Best beach in America

[spleen93]

So, did anybody else watch the Travel Channel's America's Best Beaches? #1 beach in America - Poipu Beach on Kauai. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Spleen

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff00ff&cdt=2004;6;9;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]  until RSSC Navigator - Canada - 6/04

Carnival Conquest - W. Caribbean - 10/03, Celebrity Infinity - Alaska - 6/03, Ocean Princess - Alaska - 7/02

[bambam]

Aloha Spleen - I missed it - Where did Lanikai finish - or did it make the top ten??

BAMnJAM
Carnival Imagingation '96
RCC Majesty '98
Sun Princess '00
NCL Star '04

Proud charter member (x2) of the PPS - yeah!!

[creek42]

Spleen!

I grew up in Pearl City in the 60's.....that was 40 yrs ago. My husband wants to go to Hawaii in the next couple of years. I am afraid that it has changed too much and want to keep my memory alive. My mother has been back and told me that it has changed drastically! My son stopped by for three days on the way back from Australia and said that Wakiki is very tourist with a lot of undesirables on the street. I used to walk around there at night with no problem, we used to play with the crabs in the alawaii canal, and walk to the International Market Place. My question is, we used to go to the sacrafice grounds, which were not public then, and to Bellows air force beach, can you tell me how that beach is doing now? Is the Ilikai Hotel still standing...it was the nicest and tallest at that time,Where Elvis used to stay. I really would like to go back, but do not want to ruin my memories of the way it was! My schools were Pearl City Kai, and Jefferson elementary, are they still there. We lived in Pearl City on waiiwa rd. Anything that you can report back will be appreciated.......Mahalo Nui

[Hawaiian Eye]

[quote name='bambam']Aloha Spleen - I missed it - Where did Lanikai finish - or did it make the top ten??

BAMnJAM
Carnival Imagingation '96
RCC Majesty '98
Sun Princess '00
NCL Star '04

Proud charter member (x2) of the PPS - yeah!![/QUOTE]



SSSSSSShhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

I wanna keep Lanikai a secret. Besides, they don't even have a bathroom. :cool:

[debtman7]

I think they have a criteria for touristy places, there are nicer beaches on kauai than poipu beach :)

[Hawaiian Eye]

[quote name='creek42']Spleen!

I grew up in Pearl City in the 60's.....that was 40 yrs ago. My husband wants to go to Hawaii in the next couple of years. I am afraid that it has changed too much and want to keep my memory alive. My mother has been back and told me that it has changed drastically! My son stopped by for three days on the way back from Australia and said that Wakiki is very tourist with a lot of undesirables on the street. I used to walk around there at night with no problem, we used to play with the crabs in the alawaii canal, and walk to the International Market Place. My question is, we used to go to the sacrafice grounds, which were not public then, and to Bellows air force beach, can you tell me how that beach is doing now? Is the Ilikai Hotel still standing...it was the nicest and tallest at that time,Where Elvis used to stay. I really would like to go back, but do not want to ruin my memories of the way it was! My schools were Pearl City Kai, and Jefferson elementary, are they still there. We lived in Pearl City on waiiwa rd. Anything that you can report back will be appreciated.......Mahalo Nui[/QUOTE]


Some things have changed, others haven't. There's a lot more homeless people wherever you go, not just in Hawaii. But Waikiki is still pretty safe to walk around in at night. Kaulakaua and Kuhio Streets are major walking streets for tourists. The beachwalk along Kalakaua is very nicely landscaped with fountains, pools, statues and plants. Don't know about the sacrifice grounds, but Bellows is still a fine beach for an outing. Nice easy waves for the kids to boogy board. Just past the public area is the military section that will get you in with an ID. It's more developed than the public side, but the views are still spectacular.

And yes, there's still construction going on at King and Dillingham. :cool:

[spleen93]

Creek - what Hawaiian Eye said. :) Jefferson Elementary is still there - never heard of Pearl City [b]Kai[/b] (high school?). There's Pearl City High School though. Bellows is still a very nice beach. Things have been much more developed than where you grew up here ... it might be quite a shock to come back and find out how much traffic exists on Oahu now. Waikiki is still safe to walk I think as long as you stick to the main boulevards. And yes, the Ilikai is still standing though very outclassed by its neighbors now. You certainly wouldn't want to play with any of the crabs in the Ala Wai these days - polluted canal that it is, though improving with the dredging that they recently did.

I still think for nostalgia's sake, you might want to come back and visit. I would stay somewhere else than Waikiki though - maybe the Ihilani or Turtle Bay. :) The North Shore really hasn't changed all that much except for the highway bypass by Haleiwa.

Spleen

[creek42]

Spleen; and Hawaiian eye, Thank you so much....it sure brings back memories! Very good ones! Can you still go around Kiana Point? I can only imagine the traffic, it was bad back when we were there!

[bankofdad]

[quote name='spleen93']I still think for nostalgia's sake, you might want to come back and visit.
Spleen[/QUOTE]

What Spleen says - come back and have a great time!

A few years ago I came back for the first time since I had left living there in 1983. I had the same feeling you have, but DW had never been to Hawaii and always wanted to go, so I took her.

The first few days we stayed in Waikiki (at the Sheraton Waikiki), and I felt it was very different than when I had frequented the area when I was younger. IMHO, and this is just MHO, I don't know if it felt any less touristy to me (and I never looked at the touristy feel in a negative way even when I lived there), but it was a different tourist feel.

The Honolulu area is much more travel freindly to our Asian cousins now, with many more multi-lingual signage and tour operators than I remember; with the tourist (and general) population reflecting that need very much. DW and I really enjoyed meeting people vacationing from places like Japan and Korea (although they certainly spoke our language better than I spoke theirs)! It still had the relaxing feel I had remembered (except when your diriving:eek: , but in all honesty it's still not anywhere near as bad as Chicago or LA, places I've also lived).

The North Shore on Oahu, well it seeamed exactly the same to me, and I will always have a special palce in my heart for the area from Sunset Beach to Haleiwa.

Go back and have a great time! The only problem is, you may even appreaciate it more and visiting Hawaii might become a travel addiction like mine!

[spleen93]

You cannot go around Kaena Point any more. They've closed off the road and made it into a wild seabird sanctuary. It's actually really nice in that area - if you have an interest in birds, well worth making the short hike out there. A lot of booby chicks in the right season (I just realized that that sounded REALLY bad) :D

Spleen

[daWoods]

[quote name='spleen93']You cannot go around Kaena Point any more. They've closed off the road and made it into a wild seabird sanctuary. It's actually really nice in that area - if you have an interest in birds, well worth making the short hike out there. A lot of booby chicks in the right season (I just realized that that sounded REALLY bad) :D

Spleen[/QUOTE]
Or really good. It could increase the popularity of the area.:D