For summer of 2019, I went on vacation to Honolulu, Hawaii for 11 days. I will be sharing the places that I visited and the food I ate while I was there! If you would like to see more of the outfits that I wore, I have a Hawaii Lookbook!

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The hotel I stayed at: The Modern Honolulu

This hotel is rated 5-stars due to its contemporary luxury design and location. It is located near Waikiki Beach, the Ala Moana Center, Luxury Row, convenience stores, and numerous eateries. I loved that I was able to step outside of the hotel and quickly walk to all of these different places. I booked my flight and hotel as a bundle on Expedia.

Transportation: Rental - Jeep Wrangler 4 door

For both of the times that I have been in Hawaii, I rented a car to get around the island. For this vacation, I wanted to rent a Jeep Wrangler for the full tourist experience. A car is not necessary when walking to Waikiki Beach or Luxury Row but it is necessary when visiting other tourist attraction spots, which are far away from the hotel. The car rental was done through Budget and it was picked up/dropped off at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

Where I ate:

Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck

This is the most popular shrimp truck in Honolulu, Hawaii, with over 4,000 yelp reviews and a rating of 4 stars. It took around 50 minutes to drive from The Modern Honolulu to Giovanni’s and a 1 hour wait in line to get the food. Many people believe that this is a tourist trap but I was blown away by the garlicky and mouthwatering shrimp. I got the garlic shrimp and shrimp scampi and out of the two, I would recommend the garlic shrimp.

Dole Plantation

The famous dole whip of Hawaii! There are over 2,500 yelp reviews and the rating is a 3.5 stars. This is the spot to go to after eating at Giovanni’s because it is only 15 minutes away. There are tours that you can take part in but I just stopped by to buy dole whip. The texture is incredibly smooth and the taste is perfectly balanced between tart and sweet. It is very light yet creamy and it reminded me of frozen yogurt. This is definitely a refreshing treat to have on a hot day!

Goofy Cafe & Dine

This brunch spot has over 2,700 yelp reviews and a rating of 4.5 stars. I heard about this cafe on a Japanese food channel, which was playing on the TV in my hotel room. It is also a 4 minute walk from my hotel, so I had to check it out. The french toast was perfectly sweetened with honey and it completely ruined other french toasts for me. Even in New York City, I cannot find a place that serves delicious french toast like Goofy does. So, if you are a lover of french toast, you need to try this spot out! The salmon eggs benedict was also delicious. It surprised me that the salmon was cooked, rather than it being the typical smoked salmon benedict.

Other spots I ate at:

Gen Korean BBQ House
Marukame Udon
The Original Pancake House
Myungrang Hot Dog - Ala Moana
Rangoon Burmese Kitchen
Dagon - Burmese Food
Fook Lam - Dim Sum
So Gong Dong Restaurant - Korean
Choi’s Garden Restaurant - Korean
Shirokiya Japanese Village Walk - Japanese Food Court
Dessert:
Lappert’s Hawaii - Ice Cream
Waikiki Tea - Lady M Cakes
Henry’s Place - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
Tropical Tribe - Acai Bowls

Places I visited:

Waikiki Beach

One of the most popular and beautiful beaches in the world with white sand, clear water, and palm trees. There are numerous hotels and eateries around this beach.

Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden

If you are a Jurassic Park fan, you will definitely want to visit this botanical garden! Some scenes were filmed in this area, along with Kualoa Ranch. Even if you are not a fan, you can enjoy the beautiful greenery.

Luxury Row

If you love shopping, you should take an evening stroll through Luxury Row! There are beautiful lights, restaurants, and retail stores along this walkway. I would not recommend bringing a car here unless you plan to park valet because there is no street parking.

Byodo-In Temple

This is a very beautiful Buddhist temple, which is resembling the historic ByodoIn Temple of Uji in Kyoto.

Other places I visited:

Sea Life Park Hawaii - Dolphin Shows
Ala Moana Center - Shopping Mall (free parking)

Souvenirs: Honolulu Cookie

These are famous cookies in Hawaii, and I bought them as souvenir gifts. The Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort has this store at their hotel. There are numerous flavors and gift boxes to choose from. They have samples in the store, so you are able to try the different flavors before purchasing them. Also, if you purchase a certain amount, they give you a stamp card, which you can redeem for free cookies!

I hope my travel itinerary will be helpful if you are planning to travel to Honolulu, Hawaii in the future. If you have been there before, where is your favorite place to visit or eat at? Please feel free to share in the comments!

Love,

Emily