After last year’s Christmas in Hawaii, we had been longing to return. Seven days there was not long enough, and we left a piece of our hearts behind. After a year, it was time to go reassemble our hearts, relive some memories and make tons of new ones, and celebrate Christmas in our favorite destination again!
December 18, 2018
At loooooong last, the day had finally arrived. We said goodbye to dog, I took him to the dog sitters at 5:15 am, and around 5:45 our driver arrived to pick us up. It was a quiet and comfortable ride to the airport, and before we knew it, it was time for our traditional photo with the race car.
December 18, 2018
At loooooong last, the day had finally arrived. We said goodbye to dog, I took him to the dog sitters at 5:15 am, and around 5:45 our driver arrived to pick us up. It was a quiet and comfortable ride to the airport, and before we knew it, it was time for our traditional photo with the race car.
We placed our Starbucks orders, and I used the opportunity to troll Lizzy. She is, of course, a Pro and not a Nub. Regardless, I had them write “Nub” on her cup. She vowed revenge!
Before long, it was time to board our first flight for the day, to Los Angeles. Every time we’ve flown to LA has been for something super fun (Sydney, last year’s Hawaii trip), so we always love that journey!
En route, she was pretty excited to find Egypt Station as an in-flight music option. I think she listened through it three times!
The flight seemed to pass very quickly (that IND-LAX flight always does), and before we knew it we were at LA, and heading over to the somewhat messed up bus system to get you between the two teminald. As out travels are taking us more and more westward, and we’re finding ourselves dealing with LAX more frequently, we will all be very happy once the new Delta terminal gets built and we don’t have to lose 25 minutes to a connecting bus!
We were immediately able to board once we rolled off the silly bus, so Liz and I found our seats and prepared for the 6 hour flight to our favorite destination.
We were immediately able to board once we rolled off the silly bus, so Liz and I found our seats and prepared for the 6 hour flight to our favorite destination.
We were so excited to look out the window and see Maui, Lanai, and Molokai!
Our wonderful Flight Attendant brought Lizzy some Delta wings. (Not her first set, but always fun to get!)
A few weeks before our trip, Lizzy and I had announced that if we could see a rainbow from the plane before landing in Honolulu, then we would know Hawaii had missed us like we had missed it for the past year. Imagine our sheer delight to be greeted by THREE separate rainbows! The Aloha spirit was welcoming us back, and our hearts felt so full.
We landed, headed to get our bags, and were met by our chauffeur right on time. Onward to the Ali’i at Hilton Hawaiian Village, for the next 9 nights!
We were greeted by the lovely Ali’i Christmas tree (compared with last years for fun!)
We were greeted by the lovely Ali’i Christmas tree (compared with last years for fun!)
We went up to our room to freshen up and change. Then it was out to greet Waikiki.
As is now our tradition, we had our first meal at Tropics.
We watched the sunset while eating, and then headed out to the beach for an evening stroll. Liz made some friends, and while playing with them, convinced them to help her get her revenge from my Starbucks prank that morning:
(It says NOOB in shells and rocks. Especially created for me.)
December 19, 2018
Daddy had a business meeting in the morning, and we were all up pretty early anyhow (thanks jet lag), so we headed next door to the Ilikai to have breakfast at Cinnamons (since, sadly, our favorite breakfast venue was permanently shuttered). Since we were there a little before they opened, we enjoyed the Christmas decorations!
December 19, 2018
Daddy had a business meeting in the morning, and we were all up pretty early anyhow (thanks jet lag), so we headed next door to the Ilikai to have breakfast at Cinnamons (since, sadly, our favorite breakfast venue was permanently shuttered). Since we were there a little before they opened, we enjoyed the Christmas decorations!
After a yummy breakfast, Daddy went on to his business meeting while we went back to the hotel for some Dancing Freddy videos on location!
Of course, walking back meant we had a chance to find her favorite statue ever, and greeting him (in)appropriately.
Of course, walking back meant we had a chance to find her favorite statue ever, and greeting him (in)appropriately.
Once Dad was done with his meetings, we drove over to the marina for our sea turtle swim and dive. Unfortunately, it was a little windy so Liz and I stayed mostly around the boat, meaning we didn’t get to swim closely with any turtles. We did, however, see a ray on the ocean floor, and hundreds and hundreds of Triggerfish that would swim right by us. It was very cool! (Stock photo)
Tommy’s dive instructor found an octopus and brought him up to the surface for Liz to play with. He squirted water and tried to escape. She didn’t like the way it felt, but it was also really neat! We also had a lot of fun swimming over the divers, and popping and swimming in their bubbles.
After our fun water adventures, we headed over to Nico’s for what we had been told was the best poke in Honolulu. It did not disappoint!
After our fun water adventures, we headed over to Nico’s for what we had been told was the best poke in Honolulu. It did not disappoint!
After this yummy meal, we headed back to the hotel to relax the rest of the evening. We did some shopping after a nap, and had a good night of rest.
December 20, 2019
Daddy had another dive in the morning, so we had a breakfast picnic on the balcony. We ate yummy croissants, and were greeted by 4 pigeons that we named Marshmallow, Lovey Dovey, Tank and Oreo. We noticed that Oreo was missing a foot, so “she” was easily identifiable. This same group of pigeons came back to our balcony several mornings, and Oreo was always one of them!
December 20, 2019
Daddy had another dive in the morning, so we had a breakfast picnic on the balcony. We ate yummy croissants, and were greeted by 4 pigeons that we named Marshmallow, Lovey Dovey, Tank and Oreo. We noticed that Oreo was missing a foot, so “she” was easily identifiable. This same group of pigeons came back to our balcony several mornings, and Oreo was always one of them!
We spent pretty much the whole day at the beach followed by the Ali’i pool, as the weather was utterly perfect.
Once we had decided we’d had our fill of the sun for the day, we got changed and walked over to Ramen Nakamura, our favorite ramen place. Much happiness!
After our delightful ramen, we walked onward to the Royal Hawaiian Center, where we like to walk around after dinner.
We walked past a haberdashery, and Liz spotted
a cat hat that she HAD to have. This hat became a fixture for the duration of the trip!
a cat hat that she HAD to have. This hat became a fixture for the duration of the trip!
December 21, 2019
During our trip planning, Lizzy said she really wanted to return to the Dole Planatation, which we had only briefly visited last Christmas Eve. Since this was her request, we made it a priority. We started our day with breakfast at Anna Miller’s, another favorite of ours from last trip.
During our trip planning, Lizzy said she really wanted to return to the Dole Planatation, which we had only briefly visited last Christmas Eve. Since this was her request, we made it a priority. We started our day with breakfast at Anna Miller’s, another favorite of ours from last trip.
Then onward to Dole! We arrived shortly before opening, and were among the first to get our tickets. We were aboard the first train ride of the day.
After an amusing train ride, we had to stop
for some Dole Whip.
for some Dole Whip.
Then, to the maze!
After feeding the fish and ducks a few times, we did our souvenir shopping, which included a pick-a-pearl that she set in a sea turtle pendant. Next stop: Haliewa for Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck!
It was so tasty! Lizzy really loved the lemon and butter on the shrimp and rice.
Afterwards, we drove over to the famous Matsumoto for some shave ice. It was so pretty and fun to watch them make.
Afterwards, we drove over to the famous Matsumoto for some shave ice. It was so pretty and fun to watch them make.
Next, it was onward to Waimea Bay. We certainly weren’t planning to jump off the rock, contenting ourselves to build sand forts and play in the waves.
After some excellent beach time, we decided to go Northeast around Oahu, since we hadn’t been that way before. We saw some spectacular scenery along the way, and since we were heading to the other side of the island, we decided we’d stop by the Byodo-In Temple, famous from Lost.
It was very strange, as it’s up on a high hill so it has a separate microclimate. Very cloudy, whereas it was completely sunny in Honolulu. We explored, and bought lots of food to feed the birds (they’d eat from your hands) and the swarming schools of fish.
It was very strange, as it’s up on a high hill so it has a separate microclimate. Very cloudy, whereas it was completely sunny in Honolulu. We explored, and bought lots of food to feed the birds (they’d eat from your hands) and the swarming schools of fish.
We stayed at the temple until closing, then headed back to the hotel. It was fireworks night (Friday), so we headed up to the pool deck to grab some chairs and watch the show.
December 22, 2018
Dad had another dive, so we had another balcony breakfast with our pigeon friends. After, we hit the lagoon, the pools, the hot tub, and the beach. We headed back to the room when he returned from his dive, and headed to Cinnamons for lunch to celebrate his Advanced Diver Certification!
Dad had another dive, so we had another balcony breakfast with our pigeon friends. After, we hit the lagoon, the pools, the hot tub, and the beach. We headed back to the room when he returned from his dive, and headed to Cinnamons for lunch to celebrate his Advanced Diver Certification!
After lunch, we had some more pool time for a few hours. Then we got cleaned up and went to the same bbq place where Lizzy fell in love with ribeye a few years ago in Chicago. Well, this time she fell in love with wagyu.
After this delicious dinner, we headed back to the hotel, as we had a big day of shopping and surfing the following day.
December 23, 2018
We started our morning again with breakfast at Anna Miller’s. We had about a 15 minute wait.
December 23, 2018
We started our morning again with breakfast at Anna Miller’s. We had about a 15 minute wait.
After breakfast, it was onward to the swap meet for souvenir shopping. We got lots of fun items, then headed back into Honolulu for some lunch on this absolutely gorgeous day.
We had a wonderful lunch overlooking Waikiki, right around the corner from surf lessons at Hans Hedelmann’s surf school.
Both Liz and Dad did lessons (and she especially did great!), while I sat on the gorgeous brindle sand and spectated.
Both Liz and Dad did lessons (and she especially did great!), while I sat on the gorgeous brindle sand and spectated.
