Lunch at the venerable Halekulani, where the service was amazing — like when the bartender asked if he could take this great picture

After Kauai we made one more two-night stop in Honolulu before embarking on the six-hour flight to Tahiti. Two notable things about this stop:

First, we decided to give another hotel a try. So this time we stayed at Halekulani, a venerable Waikiki hotel that recently went through a huge renovation.So you got the best of all worlds: A great old hotel with a storied reputation and super contemporary design and amenities.

But the best part of our visit was reconnecting with our friends Andrew and Maia Rosen, whom we hadn’t seen in decades. Andrew was one of our classmates at the Kennedy School at Harvard. Maia was his girlfriend back then who went to the Harvard Education School and lived in the same dorm. We’ve kept tabs over the years but just hadn’t managed to connect in person until now — after they’d moved to Honolulu, married, and raised three sons.

Arriving at the credit union’s new headquarters, we knew we were in the right place when we found this life-size picture of Andrew building the place

Andrew is President and CEO of the Hawaii State Federal Credit Union. He suggested we meet him at the brand new headquarters he just devoted a couple years to building. So we agreed — but had to joke a bit about coming to Polynesia to tour a credit union. As we entered the building, Andrew told us how he wanted to build a space where people would love to work. And he insisted that his staff really liked working there. Of course, we kidded, that’s what they’re going to tell the boss!

The building, which they’d barely just moved into after a long renovation, was loaded with spaces for socializing, relaxing, and doing teamwork. The design was sort of Polynesian, sort of Japanese, sort of Zen. And when we reached the top floor we found a huge kitchen/entertaining space with expansive outdoor patios with really comfy furniture. And lo and behold, we met a bunch of super friendly staff, who were hanging out together after work and cooking, drinking, and having fun. And we heard an earful about how much they LOVE working there. It was all very impressive. In my next life I want to work for Andrew at the credit union!

After enjoying some wine on the lanai there, Andrew took us to the lovely and serene Pacific Club where well-heeled Hawaiians gather for drinks, meals, sport, and mingling. Then on to his home near Diamond Head to meet Maia and finish off a wonderful evening of catching up. It was as if no time at all had passed since grad school.

Martinis at the Pacific Club

At home with Maia

The pool and beach from the Halekulani gym

Waikiki at night rom our balcony

Jim luxuriating in the gorgeous water of Waikiki Beach

We are back on the road again, escaping the heat and humidity of New York summer. June in New York is pretty nice — just what you’d like summer to be. And this year June was really lovely. But the minute the calendar turns to July, a hellish blanket of humidity suddenly descends on the city, and you want out. This year we decided to escape to a beautiful corner of the world that has so far eluded us — French Polynesia.

Now French Polynesia is quite a trek from New York, so we decided to break up the trip with stops in Hawaii, both coming and going. The idea was to avoid connecting flights to the degree possible. So on the way to the South Pacific we decided to spend some time in Kauai, where Jim’s brother Albert has a vacation home. And on the way home, we’ll spend time on the Big Island. Previous trips have taken us to Maui and Oahu, so now we’ll have explored all four major islands of the Aloha State.

Our journey began with an 11-hour flight from JFK to Honolulu. In the spirt of avoiding connecting flights, we decided to recharge in Honolulu for a few days before catching an easy flight to Kauai.

This is our third visit to Honolulu, and the place has grown on us with each stay. In fact, we behaved like extreme creatures of habit this time. We stayed at the same hotel as last time. We ate at a restaurant we loved the last time — all three nights! And we spent both full days sitting on the beach at Waikiki and having lunch at the hotel restaurant that we enjoyed so much the last time. If it works, don’t fix it!

The view from our room at the Hawaiian Palace, an old classic with lots of charm and lots of pink

We love lunch at the outdoor bar at the Royal Hawaiian, where everything is extremely pink, especially Jim

The water at Waikiki Beach is so warm and beautiful

Dinner at Hy’s, a steakhouse with old world charm, friendly service, and great food

If you have dinner three nights in a row at the same place, you get to know Sarah the bartender pretty well

Jim’s view at the beach

Breakfast at the pink palace that is the Royal Hawaiian