The Hale Koa

    Our hotel, the Hale Koa, is actually part of an American military installation called Fort Derussy. 

     There's an armed soldier guarding the front gate which  nobody can get past without a military ID.
​    The hotel was built on Waikiki Beach as a recreation center for members of the active duty and retired military, which was how we're able to stay here,  Tom having 20 years of military service. 
    The hotel rooms are located in two twelve-story buildings called called Maile Tower and Elima        Tower.
    We're on the sixth floor of  Maile Tower.

    Our room is fairly basic,  and we were told that it would be inspected each morning to make sure that we haven't left it overly messy. I'm not sure what happens if your room is messy.  Maybe you have to march around the hotel, or something.

Oh, and our room card keys are blank.  Which I guess is OK so long as you don't forget your room number.  There's probably some kind of disciplinary action for that, too.

      But  anyway, our room  has a lovely terrace called a lanai overlooking palm trees and a bit of the ocean on one side,

​...and downtown Honolulu on the other.

    And though the rooms may be a bit on the Spartan side (or, at least ours is), the rest of the hotel is absolutely gorgeous.
    The lobby is a wide veranda open on two sides.

    There are a number of upscale shops off the lobby and on the hotel's lower level, including a beauty salon, a flower shop,

...where I found something I'd never before seen or even conceived of:  vanilla frosting-filled Combos!  I bought a bag.  Just one.  I hope this PX is the only place these vanilla frosting-filled Combos exist.   I could see me developing an addiction if these little bad boys ever crossed over to the mainland.

    On the lower level there are two pools, one of them right on the beach:

    A botanical garden:

      There's a playground for the soldiers' children, which there are many here,

...as well as tennis courts in the park across the street from the hotel, which is also military property.

    And, of course, there are places to eat. 
    The Hale Koa has several restaurants, coffee bars and snack shops to choose from.  So far we've tried the Koko Cafe where we ate twice yesterday.  The Koko Cafe is  a buffet restaurant with an ocean view and the most awesomely delicious food.

For breakfast I tried the eggs benedict and  tricolor potatoes, a plate of papayas, grapefruit and pineapples, then I went back and tried the  eggs florentine and the strawberry cream cheese blintzes.

    We returned to the Koko Cafe again last night  for the dinner buffet, which was $28 per person.

     I started with the duck a l'orange in Grand Manier sauce,the roast pork, asparagus and potatoes,

​...then at Tom's suggestion went back for the Asian Ratatouille and the braised short ribs with sauteed vegetables, which Tom swore was the very best roast beef he'd ever eaten.  I can't dispute him.

    Then we hit the dessert and ice cream sundae bars.

    As you can imagine, our dinner conversation consisted mostly of , "Ummmmm!"

    After dinner we stepped off-post onto Waikiki Beach, passing on our way The Happy Shack, one of the post restaurants, located right on the beach.

    Not only is the Hale Koa a nice place, but the staff is lovely. Everyone we've dealt with has been among the nicest, friendliest hotel staff we've ever met.  
    And of course the hotel guests are all very friendly and sociable and helpful to each other, as military people tend to be.
    Anyway, I guess all of this begs the question:
    Who'd of thought it would be possible to have a great vacation without leaving an army post?
    

    But what an army post!