This week marks the one year anniversary of our trip to Hawaii which has its roots in an off handed comment I made to Ryan’s good friends Chris and Tawny during our wedding week. Tawny grew up on Oahu, and living in Washington, they go regularly to the islands. I remarked “Let us know the next time you head over!” Well, just a few months later they let us know they were going in December. Did we want to join?
I thought it was nuts (and indulgent) to plan a trip to Hawaii just a few months after our wedding. We hadn’t taken our proper honeymoon yet and by going to Hawaii with them (and their two amazing kids under 3) this wouldn’t count…but its Hawaii. We were early enough to get a great deal on flights and by staying with them in rented homes, we would see massive savings. And they were basically our private, local tour guides. It became a no brainer. We booked a 2 week trip in mid-December. Besides, we could always honeymoon for our one year anniversary in 2020….yeahhhhh.
I’m not sure how I survived the 16 hours of flying (for those who don’t know, I have pretty severe flight anxiety), but we arrived safely, 24 hours before them in Oahu. Upon their recommendation we stayed at the Laylow- a Marriott Autograph hotel that combines mid-century design with classic Hawaiian style- very us. We wasted time in Waikiki until they landed and then joined them at the rental house.
Photos: Our amazing hotel at the Laylow and our first wanderings around Waikiki, including our first sunset in Hawaii. The next day we hung out at the Moana Surfrider, eating Dole and Acai bowls, overlooking the famed Diamond Head peak. That night we met up with Chris and Tawny, taking our first drinks at the Aulani hotel. This was the first 48 hours….
Check back tomorrow for the second half of Oahu. Then it’s on to the Big Island!
[…] most point which was a big deal for Ryan and I since we had just been at the southern most point in Hawaii – meaning we visited the two most southern points in America (geographic and contiguous) in a […]