Last full day in Oahu! We started the day by picking up our rental car from Enterprise (they are located at the hotel so pick up / drop off is easy, and don’t have to pay for parking), and then going back to the Ala Moana Center to buy a Grand Seiko watch (a friend needed to sleep on the decision). I also got a chance to try out the poke bowl at Foodland Farms. Details here:
We then headed to the north part of the island to check out surfers at The Banzai Pipeline.
Along the way was stopped by the Dole Plantation to eat some Dole Whip (ice cream), and walk around the pineapple gardens.
We also stopped by Shark’s Cove to see the waves (although didn’t see any sharks… apparently there are non-human eating sharks there).
When we finally got to The Banzai Pipeline, we spent 40 minutes there. There were lots of surfers, but only saw a handful actually riding the large waves (waves can get up to 20 feet). Was able to capture 2 videos though!
From the pipeline we were gonna head over to Lanakai Beach, but didn’t have enough time in terms of sunlight to do so, so we ended up heading back.
When we got back, we dropped of the car and headed to the International Marketplace to eat at a place called Herringbone. Here are the details:
For the actual last day in Oahu (ie 3 hours before heading to the airport), checked out Waikiki beach and went into the water for 30 minutes. Then had our last (quick) meal at this poke bowl place:
Started the morning with hiking! We first went to Diamond Head for our 9am ticket. The hike was fairly easy and fast, only taking us about 45 minutes to complete.
So we then decided to try a harder hike, Koko Crater. This hike was definitely intense. Needed to take five 30 seconds to 2 minutes breaks for the last 1/3 of the climb. Made it up to the top in 30 minutes, and slightly under 30 minutes back down. Definitely great view of Haunama Bay and Waikiki.
After, went to The Pig and the Lady at a town called Kaimuki (the town is a log the way back to the hotel. Apparently not really anything notable to do in the area except if you want to eat at a certain restaurant). Details can be found here:
Wanted to explore going from South Waikiki back to our hotel (which is considered North Waikiki), so we ended up walking back (without stops probably a 25 minute walk).
Started walking close to the beach, where we ran into an old Banyan tree. Then the road sort of splits from the beach, so then explored where all the high end shops are, and the International Marketplace Mall. Then ended up in the “resort area” near our hotel (where we had been at night a few days ago), and then back at our hotel for Pina coladas.
After taking a quick nap, we headed over to the Ala Moana Center for some shopping (surprisingly it wasn’t busy for Black Friday).
Some stores we visited included: Rolex (wanted to confirm the fit of their 40mm Explorer), Grand Seiko (spent 40 minutes in this store. friend wanted to get a watch with Spring Drive), Travis Matthew’s, Uniqlo (got a tank top), and Foodland Farms (for a poke bowl, but just missed their poke station time. They close at 9pm while the store closes at 10pm).
After shopping got a lite bite and cocktails at a place called Eleven:
To end the night, saw an EDM show at a place called Hawaiian Brian’s Social Club (called HB), which is like a 5 minute walk from Ala Moana Center. Fake Illenium, Sabai, performed (gotta say he was better than the first time I saw him at midway).
Started the day early at 5am to venture to Haunama Bay.
As an fyi, we got tickets the day before noticing that there were two tickets available on the site for the 5:40am pick up.
From getting picked up, we stopped by a water sports rental place (ie to get towels or snorkel gear).
When we got to the entrance, needed to wait to hear a 10 minute orientation (about what to not do while snorkeling like touching fishes and turtles). So we effectively started our snorkel session at 8am.
Snorkeling at the bay was pretty decent. Still not as good as Big Island (specifically Cook’s Island). But there were still a variety of fish to see, and also got to see a turtle!
The beach itself was fairly clean, and well maintained. Water temperature went well with the weather.
And to sum it up, as one puts it, Haunama Bay experience is like Disney Land for snorkeling, in that it is fairly organized in terms of getting there and entrance fee (there is even a museum before the entrance area).
Pro tip for next time, bring a flask of whisky!
After snorkeling we went back to the hotel, and I got an Açaí bowl for lunch. Not gonna lie, I’m sold on it!
We then waited till 5:30pm for our Luau plus (thanksgiving) dinner.
At the luau they had things like temporary tattoos, and creating flower bracelets.
The show itself was around 1 hour. They did dances from various Polynesian countries. Two thing I learned:
-New Zealand is one of the corner of the Polynesian triangle.
-Fire flame dance is from Samoa.
Overall, I did enjoy the show and food, but not sure if it was worth $300 for a ticket (plus thought the luau show could have been at least 1.5 hours, and have more than 1 dance with fire).
