August Travel #3: Hawai'i Hiatus (Part 1)

Tuesday, August 27: Travel Day

We had a very reasonable late morning flight from SMF to HNL and arrived at Ilikai Hotel & Luxury Suites just before 3pm. We had reserved a 1-bedroom Ocean View unit (Room 2238) that we discovered had more of a view of the next-door Hilton Hawai'ian Village tower than it did of the ocean! But we figured it was good enough so we unpacked, I chatted with A, we walked to Foodland at Ala Moana to grocery shop for the week, figured out our wifi issues, secured a banquet chair for the desk, and just generally settled in for our week of "work-cation."

Wednesday, August 28: Musical Rooms, Work, Sunset

I did a morning walk through the Hilton before my workout. By the time I was done and thinking about how to set up for work, I realized that I really wasn't satisfied with the room and the [lack of] view that we'd have for the entire week. So I checked with the front desk for other options and learned that there were no other 1-bedroom suites available in other wings of the building with better options for a view. However, they did have a few studios available, so after Mr. E and I discussed the situation a bit more, we opted to switch to a "Sunset View Marina" studio (Room 2231) and a slightly less expensive "City View" studio (Room 2223) as a preferable alternative. Great decision! We made the Sunset View room our primary space, and the view was fabulous -- way more ocean to see from this expansive lanai than from our original room!

We also noticed several other differences between the two types of units, including some additional items in the kitchen, a modified bathroom layout, and a fridge that opens the "correct" way. We had our first work day in our separate rooms :-) and met up for lunch together on the lanai overlooking the marina. No set plans for the evening, so Mr. E went to work out and I got some great photos of the first of several amazing sunsets from this side of the building.

Thursday, August 29: Rainbow, Work, Pesca Restaurant #1

I did my morning walk though the next door Modern Hotel before my workout. And I spotted a rainbow from our lanai!

After another work day in our respective "remote offices" (ha, ha), I was able to join my Spanish class virtually. Being 3 hours behind CA time was actually quite nice for this, since I was then done by 4:15pm HI time, so we still had the entire evening ahead of us.

We decided to go up to Pesca to check out the all day Happy Hour and had a great experience sitting at the bar, with two fabulous staff who were super friendly and very accommodating with any dietary requests. I ordered the oysters and secret off-menu lobster sliders, and Mr. E ordered the grilled octopus with polenta (with modifications) along with the regular sliders. The portion sizes were perfect, and the sliders each came with three perfectly cooked steak fries, which was just the right amount for me. We attempted to play some cards but learned that it was technically illegal to do anything that could be construed as gambling in an eating establishment that serves alcohol. Who knew?!

Once we got back to the room, we had another brilliant sunset to admire before some reading time, more Hawai'i 5-0 episodes, and booking a dinner cruise for the weekend.

Friday, August 30: Work, Afternoon Tea, Fireworks

I had an early meeting to align with CA time (7am - yawn!) after a misty morning walk through the Hilton and a staggered workout routine to accommodate the meeting. Mr. E took a half day off, and we had lunch together before heading off in the late afternoon for our tea time on the Veranda at the Moana Surfrider. We ended up with quite a few leftovers, which we packed up to enjoy for later. The experience wasn't quite s nice as when we were there over the holidays, but it was still a lovely view and a nice way to stay out of the afternoon drizzle that gradually came in.

We did some browsing as we started to walk back to the Ilikai and stopped for wine at Island Vintage Wine Bar in the Royal Hawai'ian marketplace. Then another fabulous sunset, reading time, Hawai-i 5-0, and great fireworks over Duke's Lagoon at the Hilton.