"Journey to the North Shore" - Hawaii Day 4

Day 4 started early!! We departed the Outrigger at 6AM heading to the North Shore and a night at the Turtle Bay Resort. I enjoyed Waikiki, but I was anxious to visit the mountains and garden part of the island. The entire ride, which is about 2 hours, was breathtaking!!

Sunrise in Waikiki

Moana Surfrider, the oldest hotel in Waikiki.
It is a luxury resort operated by the Westin. Gorgeous!!
This is my favorite resort in Waikiki.

Hanauma Bay - Nature Preserve
Note: Closed on Tuesdays - Small cost to enter the bay
Perfect for snorkeling!!
20 Minutes from Waikiki

Senator Fong's Botanical Plantation & Gardens
A Road Less Traveled...

Our group received a guided tour from Patsy Fong
Senator Fong's Daughter-in-Law
She pulled a melon off the tree and gave it to Geoff to eat right there.

Patsy gave me a lime for my 30 mosquito bites. It worked!!

Secret Island at Kualoa Ranch
(50 First Dates was filmed here)

Secret Island is perfect for a beach wedding.

Entrance to Kualoa Ranch

Kualoa Ranch - A 4000 acre working ranch
Site of ABC's Lost, and multiple movie's such as:
Pearl Harbor, 50 First Dates, Jurassic Park, Windtalkers, and Godzilla

I'm hiding from the dinosaurs. Shhhh!

I recommend the movie tour,
but those on the ATV's also seemed to be having fun! :)

On our way to the North Shore we stopped at
Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. YUMMY!!
I also had one of many Pineapple Smoothies. Double YUM!

We arrived at the Turtle Bay Resort located at the North Shore
and headed straight to dinner at Ola's.
Again, it was an amazing dinner! All 5 courses!

Time for bed!
View of the sunset from my room at the Turtle Bay Resort.

Next up is horseback riding and the Dole Plantation. Check back soon. :)

"Oahu Landing" - Hawaii Day 1

My trip to Hawaii last week was jammed packed with FUN, ADVENTURE, and FOOD!!! Too much for just one posting. I'm going to try and break it down day by day.

I've been in the travel industry for 12 years. This was my FIRST time to Hawaii. I arrived at the Oahu airport around 5PM. (7 hr flight from Salt Lake City and a -3 hr time difference)

I was met at the airport by Aloha VIP. I was given a lei greeting and photo op. So far...so good.

I was traveling with a group of 12 Travel Agents from across the country. The Oahu Visitors Bureau brought us to Oahu to learn all about the island, so that we can SELL, SELL, SELL!!

I was taken to the Outrigger Reef on the Beach to meet up with my group. The Outrigger Reef on the Beach, was recently renovated. The rooms were very nice. I would give it at least 3.5 star. The beach was small and the pool did not over look the beach, which I did not like. However, they had a Starbucks, and a great restaurant called Shorebird. Plus, the location for shopping was excellent!

(View from my partial ocean view room at the
Outrigger Reef on the Beach.)

I checked-in at the Outrigger, and was given directions to a local sushi restaurant for dinner. I asked for cheap and was told to try Todai, which was about three blocks from the hotel. We found Todai in about 10 minutes, and ate buffet style sushi and Asian cuisine for about $35 per person. The Sushi was okay, but it is meant for someone that will eat A TON of food and does not really care what the sushi tastes like. :)


We stopped by the Hilton Hawaiian Village and visited some shops on property. The hotel was gorgeous and it had a great beach and pool area. It was the largest property I visited while in Waikiki.

Day 2 consisted of a lot of hotel site inspections, so check out my next posting on my FAVORITE property in Honolulu.