Vlog: Hawaii Part 1- Waikiki
Hey y'all! How is everyone's week going so far? I can't believe I am already getting ready to leave again this weekend to head to the beach! I feel like I haven't been at home at all and been traveling like crazy. But I love it because I am getting to do and see some pretty cool things and getting to check things off my bucket list! I have finally put together the first part of our Hawaii trip and that is of course Waikiki! So down below is the whole vlog and I hope y'all enjoy because this was a dream come true getting to go on this trip!
Everything down below is linked so if y'all see something you like or are interested in, click the name and you can take a closer look into it.
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Where To Eat
~100 Sails Restaurant and Bar: If you are looking for amazing food, entertainment, and an incredible view, y'all definitely need to go to 100 Sails Restaurant and Bar! We went here for Dad's birthday dinner and we did the buffet option and they had the freshest seafood, meat, vegetables, sushi, and an awesome dessert bar. To top it all off they had live music and it made the whole experience that much better!
~Cinnamon's at the Illikai Hotel: This was our local breakfast spot right down in our hotel and they had so many yummy options to get the day started. I am a huge blueberry pancake person and I can't even put into words how good the pancakes were! And the view was unlike anything I had ever seen because it was overlooking the gorgeous marina.
~La Marinara Sailing Club: Talk about views, the views here were amazing! We were overlooking another marina but we chowed down on some amazing fresh seafood. Their Mai Thai's were one of my favorites and believe me I tried one at every restaurant. Totally recommend this place and it is looked near the Sand Island access!
~Cafe Morey's: If someone could make bring a Cafe Morey's to North Carolina I would be one really happy person because I could eat there everyday. It is located right by the Diamond Head Lookout and I loved the whole environment of the restaurant. It was completely open and had they cute blue shutters and outlining around every window and not to mention the food was incredible! Dad and I got the Spicy Ahi Tuna Bowls and OH MY GOSH it was incredible!
~Noi Thai Cuisine: I am not kidding when I say that I have never had Thai food like this before. All 3 of us got completely different things but I had this steak that was out of this world and had this amazing sauce to dip it into that will make you want to smack your mama! It overlooks Kalakaua Avenue and it is really cool to see all the action from up there.
~Tommy Bahama Restaurant: When you hear Tommy Bahama you think of the clothing line but you never think of their restaurants. We were able to sit on the roof and to be able to see the sunset and enjoy the amazing weather just added to it! I got this amazing mahi-mahi on top of rice that was covered in this ginger sauce and oh my gosh was it good! We had some amazing appetizers too and loved that we were able to access the bar while we were waiting for our table to be ready
~Leonard's: I know y'all have heard of Malasada's and if you haven't they are kind of like the Hawaiian doughnut that is out of this world! They are fried and can be filled with creme or not but oh my gosh they are delicious. Leonard's is the famous place to get them and I highly suggest trying them when you go!
~Gilligan's Beach Shack: Our first shrimp truck experience in Hawaii and let me tell you it did not disappoint! The shrimp was out this world and totally worth all of the calories. Gilligan's had so many options besides the garlic shrimp like coconut shrimp and other fresh fish options. They are parked by the beach at the Hilton Village basically for lunch and dinner!
~Hula Grill: Oh Hula Grill, your views were amazing and so was the food. I got a shrimp pasta that had these jumbo shrimp in them and I am a complete shrimp lover so my belly and heart were so happy. We sat outside and it really made everything so much more special because getting to see the beautiful sunset and ocean was amazing!
~Hawaiian Aroma Cafe at the Illikai Hotel: If you are a fan of really good coffee and some bangin' acai bowls, well guess what, this is the place to get it! This Aroma Cafe was also located downstairs in our hotel and I have never had an acai bowl like this one before. Definitely suggest trying Aroma Cafe out to kick start your morning.
Where To Stay
~Illikai Hotel and Luxury Suites: We of course did this through VRBO again like we did when we went up to South Haven, Michigan and let me tell you they did not disappoint again! We were right by the beach and overlooked the marina and it was INCREDIBLE! We had a full kitchen and were able to cook breakfast and stuff like that. Our place had two balconies and both had views that did not disappoint! We had access to the lagoon right down in front of us as well and we were just a really short walk away from the beach, like really short! Highly suggest this place if you are ever visiting Waikiki!
~Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort: We all know that Hilton has this huge village of hotels in Waikiki right on the beach and they are always packed. We were neighbors and they have all these different kinds of events going on which I think is amazing for the guests and their pools are just as cool! They have a lot of great restaurants on their property as well that people were raving about.
~Sheraton Waikiki: This place is massive and has so many pools available to guests. And they even have infinity pools that overlook the ocean and cabanas that you can reserve to sit right there overlooking the beach. We walked through there one night and they had 3 different restaurants that were flooded with people and smelled so good. If we hadn't stayed at the Illikai this is where we would have ended up!
~The Royal Hawaiian: Ahhh the famous Royal Hawaiian! If you don't know what I am talking about this is the old pink hotel right on the beach in Waikiki that has been a hot spot for years. The day we got there dad walked us down there and we got to swim in the ocean right in front of it and it was amazing! They have restaurants on their property as well and have a huge lawn space for any other kind of function you wish to have.
What To Do
~Pearl Harbor and U.S.S. Arizona Memorial: This was something that was definitely on my bucket list of things to do when we went to Hawaii because I had seen so many pictures and videos about it and have been learning about it for years in school. To see the real think and get to experience it was really incredible. It's not really something that you walk around and talk, I was personally quiet because I was taking it all in and really learning about it all. Highly suggest doing this but reserve your tickets in advance because they sell out quickly!
~Diamond Head Hike: This was probably my favorite thing that we did in Waikiki because the views were like anything that I have ever seen. Pictures and videos really can't put it into words. Now don't be fooled the hike itself is no joke either but I really suggest going first thing in the morning because there will be less people and you will be able to get around a lot easier!
~King Kamehameha Statue and Iolani Palace: Now this was a spot where I was really fangirling, let me explain. My family is a huge fan of the show Hawaii Five-0, so the King Kamehameha Statue is constantly in the show and outside of the Five-0 headquarters to see it was EXTREMELY cool! But the detailing on these 2 building was incredible especially the palace where King Kamehameha lived for years.
~Shopping on Kalakaua Avenue: Ahhh my fashionista and shopping heart was so happy when we turned down this avenue. This avenue is like the Hawaii version of New York! They had Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Harry Winston, Apple, Urban Outfitters, Hermes, Ferragamo, Kate Spade, Sephora, Tory Burch, Victoria Secret, and so many others. This is also where a lot of the restaurants are and where we ate dinner at least 3 nights!
~Koko Head Stairs: Okay now we did not do this but I was so sad we weren't able to! These stairs are no joke but when you get to the top the view I have heard is unreal and worth it!
~Dolphin Excursions and Snorkel Adventure out of Waianea Boat Harbor: If you know me you know my favorite animal is a dolphin and to be able to actually be in the water with them was awesome! We were out on the water for 3 1/2 hours and we got to be in the water with the dolphins as well as snorkel and see all these really cool fish and some sea turtles up close! Our captain and mate were amazing and had so much information to share and they even had a photographer along with us to take pictures on the boat as well as in the water. This company was so great and they even gave us lunch afterwards that definitely made us all less hangry!
If anybody is going to Hawaii, I really hope this helped! We had such an amazing time in Waikiki and wish we could have stayed longer and done so many of the other cool things on our list!
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As always thank you for stopping by and watching and reading! Stay tuned for Hawaii Part 2 coming soon!
Love, D
