Photo: HTA/Tor Johnson
DREAMING of escaping to a tropical paradise? Would-be bounty hunters should head for the Hawaiian island of Oahu, and beautiful Waikiki beach.
By Liz Jarvis, LivingwithKids editor
IT doesn’t get any better than this. Offspring happily playing in the nearby pool, I’m laying on the softest golden sand, with an uninterrupted view of the clear azure Pacific ocean, the waves crashing against the shore. Every so often a surfer emerges, riding the white stuff Keanu Reeves-style.
Occasionally a catamaran speeds across the horizon, closely followed by a school of dolphins leaping across the water. And striding in my direction wearing nothing but a wet pair of swim shorts is a Sawyer from Lost lookalike, his tanned biceps rippling in the afternoon sun.
Oh yes, it’s incredibly easy to see why Waikiki is one of the best beaches in the world. The long strip of golden sand is the Hawaiian island of Oahu’s main attraction for surfers, sun worshippers, families and honeymooners alike.
With outstanding views of the dormant volcano Diamond Head, and fronted by skyscrapers and luxury hotels, it’s simply breathtaking.
And if you can survive the long flight to the island – a bum-aching 16 hours – you’ll discover a tropical holiday paradise straight out of one of those old Bounty bar TV ads. (My advice is to have a stopover en route in LA, where you have to change planes anyway – so the kids can get a proper rest and you get two vacations for the price of one.)
We stayed in an ocean view room at the fabulous Hilton Hawaiian Village, a massive complex right on the beach.
It’s just a pebble’s throw from some of Hawaii’s best malls (including the enormous Ala Moana centre), and also boasts an incredible array of restaurants and shops. The only downside was the tiny swimming pools – which meant there was often an unseemly queue for sun loungers.
But with the ocean only a few footsteps a way, it seems silly to spend all your time in a crowded pool anyway.
Waikiki is brilliant for families, with lots of excursions on offer to entertain small (and big) kids. They can learn to snorkel, surf and scuba, go sailing, jet-skiing, swim with dolphins and whale-watching. We took an ocean-bottom tour on the Atlantis submarine – a brilliant way to get closer to the sea life below.
As the sub plummeted down, I felt my stomach lurch into my mouth and had to fight a sudden and totally unexpected bout of claustrophobia. But as soon as giant turtles, tiny sharks and tropical fish swam into view, I quickly forgot my nerves and concentrated on helping the kids look for Nemo, Crush and their friends.
Another must-do – safely back on dry land – is a luau – a traditional Polynesian celebration involving dazzling displays of dancing, fire-eating, singing (including the odd Elvis classic) and a fantastic barbecue. We went to the one at the Hilton – and as we sat under the stars, sipping mai tais in the dusk, it felt very exotic.
Oahu is of course the birthplace of President Obama, and he apparently likes to eat at the restaurants of Kapahalu on the outskirts of Waikiki when he’s home for a visit – (although presumably now he’d have a convoy of secret service agents in tow).
It would be all too easy to spend your entire time on Oahu either horizontal, hitting the malls or in the sea. But no trip to the island would be complete without a visit to Kualoa Ranch or Pearl Harbor.
Kualoa is where a lot of external shots from Lost are filmed, and as you take a tour of the jungle like terrain it’s easy to imagine Jack and Sawyer (Okay, very easy, in fact) at your side. And Pearl Harbor, the site of so many lost lives and now a museum and memorial, is an incredibly moving, humbling experience – the kind that stays with you for the rest of your life. It’s a brilliant history lesson, too.
We spent our last day in Hawaii soaking up some more rays before going on a mad basket-dash round the local malls, searching for bargains, before playing a game of indoor 3D glow-in-the-dark mini golf (take it from me, much, much harder than it sounds).
As we watched the sun setting over Waikiki, turning the sky crimson, gold and amber, only the appearance of Josh Holloway himself could have made our Hawaiian holiday more perfect. Oh – sorry, did I say that out loud?
Factbox:
Virgin Holidays offers holidays to O’ahu staying at the 4V Hawaiian Village and including return flights from Heathrow to Honolulu via Los Angeles. Look out for special offers and discounts.
To book visit http://www.virginholidays.co.uk/.
For further information on Hawaii please visit http://www.gohawaii.com/
* Liz travelled as a guest of Virgin as part of a press trip.
Related posts:
