• Mele Kalikimaka! 

    ByKristin family, vacation

    Day 1 

    After a good night of at least nine hours of sleep for my crew, we woke up ready to have a good day after a messy, hard travel day I’ll tell you about later. 

    We were picked up at 7 am by a driver for a private tour to Pearl Harbor. That’s an advantage of traveling with a party of 16! Yes, 7 am sounds early, but with our bodies somewhere between the time zones, it was fine! And I’m glad we got to Pearl Harbor early because, like lots of tourist attractions, it got busier as the morning went on. 

    We watched a well-written movie about the attack on Pearl Harbor, took a boat to the USS Arizona Memorial, and toured the Missouri battleship, and had a snack because by 10:30 am my crew was hungry! 

    Our driver ended up recommending a HUGE food court at the mall for lunch. Cate and I were pleased with our Fumi’s Kahuku Shrimp choices. Rachel shared a big ole ramen bowl with her cousin and had a crepe. Greg had Korean BBQ. We all rolled our eyes at Ben for his Raising Canes. 

    Rachel was the only one of us with a swimsuit, so Greg put on yesterday’s clothes, and they went swimming. Ben ended up getting in too, once his cousins arrived. Cate and I explored and tracked our suitcases, which arrived later in the afternoon. Then we changed and got in the ocean. 

    Other than Greg, none of us have been in the Pacific Ocean, although I’ve seen it several times. Greg hasn’t been to Hawaii before, so it’s fun to all be experiencing a new place. 

    We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. Our family of five had two hotel rooms and the cousins had a few others. (Party of 16 total, thanks to my mother-in-law and her Hilton points and status!) Our rooms were in the same hallway, and I certainly wished they were adjoining, but it worked. The resort was decorated beautifully for Christmas, had on-property restaurants, and was surrounded by a village of shops and other restaurants. 

    We had dinner at Blue Water Shrimp & Seafood in the village, and it was delicious, huge portions for some of the more reasonable prices we’ve seen around here. 

    Day 2

    Mele Kalikimaka! 

    Ben and Greg went golfing on Christmas morning and the girls and I had a slow start to the day around the resort. They played at Ko Olina Golf Club and us girls spent about five hours straight at the beach. 

    We went to the Paradise Cove Luau for Christmas — and it was wonderfully Hawaiian. The views, dancers, roasted pig and other food, games, and tattoos made for a fun time. Sadly, this luau closed on New Year’s Eve because the beachfront location is being transformed for dining and entertainment options.

    Day 3

    We decided to go to the North Shore on this day. We started with the Waimea Valley, which was a beautiful garden along a path to a waterfall. Several in our crew swam at the base of the waterfall. (This was a ChatGPT suggestion!)

    Then we lunched at the popular Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck and other food trucks in Haleiwa. I don’t think I’ve ever had cooked shrimp that still needs to be peeled, but the scampi was tasty! Definitely a whole experience waiting, but I don’t regret it. 

    More waiting happened at the Dole Plantation. We did the maze and train ride. Honestly, not sure I’d wait again to do them. The Dole store is great though! And we did see the best rainbow of the trip there.

    Meanwhile, Greg, Ben, and some of the cousins went fishing. They got some bites but didn’t catch anything. We all came back to the resort and ate dinner there. 

    Day 4

    Back to the North Shore! We watched surfers at Bonzai Pipeline and some of our group played in the water and sand. Then we lunched at Haleiwa Joe’s. 

    From there, we drove an hour to the Polynesian Cultural Center. My husband loved it, and I honestly could have done without it. 

    We ate dinner in the village near the resort at CJ’s New York Style Deli. It was quick and good. 

    Day 5

    Early wake-up for a day trip to the Big Island! We took a 6 am flight and hit the ground running.

    We toured Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which was really interesting! Then we were supposed to go on a helicopter tour, but cloudy weather prompted a cancellation. 

    We lunched at Coconut Grill in Hilo — and we all loved our food. I had the lobster club, which was unlike anything I’ve ever had. Here’s how the menu describes it: pan-roasted to order, a 4-ounce lobster tail basted in our scampi butter, tossed in a roasted garlic cream sauce, Hawaiian grilled sweet bread, and smoked bacon. 

