Honolulu, Hotel mit Aussicht

After a 6-hour flight from San Francisco, it's finally time.

We land in Honolulu. At the airport, there's Ukulele music and the walkway to the baggage claim is outdoors. Yes, we have arrived in Hawaii.

Our driver is waiting for us with a traditional Lei greeting, and these garlands have nothing to do with the cheesy garlands that people like to wear around their necks in Germany. The Lei garlands are made of real orchids and emit a wonderful scent.

On the way to our apartment, we get a first glimpse of the city.

Honolulu is one of the largest cities in the Pacific with a population of 337,256. It is the capital of Hawaii. The most famous son of the city is Barack Obama, who was born here.

Skyscrapers everywhere you look, and our apartment in the Ilikai Hotel is on the 17th floor with a great view of the marina.

Right after arrival, we are drawn to one of the most famous beaches in the world, Waikiki Beach.

The beach actually fulfills every stereotype of Hawaii. White sand, palm trees, surfers.

Well, but with the sand at Waikiki Beach, it's a different story. The sand is not original. Every two years, sand is brought from Australia to Hawaii on large container ships and the Waikiki Bay is filled in.

In its original form, the bay was very deep and was anything but tourist-friendly due to high waves and strong currents. That's why they decided to fill it in. Good thing. Now this beach is fantastic.

On the Beachwalk, you experience the relaxed life of the Hawaiians. They have BBQs on the beach, they listen to music, they play sports, all with the whole extended family. You can live here.

Of course, there are countless hotels on the beach with nice restaurants. The prices are higher than on the mainland. For a normal dinner, you should plan on spending about 20-50 dollars without drinks.

During our visit the next day in Downtown Honolulu, we see the original face of the city framed by all the skyscrapers. Beautiful buildings and overlooking all the buildings is the statue of Kamehameha I, the king who united the Hawaiian Islands.

In the evening, Honolulu has a relaxed atmosphere. Bars invite you to have a Mai Tai, shops catering to all tastes, from simple souvenir shops to Prada stores, and the torches lining the streets create an incredibly beautiful ambiance.

This city never sleeps. It's probably something like the New York of the Pacific.

Even at night, the traffic has a New York style. Great city, great ambiance, we're starting to want more.