Oahu! Our Third Trip to Hawaii

Vacation clubs are the best! We don’t belong to one, but we are willing to hear all about it, if you let us stay in your beautiful resort for a highly reduced rate. Ha! This is our third tip to Hawaii that is the result of our willingness to sit through a sales pitch. We tell them up front we are not interested, but I don’t think that matters because they are giving us another chance to come back next year!

Dale and I had a nonstop Hawaiian Air flight from Austin to Honolulu on Monday, March 10. We arrived just after noon, and after picking up our rental car and snorkel gear, we waited for our daughter and her husband to arrive. They arrived safely, without Jordan’s luggage, but thankfully it was delivered to the resort the following day. By the time we picked up some groceries and arrived at Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club it was time for dinner. We ate at Longboards, near the beautiful lagoon, then settled in for the night. We had a one bedroom apartment with a fold out couch for the youngsters. Ha.

Tuesday

Our first full day started at 8am with a snorkeling excursion on a catamaran. The marina was right next to our resort so we walked along the beautiful waterfront to the marina and boarded the boat. While cruising just off shore we saw two vibrant rainbows and several hump back whales blowing water high into the sky. We snorkeled for about an hour and enjoyed a tasty sandwich on our way back to the marina. Thanks to our son-in-law, Jackson, for booking this for us!

Afterwards we relaxed at the resort beach. Jordan and I attended a lei-making class, which was very enjoyable. That evening we attended the Paradise Cove Luau with two friends, Jon and Jenna, who were also vacationing on Oahu. We had a really enjoyable time.

Wednesday

After breakfast on our room’s balcony, Dale, Jordan and myself went into town to Aloha Stadium, where there is a swap meet in the parking lot every Wednesday. Jordan found some jewelry and a little something for their new home, and I bought a little outfit for my coming granddaughter.

After returning to the resort, Jackson and Jordan met up with Jon and Jenna to snorkel in the lagoon while Dale and I attended our mandatory sales presentation.

For dinner that evening Dale grilled hamburgers on one of the grills near the pool, which was challenging due to very high winds. After dinner Dale and I went down to try and catch the last bit of sunset while the kids cleaned up from dinner.

Thursday

This was the day for our North Shore driving tour. We discovered these GPS-guided, downloadable audio tours when we first visited Maui. It’s really a great way to see the best of the best, hear the history and highlights – all at our own pace.

After feasting on Jordan’s delicious breakfast, we left the hotel around 9am. Dale had taken the top off of our jeep so that we could enjoy all the scenery. Our first stop on the tour was Green World Coffee where we all saw coffee trees for the first time! As much coffee as we all drink, it was good to see it in its natural state. After enjoying some coffee, we headed just a mile further and stopped at the Dole Plantation where we ordered Dole Whips, a sherbet-like pineapple treat. It was delicious.

From there, we continued on the tour, listening to the tour guide over the car speakers. We stopped at several places, including Waimea Beach that is mentioned in a beach boys song. We also stopped at a beach where the bonsai pipeline is, and there were some pretty good waves, but we are at the end of winter so the waves are getting smaller. Apparently winter is the time when the waves are really big.

We embarked on a small hike at the Waimea Botanical Garden, enjoying the beautiful, lush surroundings and a small waterfall. Jordan was the only one to brave the water! Afterwards we enjoyed a quick sandwich we had brought with us.

As we continued around the island we stopped at a few beaches and a couple of roadside food/drink stands. We stopped at a overlook with a beautiful arch that you would never even know it was there if we hadn’t been listening to a guided tour.

As we made our way down down the eastern side of the island we drove through very beautiful and green mountains. The views of the mountains on our right and the ocean on our left was so good!

Unfortunately, we had to go through Honolulu to get back to Ko Olina. The traffic is always horrendous. We relaxed for the rest of the evening. Dale got some good photos of the blood moon.

Friday

On Friday morning, we headed to the south east corner of the island to look at some of the scenic views, including the beach where the famous scene from Here to Eternity was filmed. We got some amusing photos of Dale and I reenacting the scene! We ended up in Waikiki where we swam, ate lunch at Duke’s and soaked up the sun.

We came back to the hotel, got cleaned up, took sunset photos and went to a 7 pm reservation at Longhi’s, a restaurant on the first floor of our tower. Midway through the meal it began to rain and we had to relocate inside. Regardless, it was a relaxing and delicious meal, and the kids treated us!

Saturday

Saturday morning we slept in a bit, ate breakfast, packed and checked out of our room by 10am. The kids were going to stay another night in their own room, but the room wasn’t ready so we all to a breakfast restaurant near the resort and enjoyed our last Hawaii meal together.

After dropping them off at the resort, Dale and I are headed back into Honolulu. We had reserved a room for two nights at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. Since we had time to spare, we went to the Pearl Harbor Memorial and spent a couple of hours there.

Sunday

On Sunday and Dale and I did a Waikiki history walking tour in the morning, spent time on the beach in the afternoon. We ended up back at the resort pool. Afterwards, we showered and went to dinner at an Italian restaurant down the street. The evening ended in the hotel lobby, listening to a man sing Hawaiian music.

We flew home on Monday. All of our flights went very smoothly. It was a very enjoyable trip.