So how does that happen, you ask. Well, for months we had been planning to go to the Atacama Desert in northern Chile over New Years. Continuous searching and investigating gave me nothing but expensive airfares and no connections. We were doomed to stay home.

But noooo! We must go somewhere! But where? What about Hawaii!

Well, it did not take long and with a combination of frequent flyer miles and hotel rewards nights, we were on our way!

The trip ultimately takes us to three islands, Oahu, Maui and the “Big Island”, 3-4 nights in each and a rental car. We cannot be anywhere unless we have our own car. That is just a fact. We want to be able to stop on a dime, get out and take a look and of course, take a picture. We always say, you just might regret not stopping or turning around to go back and look. You may never come that way again and you never know what you may have missed. So, leave nothing to chance. If there is even an inkling that you want to stop, get out and see…do it!

We were staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Waikiki Beach. Excellent service and rooms, just 2 blocks from the beach. The difference in price is considerable. First stop that afternoon, Waikiki Beach. Yup. It looks just like it does on Hawaii 5-O. Except a lot more crowded. It certainly is the thing to do, lay on the beach, hang out, watch the people, take a walk and certainly surf if that’s what you are inclined to do.

Even though we were pretty exhausted from our flights and travel, we knew that we only had a few days and a key thing to do was to hike up to Diamondhead, the volcano overlooking Waikiki. We were running pretty hard because they do not let you start after 4:30 since it will get dark and the trails are not lit. It will take you an hour up and 45 minutes down! What a view of the city! You want to spend some time there just to relax and take in the views. Since we cut it tight, we took our photos and headed back down before darkness. Well worth it.

After getting to bed early, the plans for Sunday included some beach time and exploring the Honolulu/Waikiki area. There are so many beautiful hotels right on the beach. We wandered from one to the other, spent time on the beach and then in the late afternoon enjoyed the many shopping malls and boutique stores. We also had some “shave ice.” Not sure why they make such a big deal about this. I’ve been having snow cones in New York all my life. We finished out the evening having coffee at an outdoor cafe watching the people from all over the world strolling by. We needed to relax because the next day we were hitting the road to the north side of the island.

We started out early because we had reservations that night at Paradise Cove, a well recommended Hawaian Laua for dinner and the show. we picked up our Alamo car and off we were. Although we did not go in, we passed by the Dole plantation on our way to the North Shore surfing town of Haleiwa. What a quaint little town. The beaches along there are just beautiful and if you wanted to ride a sailplane or para-gliding, you can do that as well just a few short miles outside of town.

Paradise Cove is in a beautiful area on the west side of the island. Lots of resorts, beautiful beaches and certainly this show. Initially you were able to interact with many of the dancers by getting tattoos, shooting a bow and arrow and riding in a canoe. They also had the hula dancers and the fire twirlers. We sat with some really great people from Texas visiting their relatives in the military. Definitely a must go!

The most beautiful part of the island came the next day. We drove south around the bottom of the island towards Hanauma Bay. The seascapes are just spectacular. There is one point where you park and the ocean is just beating up onto the rocks, creating the most beautiful rock formations. You just cannot stop taking photos. From there you round the southern tip of the island and just start heading north. There is one beach more beautiful than the one you just left. Our ultimate goal was to reach Turtle Bay, which is the northernmost point of the island. On the way there are the famous “food trucks” selling shrimp and other delicacies. Betty waited on a line for close to an hour before we got our plates. It was good food, but you only have to do it once.

We returned late that afternoon, relaxed at Waikiki Beach for awhile..watched the sunset and then back to the hotel to pack for the next day. We had a seven o’clock flight to Maui and the first task at hand was traveling the Road to Hana!

Make sure you come back to read about our Maui adventures.