After these memorable lessons (thanks to Lizzy’s instructor Adam!), we decided to go get some malasadas at Leonard’s bakery. We got original and passion fruit. They were fresh and warm and amazing!
After Leonard’s, we headed back to the hotel to drop off the rental car, and had pizza in the room and watched a movie. It was a fun day!
December 24, 2018
As with last year, we spent Christmas Eve driving around and visiting different beaches. We started our day by visiting Hanauma Bay, which we were unable to do last Christmas Eve because the parking lot was full from morning onward. This year, however, we got there right at opening and had no problem!
December 24, 2018
As with last year, we spent Christmas Eve driving around and visiting different beaches. We started our day by visiting Hanauma Bay, which we were unable to do last Christmas Eve because the parking lot was full from morning onward. This year, however, we got there right at opening and had no problem!
The water was crystal clear, and we were able to stand near the reefs, stick our faces in the water, and see so many tropical fish. Video 1 Video 2
After having a beach picnic, we noticed Hanauma Bay was getting a bit crowded (from tour buses), and we'd seen tons of fish, so we decided to head back to the car and drive onward to some new beaches. We chose Kailua Beach as our next step, and found this fun "sandman."
We had a lot of fun at Kailua Beach, just playing in the sand (it had the best, most powdery consistency of all the sand we've yet encountered in Hawaii!) After playing for a long while, we went to grab some dinner at Nico's nearby. Then, we headed back South along the coast, to some of the beaches and lookout points we'd fallen in love with last Christmas Eve.
We headed back to our hotel, a little sad that it was our last day with our rental car (we had snagged a convertible for all 3 of our days.)
After dropping off the car and getting cleaned up, we went to our dinner reservation at an udon place. It was so delicious!
Lizzys answer to “Do you like your dinner?”
Lizzys answer to “Do you like your dinner?”
Then we had one of the greatest desserts ever: the 20-layer green tea crepe cake.
It was a great end to a fantastic Christmas Eve!
December 25, 2018
Lizzy woke early, delighted to find Santa had visited the room. She was so excited to get a Cosmo, a little robot you can program and interact with. After some time to play, we headed out for some breakfast. We’d been wanting to try soufflé pancakes for awhile, and today was the day!
December 25, 2018
Lizzy woke early, delighted to find Santa had visited the room. She was so excited to get a Cosmo, a little robot you can program and interact with. After some time to play, we headed out for some breakfast. We’d been wanting to try soufflé pancakes for awhile, and today was the day!
After this wonderful breakfast, we headed back to the hotel to spend the day at the Ali'i pool. It was gorgeous and sunny and, like last year, a perfect Christmas Day.
After several hours of wonderful pool time, we got cleaned up and headed to Christmas dinner at Nobu. Lizzy said it was the best California Roll she had ever had! It was an excellent meal indeed.
December 26, 2019
Our last full day in Hawaii had come FAR too quickly, but we made sure to enjoy it thoroughly. We of course started with a big breakfast.
Our last full day in Hawaii had come FAR too quickly, but we made sure to enjoy it thoroughly. We of course started with a big breakfast.
Then we met the bus to take us on our adventure to Kaneohe Bay, the site of a huge sandbar! It was a lovely bus ride.
We arrived at our destination, and boarded our boat, and very quickly we were at the sandbar. It was nearly low tide, so while the sandbar wasn't completely exposed, the water went from just above my knees to mid-shin during our visit. We spent a good chunk of time chasing fish, playing catch, and enjoying a yummy cookout on the boat.
Our boat then proceeded to cruise over to a spot popular with sea turtles. It did NOT disappoint! There were turtles EVERYWHERE. That was the top thing Lizzy wanted to see on this trip to Hawaii, so that wish was fulfilled.
Then, the boat stopped at a reef to snorkel. As we had been snorkeling quite a bit all week, Liz opted to stay on the boat and catch some rays.
She insisted we return to our favorite ramen place for our last dinner in Hawaii, so of course we obliged. After dinner, we found time to cuddle with a giant statue.
Then we grabbed some ice cream once we were back at the hotel.
Then, it was time to film some epic multi-part Dancing Freddy videos.
All in all, a pretty great day. Much better than last December 26, when we heartbrokenly flew home!
December 27, 2018
Today was the tough day, but it wasn't as hard as last year. Staying two extra days really helped, as did several hours spent playing on Waikiki.
December 27, 2018
Today was the tough day, but it wasn't as hard as last year. Staying two extra days really helped, as did several hours spent playing on Waikiki.
Then some time to say goodbye to some statues, birds, and rocking chairs.
We decided to have a nice hibachi lunch, followed of course by...ice cream!
We enjoyed our ride back to the airport, with the same very kind and funny chauffeur who had initially picked us up upon our arrival in Honolulu.
We got settled in our seats for our long flight back to Atlanta.
We got settled in our seats for our long flight back to Atlanta.
As we took off, we saw our beloved Hilton Hawaiian Village, and said goodbye until next time. Aloha, and mahalo Hawaii. We love you.