We left on a Thursday morning and thankfully, thankfully had a direct flight from SLC to Honolulu. It landed around 4:00 pm Hawaiian time (7:00 pm at home) which gave us some daylight to find our hotel and settle in before just needing to crash. Our stay at Ko'Olina began on Saturday but we stretched the trip a few days longer and opted for 2 nights right in Waikiki to do all the things we wanted to over on that side of the island. While that place is crazy busy and always so packed with people, it's still a fun piece of Honolulu and hey, walking to McD's just 2 blocks away for breakfast at 5:30 am makes for a great story :)
Our well-packed car just before unloading at the airport. Getting 6 of us to Hawaii was no small feat!
Our arrangement on the plane. These kiddos were just the best little travelers ever! Especially the 3 older ones. I packed a lot of fun things for them to use/do/watch/play and they entertained themselves so well. Luke had a 45 minute nap and woke up with a start which he was not happy about. He lost it for about 15 minutes at that point so I took him to the back near the bathrooms and we worked out his mood. He may have kicked the seat in front of him about 1000 times too but other than that he did really well.
Band-aids are always a big hit. Best entertainment for $1!
And then we were finally there! Our hotel was right on the beach and our room had this fantastic view of Diamond Head. We were all thrilled and relieved to be there. We popped on our swimsuits and went to the pool, of course :)
The sun set at about 6:00 pm each night so while it technically was pretty late for my kids at home, it was not quite bedtime in HI. They were all too happy to be swimming and playing, and pushing them to stay up worked so we could get some actual sleep in the morning. It was 5:30 am when we were wide awake the next day but at least it wasn't 4:00 am!
Waikiki Beach at 6:00 am (after McDonald's breakfast. Did I mention we went in our PJs?)
Then it was off to this glorious spot: Hanauma Bay
It had been 10 years since I'd been there and I remember I didn't really love it (but I was pregnant with Bentley and truly just wanted to lay out on the beach). But oh my goodness it's so beautiful! Look at that perfectly clear water. I'm so happy we ventured over for our beginning snorkelers to explore in this mild and lovely spot. The beach is pretty perfect for the kids too with a very low grade and no waves due to all the reefs. We had an awesome morning there before it got very crowded.
Luke and the mermaid had a grand time in that perfect water
This is the best beach trick and always very cute :)
As we were driving back to the city we stopped for some early lunch and ice cream as we were all in shock with the 80 degree heat! It felt amazing of course but we wanted to cool off a little. As soon as we were back in the car Luke fell asleep. I knew if we kept driving back to the hotel he'd just wake up once we were back and that would be the nap for the day. We switched up plans and headed over to the Manoa Falls trailhead to just keep playing while we were out and about. This was a new hike for us but my parents had done it before and knew it would be perfect for the kids.
Sweet baby just got carried along for the first little bit while he finished off his nap. Then Joseph and I took turns carrying him on our shoulders which was definitely a sweaty workout—but so good for us!
The whole hike was gorgeous! Such a tropical switch from the beach and just totally green and lush and rich. We loved this cool tree right at the beginning of the hike.
We also passed a big bamboo forest right before the waterfall. It's so fun to explore and discover these things we never see at home with my kids.
In the early evening we walked over to a favorite spot for an early dinner: Duke's. Actually I just really love their hula pie but the whole ambiance is cool and a great spot on Waikiki beach—especially for sunset.
After dinner we walked past ladies making the most heavenly smelling leis and next thing I knew my cute dad had bought one for my mom and me—so sweet!
We explored the city a bit before heading back to the hotel. My family
of 6 shared one big room which had 2 twin beds and 2 queen size beds. We
fit really well but there wasn't a closed off spot for the baby—no big
deal for our short stay but that evening I sent the bigs to the pool
with Joseph while I got Luke to sleep in the pak-n-play. When they came back we quietly got ready for bed and all went to sleep at the same time. It helped immensely that we were worn out from a full day of, most importantly, sunshine! as well as swimming and hiking and exploring...what a day!
1 comment:
The kids were great travelers! and we had such fun in Hawaii with them--always upbeat, ready to explore and hike and swim. They were such pleasant companions! We saw beautiful things that day, such varied experiences from Hanauma Bay to Manoa Falls to Duke's! Loved it all.
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