City ❀ Country ❀ Beach
Bonjour et bienvenue! Come with me as I take you on a tour of our family vacation to Paris, France. It was summer 2013 when we left from London to Paris on the Eurostar. This is a high speed train that literally goes underground on the …
Dalton Arms is a mom & pop eatery with a lot of charm. If you want authentic cuisine, this is the place. It is also situated in a beautiful city for a nice after dinner walking stroll. It is quaint, quiet and there are also …
As we were on the road we noticed the tropical vegetation, a lot of green fields, but also to my surprise, a lot of dry land. I think it has something to do with the past volcanic activity there. As you can imagine, Hawaii is known for great surfing and on the road, we saw a home which had a fence made with recycled surfboards. I thought it was the coolest thing ever! I would love to have a fence like that instead of the traditional wooden slats. They make good use of old surfboards, for sure!
The Plumeria (frangy pangy) is native throughout all of Hawaii. It is beautiful, colorful, and fragrant. After our vacation, I made a trip to our local hardware store and bought one. It has since doubled in size and is a pink/red hue colors. It is not hard at all to grow. The Plumeria is the plant that Hawaii uses to construct lei’s. You can learn more about how to grow your own Plumeria plant here: Grow your own Plumeria
While on the island, we took some time to do some adventures & excursions to get to meet the locals and view the beauty of this island.
Adventure #1 – Helicopter Tour
Blue Hawaiian is a reputable helicopter tour company that will take you to specific island sites and will absolutely take your breath away! They are the only helicopter company that services all four main islands of Hawaii. We had an amazing pilot that explained all the sites as we flew over them. We are huge movie buffs and were ecstatic when we flew over one of the scenes from the original “Jurassic Park” movies!!! I was like “OMGosh!” If you visit ANY Hawaiian island, it would be a great family memory to budget for a helicopter tour!
Jurassic Falls
Lava trails
Adventure #2 – Road to Hana
The Road to Hana is another must do while in Maui. Hana is the name of the main highway that stretches and encircles all of Maui. It literally takes you to the edge of the island and makes many pit stops so you can enjoy the scenery, shops, and get some delicious local snacks. I have to admit, sometimes I was scared out of my mind because the tour bus came SO close to the edge of the cliff that I was holding on for dear life. The roads are two-way, but enough room for a one-way. The driver has to go really slow, honk to warn oncoming traffic, then proceed. If you love adventure, this is also a great tour for you.
Adventure #3 – Visiting the city of Lahaina
While in Lahaina, there are many things to do. It is a small city, but it is famous for great beaches and shopping. Don’t forget to visit the souvenir shops and stop for some shaved ice. If you’ve had shaved ice before but have never been to Hawaii, it is nothing like you’ve tasted before. They add ice cream in the middle as an option! So good!
Oahu has the Polynesian Cultural Center and Lahaina has this luau. It is one of the most authentic cultural luau’s you can attend while visiting Maui. It is on beautiful grounds and makes for great photos. The buffet was a wonderful array of traditional cuisine and a variety of foods for even the pickiest eaters. I should know because our young one is one.
Adventure #4 – Iao Valley State Park
Adventure #5 – Snorkeling
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Maui Island Sands Resort is a condominium-style resort located in an off the beaten path of Maui and is situated right on the beach. We stayed in room #608. It is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath oceanfront condo. This place has great ventilation. You can keep …
Outstanding all around! This hotel is a hotel that won’t disappoint! Their location to Waikiki Beach on the island of Oahu can’t be beat and is fantastic. Ilikai hotel has clean rooms and great customer service. There is a nearby lagoon, an on-site restaurant, activities, and …
A trip to Hawaii had always been my dream vacation. I am so grateful and thankful that this dream became a reality. We visited two islands: Oahu, which you will see on this post and Maui, which you can find on another post. There were so many photos and experiences that I had to break it down. Because I am a teacher, the only real time I have to travel is during the summer. So we did. Here is our journey:
Be prepared for a nice hike, especially if you’re not that fit! Get some good walking shoes, a water bottle, and you’ll be ready to tackle Diamond Head on this beautiful island of Hawaii. It is absolutely gorgeous and it will be worth it…I promise! It’s a lot easier going down. The next 8 photos are of Diamond Head.
Dole Plantation is the pit stop to pure refreshing goodness! Among the cool breezes of Hawaii, this plantation has many things to offer. Your children will have a blast (stay together if they’re young) exploring the next turn of the pineapple garden maze! This place has it all for a nice family morning or an afternoon getaway. From the maze, train tour, garden tour, and food you will be pleased. But, in my opinion, one of the best things you can order at their grille the pineapple float! It is to die for, especially after the maze! Check out their menu here: Dole Plantation Menu
Hanauma Bay is at the top of my list of one of the most gorgeous beaches you could EVER visit not just in Hawaii, but anywhere! I recommend you go EARLY in the morning before they open to avoid congestion and to get the best snorkeling. They are a state park so they do have a minimal fee to enter. We arrived very early and had the entire beach to ourselves for a little while, which was breathtaking! The snorkeling was fantastic because of the coral reef habitat.
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Walt Disney World There are so many things to say about visiting Walt Disney World. I grew up in Anaheim, California just 2 miles from Disneyland and my parents took me there throughout my entire younger years of my childhood. So with that being said, …
