Winter Escapes: Oahu’s Kahala Beach
I am fortunate that I have been able to travel to Oahu on multiple occasions for work, and a few family vacations – including my own wedding! On every occasion, lodging has been a house or condo rental which has allowed us to stay on various parts of Oahu, avoiding the crowded stretch of Waikiki beach and giving us a more local experience. It also has been typically a much more affordable option as well: for my last work conference, a beautiful 2-bedroom condo with a balcony overlooking the ocean and within walking distance from the Honolulu convention center was the same price as the “discount” rate at a conference hotel – with the bonus perk of my husband and family getting to tag along with plenty of space for all. For Thanksgiving week, we had an AirBnB reserved on Kauai (a 2020 trip that was postponed), but had a few extra days of vacation so we opted to spend a few days on Oahu. Given some of the current challenges with condo rentals in 2021, my parents suggested we try out a hotel that they had stayed at in the past: the Kahala Resort.
Getting to Oahu
Honolulu’s airport (HNL) has many more flight options than the other Hawaiian islands, and tickets this year were very affordable. We opted to save our points/miles and instead used our Southwest companion pass to fly two of us from DEN to SAC to HNL for a mere $435 total (~$217 each!). For redeeming miles or points in the past when fares were much more expensive, I have personally had good luck transferring Chase or AmEx points to Air France to book flights on Delta for 30,000 miles each round trip; British Airways can also be a great option from the West coast. You also might be able to book your Southwest ticket in miles, but this may or may not make sense. Our flight to HNL on Southwest would have cost ~31,000 miles one way which we would have transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards, so I felt that this trip wasn’t a great use of valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards when cash prices were so low.
This was our first time using Southwest to travel to Hawaii, so a few things we learned: (1) If you have a Southwest Credit Card that provides a limited number of boarding upgrades each year, this is a great use for them; otherwise, pay the $15 for early bird check in – it’s worth it to guarantee you and your travel mates can sit together for the long flight. (2) Southwest has free entertainment you can watch on your phone or tablet, but your battery life may not last 5-6 hours and there are no charging ports on Southwest planes, so bring a power bank if you plan to binge watch movies. (3) Food service on our nearly 6 hour leg from SAC to HNL consisted of wheat thins and brownie bites. I suggest getting a good breakfast at the airport and packing snacks with you in case food lines in the airport are prohibitively long. We had hoped to grab food at SAC, but our layover was short and the food lines were quite long, but thankfully we found an Express lounge that we could enter using our American Express Platinum cards – food options here were limited, but at least there was no line to grab a bite, and the espresso machine was a welcome site.
Watch for my upcoming post on how to elevate your economy flight experience for other tips!
The Kahala Resort
The Kahala Resort was a pretty impressive hotel to stay at for our first hotel stay on Oahu. It is an older hotel, but has been well maintained and the location is on a picturesque beach adjacent to a golf course, and looming hills in the distance.
Originally, we booked our entire stay using Chase Ultimate Rewards points, costing us nothing. Shortly after booking, American Express announced that changes were coming to the American Express Platinum Card, which now included a $200/year credit for prepaid hotel stays booked through the AmEx portal. By booking through the AmEx portal using our Platinum Card, we were able to take advantage of the $200 credit, and we were also able to get a $60 daily credit towards breakfast, a $100 resort credit per stay, early 12pm check in and a late 4pm check out (quite handy given that most flights depart HNL at night). To try out these perks, we booked 2 of our 3 nights using the Platinum card to gain $420 of benefits (nearly a free night in itself!) and then left the 3rd night booked with points through Chase so that our 3rd night was completely free (although, alas, no free breakfast). If both you and your spouse (aka player 2) have the Platinum card, you could divy your stay into 2 reservations booked on your separate Platinum cards to stack the benefits.
The Kahala Resort is about a 20 min drive from the HNL airport and 10 to 15 minutes to downtown Honolulu and Waikiki, depending on traffic. It is located on the opposite side of Diamond Head from Waikiki, on Oahu’s Southwestern coast.
We were greeted by exceptionally friendly staff who provided us with leis and an orientation to the resort. The concierge helped us out with reservations, which we learned were necessary for just about everything, thanks to the pandemic (see below). We did not luck out with getting a room upgrade, but we didn’t mind having a mountain view room which overlooks the golf course – the balconies of the ocean facing rooms have better views, but also direct afternoon sun making them difficult to use during the afternoon. The rooms were spacious, with a his and hers bathroom, robes, complimentary slippers, a coffee maker, and a fridge.
One draw of the resort is the beautiful beach, which is fairly uncrowded and had great views of both sunrise and sunset. The white sand beach is calm enough for swimming and paddle boarding. There is also enough stretch of beach for a decent morning walk. The other big draw? Dolphins! Kahala Resort is home to a number of dolphins and through their Dolphin Quest program, you can take part in a number of experiences, from learning about dolphins provided by their trainers, to actually swimming with the dolphins. If your 8 year old self was always dreaming to go to Sea World, you will be thrilled to stay here. We didn’t partake in any of the experiences, but we spent countless hours watching the dolphins play and work with the trainers. This alone was worth the stay.
There are many other activities not far from the resort, including the majority of sites in downtown Honolulu, Diamond Head, and Shangri La (worth a visit if you love Islamic art and design). We devoted one day to the Waikiki area and opted to take an Uber for the 15 to 20 min drive since we didn’t rent a car (honestly, no car is needed here unless you plan for a lot of day trips.
