For our 1st wedding anniversary we decided to do something special and take a trip. We found a great deal for Oahu, HI and jumped at the opportunity. After a 6 hour flight and 1 layover we arrived in paradise. The humidity hit immediately after walking out of the airport and into the warm Hawaiian night. We grabbed our luggage and headed straight for the shuttle to Waikiki beach. We checked in to the Marriot resort and spa and were lucky enough to be placed in a room with a breath taking view of the ocean. Since the night was still young we decided to head out onto the bustling Waikiki strip to find some dinner and see the sights.
Unbeknownst to us, we had scheduled our vacation during the Pan-Pacific Festival. The Pan-Pacific Festival is an event where all the Polynesian cultures from across the globe converge on Oahu to show their dancing, food and culture to tourists. There was a Hula show, parade, food and gift stalls among other activities. We lucked out with this as we now did not have to figure out which Hulu show to drop $100/person because the Pan-Pacific festival was the same idea and free. After a few days of relaxing on the beach we decided to rent a car and venture to other parts of the island. We hiked Diamond head which had amazing views of the ocean and Honolulu. We also explored the North Shore, where we found Turtle Beach, Shave Ice, and incredible under currents. We drove inland and saw the Pali lookout and the natural Hawaii. We also went snorkeling at Hunauma bay and saw hundreds of tropical fish.
On the 5th day of our vacation my Mom and Caral showed up at our hotel and surprised us. It was exciting because we had invited them to plan a trip with us but they had declined due to work scheduling. Little did we know that they pulled some strings and decided to join us after all. The rest of the vacation we spent lounging on the beach, visiting the Pearl Harbor memorial, shopping and swimming. What a wonderful 1st trip to Hawaii. We can't wait to go back!
Below is a slide show of our trip.
Mahalo,
Erica and Keo
