Episode 7: Hawai‘i for First-Timers

Mary Herendeen:

Hawai‘i . I haven't been to Hawai‘i  since pre-COVID times. My sons were too young to remember, and not knowing the island was about to shut down, I certainly took my time there for granted. Welcome to Traveling With AAA. I'm your host Mary Herendeen. And in today's episode, we'll be going to the island for the first time. Still sporting sun-kissed skin and an Aloha smile is AAA corporate communications manager Doug Shupe, who has just returned from his first trip to Hawai‘i . Doug, welcome to Traveling With AAA.

Doug Shupe:

Hi Mary. Thanks for having me on.

Mary:

Thank you. We're glad you joined us now. I have to know what was it that inspired that first trip?

Doug:

Well, Hawai‘i  is a destination that I have always wanted to see. You see it on television, you see it in photos. So it's a destination I have always wanted to experience firsthand. I had the opportunity to go see the islands with AAA as corporate communications manager. I was able to capture videos to share with audiences and viewers all across Southern California and across the country about what the islands really do look like. And so this was an opportunity to go there for work, but also I had plenty of fun while I was out there as well.

Mary:

Okay. Well, that's good to hear. I'm glad you were able to get some fun in. Now, where did you go when you visited and for how long?

Doug:

So I went to two islands of the chain. I went first to O‘ahu, followed by Maui, and they were completely different. I mean, that's what's so great about Hawai‘i —there's something to offer for everyone of all different ages. Whether you're going as a couple, or you're going with children as part of a family, or if you're going with mom and dad who may be later in their years, there really is something for everybody. And that's what I experienced and what I saw. And it was just such an awesome experience to see people returning to the islands again, post-COVID and post-some of the restrictions that had been in place over the last couple of years.

Mary:

That's right. Hawai‘i  did have some very tight restrictions. My in-laws recently sold their place in Maui, and having been there, we didn't realize it was about to really shut down. So that's exciting. Now, as you're flying in, what was it like? Describe for us what were you seeing and feeling.

Doug:

That was one of the first things I saw that I noticed. Like, wow, I'm really in this very special place. For some reason, I thought that the waters would be very dark blue, but when you're landing there in Honolulu, it was just magical to see all the different colors of the water, the blue and green water, and to see the surf, as it's gently rolling into the beaches. It was absolutely amazing to watch that. I mean, and that was as you're landing. So I knew right away that this would be something I’d never seen before. And it really was.

Mary:

It really is incredible. I joke all the time that we live in Hawai‘i . My husband always wants to go to Hawai‘i  by the way. We live here in Huntington Beach near the ocean, and we spend a lot of time there. But I'm always joking that we live in Hawai‘i , but really it is a much different experience. It's beautiful.

Doug:

Totally different. You know, I thought that too. Living in Southern California, I already have the beach and the Palm trees, but no, this is a paradise. It is something unlike what we have here in Southern California, and what's great is it's fairly close for us here in California. But when you look at not just the different colored water, but the lush of vegetation, and the types of trees and the flowers that we do not have here on the mainland, not just in California, but anywhere that I have seen. Then there’s the wildlife. I mean, you hear birds everywhere. You see all differentvamazing things that we don't experience every day here in the United States.

Mary:

It really is beautiful. It's a unique experience. Can you share with us a few of the activities or things that you did to make your experience so special?

Doug:

Absolutely. The first thing that we did, of course, was check into the hotel there. It was a beautiful hotel, the Waikiki beach Marriott right there on Waikiki beach, and you could walk along the shops and the restaurants. And one of the first things I did was hike Diamond Head because everybody said that's a great first thing to do, because then you're able to kind of really see what it's like from an aerial perspective. It was about maybe a 45-minute hike, not too strenuous, but it was absolutely beautiful. It was a warm day. But when you got up top, and you just saw the stretch of the coast there along Waikiki Beach and all of the resorts, it was just fascinating, really a beautiful location. I highly recommend hiking Diamond Head especially on the first day or two, because that really gives you a feel for what you're going to experience during your visit there. After the Diamond Head hike, I also got to experience the Chief's Luau which is booked by Pleasant Holidays. And that was a great experience because I had never been to a luau before, but the food was fantastic and it was almost like a comedy show because the chief actually was very funny. He was talking about the traditional luau. So you learned about the history, but he also kept it entertaining as well.

