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Did this: Weekend on the West Side

By Catherine Toth Fox • February 8, 2011 • #CatTravels, Musings, The Daily Dish

Like most of you — especially as Monday rears its ugly head — I needed to get away.

But, like most of you, I’m not drowning in cash.

So I decided to get away — at least from my home, office and piles of laundry — by spending the night at the Ihilani, a JW Marriott Hawaii resort just after Kapolei and before Nanakuli.

But I didn’t just want to lounge poolside — though that was tempting, I’ll admit — but I wanted to drive around Oahu’s west side.

Hands down, the Waianae coastline is the most stunning on the island. The water is a color of blue I didn’t think existed. And the entire area has that same look and feel as it did when I was a kid.

Of course, I didn’t get to see everything or do everything I had wanted to. Like hike around Kaena Point, visit Mao Organic Farms and eat at Kaahaaina Cafe in the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. There are a lot of great things happening out there.

Here’s how I spent 24 hours on Oahu’s west side:

no images were found

***

To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected]

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Catherine Toth Fox

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23 Comments

  • Reply Annoddah_Dave February 7, 2011 at 7:35 pm

    CAT: you are absolutely right. Nothing like recharging without going far. Guud choice have done it a couple of times including the spa which is great.

    • Reply Cat February 7, 2011 at 9:45 pm

      @Annoddah_Dave I feel like I need to recharge every other day, though. That’s not good…

  • Reply dbjack February 7, 2011 at 9:09 pm

    Having four wheeled it out to the point and loved it this was a nice trip down memory lane. Have to agree the Waianae Coast is primo. It was one of the benefits to living Ewa last time I was in Hawaii.

    My friends tell me if you can surf Makaha you can surf pretty much anywhere. I tell my friends you break ar at Makaha you can score well anywhere…. except Ko’olau. That golf course is someone’s idea of torture, some tourists need a bucket of balls to finish the front nine. I digress.

    My ideal return to Oahu would be to buy a place in Ko’Olina, park a sailboat there, and enjoy being a long way out of town. Just need to make a note to file to never ever drive to town M-F starting at 6:30 to 9:00. 🙂 Makes the Ko’olau course seem like child’s play.

    • Reply dbjack February 7, 2011 at 9:10 pm

      Make that PAR… fat fingered that one.

  • Reply Ynaku February 7, 2011 at 9:49 pm

    Gotta getaway to ease my soul….. that’s the way to do it. (C&K)

    Yep, good to just leave things behind and go. In my house, I like go, but gotta clean house before we go. Good that you wen go 🙂

  • Reply matti2d February 7, 2011 at 9:51 pm

    growing up on the windward side, my trips to the leeward side were exiting adventures. glad to see it hasn’t lost its beauty. plus…hotdog cart!! any chicago style dogs available?

  • Reply lihinggirl February 7, 2011 at 10:33 pm

    Awesome pictures! Thanks for sharing. Glad you got a chance to rejunvenate yourself even if it was only 24 hours.

  • Reply EdW February 7, 2011 at 10:35 pm

    Back in 2006, seems like an eternity now, during my last visit, my wife and i drove out to Kaena Pt. I wanted to see the beaches I remembered from the 70’s. Unfortueately then the homeless camps took up most of the parks then but we did drive out as far as we could then walked to the point. I loved the solitude way out there. It’s still one of the prettiest parts of Ohau.

  • Reply JMattHicks February 7, 2011 at 10:46 pm

    Wow, absolutely gorgeous photos. That cave looked pretty awesome, but I agree with you, I wouldn’t be venturing inside either. Pics #24 and #25 look heaven sent. Awesome stuff, I enjoyed reading and viewing the pics!

  • Reply hikino February 8, 2011 at 12:25 am

    I concur with JMattHicks–wonderful photos. Picture #13 is the epitome of beauty; the sun glistening off of the smooth skin, the natural glow enveloping the tasteful cleavage teasing us with it’s natural sexiness…oh, it just makes one swoon!

    Oh yeah, Cat looks good in the picture, too.

  • Reply liatia February 8, 2011 at 1:13 am

    Are you engaged Cat? I saw you wearing a diamond ring in the picture of you eating a hot dog? If so, congratulations!

    • Reply DavidJackson February 8, 2011 at 1:55 am

      @liatia Good catch, sort of looks like it eh! Picture 13 tells a story.

    • Reply matti2d February 8, 2011 at 3:58 am

      @liatia good eyes!! Cat….?

    • Reply turkfontaine February 9, 2011 at 8:31 am

      @liatia yeah got that too. might explain her engagement ring blog a few weeks back. ‘Ju got sum splainin’ to do Lucy’

  • Reply DianeSeo February 8, 2011 at 1:14 am

    Really nice pics Cat. Staycationing is the way to go.

  • Reply nonstopmari February 8, 2011 at 3:32 am

    i relaxed just looking at the pics. stunning blues that we don’t see townside. used to love the walk/hike out to kaena point and seeing pods of whales, monk seals, even army guys jumping out of helicopters into the ocean. we’d take sunscreen, bento, lots of water. thnx for the memories!

  • Reply johngarcia February 8, 2011 at 4:36 am

    Very cool! I agree with @DianeSeo that staycations are the bomb. Lots’s of great stuff happening out there. We should do a Cat Chat video maoorganicfarms

    Thanks for sharing, Cat!

  • Reply NSDGR February 8, 2011 at 5:39 am

    West side represent!

    Of all the beauty that the West Side has to offer, I find it amusing that a handful of images were that of

    food.

  • Reply MaxMaxMax February 8, 2011 at 8:55 am

    I remember 20 years ago going to the beach at Yokohama Bay for the day! It is a magical place. The highlight of the day was being out in the water when a school of dolphins swam by, all with their fins or heads up out of the water.

    The Ihilani is an Oahu jewel… Been there several times for weddings, or photographing people on the grounds for sunsets, etc. However, I wish I could say the same for that Disney monstrosity though.

    Cat, what Costco do you go to for hotdogs. The ones in Hawaii Kai are still only $1.50!

    That cave looks fun. I’ve never been in there. Will have to explore it for sure! If you feel that way about caves, you’ll have to be sure and stay away from Carlsbad Caverns!

  • Reply M February 8, 2011 at 10:23 am

    Hello Cat!
    Is that an engagement ring that I see? Congrats!

  • Reply streetgrindz February 8, 2011 at 11:37 am

    Cat, My hubby proposed to me at the Ihilani! It’s a nice getaway from Waikiki’s Mainstream!

  • Reply turkfontaine February 9, 2011 at 8:31 am

    ah, C-Country. see it before it’s gone.

  • Reply Hawaii Travel News 02/13/2011 | Hawaii Travel Guide February 12, 2011 at 8:32 pm

    […] Did this: Weekend on the West Side | Nonstop Honolulu | Entertainment, Events and Eating | Honolulu,… […]

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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