Vacation Tips | Oahu, Hawaii

Monday, January 25, 2016
Some days it seems like it was just a dream that we actually lived in Hawaii. But then I go back and look through all my pics and realize that, holy moly, we LIVED IN HAWAII!! I mean how many people can say that?? I feel so unbelievably lucky and fortunate to have been able to spend those 2 wonderful years there.

And as most of you already know, we always had visitors come!! Which to me, was always such a highlight! I felt like a tour guide haha. Majority of people would come and visit in February, simply because there usually are some major seat sales for that month. I even think one of our friends only paid about $280 round trip one time. Ya.....crazy!! BUT.......that's a huge but...... Feb is during rainy season (or Winter). It is a complete hit or miss with weather. We've had people come there were tons of sunny days and other times, we would only get like 3 days of sun the whole time they visited......such a bummer! If you are looking to come to Hawaii, I would recommend coming between May-October. You could swim for miles and the weather is beyond perfection. But, you just can't beat those prices!!!!

I have always promised people that I would give them a map/lists of the island and what to do, what not to do, whats free, and whats not....etc etc. So below I have copied a map from the web and added a few things just to give everyone more of a visual. I hope this info helps some people have an even better experience when they go! Enjoy!





Lets start with the best Beaches shall we??? Because....lez-be honest, that is where you will be spending most of your time.

Beaches:
Waimea Bay - This is our absolute FAVOURITE beach!! There is so much to do here. Rocks to jump off of, beautiful waves to swim in, turtles, dolphins, fun rocks to climb on and the actual beach is so big and beautiful. Only downside....parking!!! You need to fight for that spot!!! Or else you need to go back out to the road and park across the highway at Waimea falls (which you have to pay for...lame)
Sharks Cove - I feel silly for forgetting to write it on the map. But it's on North Shore and you can't miss it. Its a beach with a cove of rocks in the water. So great for snorkelling and cave diving. You will NEED Water Shoes for this place (and a few others). The rocks are SO SHARP!
Lanikai Beach - Softest sand on the Island!!! So calm and so blue and warm! You can also kayak to the little islands that are over there too!
Electric Beach - This is where a whole lot of our friends and family have swam with wild dolphins!!! There is an electrical plant there which shoots out warm water (you can swim to it and feel the warm water come out!). Tons of fish come and enjoy the warmness!

See more of the wonderful beaches HERE

>> Now these are the beaches that we suggest should be your BEACH DAYS. Where you want to spend the majority of your day just playing or lying on the beach. Other beaches are great, but we found that these sandy beaches are the best to play at <<

-----------------------

Everyone has different taste in how they like to hike. Some like long and easy, others like hard and challenging. Here a few that we've done. We haven't done very many.

Hikes:
Maunuwili Falls - This is one of our favourites for 2 reason, its fairly easy/kid friendly/short and there's a lovely Waterfall at the end!! I will say though, it's kind of difficult to find.
Laie Falls - Again, another Waterfall hike!!! This hike is loooooooong! About 2.5-3 UP. But, it's fairly easy and the views are amazing!!
Makapu'u Tide Pools Hike - This is a steep one!! But awesome at the bottom!
Chinaman's Hat - We never fail to do this hike with visitors. It is simply amazing! You literally....WALK....to this island and hike on up! You need to go at low tide though, so be sure to keep track!

Want more options of Hikes??? Go HERE.

----------------------

Moving onto the Sites!!! There are TONS......I means TOOOOOOONS of things to see on Oahu. You will need to do some serious picking and choosing if you are spending less than 10 days there.


The Sites:
Polynesian Cultural Centre - (Approx. $100) Go and see what all these different island cultures have to offer! See their sculptures, dances, clothing, tattoos, games, food, etc. And the evening show is to die for!!
Dole Plantation - (FREE) Go and experience the deliciousness of Pineapple dole whip!
Makapu'u Point - (FREE) Oh my....this view seems to beat them all! You walk (on a man made path) up this hill. There is a cute little lighthouse at the top and view that will take your breathe away. Ps this is also the place where you will find the Makapu'u Tide Pools. Its on the other side of the Hill so you need to hike up, then hike down instead of going all the way to the top.
Waikiki Strip- This is the pace to party. If you want to be around hussle and bussle....then this is the place for you! Volleyball nets, music, people selling stuff, awesome food, karaoke. But....the beach isn't our favourite. There are TONS of people around so we would always get frustrated when going there. And you have to pay for parking and park fairly far away.
Pearl Harbor - This can either be free, or expensive. There is an option of going and seeing a short film, then going on a fairy ride after for free. But if you're willing to pay for the entire tour, then go for it! I hear it's amazing.
Laie Point - It is VERY likely that you will see some whales jumping over here!! This is also a great place to cliff jump! There IS a specific spot to jump though. You can't just go wherever you want and expect to be safe. Be sure to ask!
China Walls - CLIFF JUMPING!! This place is so cool. The rocks are so interesting and there are heights for everyone. I will say though, that it can be quite dangerous.... The waves and easily knock you into the walls.
Cave Diving - So we have this favourite cave to swim through. It's called the "Blue Room" and it's located at Sharks Cove. Please note!: This place is ONLY safe when the ocean is completely still and you have someone you know who's done it with you. It took me a year to do it, but once I did....it was the best feeling ever!
Byodo-In Temple - (Approx. $3) This place is so cute and interesting. But small. Don't plane a whole day for this.

