Amos and I got to experience Hawaii for the very first time this year; back in April/May. We were invited by a close couple who have a timeshare on the island of O'ahu. I was not aware, but Hawaii is comprised of several islands. We visited O'ahu, "The Heart of Hawaii," and the third largest Hawaiian island. We had great weather, the beaches were breathtaking, we saw a lot of the island, and even had a few great meals to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary and our friend's birthday. Below I will share where we ate, stayed, and a basic itinerary; along with some of the photos I took!
We stayed in Waikiki on a beautiful property that is primarily reserved for timeshare holders. There were several pools, a lagoon, and direct access to the beach. You couldn't beat the location due to the beach access and the close distance to shops and restaurants.
Day 1: Flew to Honolulu (the flight from Houston was ~ 8 hrs, but due to the time change we gained a lot of hours so we still had a lot of time on Sunday to do a lot of site seeing)
Checked into our suite
Walked around the shops and restaurants
Made a Costco run for snorkeling equipment, alcohol, and snacks
Walked around "downtown" Waikiki, the outdoor shopping spaces were so pretty and shaded, which made it really enjoyable to look around.
Went and ate a an Asian Food Hall, had the best Spam Musubi there!! It was also the fanciest.
We sought out trying all the Spam Musubi (the spam wrapped with rice and seaweed). They sell these everywhere in Hawaii; in local quick stops, street vendors, and in restaurants. You literally can't walk a block without seeing a vendor selling Spam Musubi.
Stopped in and bought baked goods at Liliha Bakery, which is pretty well known and a top food place to try.
Ended the day swimming in the lagoon at our resort
Day 2: Had a lazy start drinking and swimming in the ocean and surrounding pools on the property.
Had an amazing experience at Nutridge Estate; our luau experience where we: played old Hawaiian games, saw live music and dancing, made bracelets, saw a fire show, comedy, wild life, had a great dinner all while on a mountain top surrounded by beautiful tropics.
If you are going to do a luau please please book at Nutridge! Most luau's are in very public places and seat a ton of guest so the experience is not intimate at all. Nutridge Estate is remote, for a small group, and really the experience you want. Our guide was hilarious and very knowledgeable. A hundred percent would recommend this luau over any!
Day 3: Rented a car for the day and drove along the eastern coast.
We hiked to Waimea Falls and swam underneath the water fall. The vegetation and flowers were so beautiful. This was a highlight for me.
Made a pit stop to Kahuku for a bite at an area with food trucks and shopping
Went to Kualoa Ranch where they filmed some of Jurassic World and took some amazing pictures there.
Rode along the coast and stopped to snorkel for a bit (I wish I knew the area where we snorkeled because it was surrounded by large rocks so you didn't get crashed by waves and the sea life was amazing). There was a vendor selling fresh pineapple drinks so had to get one of those to sip on!
Made another pit stop to watch sea turtles (these turtles are protected and you are prohibited from going in the water at this particular beach)
Day 4: Amos and I hiked Diamond Head; an old inactive volcano. This was pretty steep and not the easiest hike, but the views were amazing once you made it to the top.
Went to a flea market around a stadium
Went to Bailey's Antiques, where Anthony Bourdain made a stop and was on one of his shows, and grabbed some vintage Hawaiian shirts
Had lunch at Rainbow Drive-in
Took a break and swim and drink at the resort
Had dinner at Fete, a birthday celebration for our friend
Had drinks at EP bar, a really cool vibe
Day 5: Went to more beaches, even stopped and swam at one of the beaches voted a top ten in the world called Laniakea Beach. More good eats and drinks. Went to a tiki bar
Went to a market where you could try a lot of food vendors, I could eat my weight in tuna poke bowls! Every place had such fresh fish!
Drinks at Skull & Crown, a really cool tiki bar
Dinner at Senia, our anniversary dinner celebration, this place was soooo good and really pulled out all the stops. The whole kitchen staff even signed a card for our anniversary for us to keep!
Day 6: Ate and shopped around China Town. The market was really cool! We got to try a lot of different vendors; which is something Amos and I love to do.
We hit up a cool book store.
We went to an old Tiki bar, La Mariana, and got some tiki glassware.
More pool time, fireworks, sunsets, and pizza!
Day 7: Traveled day back to Houston!
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