Our plan for the last day in Oahu was to visit Sea Life Park. Since we couldn’t spend the whole day there, we headed to Halona Blowhole Lookout first. It was super busy when we arrived but luckily we managed to find a parking spot. After we finished admiring the view, tons of tour buses blocked us in and we had to wait a bit before driving out of the lot. I wasn’t sure what to look for because I didn’t see any major water sprouting out of the blowholes. Another lady who was visiting asked me if I had seen any. We both concurred there wasn’t much action going on with these blowholes that day.
We planned to head to a beach before Sea Life Park and we could’ve gone to Sandy Beach Park right next to the blowhole. However, after reading reviews and seeing how high the waves were, I decided not to because I have young kids. But it’s plenty of fun for experienced surfers and people who love watching the waves. Of course, I planned ahead and found a beach nearby, closer to the Sea Life Park, called Waimanalo Beach. We spent the morning at the beach and I packed sandwiches for our beach picnic lunch. Sometimes, you’ll see garlic shrimp trucks around the beach areas. In our case, I didn’t see any. So it’s best to pack lunches ahead of time, especially if travelling with kids.
Halona Blowhole Lookout & Sandy Beach Park
Tip: If you have small children, I suggest you research a few beaches in the areas you are planning to visit. We love to spontaneously visit beaches during our travels. But it’s a good idea to check out what types of beaches you are heading to because some may be too wavy or others might have too much coral or lava rock. Also, don’t take any lava rock or sand off the island as it’s considered bad luck.
Sea Life Park Hawaii
We left the beach and arrived at the Sea Life Park later in the afternoon. There were lots of shows to watch. Again the staff at the information counter was very informative and marked down all the shows that were available to see. Besides watching shows, there were lots of areas to explore such as the Aloha Touch Pool and Sea Bird Sanctuary where you have close encounters with the animals. With our Go Oahu® 4-day Card, we booked a Dolphin Encounter package for our family. There are also other sea animal experiences you can pay extra for if you wish.
Sea Life Park Hawaii
Búho Cocina y Cantina
Our last dinner in Oahu. My Canadian friend who is living in Honolulu with her family at the moment recommended us to check out this Mexican restaurant called Búho Cocina y Cantina near Waikiki. On Friday nights, you are able to see the fireworks outside if you book a table at the rooftop patio. So that’s exactly what we did. We happened to go on a “Cinco de Búho” night, where every fifth of the month they have live music, interactive food stations and drink specials. We had no idea it was a special night and it might’ve been more appropriate if we didn’t bring the kids. However, the wait staff was extremely friendly and accommodating. With three kids in tow, we got to experience a little bit of the nightlife in Honolulu. I ordered the Ginger Lilikoi Margarita to start off my night. It was interesting but delicious. The restaurant usually doesn’t blend their margaritas but I like my blended. I have to say everything was very delicious and the prices are not bad for the location and ambience. Tip: Enter through the elevators next to Victoria’s Secret.
Búho Menu and Ginger Lilikoi Margarita
Homemade Guacamole & Chips – A bit spicy which I love and my toddler girl kept eating it. She must’ve been hungry!
Homemade Guacamole & Chips
Jidori Chicken Enchilada – Never heard of the term Jidori Chicken before and did a quick online research and found out it’s like Kobe beef—basically fancy chicken. Read more about it here.
Jidori Chicken Enchilada
Jidori Chicken & Rajas Quesadilla and Kauai Shrimp Quesadilla – Ordered these for the kids to share. You can never go wrong ordering quesadillas for kids in Mexican restaurants.
Jidori Chicken & Rajas Quesadilla and Kauai Shrimp Quesadilla
Smoked Brisket Tacos – The waitress recommended this dish. The flavours of the brisket, cabbage slaw, avocados and jalepenos work amazing together.
Smoked Brisket Tacos
We ended the night by walking around the streets near the restaurant. Walking around there reminds me of spending my evenings at Asian countries I visited such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Kyoto. The streets are filled with Western and Asian restaurants and there are so many people walking around at night time. We also really enjoyed watching the street performers in the area. It was a perfect night—tasting Memorable Dishes and walking around on the lively streets in Honolulu. Our next stop—Hawaiian Food Trip: Maui!
Recent Comments