Scenic Sunday: Pali Lookout View of Kaneohe

Scenic Sunday...because I never get over the beauty of these islands.

Kaneohe, Hawaii as seen from the Pali Lookout

For more pictures from around the world, visit Photo Friday at Delicious Baby.

Aloha Friday: Weekend Events

I haven't found many family friendly events to share for this weekend.  Either I'm looking in the wrong spots or it's just a quiet weekend - a short break between fall/Halloween festivities and the busy-ness of the Christmas season which will soon be here.  

But if you want to take your 8-12 year old to a LEGO event at Borders or watch a hula show with your family, then check out my Weekend Events page for more information on those activities.

Happy weekend!

Pineapple Express Train at Dole Plantation

The Pineapple Express is a cute train at Dole Plantation that takes you on a 20-minute tour complete with narration and music.  Big kids and adults can learn about the history of pineapple in Hawaii and everyone can enjoy the train ride and the sights along the way which include pineapple fields, harvesting equipment and a variety of tropical plants.

My daughter and I went to Dole Plantation last week with our off-island visitors and took a ride on the Pineapple Express.  I think it was the first time she'd been on the train there and she was excited.  Most of the time she wanted to sit on the bench next to her friends but she sat in my lap part of the time too and definitely seemed to enjoy the ride.  

She and I didn't get a chance to get any Dole Whip because after the train ride it was time to go pick up my son at school.  So much for pretending we were on vacation like our friends, but it was a fun morning adventure.

Do it yourself on Oahu

Location:  Dole Plantation is located at 64-1550 Kamehameha Hwy, Wahiawa, 96786

Directions:  Take the H-2 north.  From here there are a couple ways you can go.  I think the most straight forward is to take the Wahiawa Exit and drive north through town.  A few miles past Wahiawa you'll see the Dole Plantation on your right.

Hours:  9:30am to 5:00pm

Cost:  $8 for adults, $6 for children 4-12 yrs, $7.25 for Kama'aina & Military, free for childen 3 yrs and younger

Tips:  Check Dole's website for printable coupons for the train ride (and other Dole attractions).  They also have them in their brochures and various visitor magazines.  Most coupons say "off of a regular priced admission" so I don't think the coupons and kama'aina rates can be combined.

Hula Pie at Duke's in Waikiki

Having visitors from the Mainland (or anywhere for that matter) can really disrupt life.  Nap times and bedtimes are thrown off, normal routines are all messed up; if they're staying in Waikiki coordinating schedules can be challenging and we spend a lot more time on the road than usual, if they're staying with us our house is more crowded, hot water is in shorter supply...you get the idea.  But the flip side is that having visitors is a great reminder that I live in paradise and it motivates me to get out and enjoy this travel destination I call home.  I run fewer errands and I get to the beach more.  I do less laundry and I eat more shave ice.

Heading to Duke's with the family on a school night just for dessert?  Not going to happen...unless we have visitors staying in Waikiki who we want to get together with.  And that is how we found ourselves in this lovely spot last week...

...eating this delicious dessert.

I posted before about brunch at Duke's.  I could have mentioned hula pie in that post but 1) I only blog about things as I do them and I didn't have Hula pie with my brunch and 2) Hula Pie deserves its own blog post.  Yep, it's that impressive. 

First of all, it's big.  For our table of 5 adults and 4 children the waitress recommended just 3 slices of pie and that was plenty.  The ingredients are simple enough: chocolate cookie piecrust, macadamia nut ice cream, chocolate fudge topping, macadamia nuts and whipped cream.  But the taste is delicious and the setting, especialy if you get to sit down by the beach under the tiki torches, adds to the experience.

Do it yourself on Oahu

Location:  Duke's is located in the Outrigger Waikiki hotel at 2335 Kalakaua Avenue

Parking:  Duke's validates parking at Ohana East.  To get there, go down Kalakaua Avenue.  After you pass the International Marketplace on your left and the Outrigger Waikiki on your right, take a left on Kaiulani Ave., another left on Kuhio Ave. and a left into the first parking garage you come to.

My tips:  If you are just there for dessert let the host or hostess at the front know.  If wait times are long they may offer you the option of eating at the bar or checking for seats on the beach level (my personal favorite anyway).  If you can't find a place to sit in a reasonable amount of time you can get it to go.  We did that once and enjoyed our dessert on the beach in front of Duke's.

For more info: Official webpage for Duke's

Note:  To our past, current and future visitors - getting to hang out with you and live like tourists for awhile is worth any chaos you add to our lives.  Just so you know.