Hawaii Recap!

Hi everyone! Hope this post finds you well. We are back from Oahu and already want to go back. We had such an amazing time visiting family and friends. The weather was pretty much upper 80’s the entire 12 days we were there. We had a few rainy days because (Hawaii’s winter) but we will take that over 30 degrees any day. My brother is a local and super adventurous. McCall (his wife and my SIL) took us to all the best hikes, kayaking spots, and beaches. I’m going to list everything we did so you can reference this if you ever go to Oahu. One of my best friends, Jordyn moved to Oahu with her family so I got to visit her too! She lives on North Shore and showed us all the spots up there. Between her and my brother, we covered the entire island. We saw it all!

The shopping in Waikiki is unreal! Not only are the high-end shops so much fun, but stores like; Target, Nordstrom Rack, and Saks Off Fifth were the best I’ve ever seen. They had so much! They get spring and summer lines before everyone else, so there’s that. Be sure to spend time shopping in Waikiki. It’s amazing.

We stayed at the Hilton Village in Waikiki and loved it! It’s in the heart of Waikiki. I love Waikiki and being able to walk everywhere. Queens Beach and The Duke Statue are really cool to go to. I love window shopping and checking out what locals do. We rented bikes and rode through Waikiki to shop and see a few of the famous beaches. The hotel is literally its own village and you don’t really need to venture out if you don’t want to. So many shops, ice cream spots, restaurants, star-bucks, and high-end shopping spots right in the Hilton Village. Our hotel has 4 pools and a bunch of water-slides for the kids. Our suite was in the Rainbow Tour right on the water. If you can get this tower when you book at this hotel, it’s worth it! Every Friday night the hotel does a firework show for everyone. The fireworks were actually amazing and the kids loved it. We sat out at the beach during sunset and then the fireworks started. It is such a cool thing.

The Hilton Village also has a lagoon full of water toys, paddle-boards, and water bikes. My kids had a total blast on these and were entertained for hours. Also for transportation around the island, I rented a jeep through the app Turo. It was seamless and cheaper than renting from the airport car rental spot.

What We Did –

Cage Diving with the Sharks – North Shore Shark Adventure

China’s Man’s Hat – Kayak out to the island and hike to top

Maunawili Fall’s Trail – waterfalls and cliff jumping

Turtle Bay Beach & Resort – gorgeous views

Waimea Bay

Sunset Beach

Kayaking to see Turtle’s – Anahulu River

Lagoon Beach

Polynesian Culture Center

Pearl Harbor

Macadamia Nut Farm