Huron-Perth Boomers - Spring 2023

y Jill Ellis-Worthington
TRAVEL
For many of us Boomers, travel to exotic locations
has always been a dream. Now that our biggest
obstacles – time and money – loom less large,
achieving dream vacations is becoming more doable.
Imagine lava fields instead of corn; jungles instead
of piney woods; sparkling black sand instead of
golden beaches; and surfboards bobbing on the
waves instead of jet skiers whizzing around the lake.
Pushing ahead on a life-list holiday that had been
sidelined during the worst of the pandemic, my
husband and I were ready to live the dream of a trip
to America’s 50th state – Hawaii!
Honolulu
Waikiki Beach is the desired destination for most, but
luxury hotels have luxury price tags (in an already
very expensive locale), so we opted for a renovated
older hotel – the Twin Fin – right across from one
of the world’s most famous strips of sand. You
can easily walk the beach; reach the iconic Moana
Surfrider hotel, a former royal residence, to see its
gallery detailing the history of Duke Kahanamoku,
Olympic swimmer and legendary surfer; check out
the oldest banyan tree on the island and shop the
high-end shops of the Royal Hawaiian Center.
The Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbour in Honolulu.
Tiki’s Bar and Grill is adjacent to the pool, which
overlooks the ocean, at the Twin Fin. It serves a
mean smoked marlin melt sandwich and an excellent
Mai Tai. If you’re looking for your sports fix and a
casual bite, Cheeseburger in Paradise is just a couple
of blocks down the street. As a couple of football
addicts, we were able to quench our thirst and get a
nice juicy burger, while getting an NFL fix.
To make the most of our time in Honolulu, we put a
couple of the don’t-miss things on our list – climbing
Diamond Head and visiting Pearl Harbor.
A somewhat strenuous two-hour hike (depending on
your speed and number of breaks) takes you up an
Ascending the trail to the top of Diamond Head.
SPRING 2023 • 5