We went on our first staycation as a family of four last weekend. We started our adventure in Waikiki on Friday morning. Since check-in wasn't until 3 pm, we spent the morning at the Duke Kahanamoku Beach & Lagoon.
The lagoon is a 5-acre man made salt water pool with a state of the art water circulation system. It's a great place for small kids who don't know how to swim because of its shallow shorelines and calm conditions. The only thing I didn't like about the lagoon is that the water is COLD! I mean it's probably a good thing that the water is cold, (warm water might make you wonder if the water is dirty or harboring harmful microorganisms), but you definitely feel a zing when you first full submerge yourself in the water. There is a place to rent ocean and beach gear at the lagoon, such as kayaks, water tricycles, stand up paddle boards, umbrellas, beach chairs, etc.
After spending a morning at the beach, we checked in to room at the Hilton's Grand Waikikian. It was a spacious two-bedroom suite, with a balcony, partial ocean view, fully-equipped full-size kitchen, washer/dryer, air conditioning, etc. To avoid the high price of food in Waikiki, I would highly suggest planning ahead and bringing your own beverages and snacks.
For dinner, we took a 5-minute stroll to Benihana. The boys loved watching the chef entertain us while he was preparing our food.
We left the restaurant just in time to catch the Friday night fireworks show sponsored by the Hilton. This weekly show draws thousands of people to the lagoon area each Friday evening. We brought blankets and let the boys run around in the sand before and after the show.
On Saturday, the boys and I ventured out to find a place to pick up pastries and coffee (for mom!).
We discovered that Lappert's Hawaii had pastries and coffee for sale, so I picked up a cinnamon roll, croissant, coffee, and orange juice and took it back to our room.
After the in-laws arrived, we headed down to the lagoon for more beach and water play.
My sister-in-law even rented a water tricycle for an hour.
For lunch, we dined at Blue Water Shrimp. The garlic shrimp was amazing.
The boys loved these re-fillable water pouches that were compliments of the Hilton. There was a water station located in the lobby where guests can fill up their pouches.
After a short rest in the hotel room, we headed back downstairs to check out the Paradise Pool. Unfortunately we didn't have their floaties so they could not go on the slide, but they had fun splashing around in the water (which was a tad bit warmer than the water in the lagoon).
Before dinner, we passed the time with a game of Uno.
We decided to venture out into Waikiki for dinner, so we walked to the trolley stop on Ala Moana Blvd. and hopped on Waikiki Trolley's Pink Line.
We got off at the stop in front of the International Marketplace (IMP) and decided to eat at Kona Grill on the third floor of IMP.
Kona Grill has a really good kids menu!
On Sunday morning, we checked out of our hotel and hopped on the Pink Line to the International Marketplace again for a small breakfast at Mitsukawa Marketplace.
The boys liked the musubis and somen ....
while I made a bee-line to Modo for box of mochi donuts. :)
On our way to the trolley, we stopped at Honolulu Cookie Company for a cookie sample.
And that's what we did during our three-day staycation in Waikiki!
