Hawaii - Oahu & The Big Island

Oahu

Aloha - We flew into Honolulu for a few days to start our trip off. We stayed at the Waikiki Beach Mariott Resort & Spa. As you can see in the photo below, our view from our balcony was incredible.

When we arrived we met up with some friends for drinks at Dukes then wandered around to a few other spots for the night. Everything was in close walking distance. No transportation needed.

These Hawaiian musicians made my night. I know I was in Hawaii, but this just made it seem all the more real.

Our first full day we did a tour of the Island of Oahu and Pearl Harbour. My in-laws booked the trip, so I can not say who we did our tour through. We saw many beautiful parts of the island - the black sand beaches, Nu'uanu Pali (a great lookout point) and North Shore, to name a few. After driving around the island, they dropped us off at the USS Arizona Memorial and Pearl Harbour. What a sobering experience. I definitely recommend visiting (with or without kids).

That pretty much summed up our time on the Island of Oahu. There were a few things I wish would we would have time to seen. The Polynesian Culture Center was one, but it is closed on Sundays and the Dole Pineapple Factory. I have heard amazing reviews about both.

THE BIG ISLAND

We took a little plane over to The Big Island where most of our vacation was spent. We stayed at a wonderful hotel The Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa It was within walking distance to a little grocery store where we bought snacks and some restaurants. There were hammocks hung throughout the resort and I was able to enjoy them numerous times. The views from the water here (especially the sunsets) were incredible.

Most days were spent reading books by the pool or the beach. We did rent a car for a few days to go see some of the island. We drove to Kona one night for dinner at Bubba Gumps (this was the first time I had ever heard of one of these so was pretty excited, but now know it is just a chain, and not that great of one, at least in my opinion). We spent one other day exploring The Big Island. We visited some volcano craters, the Lili'uokalani Gardens and saw some beautiful waterfalls (Akaka and Rainbow Falls are the 2 that I can recall).

Hawaii is breathtaking. All of it! I feel there is still so much more to still see. One day we will have to return.