Mary:

Right. I had another guest that talked about the history of a luau, and it was really fascinating. I didn't realize there was so much included in it and that you get the opportunity to learn about the culture and the history of it. So very exciting. I'm glad you got to take that in. I never have.

Doug:

It was something that I really am glad I did because how often do you get to go to a luau and then to experience the different foods of that culture and to see the different performances that they do. I would highly recommend experiencing a luau, especially if you're going to be in Hawai‘i  anyway, you might as well.

Mary:

I imagine you tried some new foods while you were there anything special you want to tell us about?

Doug:

There's one thing that I tried and had two or three different times--the Moco Loco. And this is a traditional Hawaiian dish, and I loved it. I had never had it before. And so I really did enjoy the Moco Loco I had it with pork one day, and the rice and the gravy–it was delicious.

Mary:

Yeah. There's a place in Huntington Beach that we go to that serves a really good one. My husband likes it, and even the kids like it, which is weird because normally they don't want anything beyond nuggets, pizza, or pancakes, but they love that. And it's actually really good. It's Bread Crumb ‘Ohana Cafe in Huntington Beach. So you'll have to check it out.

Doug:

Oh, I will because it includes egg, gravy, rice and meat. It could be breakfast, lunch, or it could be dinner. You could have it any time of day.

Mary:

Wow. Now, assuming this isn't your last time to the land of Aloha, what would you like to experience during your next visit?

Doug:

Well, I'd love to check out some of the other islands when I go. So when we started, we went to O‘ahu first for three days and then to Maui. And as I mentioned earlier, it's a completely different experience. Of course, O‘ahu is where Honolulu is. The big city with bustling streets, nightlife, restaurants and shops. Maui is totally different. It's like being out in the country, but on the islands. And again, the water, the sunsets. When I went there, the whales were incredible. I mean, we saw so many, I would say probably at least 80 different whales. There was one area when we were driving from the airport to the resort where we stayed at the Aston Kaanapali Shores, an absolutely beautiful resort that was almost like a condo community.

Doug:

It had beautiful grounds, but anyways, driving to that resort, you came around a corner and the sun was setting, and it was like the whales were putting on a show for people because there was a crowd of maybe 10 to 15 people. And you just saw three or four whales at a time, just leaping out of the water and slamming back into the water, and they just did it over and over and over. It was like watching a performance at a theater. It was incredible to see. And I later learned that this is the type of area where we are in this part of Maui where whales go to have their babies. And so, this is a very popular spot to watch whales, but we saw it throughout the island of Maui, not just in this one area. We also went on a whale watching tour, and you always know these will be hit or miss. You know, are you going to really see a whale throughout the entire whale watching excursion? But we saw the creatures jumping, and they really do put on a performance.

Mary:

I'm lucky to see like a few dolphins when we go whale watching here. I mean, there's nothing between the spray in the face and just seeing the dolphins. For me it hasn't really been worth it, the whale watching experience. So that's incredible. And to just see them leaping out of the water like that and just putting on that show.

Doug:

Well, I was like you. I was wondering, are we going to see these creatures? But it was Quicksilver, the whale watching tour that we went on that was also booked through Pleasant Holidays. And I asked the captain before, so what are our chances of seeing whales today? He said, oh, guaranteed you're going to see at least a couple of 'em. But he's like some days you see dozens others you just see one or two, but it was a good day we saw dozens of them. It's very hard to capture photos and videos unless you're just rolling the entire time. But no, I had no problem getting tons of footage of whales just leaping out of the water. And it was awesome because every time you saw it, everybody on the boat was like, oh wow, look at that. I mean, it was just a really great experience. And everybody on board was very excited about that.

Mary:

I'm picturing it. I can't stop smiling. It sounds amazing. Now I know you travel a lot. What made Hawai‘i  different than any other vacation you've ever had?

Doug:

The biggest thing that made it different was just the environment, the natural habitat of Hawai‘i . One day I had a rental car, so I drove just short ways, maybe 20 minutes from the Aston Kaanapali Shores, and went and saw the Nakalele Blowhole, which was just amazing as the surf is coming in. You see the water shooting hundreds of feet into the air. And then along that road was a little area of a trail. And it was like this forest, like a Wonderland movie or something. It was just crazy because you just saw all of these vines hanging from these trees, and lots of folks were taking photos. I mean, it's a great Instagram state to visit. If you like social media, and you like posting photos, Hawai‘i  is definitely the place to be because there is something to capture in every corner and turn, an amazing still photo or video clip of that you will not see on the mainland.

Mary:

Oh, so incredible. I've only been to Maui. Like I said, my in-laws live there and recently sold their place, but they live on the wet side of the island. I guess there's a dry side and wet side. They live on the wet side, and it's just beautiful. The first time I'd ever gone surfing was there. Normally I don't want to get in the water, it's too cold or too choppy, but there the water was so just slow easy waves. Beautiful. Did you get a chance to surf?

Doug:

I did actually. I took some surf lessons, which was a great experience, and I actually, for the first time ever, was able to stand up on the surfboard. The instructor was awesome. I mean he really walked you through it and helped you understand how to balance yourself. You know, we saw kids standing up on the surfboards, and so that was a fun experience, which was also done in Maui.

Mary:

Awesome. Now, what did you like best about it or do you have a most memorable moment?

Doug:

Oh, it's so difficult to say because everything was just so much fun. I mean, you could have been there for two weeks and still continued to see more things. But the one thing that I really enjoyed that I have not mentioned yet is the ranch that I went to where Jurassic Park was filmed. And that was absolutely amazing. That was on O‘ahu and they have it set up. You don't realize how many movies are filmed on this one ranch there on O‘ahu, and beyond Jurassic Park there are a lot of different movies and television shows. And so we went on a bus-guided tour where they pointed out all of these different places, but it was in this beautiful green valley where often in the distance, you see the ocean, and that was I think one of the most memorable things that I experienced throughout the entire trip.

Mary:

Wow. I can just imagine. Now having seen Jurassic Park myself, I'm just envisioning going in this tour and just coming through into a clearing, seeing that beautiful sunset in the background just sounds amazing.

Doug:

And what was really cool is they actually have the building in Jurassic Park still set up there that you can stop and tour. And you can see the different areas where they filmed various scenes from that movie.

Mary:

That's exciting. I bet you got a ton of pictures.

Doug:

Tons of photos and tons of video clips, and on this tour, they will actually superimpose dinosaurs. They’ll tell you exactly where to stand, like the actors in the movie and then they superimpose dinosaurs into the photos to give to you.

Mary:

I love that for a movie bust. I see you pulling out your phone right now, do you have a photo for me? I’ve got to see it.

Doug:

I forgot the name of this, but I want to make sure that I mentioned the name of the ranch because it was such an awesome experience. And I would highly recommend anybody that goes to O‘ahu to check out this place. It was the Kualoa Ranch. And there's also bunkers there that you can tour inside, and they have the various posters from all the different movies that are filmed there.

Mary:

That is as so cool. What a unique experience. Something that, like you said, you can't get anywhere else.

Mary:

Now, growing up I used to watch The Brady Bunch a lot, and I remember their Brady Bunch trips to Hawai‘i . And so that was always how I envisioned Hawai‘i . My experience there was very different. Was it how you envisioned it?

Doug:

It was so much more colorful. I mean, you could only do so much right? Watching television or watching a movie, or seeing photos about Hawai‘i .

