You Had Me at Aloha ❥ Afternoon in Waikiki

After spending two fruitful days in North Shore, we decided to venture down Honolulu.

As mentioned in ≪You Had Me at Aloha ❥ Turtle Bay Resort [Review]≫, we rented a Toyota Corolla with the Enterprise branch at Turtle Bay Resort. We also paid a little extra for GPS. Definitely very handy when traveling. Cheaper than using Google Maps on your phone and roaming on data.

Check-out was at 11am and after car rental logistics, our stomachs were grumbling!

We headed down the Kamehameha Highway to Fumi’s Kahuku Shrimp. My friend had suggested this place as he said shrimp trucks are a must try in Hawaii. There were road constructions on our way here, unfortunately, so we were stuck in traffic for half an hour and by the time we got here, they were closed already. As an alternative, we decided to drive straight to Waikiki instead and try the famous Hawaiian masubi snack at Masubi Cafe Iyasume.

Iyasume is quite small although they do offer seating. We, however, took the snacks straight to Waikiki Beach and enjoyed a mini picnic under the gorgeous sunshine.

Two green shiso herb spam and two avocado bacon egg spam.

I know I usually describe food to be amazingly delicious here on the blog but trust. Just trust. When I say these masubis were out of this world, they really were. Rice and spam – nothing special. But you put them together, add some Japanese shiso herb or get fancy and throw in egg and avocado and bam! Such simple ingredients yet such rich and vibrant flavors. Absolutely blew me away.

All ’bout that Snapchat geofilter!

We chillaxed on the beach a little but it was too hot. Gotta cool down with some shave ice!

Toyota Corolla from Enterprise.

We found ourselves at Waiola Shave Ice and I had the rainbow ice. Despite having good online ratings, this was too sweet and tasted too artificial.

I had debated hiking the Diamond Head but we were a little rushed on time. Plus the fact that I was flying back to Van and heading straight to work after. I didn’t want to show up smelling like rotten gym socks. Most certainly my biggest regret during this trip but we cruised around town and found a very beautiful lookout near the foot of the volcano.

Another great thing you must do when in Hawaii is go scuba diving. Again, our trip was a little too short, but if you’re looking to be a little underwater adventurous, here is a comprehensive guide of diving in Hawaii.

Since we still had some time to kill, we toured the Ala Moana Center real quick. No pictures because it’s just a big, luxury shopping mall. We literally went for a walk from one end to the other then headed to the Enterprise branch at the airport to return the Toyota.

Dinner took place in the airport at PGA Tour Grill. They had a three course meal for the price of $20 (or $25 I can’t remember exactly) and I was pleasantly surprised! The portions were huge and for airport food this was pretty darn good. Even better than White Spot or Moxie’s I’d say.

Quick recap…

• Masubi Cafe Iyasume for delicious masubis – enjoy them on Waikiki Beach!
• If you don’t have time to complete the Diamond Head hike, you can opt for a scenic drive along the volcano.
• Skip Ala Moana Center. You’re in Hawaii!!! What the hell are you doing at a mall instead of sunbathing on the beach? Unless you ripped your bikini bottom or swim trunks bending down, you shouldn’t even be here, period.
• Hungry at the airport? Make your way to PGA Tour Grill. Go for the three course meal, you won’t regret it.

Hawaii is honestly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited and it’s no exaggeration that this place truly is heaven on earth. It’s definitely a regret of mine for not having spent more time in this tropical paradise, but I’m sure I’ll be back soon.

Well, that’s a wrap for today. See you next time and don’t forget to sign up for newsletters to receive notifications for new posts!