Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Hawaii Vacation Recap: Oahu

After spending a couple blissful weeks vacationing in Hawaii and then also taking a month-long summer blog break, I’m back and ready to start sharing a few recaps from our trip, along with updates about some of the other fun things we’ve been up to lately (like buying a new car!).

To start things off, here’s a look in photos at just a handful of the many exciting things we did on Oahu early last month, including hiking Diamond Head, watching the sunset from Waikiki and celebrating the 4th of July at Turtle Bay Resort on the island’s iconic North Shore.


Even though we were exhausted after more than 12 hours of traveling, we kicked off our vacation with delicious Thai food and Hawaiian punch cocktails at Keo's in Waikiki.  


Despite the fact that I'm smiling, hiking Diamond Head ended up being a lot harder than I originally thought it would be, even though we went fairly early at 10 a.m. I told Stephen in the middle of the trek that the next time I want panoramic views of the island, I'll take a helicopter ride instead. 


As tired as we were upon reaching the Diamond Head summit, the views of Waikiki and the surrounding area truly were beautiful, making the hike well worth it in the end. 


There's nothing better than closing out the day with a gorgeous Waikiki sunset.


Foster Botanical Garden in Honolulu was the perfect place to relax and seek some shade.


We paid our respects at Peal Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial. 


This cool sign at the Honolulu Zoo, where we saw tons of unique tropical animals, reminded us just how far we were from mainland U.S.A., not to mention countless other countries. 


No visit to the Dole Plantation would be complete without a sweet and tangy pineapple soft serve ice cream. Aside from the Dole Plantation, I believe the only other place you can get these is at Disneyland or Disney World. 



4th of July fireworks filled the sky at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore, where we relaxed with Mai Tais after grabbing dinner at one of the area's many famous shrimp trucks. Although we only dropped in for the day, we loved this resort so much that we plan to come back and stay here the next time we visit the islands.

Coming up next, I'll share details about our visit to the Big Island, where we celebrated my sister-in-law's wedding. Heading to the islands for a trip of your own? Check out a couple of my All Women Stalk posts for a list of fun things to do on Oahu, along with a few can't-miss Big Island adventures

13 comments:

  1. Looks like so much fun and what a view!

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  2. It looks like you had an amazing time! Good gosh, look at those views! I am not a fan of hot weather, but if it were by the beach, I'd be complaining way less ;)
    Thanks for sharing!

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  3. wow what amaaazing pictures!! That pineapple soft serve looks amazing- and yours is at least the real deal! the ones they serve in Disney World are mixed with cool whip (bleh, cool whip alwayyyys upsets my stomach) but that soft serve looks sooo yummy! What an awesome trip!

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  4. I remember driving by the Turtle Bay resort years ago and it really does look gorgeous!
    Ooh and pineapple soft serve - yum!


    xoxo,
    Chic 'n Cheap Living

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  5. Wow! It just looks beautiful!
    Very envious!

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  6. Lovely photos! Looks like you had a wonderful time!

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  7. i totally want to have some pineapple soft serve right now, it looks so yummy! looks like you had a wonderful time there!

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  8. Welcome back! What an amazing vacation, I can't wait to see/read more. And congrats on the new car!

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  9. Oh wow, such gorgeous photos!! Hawaii is on our list to see someday! Can't wait to see more of your vacation and the wedding. Congrats on the car too!!

    Jayme & Mendi @ Her Late Night Cravings

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  10. Welcome back!

    Such beautiful pictures! Looks like a great trip! I really want to visit one day. Crossing fingers.

    Congrats on the new car too! That's exciting!

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  11. Pineapple ice cream! YES!!!
    Those flowers are so pretty.

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  12. Welcome back! Hawaii looks so beautiful, I was just saying on our trip how I would love to go there one day, I'm just not a fan of the long flight from DC.

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