ALOHA
Hawaii has always held a special place in my heart. There is just something magical about this little piece of paradise and it starts from the moment you get off the plane and you are greeted by the warm Hawaiian breeze. 15 years ago we got married at Turtle Bay Resort so bringing our daughter London back to our happy place was extra special for us this year.
Where to Stay
We have stayed at a few different places when we have visited Waikiki but this time chose to stay away from the hustle and bustle and touristy side of Waikiki and we loved it so much that we would probably chose to do the same thing again.
We stayed at Ilikai Hotel & Luxury Suites and it had everything we needed for our family. We stayed in the junior suite with city view so unfortunately didn't have an ocean view but we had a kitchen, king bed and a sofa bed which was perfect for our family of 3. The hotel has 2 heated swimming pools and is a hop, skip and a jump away from the beach and Hilton Lagoon which was my daughter's favourite place to visit on a daily basis.
Upon arrival you get a Shell Lei which really puts you in that Aloha spirit, a vochure for 2 daily bottles of water and Free daily keiki scoop of ice cream at Dave’s Hawaiian Ice Cream shop.
Things to Do
We had a bit of a routine each day. Our hotel was about a 20 minute walk to downtown Waikiki so we would take a walk, grab a coffee, shaved ice, walk back along the beach and than go for a swim either at the beach, lagoon or hotel pool. We finished each day with a sunset at a little beach and watch all the surfers come in from their adventures.
Here is a list of some of our must do's:
Hilton Lagoon
The lagoon is located by the Hilton hotel and it was my daughter's favourite little swimming hole.
Sunset at Kahanamoku Beach
Our favourite thing to do on our trip was going to this little beach every night and watch the sunset and the surfers come in from the end of the day adventures. My daughter also loved going for one last dip in the water :). The beach is located next to yacht club and also has stunning views of diamond head.
Travel around the Island
There is so much to see and do in Oahu so I would highly recommend renting a car for a day or two to see all the beauty. Here are some of our favourite places to stop:
Turtle Bay Resort
I maybe a bit biased as this is the place I got married but Turtle Bay Resort is honestly such a stunning resort. I might also say it is in the most beautiful location on the island. There is a public beach access and so worth the drive.
Pictured below is the Pavilion that we got married at. I actually just printed this shot up to hang up in our house as I think its so special having our daughter be apart of such a special memory.
