And Maui makes three. We were hoping for the best, but expected to not be blown away because of all the hype. Many of our friends kept saying that Maui was their favorite island and in a lot of ways it lived up to expectations (relaxing, beautiful water + beaches, livin' the resort life), but maybe it was a little bit of a let down because those expectations were so high. Also, it was wayyy hotter than we expected (highs in the 90s, which is totally not normal for them this time of year), so that also put a damper on things. The weather here in Arizona was better than it was in Hawaii!

Our trip started off a little rocky since our flight was delayed by a day because of maintenance issues. This threw off our schedule and we lost a whole day on the island. We also were not able to recoup the rental car fee for the day, but the Westin refunded us for the missed night and even gave us a room upgrade. This is why we love Westins so much. Their customer service is top notch and their heavenly beds are...well, heavenly.



Beach days are the best days. We spent two straight days lounging on the beach under an umbrella (you can rent an umbrella and chairs from the Westin, they will even set it up for you where you want it on the beach). Nick tried unsuccessfully to not get sunburned (he came home a lobster - good thing I packed that Aloe) while we watched the giant waves from the shore.




We are early risers, so we were able to wake up every morning and watch the sunrise from the beach. We had breakfast either at the hotel or at Island Vintage Coffee next door at Whaler's Village. The location of the Westin was so convenient to Lahaina (the closest town) and Whaler's Village that we didn't feel like we were confined to eating resort food the entire time (our biggest complaint about the Big Island trip).



We had to make a stop at the iconic Mama's Fish House. The food was spectacular, but I have to admit that the best fish I had in Maui was the Misoyaki Sea Bass at Roy's Ka'anapali (this was legit, I'm trying to find a recipe for the sauce).


We went zip-lining with Kapalua Ziplines, but I didn't bring a camera so I have no photos from that. Nick also went scuba diving (he said it was meh) and for the first time I did not go snorkeling (good thing because a day after we left there was a fatal shark attack on Ka'anapali beach). So overall, our trip to Maui was good, but it's probably not our favorite Hawaiian island.

xo

If you read my Waikiki Travel Diary, you know that we love the energy of Waikiki. The Big Island is completely different. Slower. Much slower. We didn't think we'd like it, but surprisingly we did. We stayed at the Fairmont Orchid (another fantastic property). They had snorkeling right off the private beach and at night they shine a light into the water near the property and you can see Manta Rays swimming around and feeding. Also, turtles, turtles were all over the resort. It was glorious. My only complaint was that the property was 40 minutes from Kona which meant long drives to and from town if you didn't want resort food. After a week there, we got pretty sick of it (the food, not the resort).


A Category 5 hurricane was expected to hit the islands on the week we were planning to be there (first one in a hundred years), so our vacation plans were up in the air for a while. Luckily, our flights were not canceled so we made it to Kona and this was the weather when we landed.




Unfortunately for our friends, the Hilo side of the island (where they initially intended to get married) got the brunt of the storm and their venue was flooded. It was a scramble to find a different venue, but the wedding was very beautiful regardless of the change and we were grateful we could spend the day celebrating with them.


We were pretty active on this trip (usually we don't do much on our "relaxing" vacations). Besides the wedding, we visited a coffee plantation up in the mountains and made friends with some cats and wild pigs (just kidding, we kept our distance from the pigs). Nick also went scuba diving and did one of the Manta Ray night diving excursions.



We drove up Mauna Kea to the observatory and watched the sunset. There were parts of the drive that were pretty treacherous (especially driving into the sun), so if you're scared of heights and drop-offs, this might not be for you. Also, you definitely need an all-wheel drive vehicle and a coat - a huge coat...it was cold and windy at the summit. You aren't allowed to stay much past sunset, so when driving back down, I would recommend finding a nice spot to pull over where it's pitch black. You'll see the most stars you've ever seen and probably will ever see in your life. This was one of the best experiences of my 30+ years on this planet. It'll be hard to top.



I did more snorkeling on this trip than any of our other Hawaii vacations. The hotel has a private cove with abundant fish and wildlife along with free snorkel gear rental, so it was pretty convenient. Also, I learned that you can in fact get motion sick under the water.


Lastly, the Big Island has the best fruit of any of the islands. I can say that now that we've been to Maui (Travel Diary coming soon). If it's Longan/Lychee season, be prepared to be blown away. I know I took a photo of fruit at a Farmer's Market, but haven't been able to find it, so I'll just leave you with a beautiful sunset photo instead.

xo

We have been to Waikiki twice: once for my birthday and once for our honeymoon. Both times we stayed at the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort and Spa (pricey, but I highly recommend it). Since I travel so much for work, I've become a hotel snob. I've seen and stayed at my fair share of crappy hotels, so when I'm not traveling for work, I like to stay at a place I know I'll be comfortable in. Contrary to what some people say, we actually stay in our hotel room more than just when we need to sleep and shower. I try not to schedule too much activity into each day so that I have time to unwind, putz, and nap in our room. It is, after all, a vacation.

Also, I ALWAYS sanitize the hotel room with anti-bacterial wipes and ALWAYS check for bed bugs no matter if it's a 5-star or 2-star hotel (yes, I've got issues). The only time I didn't do this was in San Francisco after spending an hour on the BART from the airport. I figured the hotel room couldn't be worse than how I felt sitting on those seats for that long (sorry, San Francisco, but ick).


[This was the view from our hotel room. We always stay on the SPG floor and get the full ocean view room. An added bonus is that it's right above the courtyard, so we can sit on our balcony and enjoy live island music until 10pm.]


[We hiked up Diamond Head for the views (and they did not disappoint!)]


[Hawaiian Shaved Ice is legit.]


[We went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. No, I can't swim. Bring a lifejacket.]


[We rented a car and drove up to Turtle Bay Resort to try the snorkeling there (it was very murky!)]



[Nothing beats walking out of the hotel and being on the beach, though. We did a whole lotta nothing and it was heavenly.]


[Was introduced to Acai bowls]


[And Malasadas...lord help me]


[Had wayyy too many of these mango daiquiris.]



Waikiki is not for everyone. It can be crowded, too touristy, and overpriced (we did find an awesome, reasonably-priced food court to help bring the food costs down), but that's part of the reason we like it so much. We like the energy, like to people watch (creepy, I know), and like knowing that people are having fun. Fun - that's a good word to describe Waikiki, and isn't that what a vacation should be?

xo