TURNING 22 IN HONOLULU
A POST UNIVERSITY TRIP OF A LIFETIME.
With plans in place for a fortnight in Canada after our final exams, my friends and I started to dabble with the idea of extending our trip and doing something different for a little while longer...
It didn't take much for us to convince ourselves a week on a beach, in the sun, after two weeks of hiking and mountainous activity would do us a world of good!! And with our TrekAmerica tour based on the west coast of North America we thought where better to look into for a bit of R&R than the islands of Hawaii...
I am confident that anyone who says a trip to Hawaii doesn't appeal to them is lying! But I will say, the thought of getting there from the UK is almost not even worth it. Just looking into flights now from London it can cost around £1000 and take you almost 18hours! With Vancouver only 6 hours away we thought it'd be worth just having a look into how much things might actually cost and to our surprise we bagged return flights for just £250 on Black Friday with AirCanada Rouge.
Luckily for me the dates worked out and I ended up spending my 22nd birthday in Honolulu!
DAY 1
On our first full day we headed out to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve for a morning of snorkelling. It was super easy to hop in an Uber and get dropped off at the entrance to the park. The ride only took us about 15 minutes from where we were staying in Waikiki.
Even just walking down to Waikiki Beach when we first arrived in Honolulu was a real pinch me moment but I am never going to forget the view coming down into Hanauma Bay from the top of the hill.
The reef is simply incredible and so worth a visit. Even if you've never snorkelled before, I highly recommend giving it a go. Don't worry about buying snorkel gear or carrying it with you - you can hire some down on the beach for around $20.
I'll admit now I was completely useless at snorkelling, I just couldn't focus on breathing with so many fish and sea creatures to be seen!
About a 20 minute walk down the road from Hanauma Bay you'll find the Koko Marina Center and the famous Kokonuts Shaved Ice - a favourite spot of President Obama's. We took the opportunity to check this out and get our afternoon sugar fix before heading back to get ready for an evening out in Waikiki.
We definitely timed our trip to Hawaii well as that night we discovered the launch of the Pan-Pacific Festival which was taking over almost all of the Waikiki Beach area! The main streets were closed off for pedestrian use only with market and street food stalls lining the road. We grabbed some noodles to go and headed down to the beach to watch the hula contest in full swing!
DAY 2 - MY BIRTHDAY!
For my birthday I was desperate to hire a car and have my first experience driving abroad and exploring the island and so that's just what we did!
Our hotel was able to recommend a reliable car hire company and we rented a fab little Ford Focus (Ok, I'll admit total Mum car...) for $70. There was an additional $40 charge when we picked up the car for the Young Driver Surcharge and optional insurance. Having never driven an automatic or on the other side of the road, I for one was not risking a day without cover and $40 between 4 of us was nothing in the grand scheme of things!
We headed east out of Honolulu, past Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay to check out the viewpoints on the most south easterly point of Oahu Island - Lanai Lookout, Halona Blowhole, Makapu'u Point - before a quick pap shoot down on Waimanalo Beach...
The rest of the day took us all the way up the east coast to the North Shore stopping at some of the most incredible beaches and look out points along the way. When we got round to Haleiwa we ventured southbound to make stop in at the Dole Plantation before heading back to Waikiki for the evening and a birthday dinner at The Cheesecake Factory!
Hiring a car was definitely one of the best things we did while we were away and as cool as Waikiki Beach is, there is so much more to explore around the island and as soon as you're out of the main tourist spots you really get to see the real Oahu and all it has to offer.
DAY 3
Of course during our week in Hawaii we managed to fit in a good couple of beach days and they were so needed after a full day in the car! Our favourite spot down on Waikiki Beach was by a Beach Bar and Restaurant called Duke's. They honestly serve up some of the best cocktails in town on one of the best beaches in the world. - A total dream.
DAY 4
We were back out again early ready to take on Pearl Harbor and Iolani Palace to find out more about Hawaii's history.
Both are great visitor attractions - I would highly recommend taking the time to visit. I'd advise heading to Pearl Harbor early before the main heat of the day and the crowds get too busy. If you know which boats/tours you want to see in advance save time queuing and get your passes online. If you're on a budget it's free to enter the main site and you can see everything from a distance but you'll just miss out on heading on board or inside. The main museum area is open access and incredibly eye opening.
From Pearl Harbour it didn't take long in an Uber to Iolani Palace and for around $12 we hid from the midday sun and joined a tour. Well worth doing if you love a bit of Royal History!
DAY 5
On our last full day we headed back east to Diamond Head National Park for a morning trek.
I'm not the most athletic individual by far but the walk only took us about an hour and half round trip. The views at the top and fresh fruit smoothies at the bottom were both SO worth the climb!
If you want to check out Diamond Head for yourself be sure to go early, bring water and a hat, suncream up and take it easy. Unfortunately the heat did get too much for some even only at 10am and we saw the Honolulu Fire Dept out on a rescue.
With plans in place for a fortnight in Canada after our final exams, my friends and I started to dabble with the idea of extending our trip and doing something different for a little while longer...
It didn't take much for us to convince ourselves a week on a beach, in the sun, after two weeks of hiking and mountainous activity would do us a world of good!! And with our TrekAmerica tour based on the west coast of North America we thought where better to look into for a bit of R&R than the islands of Hawaii...
I am confident that anyone who says a trip to Hawaii doesn't appeal to them is lying! But I will say, the thought of getting there from the UK is almost not even worth it. Just looking into flights now from London it can cost around £1000 and take you almost 18hours! With Vancouver only 6 hours away we thought it'd be worth just having a look into how much things might actually cost and to our surprise we bagged return flights for just £250 on Black Friday with AirCanada Rouge.
Luckily for me the dates worked out and I ended up spending my 22nd birthday in Honolulu!
Here's a taste of what we got up to...
DAY 1
On our first full day we headed out to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve for a morning of snorkelling. It was super easy to hop in an Uber and get dropped off at the entrance to the park. The ride only took us about 15 minutes from where we were staying in Waikiki.Even just walking down to Waikiki Beach when we first arrived in Honolulu was a real pinch me moment but I am never going to forget the view coming down into Hanauma Bay from the top of the hill.
The reef is simply incredible and so worth a visit. Even if you've never snorkelled before, I highly recommend giving it a go. Don't worry about buying snorkel gear or carrying it with you - you can hire some down on the beach for around $20.
I'll admit now I was completely useless at snorkelling, I just couldn't focus on breathing with so many fish and sea creatures to be seen!
About a 20 minute walk down the road from Hanauma Bay you'll find the Koko Marina Center and the famous Kokonuts Shaved Ice - a favourite spot of President Obama's. We took the opportunity to check this out and get our afternoon sugar fix before heading back to get ready for an evening out in Waikiki.
We definitely timed our trip to Hawaii well as that night we discovered the launch of the Pan-Pacific Festival which was taking over almost all of the Waikiki Beach area! The main streets were closed off for pedestrian use only with market and street food stalls lining the road. We grabbed some noodles to go and headed down to the beach to watch the hula contest in full swing!
For my birthday I was desperate to hire a car and have my first experience driving abroad and exploring the island and so that's just what we did!Our hotel was able to recommend a reliable car hire company and we rented a fab little Ford Focus (Ok, I'll admit total Mum car...) for $70. There was an additional $40 charge when we picked up the car for the Young Driver Surcharge and optional insurance. Having never driven an automatic or on the other side of the road, I for one was not risking a day without cover and $40 between 4 of us was nothing in the grand scheme of things!
We headed east out of Honolulu, past Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay to check out the viewpoints on the most south easterly point of Oahu Island - Lanai Lookout, Halona Blowhole, Makapu'u Point - before a quick pap shoot down on Waimanalo Beach...
The rest of the day took us all the way up the east coast to the North Shore stopping at some of the most incredible beaches and look out points along the way. When we got round to Haleiwa we ventured southbound to make stop in at the Dole Plantation before heading back to Waikiki for the evening and a birthday dinner at The Cheesecake Factory!Hiring a car was definitely one of the best things we did while we were away and as cool as Waikiki Beach is, there is so much more to explore around the island and as soon as you're out of the main tourist spots you really get to see the real Oahu and all it has to offer.
DAY 3Of course during our week in Hawaii we managed to fit in a good couple of beach days and they were so needed after a full day in the car! Our favourite spot down on Waikiki Beach was by a Beach Bar and Restaurant called Duke's. They honestly serve up some of the best cocktails in town on one of the best beaches in the world. - A total dream.
DAY 4
 |
| Iolani Palace |
Both are great visitor attractions - I would highly recommend taking the time to visit. I'd advise heading to Pearl Harbor early before the main heat of the day and the crowds get too busy. If you know which boats/tours you want to see in advance save time queuing and get your passes online. If you're on a budget it's free to enter the main site and you can see everything from a distance but you'll just miss out on heading on board or inside. The main museum area is open access and incredibly eye opening.
From Pearl Harbour it didn't take long in an Uber to Iolani Palace and for around $12 we hid from the midday sun and joined a tour. Well worth doing if you love a bit of Royal History!
 |
| Pearl Harbor |
 |
| USS Arizona - Pearl Harbor |
DAY 5I'm not the most athletic individual by far but the walk only took us about an hour and half round trip. The views at the top and fresh fruit smoothies at the bottom were both SO worth the climb!
If you want to check out Diamond Head for yourself be sure to go early, bring water and a hat, suncream up and take it easy. Unfortunately the heat did get too much for some even only at 10am and we saw the Honolulu Fire Dept out on a rescue.
 |
| Diamond Head |
Our week in Hawaii really was a total dream. If I could do it all over again I would jump at the chance! If I'm ever lucky enough to head back I'll be sure to be found exploring the other islands of Hawaii and Maui.
Thanks for reading, Izzie x
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