Thursday
We woke up super early to finish packing and to get ready, then we headed to the airport. After a long flight, we finally landed in Hawaii. My mom was waiting to pick us up and we went straight to Fort Island (Pearl Harbor) to do some shopping at the NEX and commissary (Dad is retired military so he and mom often utilize the benefits of base shopping for groceries and basically anything else you can think of). After way too much time spent looking for Hawaiian shirts and dresses at the NEX, we finally met up with my dad. We went to Anna Miller's, a diner in Pearl City for lunch. This place had amazing pie! After getting settled into our hotel, The Grand Waikikian at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, C and I wanted to spend some time in the sun so we went to the Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon which was located right on the hotel property. After getting cleaned up, C, my dad, and myself walked to the nearby Hale Koa (a military R&R resort located right on Waikiki Beach and our hotel) for drinks and dinner.
landing
Friday
We had breakfast at Cream Pot, a place I had read about here. Not only was the decor adorable, but the food was delicious!
After breakfast, we headed back to the hotel and spent most of the day at the beach, lagoon, and pool. It was a perfect day!
Saturday
Dad had the weekend off (he's there on business) so we decided to go to the swap meet at the Aloha Stadium. Before we went, we grabbed breakfast, booked some tours/activities for the week, and went to the florist for a real lei! Unfortunately, it was so hot outside that none of us really enjoyed walking around the swap meet. If it had been cooler, I'm sure I would have bought a lot more souvenirs and had more patience to look around.
In order to cool down, we hit higher ground...literally. We drove to Pali Lookout, which sits atop the 985-foot cliffs of the Koolau Mountain Range. Regardless of the sunny weather on Waikiki Beach, the lookout is always cool and super windy. It has an interesting history as being the setting of a bloody battle won by Kamehameha, which led to the unification of the Hawaiian Islands under one ruler.
After cooling down, my parents dropped us off at Hanauma Bay! This was by far one of my favorite places. Hanauma Bay is Hawaii's first Marine Life Conservation District. There are over 100 species of fish in the bay, and the water is perfect for snorkeling. We were lucky enough to come across a honu (Hawaiian sea turtle) while there, and it was an amazing experience to swim with it and be so close to such an beautiful creature. On our way back to Waikiki Beach, C and I spotted Puka Dog, a must on our list of things to try (yes, we actually made a file full of things we had to do). It was definitely a unique way to have a hot dog, and it made a yummy snack after our long day.
Okay, this was longer than I expected. I hope some of you made it through the whole thing! I might even do less days next so I don't overwhelm you (and me) with so much.
We woke up super early to finish packing and to get ready, then we headed to the airport. After a long flight, we finally landed in Hawaii. My mom was waiting to pick us up and we went straight to Fort Island (Pearl Harbor) to do some shopping at the NEX and commissary (Dad is retired military so he and mom often utilize the benefits of base shopping for groceries and basically anything else you can think of). After way too much time spent looking for Hawaiian shirts and dresses at the NEX, we finally met up with my dad. We went to Anna Miller's, a diner in Pearl City for lunch. This place had amazing pie! After getting settled into our hotel, The Grand Waikikian at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, C and I wanted to spend some time in the sun so we went to the Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon which was located right on the hotel property. After getting cleaned up, C, my dad, and myself walked to the nearby Hale Koa (a military R&R resort located right on Waikiki Beach and our hotel) for drinks and dinner.
landing
Friday
We had breakfast at Cream Pot, a place I had read about here. Not only was the decor adorable, but the food was delicious!
After breakfast, we headed back to the hotel and spent most of the day at the beach, lagoon, and pool. It was a perfect day!
Saturday
Dad had the weekend off (he's there on business) so we decided to go to the swap meet at the Aloha Stadium. Before we went, we grabbed breakfast, booked some tours/activities for the week, and went to the florist for a real lei! Unfortunately, it was so hot outside that none of us really enjoyed walking around the swap meet. If it had been cooler, I'm sure I would have bought a lot more souvenirs and had more patience to look around.
In order to cool down, we hit higher ground...literally. We drove to Pali Lookout, which sits atop the 985-foot cliffs of the Koolau Mountain Range. Regardless of the sunny weather on Waikiki Beach, the lookout is always cool and super windy. It has an interesting history as being the setting of a bloody battle won by Kamehameha, which led to the unification of the Hawaiian Islands under one ruler.
After cooling down, my parents dropped us off at Hanauma Bay! This was by far one of my favorite places. Hanauma Bay is Hawaii's first Marine Life Conservation District. There are over 100 species of fish in the bay, and the water is perfect for snorkeling. We were lucky enough to come across a honu (Hawaiian sea turtle) while there, and it was an amazing experience to swim with it and be so close to such an beautiful creature. On our way back to Waikiki Beach, C and I spotted Puka Dog, a must on our list of things to try (yes, we actually made a file full of things we had to do). It was definitely a unique way to have a hot dog, and it made a yummy snack after our long day.
Okay, this was longer than I expected. I hope some of you made it through the whole thing! I might even do less days next so I don't overwhelm you (and me) with so much.
10 comments:
Amazing! Love all the details and pictures. I'm thinking of doing Hawaii for my honeymoon so I'm taking copius notes. :)
GIRL!!!! Awesome!! I am so glad you all had a blast! I love living in Hawaii through you:)
Welcome back sweetness!
xoxo
That breakfast looks absolutely delish! It's making me hungry, and making me want to go to Hawaii. Well, okay...I wanted to go to Hawaii before that :)
This post makes me want to book a trip to Hawaii!!! I can't wait to hear more about your awesome trip!!!
You're like the 12th person I know that's in Hawaii right now. I wanna go (insert whine). :-) Glad you are having fun!!
Now I'm missing Hawaii like crazy!!! We lived at the Hale Koa for a few days before the Navy officially moved us from Honolulu to Virginia. I can't wait to hear more about your trip.
And, can you please email me your address? I need to make sure I have the right one. I owe you BIG TIME. Working on it all right now...
xoxo
The food at the Cream Pot looks so cute! And it looks like such a cute atmosphere to have brunch
Wow...I am so hating on you right now. Those pics make me home sick soooooooo baaaad. Tear...tear.
Love your accounts through your narrative and your photos!
Hopefully, we have some time on Oahu to check out the Cream Pot...we were stationed on Oahu from 1988 to 1991, but I dont remember that place.
Blessings & Aloha!
I'm a new to your blog (what a great blog!) and I am so glad I came across it. Oh good goodness, I live in Hawaii and have never been to the Cream Pot! Your pictures are amazing and made me so hungry! -Hopefully the Mister and I can get down to the Cream Pot soon!! :)
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