Oahu Trip 2018 Recap

Last year’s trip had us in Washington, D.C. in April. We wanted to see the cherry blossoms but because of the weird weather, they came and went. We completely forgot it was around spring break time (because we break whenever). Yikes, it was crowded! Since it was quite a full trip, we slowed it down with a trip to Oahu this year. We were there for one afternoon/night on our way to Australia but wanted to experience it more. Below are some of the places we visited and the restaurants we tried, but we will add the links and details as we share the blog posts about each day’s activities. (If no meal is indicated, I promise we did eat! We probably had some cereal squares, crackers, or something from the grab and go store at the resorts.)

Airline: Hawaiian
Lodging: Aulani, Turtle Bay Resort, Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort
Ride: Full-Size Jeep Wrangler

Day 1 – Tuesday, May 8

– Arrive at OAK + quick breakfast
– Complimentary Lunch on the flight
– Arrive at HNL
– Pick up rental and drive west
– Check into Aulani Disney Hawaii Resort
– Snack from Little ‘Opihi’s – Beachside Kiosk
– Treat at Pāpālua Shave Ice
– ‘Ohana Ho‘okani Pila – Learn the ‘Ukulele
– Dinner at The ‘Ōlelo Room
Read about Day 1 HERE.

Day 2 – Wednesday, May 9

– Brunch at Ulu Cafe
– Check out and head north
– Check into Turtle Bay Resort
– Polynesian Cultural Center Guided Tour
– Ali’i Luau Buffet
– Hā: Breath of Life (show)
Read about Day 2 HERE.

Day 3 – Thursday, May 10

– Breakfast / Lunch from Ted’s Bakery
– Check out and head south
– Matsumoto’s Shave Ice
– Dole Pineapple Plantation
– Check into Hilton Hawaiian Village – The Ali’i
– Grab and go dinner from WikiWiki Market + ABC Stores
Read about Day 3 HERE.

Day 4 – Friday, May 11

– Breakfast from McDonald’s
– Kamaka Ukulele Factory tour
– Lunch from Hula Dog
– Beach time
– Dinner at Duke’s Waikiki at Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort
– Aloha Friday Fireworks!
Read about Day 4 HERE.

Day 5 – Saturday, May 12

– Breakfast from Leonard’s Bakery
– Lunch at Goofy Cafe + Dine
– USS Arizona Memorial Tour at Pearl Harbor
– Dinner from Rainbow Drive-In
Read about Day 5 HERE.

Day 6 – Sunday, May 13

– Depart
Read about Day 6 HERE.

We guess it’s just the stuff of life since we looked back at last year’s post and we wrote that the trip was a welcomed relief from the craziness. But the same has been true of the end of the year which led to trying to breathe again at the start of this year – new job for Norm, health stuff, medical appointments, lots of academic tests the last month, and the usual stuff of life. :p And to reiterate (probably every year), traveling can be a challenge, but we learn a lot about what or who (or Who) we can depend on to stick with us and it also gives us time to reflect on where we’ve come from and where we’re going back to. Again, we will add links to this post as we do reviews and daily recaps.

We took an informal quick vote on Instagram and Facebook, and while the foodies gave it a go, there were more votes for us to share what we did first…then the food/restaurant reviews will follow. 🙂

Have you traveled lately? Where have you been? What should be our next destination? Where would you like to go? What are your best travel tips?