The beginning of June, I had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii for 6 days with my boyfriend. I wanted to share with you some of the highlights of our trip. While I absolutely hate flying, I wasn’t going to let that get in my way of seeing Oahu. Be ready for lots of photos in this post!
Day 1 consisted of waking up early to head to the airport, a full patdown security (every time!), two 5.5 hour flights with a layover in San Francisco, and falling asleep in Hawaii around 6 pm local time without eating dinner. Even with the gorgeous weather and stunning views, after being awake nearly 24 hours all I could think about was sleep.
The hotel I stayed at was the Laylow Waikiki. It was a brand new hotel, and very accessible. Most of our days were spent exploring and seeing everything within walking distance from the hotel. Here are a few of my favorite things from Waikiki. Spoiler alert: most of them are food!
- The beautiful view of the ocean and Waikiki.
- Avocado toast from Maui Brewing Company (only $4 during their happy hour!) Seriously the best avocado toast ever. Topped with pickled radishes and macadamia nut pieces served with lemon and sriracha salt.
- Brunch at Heavenly consisting of a small salad, pitaya bowl, carrot juice, and a taro root English muffin (Note: they have a wheelchair lift at the hotel entrance)
- Guacamame appetizer at The Hideout at the Laylow. Guacamole/edamame dip served with root vegetable chips.
On the third day of the trip, we rented a car for the day and drove around Oahu. The views were more amazing than I could have imagined! The concierge at the hotel provided us with a map of the island and several suggestions on what to see. I grabbed a small breakfast at the hotel, packed some snacks in my bag, and filled my water bottle before we started the journey. The photos and descriptions below show some of the stops from that day.
Pearl Harbor-An entire day could be spent here. There is so much history here, I’m not going to even try. We only spent a short time here, but I would have loved to stay longer.
Dole Plantation in Wahiawa-The second stop of the day. There is a train tour that takes you through the plantation. A recording plays throughout the tour and explains some of the history of the plantation, as well as the growing process of pineapples and other locally grown crops. They also a gift store where you can treat yourself to a cup of their famous frozen dessert, Dole Whip. It was delicious, and exactly what I needed on a hot sunny day! We also splurged and bought a $10 chocolate bar from Waialua Estate Chocolates. Seriously the best chocolate I have ever had. It is a single origin chocolate bar, meaning they use only cacao and sugar grown on the North Shore of Oahu.
Waimea Valley and Falls-The hike to the waterfall here was incredible. The walkway is a wide paved path and fairly accessible. Some parts were a little steep for me, but with a little help I made it to the falls. I could try to explain the beauty, but it’s hard to find the words.
The rest of the day was spent completing the drive around Oahu. The views from the highway were incredible. There are several observation areas at different beaches along the coast, and every single one was stunning.
The last thing on my to-do list while in Hawaii was going to a luau. Upon recommendation from the concierge at The Laylow, we purchased tickets to Chiefs Luau. It was a great experience to attend a luau and learn more about the Hawaiian culture. What better way to spend an evening then watching traditional Hawaiian dances, sipping a mai tai, and looking at the view shown below.
After a great week, my last day there ended with disappointment and frustration. My boyfriend woke up to a text saying the flight had been delayed. By the time we arrived at the airport, the flight was canceled. What felt like hours later, things were straightened out and the new flight was booked. The new flight left at 4pm and landed in Chicago at 5am (8 hour red eye), to connect with a 7am flight to Pittsburgh. By the time I arrived home, I was exhausted, hadn’t eaten a proper meal in nearly a day, and needed to sleep. You would think I knew better, and would have found a way to eat a real meal, but even dietitians get thrown off track every once in a while!
Have you been to Hawaii? Do you have a favorite vacation spot? I’d love to hear about your travels, comment below!