikiki Aquarium, about a mile away. Luckily, most of the exhibits were inside and air-conditioned, as the weather was still quite hot and humid! We learned a lot about coral reefs and admired the eerie and luminescent jellyfish as well as a tiger shark and mini seahorses. Outside, we got a good peek at a sleek monk seal and some giant clams growing in a tank.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at Jamba for some cool hydration and did a bit more shopping. To continue our cool-off, we took a dip in the ocean at the nearby stretch of beach followed by some more lounging in the infinity pool. Then we had just enough time to shower and get ready for our dinner out at Roy's of Waikiki as a belated birthday celebration for Mr. E. We weren't super-impressed with our server, who was less than helpful in accommodating my dietary restrictions, but the chefs and kitchen prepared a marvelous meal for us. Mr. E started his prix fixe "Sunset Hour" dinner with the pork belly appetizer and poke trio (some of which I could also enjoy) and had the steak & shrimp entree followed by a chocolate souffle. He also got an extra piece of chocolate cake for his birthday!

I had an amazing fish trio of salmon, mahi-mahi, and monkfish, each of which had a small veggie accompaniment along with a side of white rice, which I handed off to Mr. E. I finished off my dinner with soy coconut gelato and strawberry sorbet.

After dinner, we did some recon of the nearby food truck enclave and the large ABC store with deli counter, and I procured some sweets at Candy Bar. We got back to the hotel just in time for the 8am light and sound show at the Hemuloa pool, which showcased a fun array of flashing lights projected onto the landscape and into the pool, including some "swimming" fish, sharks, and honu. Very cool! We finished off the evening with wine in our room.