And that pretty much ended the night (although watched Roofman as a night cap).
Started off the day with getting a ham quiche from a pastry / drip coffee place at the hotel, plus a latte from Lappert’s.
After took a long and non trivially priced uber to the north side of the island to Kualoa Ranch.
I ended up booking the Jurassic Adventure tour. Here are the highlights:
-Kualoa ranch has Kualoa Mountain behind it (hence its name).
-First stop was Jurassic World (the gate where the two kids in a jeep crash through).
-Second area pointed out the bunkers used in WWII by the military.
-The third area pointed out was the u-shaped military tunnel that goes through the mountain.
-The fourth stop was another Jurassic World scene.
-The fifth stop was from Jurassic Park (most of it was shot in Kaui, but this particular one was shot in Oahu).
-Sixth stop was Godzilla foot prints (they were 8 feet deep originally, but they filled them up since).
-There was also a shot in Pearl Harbor that was shot here that we drove by.
-The next stop was an area also from Jurassic World
-The final stop was also from Jurassic world
Overall I liked the tour as it gives you good coverage of the ranch and the movies that were shot there. Also great views! However I think it could have easily been under 2 hours instead of 2.5. Also waiting for an uber to pick me up took 30 minutes!
After decided to finish the Pearl Harbor Musesum (so yes Ubers there from Kualoa Ranch) and go to the USS Bowfin. Took only 20 minutes to go through the sub.
Afterwards we explored around the Waikiki resort area (where our hotel is located. I will say that there are really nice resorts in the area. One of them is the Sheraton. We walked through it to get to cocktail bar called Mai Tai bar. Details can be found here:
We then headed to another resort I would consider staying at, the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort, which had the restaurant we were getting dinner at, called Monkeypod. Details here:
First day we left SFO at 6:30pm, and arrived at HNL at 10pm (40 minutes earlier than expected). Took a taxi to the hotel (next time would take an uber since it’s cheaper and less pressure to pay cash).
Arrived at the hotel / resort (Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Resort, Ali’i tower) at 10:30. Most of the shops in the resort were closed except the general store. So got some chips and High Noons, watches a bit of Pearl Habor and called it a night.
Next day woke up at 7:30am, and got coffee at a place called Lappert’s Hawaii. They also had ice cream. Wouldn’t probably go back for coffee since they don’t have oat milk, or hazelnut. But may go back for ice cream.
Also tried a spam musubi croissant for breakfast. Without the seaweed on top it tasted pretty good.
At 11am, arrived at Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. Put my name in the standby for the Arizona memorial, and got in at the 12:00pm slot. Visited the road to war museum while I waited near the visitor center.
The USS Arizona Memorial i think was worth it. The memorial is above the ship, and you could see parts of the ship penetrating the water line.
After the memorial headed to the USS Missouri using a shuttle (it is on Ford Island). I took the 35 minute guided tour, which I think is worth it to explain the significance of the ship with respect to WWII (took a tour of the bow, surrender deck where the Japanese surrendered, and the kamikaze deck where a Japanese pilot was found dead, but buried out to sea). After the guided tour, the 2nd deck was interesting. Although no weaponry, it focused on how it was like to live on the ship. It had the cafeteria, quarters, chief mess. Also going up to the bridge after was a different experience as well.
A history on the USS Missouri is that it was started to be built in Jan 1941 and finished 3 years later. It served in WWII, Cold War, and in the 80s.
Afterwards (after waiting 40 minutes for the shuttle) headed to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. Because of time constraints, zipped by it fairly fast. Notable things I did look at was hanger 37 (start of the muses with Japanese Zero as the main showcase), the plane used in the Doolittle project, Hanger 79 (had planes like F-15a, and also mostly survived the attack.. and has a cool flag hanging in it) and the Ford Island control tower (looks like the movie).
Unfortunately was able to check out the USS Bowfin submarine (was 4 minutes late for the last entry).
One clear message from today: Freedom isn’t free.
Afterwards went to the hotel and caught a quick sunset at the beach at our hotel.
Then we headed for dinner near the Downtown / Chinatown area. Restaurant was called Yohei Sushi. Details can be found here:
Then head for drinks at a Tiki Bar in Chinatown. I will say that Chinatown area at night is a bit sketchy. However bars in it are good. Details can be found here on the bar:
The day started by attending mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral (which is attached to a large beautiful park near our hotel).
