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Places I visited in New York City & Hawai'i
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items I went to New York for two days and Hawai'i for almost 2 weeks. These are the places that I visited and my honest opinion of them.
Map
Sections
3
New York City
Honolulu
Maui
New York City
Get the smoked salmon and dill bagel - absolutely banging!
Apollo Bagels
Every NY local I encounter says the banana pudding in Magnolia is a must try.
Magnolia Bakery
A sweet little cafe that serves Vietnamese coffee. I recommend their pandan matcha latte if you're not a coffee drinker like me.
FifthSip
Nice, snazzy restaurant that is New York's personality in a nutshell. The food is on the pricier side.
Monkey Bar
This has fun vibes with dollar bills stuck on the walls. The music is great and the cocktails are good.
Whiskey Trader
If you love big, chunky melting chocolate chip cookies, this is the place to go.
Levain Bakery
Every first-timer should have half a day walking through this park. I went there to search for the pigeon lady in ‘Home Alone 2’ - so far no luck. :P
Central Park
A Vietnamese restaurant that you can eat in or take out. Had a scrummy pork belly banh mi from there.
5ive Spice Park Slope - Vietnamese Restaurant NYC
A chain of fresh juices and açai bowls.
Baya Bar - An Açaí Shop: Smoothie & Juice Bar
An observation point in Manhattan facing the Statue of Liberty. I'm sure there's a better spot to see the statue than this - the statue is so far away.
Statue of Liberty Lookout
The hotel I stayed at. A snazzy lobby and nice spacious rooms.
The Benjamin Royal Sonesta New York
Honolulu
The hotel where I stayed at. It's a good spot, and is not far from the beach. It has a swimming pool and small gym. I shared a room with three other girls, taking turns with the bed and the sofa bed. The sofa bed gave me so many bruises.
Aqua Palms Waikiki | Honolulu, Oahu
The spot for diverse cuisine in generous American-sized boxes. My friend eats from the Vietnamese food truck 5 days straight - that's how good it is. I recommend the Pad Thai from the Thai food truck.
Food truck park
I go to this cafe often because it has an endless menu with so many good dishes and drinks. It's situated in a beautiful spot in Waikiki.
Island Vintage Coffee Waikiki
One of the beaches near the accommodation. It's one of the more busy beaches.
Waikīkī BEACH
I love this place. The rocks are easily climbable, the water is lovely, and there's a groovy little cave to test your bravery.
Halona Beach Cove
One of the most beautiful beaches in Honolulu. The sand is so soft and the sea is so calm. The best thing about this beach is that it's not super crowded.
Kailua Beach Park
This is the boat agency I used to go whale watching. I have documented evidence that I'm a secret whale whisperer. I did an unsolicited whale call and a whale breached very close to the boat, even taking the boat people by surprise.
Whale Watching, Pink Sails Waikiki
A firework show takes place every Friday outside Hilton Hawaiian Village at 7:45pm.
Waikiki Fireworks Show at the Hilton Hawaiian Village
A flea market with great souvenirs, clothes and jewellery. The stuff is quite pricey, but if you get friendly with the sellers, you can get discounts. The food trucks are limited, either serving Filipino food (that gets sold fast) or average quality ...
Aloha Stadium Swap Meet
Located on the third level of the Aiea Shopping Center. It's a great bowling alley and the restaurant serves incredible Alley-style fried chicken.
Aiea Bowl
There are two branches in Honolulu. If you want the best Japanese patisserie in Hawaii, this is the place. The cakes are light and soft with interesting flavours. I recommend the passionfruit meringue tart and the mango & papaya cake.
kulu kulu ーJapanese Style Cake Shop
A popular breakfast restaurant, famous for their giant soufflé pancakes. The pancakes are amazing, cooked all the way through, so no eggy taste. You'll have to wait outside for a seat - prepare to get your name butchered by the boisterous waiter as h...
Aloha Kitchen
Beautiful and peaceful botanical garden with a collection of exotic trees and plants. There's a pond with a gorgeous cluster of Red Devil fish that come to the edge of the bank.
Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden
There is a branch in London so I'm familiar with this. It's one of the better bubble tea places. I had a creme brulee flavour which had pieces of creme brulee inside - interesting, does get sickly eventually.
The Alley
This is a good shopping center in Waikiki. They have a free hula show daily at 5pm.
Ala Moana Center
We've had several açai bowls in this trip and this is one of the best.
Tropical Tribe
A snazzy izakaya in Waikiki. Food quality is good but not Japanese level. Their steak with wasabi on the side is especially lush. Their food gets sold out fast so best not to go there too late.
