I do not heart Waikiki

I've only flown through Honolulu, so we decided to spend a couple of days in Waikiki and explore what Oahu has to offer. I have to say that I was not impressed. From the minute we got the bus to the hotel and encountered rude service, I thought "this can not be good". Everyone I've ever encountered in Hawaii has been fabulously friendly. Apparently that is not the case in the Waikiki area. From the transportation staff, to the hotel staff and even to the other guests - bad moods everywhere! Ugh! I'm not sure what was up with that. There was not a laid back atmosphere at all.

Regardless, we were finally on land and the kids were ready to get in the pool: The "super pool" was freezing and so my lovely husband braved it with Levi:
We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village (remember those points) and since this is low season, were upgraded to an AMAZING room. It was a huge corner room and we had a gorgeous view of the ocean, Waikiki and Diamond Head. This was great. We also used a bell service for the first time and I must say that I couldn't have imagined anything else greater with the amount of luggage we had - I'm going to remember that. This complex is a small town and I would imagine some people stay here and never leave, but oh what they would be missing. I kept telling Garet that it makes me so sad that some people save all their money to go to Hawaii and Waikiki is all they see. In case you are planning a trip, go elsewhere!!! Hawaii is a dream vacation, but Waikiki is not.

Here's our view (the Waikiki side), although this picture doesn't do it justice. At night, the lights were gorgeous:
Anyway, that is my rant on the airport/Waikiki area. We did go to the other side of the island...more to come.