Top 10 things I learned from the forum:

Just got back from 11 wonderful days on Oahu, and even though I%26#39;m a former local girl, I learned lots of useful things here that made our trip even better. While I%26#39;ll give a more detailed report later, here are my forum favorites, as a special mahalo to all of you:

1) $30 noise reduction headsets for the plane ride (thanks again, Jeeper!!)

2) Wildside Dolphin Tours (sailhawaii.com): I fulfilled a lifelong dream to swim w/dolphins, and got to hang out with the honu as well. I wouldn%26#39;t recommend the other tours, only this one. I will give a fuller description as to why later.

3) Dukes: yes, in all my years and visits to Oahu, I had never gone to Dukes, so we made it our first stop for dinner. It was a fun place, and this leads me to...

4) lava flows!! Never had one of these, either! So I had my first (of many...) that night at Dukes. Beats a mai-tai any day, in my opinion!

5) Buzz%26#39;s Steak House: we stayed a week in Kailua, and we ate there our first night. fantastic. And yes, another lava flow!

6) Percription snorkel masks: got a rental from Snorkel Bob%26#39;s, and was so glad. It worked so well I could even read through it! Highly recommended to the ';blind-as-a-bat'; among you who want to spend some time snorkeling.

7) Going to Costco for supplies- funny but I never thought of it before. When mom was in HI, she would take us to the PX for all our macadamia nuts and such, but costco proved a good substitute. Heck, you can even get a surfboard there!

8) Cheesburger in Paradise- another place I probably wouldn%26#39;t have gone to otherwise, since I figure you can always get a good burger at home. But these were REALLY good and we had a good tiime

9) Bubbie%26#39;s ice cream in Koko Marina: ono-licious hand made mochi ice cream!! We went there after Haunama and would never have known about it without you guys!

10) Tipping the boat crew: OK, remember that highly charged tipping forum a whole back? Well, I%26#39;ve never been on a snorkeling or boat tour before, so it didn%26#39;t occur to me to tip the crew, but you regular scuba divers said it was customary after a good trip. SO, I came prepared with extra cash, and was glad I did.

So there you have it- notice how many are related to food??? Yeah, that%26#39;s where my mind is at!! Thank you all, and more details to follow.

Top 10 things I learned from the forum:

Sounds like you had a great time...so looking forward to your more detailed trip report!

Top 10 things I learned from the forum:

macjack...I also just got back from your neck of the woods...San Francisco...my daughter just graduated from dental school there...we had a great time!

LOVE LOVE LOVE Buzz%26#39;s Steak House in Kailua -- oh and NO credit cards (Unless they%26#39;ve recently changed!)