Then headed to the Guinness Storehouse. We did the Connoisseur tasting and tour. The tasting was at a private pub area. Here are the 4 special drinks we had:
-Citrus, grapefruit, Guinness IPA
-Regular guinness, but from a bottle (no nitrogen). Chocolate, coffee and caramel
-Guinness superior porter. Vanilla and derkncherries
-Guinness special export. 8%. Dark raisin and dark chocolate
Here are some fun facts from the bar tender from the tasting:
-Signed a 9000 year free water contract. No government to enforce it, so not really valid today
-For past 9 years they also brewed some Budweiser
-Porter was named after the workers (aka porters)
-If you donated blood in Ireland before, you were given 3 bottles of Guinness
-Guinness takes care of their staff. Even at 2025, they call their 80 year old former workers. They even provide them a social club for them
-Arthur II (son of the founder also named Arthur) created Guinness stout in a bottle. It does not have nitrogen though, compared to the draught version
-In 1990, created the canned version has a ball full of nitrogen. When you open the can, the ball drops and releases the nitrogen
-A new innovation is they have a can with dead nitrogen, and there is a device you put on top of the can that releases sound waves to wake up the dead oxygen (can has to be larger though)
-Why does Guinness taste better in Ireland? It’s because they have quality teams that goes to the bars that serve them and clean the taps
—Also regular regular pours. Need 1 pour every 8 minutes
Some suggestions from the bar tender about Dublin in general…
-Temple Bar (which we went to the previous night before) is the most tourist trap in Ireland
-Cobblestone pub is good for Irish entertainment. Beside the Jameson distillery.
-Braisen head. Great pies
-Pub that feels like a house. Lord Edward house. Go to the upstairs
-Sole. Backings are a must. Number one seafood recommendation
-Bar1661 can make cocktails with 90% alcohol
-Try dirty fries. Handsome burgers
-Liberty bell… has terrible karaoke
After the Connoisseur tasting, we went through the regular self guided tour. We did it fairly quickly since we had to get to our next destination. The tour itself was fairly interactive. Some key points are that Guinness’s dark color is from roasting the grain to 232 degrees Celsius, Water is important for its tastes (made up of 95% water).
We also went to the top floor, which is the highest bar in Dublin. Only spent 5 minutes, but it would be a good spot to hang out for a bit.
Afterwards we headed to Trinity College (part of The University of Dublin) to look at the Book of Kells. We weren’t allowed to take a picture of the book, but what page it was open to was a picture of the 4 Gospel Evengelist, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The book was made around the 800s and it is mainly just the Gospel but with man illustrations. It was stolen once, and in the 1600s was given to the university, and placed in the Long Room library. That room has lots of philosopher statues, and famous authors like Shakespeare (whose first portfolios are stored there).
Afterwards, we headed to this fast food Chinese place to get an Irish dish called spice bag:
Then walked around a near by park since we were in the vicinity called St. Stephen’s Green Park. Lots of people just chilling (like you could do on a Sunday in Golden Gate Park). Beside it was a mall called Stephen’s Green Shopping Center. We went through it. It has shops and a department store, but it’s nothing to write home about.
We did go back to our hotel to rest up (and I did a 3 mile run). Then we grabbed drinks at the hotel bar, and headed our way towards dinner. We walked along George St / Castle market area, and noticed on Drury St that even on a Sunday people were drinking in a street, and even sitting down on the street while drinking.
Here is the restaurant we tried, which was definitely great for seafood:
Walked back after dinner, and noticed two things. One is that people do casually puke on the street (and go back to drinking), and two garbage trucks run over plastic pylons).
And that is a wrap for Ireland.
…
The next day flew out of DUB at 11:35am (flight got delayed until 12:20). Some facts about the airport: (1) after security, go to the lounge before pre-clearance (1 minute detour), (2) pre-clearance does have global entry, but took still 15 minutes (since there is another line before getting to the actual border agents), (3) there is a “duty” free shop after pre-clearance (where I bought Redbreast 15), (4) gate information won’t be available until after pre-clearance where there are monitors
We started the day by leaving our hotel in central cork and heading towards Midleton for the Midleton Distillery tour (ie where Jameson is made).
Our tour guide was great, and I learned a lot. Here are the main facts from the tour…
-Difference between malt whisky and Irish whisky is that the former just uses grinded malted barley, while Irish uses malted and unmalted barley
-Difference between beer and whisky is that distilling brings the alcohol from 20% (beer) to 40%
-Shoveling the coal to the wash still was the 2nd hardest job (but required skill because they had to slowly increase the temperature)
-Pot still vs continuous distillation…
—Pot still distillation, the beer gets boiled at 78 degrees and rises as vapor. When it cools down the first time, it becomes x %. Doing this two more times brings it up to 84%. This known as triple distillation (how red breast and others are made). These are more full. Bodies whiskies.
