Garnerstyle

I'm probably the worst person when it comes to recapping my trips.  I have all the best intentions in the world to talk about my adventures, but then life happens.  Additionally, I hate traveling with my camera.  I had one (an expensive one at that) stolen in NYC and after that I kind of refuse to bring mine, so you'll want to note that these are all camera phone photos (The phone I used was the Samsung Edge S7 and takes pretty hi-quality photos).  This year for my 5 year anniversary, B and I went to Hawaii.  We haven't really done anything like this since our honeymoon. B hates to fly, so with a little bit of coaxing and the promise of booking first class tickets (I pretty much haven't used any of my miles on Delta for the past few years, so I was able to get both tickets at no cost).  I really wanted to make it a special trip for us and give him the least amount of flying anxiety and it worked.  After the trip, he told me this was the most comfortable he had ever been on a flight.  I saw him get a little tense when we took off, but after that I could see that he was relaxed.  It was totally worth spending my miles on him. :) 

After a 5 hour flight from California, we were in Oahu, Hawaii. I didn't realize that there is a time difference of 3 hours from the west coast, 6 hours if you are the east.  On the agenda for us was go to a luau, hike Manoa Falls, do some snorkeling, and of course relax.  We stayed our first 3 nights at Shoreline Hotel and stayed our last night at the Royal Hawaiian. We made the decision to switch after we went to their Monday night luau.  The Royal Hawaiian is a lovely hotel and right on the beach.  It's a bit pricey, so I'm glad we just decided to do one night. 

Here are the activities I did and a quick review:

Waikiki Sea Turtle Snorkling Trip - We swam over the coral reefs in Waikiki.  Some of you guys saw the Snapchat story (Garnerstyle on Snap) about B, just know that I am still side-eyeing him.  Anyhow, this was a cool trip. This trip you swam from shore out into the ocean.  The coral reefs are pretty much everywhere, so there is a lot of sea life to be seen. The day I went the viability wasn't great, so I couldn't the vibrant colors of the fish like I would have liked, but it was a fun trip.  One thing I will say is that the water at Waikiki beach is rough. It's surfing water and can be taxing to swim in.  You also have to be careful not to cut yourself on the reef.  I paid $49 for two people on Groupon. Always check your Groupon deals when traveling.  They can save you a bunch on some of the activities that you want to do. 

Manoa Falls - We got a lot of recommendations to hike Diamond Head, but we ended up doing Manoa Falls instead. I picked it because, the website says that it is 1.5 miles roundtrip and it will allow you to see a cool waterfall.  I thought this hike was going to be a  breeze. Not so much.  To me, it was challenging.  It's on a constant incline, you have to walk up tricky rocky paths, a lot of mud, and with a lot of bugs.  Now, was the hike worth it? Yes, it was. The scenery was ah-mazing through the whole hike.  One thing I will say is BE CAREFUL.  I'm prone to falling, so I was trying to be super careful.  Also, sneakers aren't great hiking shoes with it comes to stepping on slippery rocks. We came during the rainy time, so the falls were really flowing, but that also meant that the trail was wet.  Make sure you bring bug spray! I know there are some weird things going on with these mosquitos, so better safe than sorry.  The hike was definitely a challenge, but I was proud that I did it.  Cost was free, you do have to pay to park. 

Royal Hawaiian Luau - I chose this luau because it was #3 on a top 10 list.  It was a really nice luau although I do think it was a bit westernized. I heard Germaine's Luau is more authentic to the Hawaiian culture.  The food was great and they kept the cocktails coming.  It is a bit pricey, but with food, cocktails, and some of the special entertainment I thought it was worth it.  They are known for bringing in famed ukulele musicians to perform. This time was no different and I really enjoyed the show. 

This was an awesome trip to Hawaii.  We decided to go, because we may be moving in a few months and wanted to do it while we fly from the west coast.  I would definitely love to go back to Hawaii, there were still a lot of things that I wanted to do. B said I wore him out with my activities, so I had to chill on the activities. LOL.