A vacation to Hawaii has been on our family bucket list for years. We kept putting it off for various reasons, and suddenly we realized our oldest is a senior in high school and we only have a few months left of all living under the same roof! It was a now or never situation, so we buckled down and booked the trip!
Now that we’ve returned from a week in literal paradise, I’m so excited to share with you the details of where we stayed, what we did, where we ate, and some helpful tips! If you are planning a future trip to Hawaii, I hope this can serve as a guide to you!
WHERE
There are so many incredible islands in Hawaii, but we had heard the most about Oahu! We traveled there (using our flight points!) and stayed in Ko Olina at the Marriott. The hotel had amazing pools, a cove area for swimming and snorkeling, great restaurants, and as a bonus, our room had a living area/kitchen so we could do some meals there. We had no complaints with our stay and would definitely stay there again!
WHAT WE DID
A lot of our time was spent lounging on the beach, but we made sure to fit in some fun adventures and hit some of the big tourist destinations.
1. We went to Paradise Cove to see the Sea Turtles. Make sure you get there super early because there are only 12 parking spots! This was so great, we went again the next morning!
2. We made a stop at the Laie Hawaii LDS Temple. The building and the surrounding gardens were absolutely stunning!
3. Next we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We were there from noon to 10pm, and still didn’t get to do everything. There is so much to do! We enjoyed spear throwing, musical performances, dancing, a luau, and a fire show. We would 100% recommend going here!
4. The next day we went to Kualoa Ranch. There are a few different tours you can book, but we did the Jurassic Park specific tour, where we got to see where they filmed the movie, and there were fun photo ops and set pieces. It was actually super fun! They also had a separate “Movies” tour which explored several other movies that were filmed there!
5. We finished that day with a Sunset cruise with @oahucatamarans. You have to book this in advance! It ended up being our favorite thing we did! It was super family friendly, they played fun music, and tickets include charcuterie, treats, water, sodas AND if you go on Friday they extend the trip to 3 hours so you can watch the Waikiki fireworks! This was easily the most magical part of the trip.
6. The next day we hiked the Waimea Falls Trail which goes to a gorgeous waterfall. Normally you can swim at the end of the hike, but it was a low water day, so it wasn’t allowed.
7. Sharks Cove was close by, so we stopped there and saw a ton of fish, it was a super cool quick stop!
8. On another day we went to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. It was a powerful and humbling experience, and we’re glad our kids were old enough to appreciate it. We did the Arizona tour, which was really special. We also walked through a submarine, but I only lasted a few minutes—if you’re claustrophobic I wouldn’t pay the extra fee to go through it!
9. After a couple rest days we ended our trip with the Monoa Trail Waterfall Hike. Full disclosure, it was pretty wet and muddy (in October), but absolutely gorgeous. I guess that’s the price you pay for lush greenery!
FOOD
Here are some of the food places that came highly recommended to us, that we can now highly recommend to you!
Leonard’s Bakery Truck (get the Malasadas)
Monkeypod Kitchen
Off the hook at Aulani Disney Resort (the lobster roll was insane!)
Ululanis Hawaiian Shave Ice (unlike any shaved ice I’ve ever had)
Longhi’s Ko Olina
HELPFUL TIPS
BOOK. IN. ADVANCE.
We booked our hotel first (over a year ago actually!), then that gave us some time to save up for excursions, our dining budget, and fun money. Excursions especially need to be BOOKED IN ADVANCE! It is a very popular tourist destination, and I didn’t realize how quickly things sell out.
Beach supplies! There are a lot of things you will find yourself wanting on your trip that you couldn’t necessarily take on the plane. For example, a cooler, boogie boards, extra large beach towels, etc. You have two options when it comes to these items, 1. Budget for them when you get there and then you can donate them to your hotel for future families to use if you can’t fit them in your suitcases. And 2. You can contact your hotel ahead of time and ask them if they have any available donations for YOU to use! I thought this was such a great idea, and can really be a lifesaver while you’re there.
Embrace that you are in Hawaii: it’s very expensive! You have to pay for everything. Even most hiking trails. The food is pricey, but delicious, however, it’s a great idea to get the most out of your hotel. If they offer free breakfast, do it! You can go to the grocery store and load up on snacks and meals that you can prepare in your room. Find ways to save where you can, so you can enjoy your time there without being financially overwhelmed.
This was a great experience for our family, one that we will always look back on fondly, but remember that no matter where you are, as long as you are with your loved ones, there are cherished memories to be made!
xo Ashley
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