—For continuous distillation, I think it doesn’t turn back to liquid, and uses steam somehow to bring the alcohol overage up. Whisky from this process is more light.
—Mixing in continuous distillation and pot still distillation is how Jameson is made. This is also known as blended whisky
-By Irish law, you need to store it in a barrel for 3 years
-They also produce gin, using some herbal flowers
-For barrels, the use some from America (from the bourbon barrels… and by definition bourbons can only use barrels once, which is why they ship them to Ireland) (notes from American barrels are vanilla). They also use Spanish sherry barrels (fruits notes), and from Porto,
-Barrels are kept in untouched temperatures. Slight warmer in summary, and colder in winter
-Before putting it to the barrel they need to add water to bring the alcohol from 84% to 64%
-Straight from the barrel is known as cask strength (and alcohol percentage is usually higher since they don’t dilute it????)
-Angel share is the term used when the whisky liquids reduces over time in the barrel (but it gets more flavor the longer it is in the barrel).
At the end of the tour, we had a tasting of regular Jameson, Greenspot, and Redbreast 12. Actually liked Greenspot the best. Liked the Redbreast the least since I thought it tasted like bourbon.
After the tour we did the premium whisky tasting as well. We had a Jameson black barrel, Powers, Redbreast 15, and Middleton 2024 Rare. Liked the Middleton the best, followed by the Redbreast 15, then the Jameson, then the Powers (this one was not fruity at all).
After the tour, I ended up bottling my own Jameson black barrel cask strength (can only get this barrel at this distillery).
Before leaving Midleton we walked around the downtown area. A mix between Aberlour, but more businesses.
From there, headed towards Dublin. We did stop by Rock of Cashel (which looks like a Castle). According to Google AI “The Rock of Cashel, often mistakenly called Cashel Castle, is a historic site in County Tipperary, Ireland, with a rich history spanning centuries. It was the seat of the Kings of Munster before becoming a significant religious center. While not a traditional castle, it features a complex of medieval buildings, including a cathedral, Cormac’s Chapel, and a round tower.“ And it was said that St Patrick converted the King to Catholicism.
From there headed straight to Dublin. First dropped off the rental car at the the Avis downtown, then checked into our hotel at Radisson Blu Royal.
After, we checked out this Michelin recommended restaurant, called Spitalfields. Details here:
Then checked out the nightlife in Dublin. Pubs and bars usually close at 1am. “Late night” places like nightclubs close at 2:30 or 3am.
We first visited The Stag’s Head on Dame St to see some comedy. Unfortunately Gunther a bit too late (around 11:30), but still was able to get drinks and listen to some Irish music downstairs. This area in general has lots of nightlife (bars/pubs/clubs).
We then went to Izakaya, where they were playing house-ish EDM music on the lower level, and more main stream at the main level. They are open late. They also are Japanese and serve Toki highballs.
After, checked out the Temple Bar area (yes it’s an area), but went into the actually bar where they had something similar to a piano bar, but with a guitar. Got a Macallan 12 there.
We then checked out an area close by (not sure if it’s name) where there are other dance clubs: Wigwam (this one was sold out), Yamamori (friend did not feel like checking it out, but would have wanted to check out the vibe), and The Grand Social (closes at 1am, and really seems like a pub).
For G areas, the Pawn Shop, and club next to it seem like good candidates (and they’re open at least till 3am). Pawn shop is known for their electronic music in general.
Last area we went to was Camden St. it was happening, but we might have been too late since it was already 2:15am. This is where we ended the night.
First part of the day was going around the Ring of Kerry (recommended stop we followed were mainly from chatGPT). We started at our hotel in Killarney, The Lake Hotel, and drove 15 minutes south to our first stop, Torc Waterfall. After parking we followed the yellow trail to get to the waterfall. It was a moderate hike in terms of elevation, but definitely recommend doing it. Waterfall was also a good view. The area in general is a good area for hiking trails (and is part of the Killarney National Park).
We then headed to the next recommend stop, Ladies View. It was a quick stop of a high scenic view of the lakes. Worth the stop.
The third stop was Moll’s Gap. Definitely worth skipping (nothing really to see).
Fourth stop was at a town called Sneem. Main attractions are the scultpure park and the bridge. I would say it’s optional to stop by, but would recommend getting lunch there if you hadn’t eaten yet.
Next stop was Kerry Cliffs (which itself is slightly off the Ring of Kerry. It’s in the Skellig Ring). Definitely recommend visiting it for the views.
