THE HAWAII DIARIES / PART ONE

Aloha! Oh my gosh, we’ve just returned from the most magical fortnight in Hawaii… and it was magic. It really was. We created the most beautiful memories that I know I’ll carry with me forever, and Shane and the girls will too. Writing about our trip is hard, because there’s so much I want to just blurt out and write about {which might work if we were sitting together in a cafe for a few hours} but won’t make sense if I just start typing and jumping from one thing to another. I have so much I want to share, and tell you, and show you, and inspire you with… but I think the best way is to show you in diary form of how we spent our days. So here we go. Grab a cuppa and settle in…

We visited Oahu, Hawaii back in October 2014 and stayed at the Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa for 5 days. Back then, it was the best trip we’d ever had, and we kept dreaming of how we could experience that same magical place again. It was at the top of our to-do list, and we had actually talked about spending Christmas there this year. We love it. So you can imagine my excitement when an email popped into my inbox with an opportunity to visit again. We were all weeding the garden, and I’d popped inside to grab a drink and a cheeky email check, and I lost my mind. I ran down to the garden and shared the news. We were all out in the front garden jumping around like happy kangaroos. VERY happy kangaroos.

DAY ONE

We were totally prepared for a nightmare flight on the way over, because you know… toddlers and airplanes don’t always mix well. But we hit the jackpot and the girls both slept for most of the flight, until we landed in sunny Honululu. We then traveled by car to Ko’Olina which is on the eastern side of Oahu, to a little place known as Aulani, a Disney resort.

Arriving at Aulani is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, and something that I dream everyone can experience in their lifetime. I know that’s a big wish, but it’s that amazing. We were greeted with leis {the girls get fragrant flowers, and Shane got a beaded necklace}, and a refreshing drink… but that’s not the magic. As we walked into Aulani, we could feel the culture of Hawaii, and the magic in the people. It’s so hard to describe. Aulani is all about the culture of Hawaii – the only place in Hawaii more culturally accurate than Aulani is actually a museum. So much planning, thought, and respect to the culture has gone into creating it… and you can feel it as you walk into the building. It’s in the murals on the walls, the glass in the windows, the shape of the ceiling, and even in the people {they have cultural greeters as you walk in}. It hits you in all your senses; you see it, you feel it, you taste it and you smell it.

We went to our room, got comfortable and settled in for our stay. And then of course promptly got into our cossies and ready for a swim.

I then left my family to keep swimming, so I could take a proper tour of the resort to hear more about the history and to see all the rooms and facilities. Even though the resort is only 5 years old, it looks like it’s been around forever in the most beautiful, authentic way.

We then all gathered in The Olelo Room, which is a bar and restaurant in the hotel all about the Hawaiian culture. The staff are all Hawaiian, and the decor in the room is all about teaching you the Hawaiian language as you dine. The floor has the Hawaiian name tiled across, the chairs have the Hawaiian name too, as well as the walls being filled with the language. It was great for Lacey who is at that age where she wants to soak up EVERYTHING.

The food was beautiful, and had amazing fresh flavours… and the coconut mojito {or two!} went down a treat as well. It was a great way to end our first day in Hawaii {I spent the rest of the trip dreaming about the chicken wings and the tuna sashimi they did too}.

After dinner, we headed across the road to the little area of shops. There’s a cute ABC Store {a chain of stores you’ll find mostly in Waikiki} and grabbed some supplies for the week – mostly sunscreen and snacks for the girls. And then it was bed to rest our weary heads.

DAY TWO

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know my family are Disney-lovers. I wrote about why here. The girls are crazy about Mickey, Minnie and all the other characters. They love them. Aulani is subtly Disney. It’s Hawaii first, and Disney second. The characters are on holiday there, so it’s super subtle. If you weren’t into that kinda thing, you could totally have a beautiful holiday without getting excited about them. If you love them, like we do, it’s like the most amazing resort, with a cherry on top. The girls will tell you that the best thing about Hawaii was seeing Mickey. It was their favourite thing. So I booked a breakfast with the characters on our first morning at Aulani to get the girls really excited.

The breakfasts are hosted at Makahiki, a restaurant within the resort. We started with a catch-up with Mickey {he’d revealed a makeover that he’d had the weekend before, it’s subtle but you can tell… he’s fresher, so is Minnie!}. Then we sat down to breakfast and had Minnie, and Chip and Dale visit us too.

After breakfast we set up camp by the pool, and had fun in the water. My favourite thing to do is float around the lazy river with the family. I would happily do it all day, everyday. If only reality would allow.

I then tip-toed away from my family {not even sure they noticed to be honest!} and into the Laniwai Day Spa. I try and visit Day Spas where ever I go, because I feel it’s my duty to test out all the spas of the world and share with you, my readers. I know it’s a tough gig, but someone should do it… and I am willing to be that person to put my hand up ?. Laniwai is like no other spa I’ve visited. As I entered I was greeted with a bowl of stones. I selected one, and it had the word DREAM engraved on it. That was to be my focus for my treatment. I then placed my stone into a beautiful pool of water and watched it ripple, and change the light in the room.

I was sent out into the garden to enjoy the various spas, showers, and the rainforest surrounds. I then had the most delicious eighty minutes of my life, experiencing a Lomi Lomi massage. The beauty of Laniwai is that you can make the treatment perfect for you, I got to pick the massage oil scent, and the music that was played during my treatment. As I said, I have experienced nothing like it. It’s next level.

Laniwai has treatments for all the family. You can even have treatments as an Ohana {family} or treat your little people to a little something-something {braids, glitter, more!}. There’s even a special teen treatment room with appropriate services. Everyone is covered.

After lunch by the pool {coconut shrimp for the win!} we headed out for a hula lesson. I always wondered how the women did the hip thing they do, and after the lesson I realised I could do it too. I told Shane he could stay in the pool if he wanted to bow out of the lesson, but he WANTED in. His hula is AWESOME and he does it daily to crack us up. It’s my new favourite thing.

Guests can do cool things like hula lessons, or even build canoes, learn to surf and so much more. There are loads of things to do, so many that it feels impossible to get them done in one stay {one reason we plan on returning in 2017}.

Some very special guests turned up at our hula lesson, and it made everyone’s day. You can’t help but be happy around these guys. Honestly, I’d dare you not to smile.

We finished the day with more swimming, in the ocean {Aulani has a beautiful calm lagoon style beach that is perfect for families} and in the pools. We then had dinner in the Makahiki restaurant {buffet style, I shared videos on Instagram Stories for those that follow me there} and then called it a night, hula-ing our way back to our room.