Where to Eat
Like many upscale hotels, the Kahala resort had excellent restaurants on site -but at resort prices. The free breakfast credit of $60 at the hotel’s basic cafe, Plumeria, went quickly, but everything we tried was excellent (think lobster eggs benedict – yes, please). On Sunday we opted for the Sunday brunch at Hoku’s, which was previously an elaborate buffet but has now been converted to the “Teihoku brunch” – a 3 course meal incorporating the best parts of what was the buffet. The starter, if you want to call it that, was a bento box filled with lobster tail, shrimp cocktail, assorted sashimi, california rolls, salad, and the best part: a delicious ahi poke musubi (think large round sushi roll coated in sesame seeds and fried to a crispy exterior – I could have had an entire meal of these). Round 2 consisted of prime rib, mahi mahi, an egg benedict with smoked salmon (which I will admit was not quite on par with the lobster benedict at Plumeria downstairs), and of course no brunch is complete without bacon. And then a trio of desserts – yes, you got one of each – Japanese cheesecake, bread pudding, and a chocolate layered dessert. Thank goodness for go boxes and that in-room refrigerator.
The hotel’s Veranda has live music most nights from 6-8pm and serves food, and they also offer a high tea service in the afternoons. We also tried Arancini’s, an Italian restaurant next door to the resort. The portions are on the small side for the price (my Italian grandmother, who insists no one leaves hungry, would have cringed a bit), but everyone in our group enjoyed the homemade pasta dishes we tried – and the risotto finished in a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano. Because, there is no such thing as too much cheese.
The Kahala resort is in a small residential neighborhood, with a number of great nearby restaurants that are a short drive or taxi/Uber ride away. 12th Avenue Grill is a local favorite and we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner there. We found it much easier to get reservations at some of the local restaurants compared to the resort.
Lastly, due to the pandemic, many smaller restaurants are serving take-out only, and some have closed entirely. If you have been to Honolulu before, you may be devastated to learn that the Waikiki Yokocho Japanese Gourmet Alley in downtown Waikiki has closed, as has the similar Japanese food Court Shirokiya that was located at the Ala Moana Shopping Center. Boo. In order to satisfy our cravings for authentic Japanese, food, we got a local recommendation for a great ramen place, Manichi, which is a tiny place across from Ala Moana Shopping Center, and the black garlic miso ramen was heavenly.
What to Expect with COVID:
In order to travel to Hawaii, you must first create an account with Hawaii Safe Travels, then log your trip into the system (if traveling to multiple islands or hotels, you only need to list your first destination). You can then upload a copy of your vaccine card or proof of a negative COVID test which must be done within 72 hours of your flight to Hawaii and must be done through an approved vendor. Lastly, when we checked in to our Southwest flight 24 hours in advance, we filled out the required questionnaire on the Hawaii Safe Travels website, following which a QR code was emailed to us. At some airports, this QR code is shown prior to departing to Hawaii, and you will receive a bracelet that shows you have been approved to enter. At SAC, there were no staff to scan QR codes so we went through the process upon arrival in Oahu. Make sure to bring a copy of your vaccine card with you – I recommend taking a photo of your card and keeping it on your phone, so it is easily accessible.
Once you arrive in Oahu, you will need to show your vaccine card at hotels and restaurants (or proof of a negative COVID test within 48 hours), as well as your ID. We were asked for this at every single restaurant, from the upscale hotel restaurant to the down-and-dirty ramen shop. A photo of the vaccine card on your phone, coupled with your ID, was sufficient. Masks were required indoors unless eating/drinking. Out at the pool and on the beach, masks were not required.
Staff/worker shortages coupled with social distancing protocols means that nearly everything must be reserved in advance, including meals and activities. At our hotel, that included reserving gym time and breakfast – something I am certainly not used to on vacation! Knowing with the time change that I would be up before the sun, I booked the gym every morning from 6-7am and breakfast following. Best to reserve in advance and cancel if you decide not to go…which was apparently a common strategy, since the gym was booked up every morning but only about half of the reservations actually showed up (at which point the hotel would take a walk-in).
A Word on Black Friday/Cyber Monday Hotel Deals
When staying at a resort you love, it can be easy to get swept up in a sale or promotion for future stays. While we were at the Kamala resort, the Black Friday special was heavily advertised: a $500 resort credit for a 4+ night stay, and a $1000 resort credit for a 7+ night stay. Is it a good deal? Before getting caught up by the hype, do the math, but also think about your future travel goals and plans. I love Hawaii and in the moment can easily be swept up in the excitement of planning another visit, but we also have a lot of other places on our bucket list that for the next year are probably going to take priority.. Second, I can already tell you that staying at one resort for more than 3-4 nights is not how we travel at Buona Forchetta unless it is a work-related trip – after a few nights of rejuvenation at a resort, we would be itching to get on to different sites or explore different local neighborhoods. A 7 night stay at this type of resort would also be a huge blow to our travel budget even with the $1000 savings. If we were to come back for a 4 night stay, we would be better off using the AmEx portal to book 2 nights on each of our Platinum cards (for a 4 night total stay), which would give us $200 credit each on the prepaid stay, $100 each resort credit, and $60 breakfast credit yielding $840 in savings, and if we had AmEx points to burn, we could potentially use points to pay for part of our stay.