Next we visited one other site that was off the Ring of Kerry, Valencia Island, to view the Tetrapod footprints (the animals were supposedly one of the first animals to set foot on land on earth, and they are 1 meter long)). Not sure if it was worth the detour, since not sure if the footprints were real.
Last stop was Roseebeigh beach. Not worth the stop (just a plain beach).
In summary, the must sees are the Torc Waterfall, Kerry Cliffs, and Ladies view. The skippable ones are Moll’s Gap and Rossbeigh beach. If there is a next time might spend 20 minutes hanging out in Glenbeigh along the way. And might try and do the west most European islands, Skellig Michael. Also, fyi, driving the ring is pretty intense because half the time the roads do not fit two cars (you have to give way to people coming on the opposite side).
Afterwards, we headed for a 2 hour drive to our hotel in Cork, the Clayton Cork Hotel, located in the center of the city.
Soon after arriving we had a reservation at a seafood restaurant a block away called Goldie. Details here:
In terms of exploring the city for nightlife, you basically have Oliver Plunkett St happening with lots of bars and pubs. St Patrick St is filled with shops, and has the classic Burger King open late. For a touristy Irish dive bar with folk music, we churches out Sin E (recommended by a waitress). It is small, but there was Irish music. For electronic music, Resident Advisor said an event with Katie Butler (no Spotify and many sound cloud accounts with the same name) was happening at Dali. Music was all over the electronic spectrum, but ended up staying there for 1 hour. Crowd was my scene 😉
FYI the above is mainly around the St Patrick neighborhood. There is also the Victorian Quarter as well as others that would be good to visit next time.
Flew out of IBZ around 11am, and arrived at DUB at 1pm local time. Immigration was fairly fast.
We ended up renting a car, and driving west towards a town called Limerick.
At Limerick, we stopped by King John’s Castle. Learned 4 things about the castle:
-Henry II invaded Ireland and ordered the castle to be built for his son King John
-King John never actually entered it since he died 6 years after it was ordered to be built (died of dysentery)
-For some reason there was a siege/rebels (I think in the 1500s)
-lots of purses (to activate people speaking in the museum you had to lift these coin purses)
We then stopped by town to grab an early dinner. Parts of the town reminded me of the lower east side inn New York, while others were clearly more gentrified (and others looked like buildings were falling apart). Here is the restaurant we ate at, called Coqbull (and yes it is a play on what you’re thinking because the WiFi password is whipitout).
After we drove another 2 hours to Killarney. We passed by towns that looked similar to Aberlour, and lots of greenery.
At Killarney, first thing we did is check into our hotel, The Lake Hotel. It is actually pretty beautiful with the lake beside it (and a castle that is dilapidated).
The town of Killarney is also fairly nice, where you can definitely see people have their weddings here. We also ventured into town and checked out one Irish bar, Tinh Mary Donald’s, and got a Guiness (they also had trivia night going on). Also hopped into one other place, Kaynes Bar and Restaurant, to try Killarney whisky. It’s not bad, but also wouldn’t be my first choice.
Then ubered back to the hotel to get a complimentary night cap at the hotel bar.
Today we decided to take it easier, and had a late start at 1pm. First stop was the Livraria Lello bookstore. Apparently many authors in the past were inspired by its architecture. They also (unfortunately falsely) have claimed that JK Rowling has elements of Diagonal Aly inspired from it (she confirmed in an interview this is incorrect).
The book store itself was architecturally interesting, and they re-printed classic books in a smaller form which was cool. Since the tickets could be used towards the cost of a book purchase (10 euros off), we bought two books: The Art of War, and Picture of Dorian Gray.
After the book store, grabbed a quick Aperol Spritz and headed towards Muu for lunch (great recommendation from a friend):
Then walked to the Chapel of Souls to take pictures of the blue and white tile art.
Then visited a nearby shopping mall called ViaCatarina (seemed like a typical mall).
After, took a small rest, and then headed towards the beach area Praia da Luz. (Note for future. Apparently Porto is typically windy in the afternoons, but not the mornings. So it’s better to go to the beach in the mornings).
There is a beach club in Praia da Luz (with the same name) that was great, and would highly recommend going back (ie EDM music was on point):
Although it was a cloudy/foggy, we ended up walking (and partly running) from Praia da Luz to the town of Matosinhos. Doing this instead of ubering was a great idea. Got to see other beach hangout spots (ie beach clubs) along the way. Also for next time, the beach at Matosinhos is highly recommended.
For dinner we did end up going to this seafood restaurant (5 Oceanos) to fill a friends seafood craving:
And that’s a wrap for Porto! (Note the next day when flying out, EasyJet bag drop off line was super long). Definitely get to the airport 2 hours before.
