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| Volleyball, sunning and funning on the beach. |
The condo in Waikiki, south of Honolulu is small, spotless and satisfactory for the next 11 nights we'll spend in Oahu. Based on the price of $2197 for this period and the high cost of hotels in this area, we accepted the fact that this wouldn't be an upscale rental. |
| Bride and groom crossing the street on Sunday morning in Waikiki. |
When we booked our four vacation homes in Hawaii over the past few years, we realized that we'd need to stay within a tight budget considering our family's upcoming arrival in December; the cost of their airfare, the two houses, groceries, transportation and Christmas related expenses. |
| View from the balcony of the condo. |
We decided long ago that if we kept our costs down for these 11 nights, six weeks in Maui and four months in Kauai, we'd help balance out the high costs for the family get together on the Big Island over the holidays. |
| Tom is busy in the tiny kitchen making ice tea. |
As a result we won't whine or complain that this clean, ocean view, one room tiny space is less than our usual expectations. It has AC, an excellent fan, free high speed Internet, laundry facilities in the basement, a flat screen TV and a comfortable bed.
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| Small bathroom sink. |
The lobby and hallways are tidy and well kept. It appears that this building was a hotel many years ago, later converted to a condo complex. Having already met a few permanent residents, they seem happy living here and for 11 nights, so will we. |
| Another view of Waikiki beach from the balcony. |
Oddly, there are no closets, only a bar and hangers against a wall in the room. We've piled up our clothing on the counters that line two walls with shorts, tee shirts, swimwear and underwear. Surely, this workaround will be sufficient for this short period of time.
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| "The unique profile of Diamond Head (Le'ahi) sits prominently near the eastern edge of Waikiki's coastline. Hawaii's most recognized landmark is known for its historic hiking trail, stunning coastal views, and military history." |
The bathroom is miniscule with a the tiniest sink we've ever seen but, the shower is adequate and well stocked with towels, soaps and basic supplies, all of which will suit our needs. |
| The Honolulu Zoo is across the street from the condo. Having spent time in Africa among wild animals in their natural habitat, we'll never be interested in visiting a zoo. |
I doubt we'll do any cooking here. The kitchen is no more than 3 feet by 3 feet leaving little room for preparing meals of any sort. We'll dine out when this excellent location offers many restaurants within a 10 or 15 minute walk. |
| Today, we'll take a walk on the pier in the right of this scene. |
With no sofa or place to sit other than the bed, Tom hauled the patio table and two chairs inside giving us a sense of having a kitchen table where we can work on our laptops and if we choose, eat carry out meals (provided we can find anything that will work for me). |
| The bed is against the sliding door in the small room. |
As I write this on Sunday afternoon, to be posted Monday morning, Tom is happily watching the Minnesota Vikings game to which he subscribes, while I'm content running back and forth to the basement doing laundry.  |
| Tom is munching on peanuts while watching the Vikings game on his laptop. Notice the piles of clothes on top of the counters and the makeshift closet behind Tom. |
The front desk didn't have enough change for us to wash all of our clothing so we left out the jeans and heavy items for another day after we get change and more laundry soap.  |
| Closer view of the pier in Waikiki. |
Today, we'll find a post office to mail back the XComGlobal MiFi which we'll no longer need to use and to explore the areas after which we'll start checking out the area.
Only steps from the beach, we'll enjoy the time here as we ofen do, wherever we may be. With easy access to local transportation, getting around will be a breeze. |
| A park across the street from the condo hotel. |
Tomorrow, we'll be back with more photos of Waikiki. Thanks to all of our loyal readers worldwide for hanging in there with us while we were only able to post a few photos each day while cruising. Now back on land with an excellent high speed signal, we won't miss a beat.Happy day to all!_______________________________________Photo from one year ago today, October 6, 2013: |
This Crocodile has an Impala he killed in his mouth. We shot this photo one year ago today on Day 2 of our safari in the Masai Mara in Kenya. For details and more amazing photos, please click here.
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