Waikiki Shokudo
I like this trendy cafe. They serve fresh and nutritious food and drinks. I'm not a fan of tomatoes but the tomatoes on their basil and mozerella toast is surprisingly sweet.
ALOH Health Bar & Cafe
Better beach park than Waikiki Beach.
FORT DERUSSY BEACH PARK
If you're a mango fanatic like me, definitely check this out. It serves sago desserts, cakes, flavoured teas and sticky rice. I wish I had gone there more often.
Mango Mango Dessert
This sells cute waterproof travel bags, beach bags, rucksacks and kits with Hawaiian designs.
ALOHA Collection
A man-made peninsula adjacent to Ala Moana beach. The water is so calm there and there's plenty of space to sit and have a picnic or a snooze.
Magic Island
This is a very popular volcano hike and requires a time slot reservation at $5. The climb is easy with a very gradual incline that even an unfit person could climb without sweating. As you climb higher, the ground becomes more uneven. Oh yeah, and th...
Diamond Head
It's run by Captain Krash, Shannon, and Sushi the dog. Before we jumped in the water, Krash threw in fish feed so we got to see a magical school of tropical fish underwater. Shannon made sure that everyone got to see the turtles underwater or on the ...
Oahu Catamaran Snorkel Tour: See Turtles 100% Guaranteed
Most clubs/bars in Honolulu are too cramped and made for uni students. This is the only place I can recommend for good music and vibes. Plus it has a stash of card and board games to keep you entertained.
Red Bar
Maui
Serene, quiet beach in Kihei. It has an impressive cluster of tall palm trees along its park.
Lipoa Street Beach
Holy shit, this is an incredible bake shop! I had their passionfruit key lime pie and the flavours exploded in my mouth. I wish I could've tried their other pastries.
Sugar Beach Bake Shop - Kihei
A humble market with fresh produce, smoothies and açai bowls. I beg of you to get their home-baked banana bread - absolute perfection!
Farmers Market Maui, Kihei
Located in the Macy's Shopping Center near the airport. The room is chill and the kitties are sweet and well taken care of.
Cat Cafe Maui
A popular beach to see windsurfing, and giant turtles resting on the shore in the corner.
Ho'okipa Beach Park
Another beach with turtles, this one quieter than Ho'okipa. There is no barrier so you can get pretty close to the turtles - just don't touch them or disturb their slumber.
Kaulahao Beach
Cute little community center not too far from Paia. You can buy fresh produce there like tangerines and mangoes. A couple of ponies called Yeti and Petunia live there. There's a room where locals hold classes, workshops and recitals.
La'akea Village
An organic supermarket in Paia with lots of different fresh produce at an affordable price. Their hot meal selection is good.
Mana Foods
A popular seafood restaurant that serves grilled fish, fried fish or fish tacos and quesadillas. The food looks mouthwatering but sadly the fish is tasteless on its own.
Paia Fish Market
This ice cream shop has been around since 1932. It serves a wide range of rich, delicious flavours. I had the chocolate Paniolo Ride, which was lush.
Roselani Scoop Shop
Nice, quiet beach in Paia. You can catch a few windsurfers practising there.
Baldwin Beach Park
I like the vibes of this place. I'm not a coffee drinkers but my friends say it's great.
Maui Coffee Roasters
We used this guide to explore the route to Hana. You get useful tips and suggestions for each stop, learn some interesting facts about Maui, and listen to some nice Hawaiian music between pauses. We couldn't finish it as the winding roads along the c...
Road to Hana – Self-Guided Maui Audio Driving Tour
A stunning rainforest hike with three different waterfalls. The first waterfall is a 5 minute walk from the parking lot. Second waterfall is rocky and not recommended to swim in. Third waterfall is the most magical but to get there you have to wade t...
Twin Falls Maui
A pit stop near the Garden of Eden Arboretum, which we completely missed. I had a tuna kimchi toastie which was banging. Mind the peahens, they can be bold when hungry.
Savor Maui
Technically we didn't go there. We were 7 minutes drive away from the park entrance when we gave up and turned back. Don't be like us and wake up at 5:30am to take an hour drive up the mountain. You'll be too late to see the sunrise. Just go in the a...
Haleakalā National Park
A flea market with very very cheap souvenirs and jewellery. I highly recommend the huli huli chicken - best chicken I ever had in Hawaii.
Kihei Swap Meet
When I become rich, I will book a room in this hotel.
Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort