Gifting Myself a Trip to Hawaii for Christmas and New Years
Holidays are an interesting time for me. Since my family is not very conventional, I was able to take the two weeks that I had off of work and go somewhere. So why Hawaii? I have a friend, Carlo, that I kept in contact with over social media through the years who lives in Hawaii. I believe it was only less than a month from my actual landing in Hawaii that I decided that I was going to go. Carlo is also from my small Florida hometown and he decided to move out there after visiting a few years ago. He was in town for the holidays and I was able to fly with him to Hawaii. I got an amazing deal on airfare since one of his best friends works on the airline. Connections are key!!
Here’s a breakdown of my daily itinerary:
Dec 26
- Arrived in Honolulu 4 am
- Watched the sunrise at Kahala Beach 6 am
- Ube pancakes for breakfast at Yogurstory
- Island hop to the Big Island at 10 am
- Visited a Black Sand Beach – Punalu’u Beach. There were sea turtles resting on the beach! We didn’t stay long since it was a bit crowded.
- Went to Volcanos National Park. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t see any actual lava but I did walk through a lava tube.
- Visited Rainbow Falls
- Visited Wailuku River Falls
- Was back on the plane by 7:30 pm to go back to Oahu
Dec 27
- Drove the Kalaniana’ole Hwy. This highway was probably one of the best highlights of my trip. The views on the drive with the gorgeous blue ocean and the rocky cliffs were just *chef’s kiss*
- Did a photoshoot at a secret beach for Citron Clothing
- Had my first authentic Hawaiian Poke Bowl from Foodland
- Tried to see a little bit of the North Shore. This is where a lot of the surfers go to catch the good waves. (a lot of traffic so we didn’t stay)
- Had my first surf lesson at White Plains Beach
Dec 28
Carlo had work this day so I had to figure out how I wanted to spend my day. I decided to try and use Bumble BFF to see if there were any girls that wanted to hang out and do something. I got invited to brunch last minute and decided to go!
- Bumble BFF brunch date at Et Al. A nice restauraunt conntected to a grocery store. Who would’ve thought?
- Relaxed and did some work. Chill day.
Dec 29
- Morning surf lesson at White Plains Beach where I rode my first wave!
- Picked up some Malasadas at Leonard’s. A malasada is a Portugese doughnut without a hole. So yummy and a must-try when in Hawaii!
- Headed to Kailua to visit my sister
- Went on a hiking date to Lanikai Pillbox. The two pillboxes in the trail were used as military bunkers. The summer offers stunning panoramic views of Lanikai Beach.
- Went to a speakeasy called Gaslamp where we had a phenomenal seafood tower.
Dec 30
- Hiked Pillbox again
- Had some fantastically priced AYCE KBBQ for dinner at Sura.
Weather was not so great this day so I stayed in and did work.
Dec 31
- Hung out at Carlo’s friends’ place for a little get together
- Watched fireworks for the new year in Waihapu
Jan 1
- Attempted to do a photoshoot but the weather was terrible yet again so it was another chill day in
- Sushi dinner at Doraku
Jan 2
- Photoshoot with a gorgeous handmade lei po’o
- Back to secret beach for more photos
- Stopped at one of the lookout points on Kalaniana’ole Hwy
- Caught my flight back home. I got upgraded to first class! Amazing experience!
Reflecting on my trip, Hawaii exceeded my expectations. I was kind of expecting a tourist trap destination but quickly realized that this island lives up to its hype. The combination of beaches and mountains in a lush, tropical environment makes these islands a true paradise. Now I’m even considering moving there!