I am now home after a perfect holiday. Why perfect?

Firstly, I was in Paradise. And, it was just such an easy holiday.  It started with my flight from Brisbane to Honolulu which was very good with excellent flight staff.

I achieved everything on my “bucket list”, and the weather was perfect.  I caught up with friends who I had not seen for many years and I enjoyed every single day.

One of the items on my bucket list was to spend a day in Waikiki.  So off we went to Waikiki for the day. It was only a 30 minute drive from Kailua to Waikiki.  We found an all day parking at the Waikiki shell which is at the Diamond Head end of Kalakaua Ave.  We then strolled along this famous strip, stopping in to many stores along the way.

 Around mid morning, we decided to stop for coffee “on the beach” so went in to Dukes Waikiki which is a legendary spot in Waikiki in the Outrigger Hotel. We were shown to a table in the bar which was right at the beach.  Over our coffees we watched the many activities on the world’s most famous beach.  The service was excellent, the location perfect and the coffee pretty good.

After coffee, we strolled along the  beach and walked on the water’s edge, and then walked in to the Sheraton where we found some great shops where we did a little retail therapy.

We were so impressed with Dukes that we decided to return for lunch. Dukes is one of the best places along the beach to have a mai tai and a good meal while looking at a fantastic view of the beach. Yes, I had a mai tai. It just felt like the right thing to do at the time and it was stunning. Dukes is a great way to experience all that Waikiki has to offer. The food is good, sensibly priced and the service was friendly and attentive.

Later in the afternoon we dropped by the beautiful Moana Hotel for an afternoon drink. The Moana is from a bygone era with all the modern upgrades. Located in the centre of town with absolute beachfront and an outdoor restaurant.  It is like a grand lady, with rich timber floors and antique architecture. A very nice treat that I can highly recommend.

From the Moana, we headed back to the car and drove “home”

Every day for me while in Hawaii was special and then to top off a perfect holiday,  on my departure, was my introduction to using Sky cap.  Sky cap, for those of you who have not heard of it, is a kerb side check in at the airport.  So from where I was dropped off by my friends, I had a 2 metre walk to the friendly staff at Sky cap. They took my luggage and with my ticket and passport they had me checked in with boarding pass in about 2 minutes. I was then free of luggage to do whatever I wished. It was the fastest, easiest check-in for me, ever.  Usually I stand in line to check-in for a very long time even when I arrive to the airport 3 hours early.  If you ever have the opportunity to use Sky cap, do so, they are almost too good to be true.  Just remember to give them a small tip.

The return flight was a daytime flight so not quite as good as the night flight but still excellent service and great staff.