It is no secret how much our family loves Hawaii. We have always said if we could only travel to two places the rest of our lives it would be Disneyland and Hawaii. I know, we are total creatures of habit. We recently spent 8 days in Oahu and we had the best time. It was just our family of four and it was good for us to be together, connect, laugh, talk, swim, eat and enjoy each other before Blake begins busy season (we farm cantaloupes and honeydews during the summer and into October). While in Oahu we were able to celebrate Kennedy's 5th birthday and my birthday as well. There is truly nothing like spending your birthday in Hawaii! We are so blessed and had the most amazing trip. Here are some photos and a video of all our fun.
There has always been a special place in my heart for Oahu. When I was graduating high school my graduation gift from Blake's parents was a trip with their family to Oahu. It really seems like yesterday. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and I had different Hawaiian dresses for every single night. Not much has changed since 1999. We love the Hilton Hawaiian Village. You never have to leave the property and it is the best hotel in Oahu. I have a whole post on the Hilton Hawaiian Village that you can read here.
We flew out on Kennedy's 5th birthday! Carter and Kennedy technically still had school for a couple more days, but we ditched those last days of school and said hello summer vacation!
We flew Hawaiian and our flight to Oahu was amazing, but our flight home was a different story.
Our first night we went to Duke's. We love Duke's. Since it was Kennedy's birthday we thought Hula Pie to celebrate was the best idea. For those in the know, Blake proposed at Duke's in Kauai in 2003. We love Duke's so much. We usually go more than once during our stay. Our favorites are the Kushiyaki Kabobs and the salad bar.
Every single morning we started our day at Leonard's. Do not let the line intimidate you. It is amazing and delicious and so worth the wait. We always just get the original malasadas, and a large pao doce. Make sure you warm the pao doce in their microwave inside the store. It is so much better to eat it hot.
My hat
The kids loved the beach. We started every day on the beach until lunch time, then we decided on what pool we wanted to go to, eat lunch by the pool and enjoy the rest of our day. There are 5 pools at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, so there is a lot to choose from and different pool menus too!
Our suits
My suit
Kennedy's suit
My suit
Our suits
Our suits
At least 1 Lava Flow is a must every single day by the pool!
Pineapple drinks are mandatory too!
We also had family photos taken in Oahu with Flytographer. It was amazing. You can read the blog post here.
We basically hung by the beach or one of the 5 pools every single day at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and then we would clean up and go out to dinner. Below I will share some of our favorite restaurants in Oahu that are a must.
It is always fun visiting The Royal Hawaiian
My favorite cookies ever. The chocolate chip ones are my favorite.
We love the Dole Plantation!
Our favorite ice cream shop is Lappert's and it is located right at Hilton Hawaiian Village.
There is a fireworks show every single Friday night at Hilton Hawaiian Village at 7:45 pm. We could see the fireworks from our hotel room balcony. It was amazing.
Every year we always go to the character breakfast at the Aulani. We have also stayed at the Aulani and you can read that blog post here. We really love the character breakfast.
One of our favorite hotels to visit is the Surfjack Hotel. They have the best coffee shop called Olive and Oliver to the left of the hotel. There is a cute boutique attached too. It is so worth the visit! Especially just for a latte and the cup!
Kennedy was all about feeding the Koi fish every single day at Hilton Hawaiian Village.
This was the view from our room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village
Giovanni's shrimp truck is my favorite. There are two locations on Oahu.
We celebrated my birthday at Roy's. It is one of my favorite restaurants. We celebrated my birthday last year at Roy's too. The food is amazing and they are super kid friendly and I love it. I seriously wish the same thing every single year, just for good health for Blake, Carter, Kennedy and myself.
My dress
Until next time...
If you plan on visiting Oahu or Kauai and have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. Obviously, we can't get enough of Hawaii. It is definitely our preferred vacation destination and the kids love it.
Here are some favorites:
Honolulu Cookie Company, Lapperts (Kona Coffee ice cream is a must), Dukes (Kushiyaki Kabobs and the salad bar.), House Without A Key, Just Tacos, Rocky Japanese Steak Teppan Restaurant, Longhi's, Roys, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Giovanni's Shrimp Truck, Dole Whip Plantation, Olive and Oliver, Eating House 1849, Monkey Pod, BUHO (Tequila garlic shrimp) and Tommy Bahama.
If you are looking for the perfect stroller to pack while traveling check out my blog post here.
If you are looking for exactly what you should pack for Hawaii check out the blog post here.
I tried to link as many things as I could find from the photos above, but if you have a specific question on anything do not hesitate to ask.
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