Peachhead™ Approved Vacations: Vacation in Kailua, HI April 2014

Last month I was invited by a friend to stay at his beautiful home in Kailua, right on the beach. This is a magnificent house which has 5 bedrooms, 5 ½ bathrooms, and a large and spacious living room and kitchen, in a beautifully sleek, modern design. The expansive grassy front lawn is beautiful. Jasmine had a blast doing cartwheels up and down the area. For more information on renting this luxurious home, please visit this link.

By day we hung out on the beach, and by night we dined. Mornings were spent either cooking and eating breakfast at the house and enjoying the magnificent view, or going to the nearby crepe restaurant called Crepes No Ka Oi. We all loved the Nutella crepes. Another morning we visited the Farmers Market in Kailua for breakfast. The girls had amazing chocolate chip pancakes that were so different (they were almost a cross between pancakes and crepes). There is a variety of produce, food, and live music at this Farmers Market. It's a great way to spend your morning.

Another day we discovered the "I Love Kailua Town Festival". They closed off the street and had vendors set up selling jewelry and food. There was also a stage with live entertainment.

For dinners we ate at a variety of restaurants in Kailua. Our first night in Kailua we dined at Formaggio. The service was impeccable. I especially loved the Caesar salad.

Los Garcia’s restaurant is great for a casual Mexican restaurant. The margaritas and food were both great. I really enjoyed the garlic shrimp, and the girls enjoyed their tacos and burrito. The chips and salsa were very good, as well.

Dinner at Baci Bistro was very enjoyable. We sat outside and enjoyed the Caesar salad, as well as the burratta and heirloom tomatoes appetizer. We all really enjoyed our meals, which consisted of the lobster ravioli, chicken piccata, and a specialty pasta dish. The restaurant has a full bar, and wonderful service. We asked the owner what his favorite restaurant was in Kailua and he suggested Tokoname Sushi Bar and Restaurant. Once again the service was impeccable (Jen was so on top of everything). We really enjoyed the shrimp tempura roll, various sushi, agedashi tofu, shrimp tempura, the ribeye steak served sizzling, and the fried chicken. It was a thoroughly enjoyable meal.

During the day we ate lunch at Bob’s Pizzeria, which was great, and of course we had the best shaved ice at Island Snow. There is also a store in the same shopping center called Kailua Sail Boards, where you can rent beach chairs, bikes, kayaks, and other water-related activity equipment.

It does get windy in Kailua, which makes for great kite surfing viewing. Due to the winds, we spent a few days in Waikiki to hang out on the beach at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. If you have drinks at Tropics Restaurant, they will validate the parking with a reduced parking fee. Tropics has a great happy hour, as well.

One night while visiting Waikiki, we dropped the girls off at the largest mall, Ala Moana Shopping Center, while we went to Dukes to listen to Henry Kapano play in the outdoor bar area overlooking the beach. It was such a great scene. Everyone was dancing. We parked at the Outrigger Hotel parking lot, but Hula Grill validates the parking there (4 hours for $5.00) so I stopped there for some happy hour drinks and got my parking validated. That night we went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for dinner, which was wonderful as always.

If you need a car rental while you are in Hawaii, check out www.discounthawaiicarrental.com. I always get great deals from them.

Kailua is a beautiful area to visit in Hawaii. It is very mellow and low key there, and everyone is very nice.

Linda Perry, April 2014
Linda@Peachhead.net
www.peachhead.net
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