Mary:

Especially old Brady Bunch.

Doug:

Yeah, exactly or Hawaii five-O. But when you're there in person, it's just so much more amazing than I ever imagined it would be. It really just exceeded my expectations the entire time. I knew it was going to be a beautiful place, but when you see the different vegetation, colors, food and the people. I gotta tell you, people were so friendly in Hawai‘i . And I think part of that had to do that they were very excited to have tourists, to have visitors again. And so, they said, oh, this is so fantastic to be welcoming visitors to our islands once again.

Mary:

I bet. And also exciting for you as a traveler. It's nice to feel welcomed when you're going to visit something that's not local for you. You want to feel like there's some sense of familiarity, even if it's just from a welcoming smile or a kind gesture, so that's great to hear. Now, is there something that you'll do differently during your planning next time?

Doug:

Go for more days. I was able to do a lot in six days, but I'd love to go for 20 days or more. Of course it's not feasible, but I mean, you can get a lot done in six days, but I think a 10 day trip would be just ideal. I think I would love to go see another island as well.

Mary:

Yeah. I can't wait until the next time I get there. And I also need to visit more islands. I've only been to Maui like I said, beautiful. Next time you go, if you haven't already been, Mama's Fish House.

Doug:

I’ve heard about Mama's Fish House—I drove past it.

Mary:

And it looks like nothing from the outside.

Doug:

Right, It doesn't because it's kind of the start to the road to Hana. And so we didn't have a time to do the entire road to Hana, but we did a little bit of it and got to see the Twin Waterfalls on the side of the road to Hana, which is another experience. I think that's another thing that I would do differently, to have a whole day to do the road to Hana and experience all of those sites as well.

Mary:

That sounds amazing. Hopefully you'll get back there soon now. Do you have any tips for other first timers? I know a lot of people have traveled there, but some are still planning their first trip.

Doug:

Yeah, probably book early. I will tell you I had some great deals on flights. I mean, it's just mind-blowing. I got a round trip flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu for at the time $250. So they've gone up, and I keep hearing that the prices are going up, because obviously people want to return to the islands again. But I think booking as soon as you can if you're planning that trip. And then, of course, the folks that I worked with the Auto Club travel advisors really help piece it all together by knowing, okay, who's in your family who likes to do what and give those recommendations that that will help you. Because if it’s your first time to Hawai‘i , you're not going to know what all there is to do, but those travel advisors can really help you narrow it all down and find something that's going to be enjoyable for everybody.

Mary:

They really are great. Having worked with them before, I've got to tell you, and they really do look at what experiences you're looking to have, and it's so important. Now, where to next?

Doug:

In Hawai‘i  or elsewhere?

Mary:

Anywhere. I love hearing about your travel.

Doug:

I think I would actually really like to plan another trip to Hawai‘i . I went this time of year, but maybe going in the fall or even the winter months. I heard that the weather's fantastic all year round. And the other thing that I heard about is they actually have tubing in an old sugar plantations. I'd love to try that on the next island that I visited.

Mary:

Wait a second, come again with that. What are you doing?

Doug:

Great actual tubing adventures. And it wasn't on the island that I was on, but that's going to be my next bucket list item that I'm going to check off, to actually get into these tubes. I’ve seen videos online, and you go through these little channels of water, and they go through these dark tunnels, and they have little areas where it kind of drops you a little bit, but it looked like a fantastic excursion that I want to try during my next visit to the Island.

Mary:

 That sounds really cool. I'm going to have to look that up. And so thank you so much, Doug, for spending your time with us.

Doug:

Thanks so much for having me.

Mary:

Oh, it's been my pleasure. I look forward to hearing about your next excursion, and thank you to our listeners for being with us today. If you're planning a trip, be sure to connect with a AAA travel advisor, check out aaa.com/travel, or visit your local branch. And if you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe. I'm Mary Herendeen. Thank you for Traveling With AAA.