HERE is more things to see!

---------------------------

Towns/Cities
Hale'iwa - We looooove this place. There is so much to do! Tons of great restaurants. The beaches are all family friendly so the waves are quite small. This is where majority of people will paddle board because it is quite calm.

>> Honestly.....this is the only town I would even suggest going to. It's cute and easy to get around and tons of stuff to do. Honolulu is so so big, that you will be spending most of your day stuck in traffic. <<


-------------------------

Activities:
Shark Diving - (Approx. $100) Want to swim with some sharks!?? Go to Hale-iwa! Amazing shark diving experience and it's the cheapest I believe.
Parasailing - (Approx $60)Do this in Honolulu near the Waikiki strip. It is so fun!!
Swap Meet - This is where you go to buy all your little souvenirs and trinkets! Everything is so cheap! Its so amazing! It is located in Honolulu at the Stadium. It is only open certain days and times of the days. So be sure to look that up!
Skydiving - (Approx. $150) My husband did this and had the best time! You can't beat that view and adrenaline!

----------------------

If you can't find something or somewhere, just ask! Everyone is so nice and will point you in the right direction. Don't waste any extra time on trying to figure out where places are if you get lost. People WILL help you!

I would also like to mention in this post, that you DO NOT need to spend a whole lot of money in order to have fun and entertain yourself in Hawaii. Honestly for us, all of the our favourite things are free!

Most of the things listed are linked to the place so be sure to check that out so you know what to expect and where to go!



You guys....I could spend all day writing up about things to do in Hawaii. But I can't write it ALL down. These are the places and things that we think would make an amazing vacation. Like I said, we haven't done everything there is to do there. We were only living there for 20 months. Here is a link to a website that will literally tell you almost EVERYTHING there is to do in Hawaii. On all the Islands. Hikes, activities, directions, beaches, locations, camping, hidden treasures, etc. It's all there. So here is the link for that:
http://www.unrealhawaii.com/

Ps...don't forget sunscreen! ;)
And happy vacationing!


ALSO.....
Looking for some fun videos to convince you to go to Hawaii??? Check these out!


How We Wore It | Felt Hat

Tuesday, January 19, 2016
I am so excited to be doing another collaboration with these stunning ladies! Also, how do you like the new look of the ol' Blog??? I felt like this year was a year of change and positivity, and I wasn't really loving the look before. I saw this template and fell in looooooove!

Oh my goodness, I have so much blogging to catch up on....its ridiculous. Its one of my new years revolutions to start blogging waaaaay more. So hopefully I will keep that goal this year!

Anyways, off topic here, for this post of 'How we wore it' we decided to take our inspiration from a local fashionista from Calgary, conveythemoment, and this is the picture we chose:




And I also don't know why this keeps happening to me, but on the days I decide to do an outfit look, I am soooo sick. So please excuse the puffy and pale face haha. And the fact that my lips are the same shade as my skin doesn't help ha! I realized after taking the pics that my lips just blend right into my face! Jeez Britt learn about lipstick already.

A felt hat with a chunky sweater/cardigan just screams both style and comfort! For me personally, it's really hard to wear hats when my hair is curly. Hats just don't sit right on my curls! But when I went to Stitches and tried on this beauty and saw that it actually stayed on....!!!! Well...I went straight to the checkout and bought it. No hesitation. I also feel like hats just dress up ANY look. And I just feel so fancy wearing a hat haha. 

I hope everyone had a fabulous New Years and have made some awesome goals this year! Im very excited for what 2016 has to offer us! Cheers to New Beginnings!



Hat :: Stitches -Sold Out- (Similar HERE)
Leggings :: Costco
Boots :: Aliexpress
Cardigan :: Old - Similar HERE and also love THIS (major sales!)

Also be sure to check out these other Bloggers I've been collaborating with this post!
A bunch of beauties!

Hannah, Fay, Eden from Twinnerpated
Chelan from Chelannigans
Jordan from Jordancidelle

 
Designed with ♥ by Nudge Media Design