Kailua

It was a day of kayaking and swimming. Kailua beach may be windy but it’s a nice escape from busy Waikiki and not as far as North Beach. Not like 30 minutes further meant that much further, but you know what I mean. Just a close get away. We rented a kayak for half the day, which was more like a quarter of the day since the store closes at 5pm. Yeah, we got there around 2pm. Oh well, still pretty fun to kayak to the small islands they have there. I was very tempted to slip on the goggles and dive off the boat. More tempted after a sea tortoise popped up to say high to us. Did I mention this is one of my favorite beaches here?

After a day out in the sun, it was time for a nice treat at Bubbies. Gotta love mochi ice cream on a warm day. If you haven’t been here, you can’t compare these to the frozen ones you find at the grocery store. These are fresh and surprisingly cheaper.

Food:

It was a day for Japanese food. And for some reason, it’s really really good here. I mean the island caters to lots of Japanese, but it’s not like you fly out of the U.S. and expect good burgers in like Cancun. There may be, but you don’t expect that, nor would there be that many. But here, wow, there are places that make me feel like I’m back in Japan. Marukame Udon is a great place for, you guessed it, udon. Back in Japan, these places are a dime a dozen. What makes this place great is, one, it’s “in the U.S.” and two, the noodles are made fresh daily on the premise and there in the shop. It could be a bit chewier, but I’m not complaining. But remember, if you haven’t been to one of these places, it’s not about a rich broth and hearty toppings. It’s about something light yet filling and very quick to eat and go. That wasn’t so for dinner. We went to an izakaya restaurant a mile away from the hotel coincidently names, Izakaya Nonbei. Very good stuff but do expect to shell out plenty. We certainly did. Oh, but it we were frugal in the afternoon. After udon we stopped by Iyasume Musubi for some onigiri to take kayaking. Great snack for all the rowing.

For Japanese eating, you can walk around Waikiki and cab to the areas that are over a mile away. You’ll have the majority of good Japanese food around Waikiki. But for Kailua, you’ll need a car.

Costs:

$1 per mochi at Bubbies
$16 for two at Marukame Udon
$125 for two at Izakaya Nonbei
$59 1/2 day rental at Sailboards and Kayaks