“Thank you” (in Hawaiian) for the warm welcome to Hawaii! I had a truly unforgettable stay.

In Honolulu, I stayed for two nights at Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani. The hotel opened only in 2019 and is the sister hotel of Halekulani, which is located right across the street. The boutique style hotel has 288 rooms, which I did not find too overwhelming with lots of guests, as the other hotels in Waikiki. The hotel is a block from Waikiki Beach and also a block away from the main shopping street.

I flew to the island of Lana’i to spend the remainder of my week’s stay in Hawaii. Lanai Air offers a very comfortable 30 minute flight to the island with their own terminal adjacent to the Honolulu airport.

In Lanai, I first stayed at the Four Seasons Resort at Lana’i. The hotel is located at Manele Bay and a short half hour drive from the airport. The hotel is very well run with outstanding guest rooms, restaurants, and other amenities. The hotel is also conveniently connected to Hulopo’e Beach. Needless to say, service was very professional, friendly and efficient.

After a few nights, I checked into Sensei Lana’i by Four Seasons, a thirty minute drive from Manele Bay. Sensei is a wellness resort located at the foothills in Koele and the hotel grounds are lush and tranquil. It has a very different feel from Four Seasons Lana’i as this has a more calm and zen feel to it. The hotel offers a number of activities and experiences and as in the other hotel, service was top notch.

There were lots of food options in Hawaii – and in Oahu, different culinary experiences are on offer from Japanese to Portuguese cuisine. Right across the street from the hotel I stayed at is the famous Halekulani Hotel. I had breakfast at their restaurant Orchids, which served delicious local breakfasts with extremely friendly service.

I accidentally came across a Korean ice dessert place (and it was timely as it was very warm) called Jejubing Dessert Cafe at the Ala Moana Centre. They specialize in Bingsu or finely shaved ice dessert. For dinner, I went to Doraku Sushi at the Royal Hawaiian Center. An izakaya, or Japanese gastro pub, that serves a wide selection of sushi and grilled food options.

While I was at Royal Hawaiian Center for dinner, I saw Tim Ho Wan – the famous Michelin Starred dimsum restaurant from Hong Kong. I made it a point to go there the next day for lunch before my departure to the island of Lanai.

While in Lana’i, the two hotel resorts I stayed at had outstanding food options as well that included Nobu Lanai and a Malibu Farms outpost. At the Sensei Lana’i hotel – there was only one food outlet available — Sensei by Nobu. So I am not complaining that all my meals during my stay at this hotel were at Nobu.