After spending an intense morning at Pearl Harbor, we were all ready for a more jovial change of pace. Our plan was to hit up Waikiki Beach since it was so close to Pearl Harbor (well, close for the people staying on the Wai’anae side). But before we headed to the beach, we had to fill up our bellies. Mr. A’s friend from Oahu, who knew that we all loved seafood, told us that we had to check out Nico’s Pier 38, which luckily for us was on the way to Waikiki.
We picked a table outside next to the pier with a great view. We loved knowing that the fish from the restaurant came straight from the boats you see here to our table. There’s nothing quite like local, fresh fish.
I picked the Grilled Ahi Sandwich topped with a spicy wasabi aioli. It’s safe to say that this is one of the best fish sandwiches I’ve ever had. Not only did the fish taste impeccably fresh, but the spice mixture was perfectly blended and grilled. We spent a few hours sitting out by the pier dissecting our experience at Pearl Harbor, listening to the sea gulls crow. If you are looking for fresh, local seafood, definitely check out Nico’s. Everyone loved their meals, even my Dad, the fish aficionado.
Now sufficiently stuffed, we finished our journey down to Waikiki. Since we knew parking would be miserable, I broke out my Mom’s Oahu Revealed Book and mapped out a free parking locale right next to the beach. It ended up working pretty well because this was the view a few feet from our car. From here, we could walk the entire length of Waikiki Beach. So hint to those of you looking for a free spot in Waikiki–check out the Ala Wai Boat Harbor.
Waikiki was a far departure from the natural, breathtaking beaches of Maui. The entire sandy stretch is jam packed full of high rise hotel after high rise hotel (totaling over 30,000 hotel rooms), with restaurants, bars, shopping, and parks squeezed in between. Tourists come here in the thousands, filling up the beach from the shoreline to the grass. The atmosphere is full of vibrancy and energy and noise. It’s almost a culture all to its own. I’ve never seen a beach so crowded and full of activity as Waikiki. It’s not surprising to find out that more than 4 million people grace this sandy playground every year.
While the beach is entertainment in and of itself, I was fascinated by the ominous Diamond Head crater which overwhelmed the background landscape. Even from miles away, we could see its form so clearly. We made it about halfway around the concrete beach path before we all decided we were too hot to make it any further. There is very little respite from the pounding Hawaiian sun on the Waikiki shores. On top of that, it was time to head back to the hotel before the traffic became unbearable (famous last words).
Before we retreated to the hotel, my Mom requested one last stop, the famous Leonard’s bakery, where we picked up one dozen malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts dipped in sugar). While a dozen seems like a lot, these doughnuts are something like a legend in Oahu, so a dozen isn’t nearly enough. When we walked into the hotel with our Leonard’s bakery box, several hotel employees tried to bribe us to give them some doughnuts. That’s how much people love these things.
After taking a few bites, I think we all understood the adulation surrounding these pastries–truly divine. They are best served hot. We stuck ours in the microwave to reheat them after getting stuck in some massive rush hour traffic from Waikiki (that’s also something of a legend that ended up being very, very true). While this may sound bizarre, my favorite flavor was the Li Hing, a red Asian powder. It’s hard to describe but it’s really unique, not overly sweet but just right. The coconut filling also isn’t too be missed. Just even talking about it makes me want some more malasadas. You think they’ll deliver to the mainland?
