We just got back from Hawaii yesterday. Culture shock big time! I can’t believe how much faster the pace of life is here in Los Angeles. I don’t want to live in Hawaii- though it is beautiful- but I would like to maintain the relaxed state of mind. I wish I knew how.

I even love the word “Island”. Look how beautiful it looks. ISLAND. When I see it, I see flowers like plumeria and gardenia, and abundant amounts of plush greens. mmmm. Smells so nice. If I ever have a daughter, I’d like to name her Isla.

After this visit to Oahu,  I have now been to four of the five main Hawaiian Islands. I love them in this order: Kauai, Oahu, Big Island, Maui. Still one day I could see Molokai and Lanai (which I believe used to be a Dole pineapple plantation. I mean the entire island).

Oahu, in my opinion, is a good mix between an island getaway and staying in a large bustling city. Honolulu comprises most of the island. Skyrocketing resort hotels kiss the tropical blue waters of the Pacific and outline Waikiki. We loved eating at Goofy’s- a local cafe close to but just far enough away from the main hub of hotels. The Nobu in Waikiki is by far the best Nobu I’ve been to. As per usual the drinks were amazing and there were way more soy free options at this particular location than the others. Yay.

We stayed at The Modern. The name describes it perfectly- modern. I highly recommend. It felt fresh and clean and unpretentiously upscale. The food was mediocre, but there are plenty of places to venture outside the hotel for meals- most walking distance. We prefer to explore and eat like locals when traveling anyways :). The hotel pool was exquisite and the beach boardwalk is just a short walk away.

One of my favorite things in Waikiki was taking a surf lesson at Hans Hedemann’s surf school. I may have to blog about that independently because it was AMAZING!!! And yes, I stood up on the board- although only briefly. hahaha.

After Waikiki we visited Hawaii Kai- the home town of MSM’s best friend. I loved Waikiki, but it was nice to explore and discover the local’s Hawaii. We played on the beach on the North Shore, got to see a sleepy Pipeline (see photo above), swam with man-o-wars on the south, considered kayaking to “Scylla and Charybdis” (the waves were too choppy- but next time we’ll go), and stood in awe from the beauty of Maks- the local beach hang out and my personal favorite (photo below). Early one morning we hiked up an old dilapidated train line to catch a view of Hawaii Kai and most of Oahu- which was both fun and challenging. The view was a perfect reward, as was the fantastic crepe at the local breakfast cafe. There are tons of hikes in Oahu, but we mainly beach hopped. I’d love to go back for more hikes. But first I want to hike Napali on Kauai. 

So apparently one thing you can’t miss next time your in Oahu is a “plate lunch”. There’s like 50 choices of meat (mostly pork, and chicken) over rice and macaroni salad. I have to admit it was pretty yummy (minus the mac salad bc lets face it, mayo is nasty and should be outlawed). A local plate lunch tastes delicious after a long day of playing in the sun and salty water.

If I had packed for this trip on my own, I would have thrown in only denim shorts and t shirts. Luckily Danielle helped me pack- because her picks couldn’t have been more perfect. What better way to romp around Hawaii than in a romper?? Each day next week I will feature one of the rompers so you can see them all :).

Until then, have a great weekend!

Mahalo.

xoxo

QJ