    Then we drove around and saw some sites, including Rainbow Falls, massive Banyan trees, Waipio Valley, and Laupahoehoe. Our private tour guide Sue from Show Your Hawaii Tours was awesome!

    We returned to the Honolulu airport around 8 pm and then to our hotel, where we got delicious pizza from Round Table to eat in our room.

    Day 6

    We got a slightly later start today and went for a half-day experience at Kualoa Ranch, which is a 4,000-acre, oceanfront, working ranch where tons of movies & shows are filmed. Cate loved the “Jurassic Park” locations and facts. I particularly loved learning more about “LOST” being filmed there as well as “Lilo & Stitch,” “50 First Dates,” “Soul Surfer,” and many others. 

    We went on a movie sites tour, had a delicious buffet lunch, and then went on an ocean excursion. Our guides were great and the scenery was incredible, and just what you’d expect in Hawaii. 

    Kualoa Ranch wasn’t recommended in my crowdsourcing, but it was my favorite place we went and collectively our group agreed. 

    We got back in time to watch the end of the Racers game and hang out at the beach and pool for our last evening. Cate and I ate Maui Zaui from Round Table pizza — such a wonderful, sweet, savory combo!

    Next time

    So, would I go again? That’s been a popular question. In the midst of the vacation, I wasn’t sure. I felt like I was one and done with Hawaii. But I’ve since decided I would go back and do some things differently. Like stay in a rental house on the North Shore. Or go on a cruise so I can island hop easily. Or maybe go to another island altogether. 

    Regardless, this was a wonderful was to spend Christmas, and I’m thankful my generous mother-in-law cashed in all those Hilton points and gifted us this experience. 

    Other notes

    Early Flight

    We stayed in the Hilton at the Nashville airport, and that was a great way to start our early flight! We parked in the garage last night, stayed the night, then walked across to the terminal. 

    Holiday Travel 

    Some people seem surprised we travel over holidays, but, honestly, I like it. The five of us celebrated Christmas on Saturday and had a great day together. I’d rather make memories & experience places together than buy a bunch of gifts anyway. With extended families, like for this trip, holidays work because most have the same break. We’ve got elementary through college kids with us, so we have to think about a good time for various schedules. 

    I also talked to my college kid about it and she loves traveling to warm places over Christmas Break. We have traditions, but they may just not look the same from year to year or like another family’s traditions, and that’s okay! 

    Travel Day

    But, I’ll be honest, the travel day to Honolulu was hard. Yes, it’s long, but also Cate was sick (maybe with the flu?). I had a head full of congestion and starting feeling worse as the day went on. We got up at 3:45 am CST and arrived in Hawaii around 1 pm, which was 5 pm at home. And our luggage didn’t arrive until the next day. 

    Then the rental car retrieval process was S L O W as was the hotel check-in process. We finally got our carry-on bags with no clothes or many toiletries put in our room, found dinner, and stocked up on essentials at Target. Except Cate, who crashed in her bed for the rest of the afternoon and evening. 

    The Target was messy and picked over, with very few women’s T-shirt and shorts options. There were so many sweatshirts, which just didn’t make sense. We ended up with a cart full of a change of clothes for everyone, some pajamas, a bathing suit for Rachel, some snacks, and drinks. And then I couldn’t take the cart out of the Target in an open-air mall, but I didn’t realize the wheels had locked up and kept trying to shove it out! 

    Thankfully, Southwest delivered our bags the next afternoon. And the travel home a week later was much smoother all around. Except, of course, for that jet lag, which was real and part of our lives for about five days.

    Southwest credit card

    I recently got a Southwest card and bought these tickets with it. We got A boarding for the first time. That means we got on the plane before family boarding and sat in row 9. And I didn’t even have to check in at 5 am the day before! 

    Plus, we all checked a bag for free. In addition to TSA Pre-Check, this is a definite worthwhile perk to make traveling a little smoother. 

    In addition to the Southwest card, our Capital One Venture Rewards Card gives us back great travel perks, including reimbursing us for our TSA Pre-Check cost, allowing us to book rental cars and hotels through it, and “erasing” travel expenses with our points.

    Other packing tips

    • Travel blankets – A friend had this Vera Bradley travel blanket that wraps inside itself to be a pillow, and I bought them for my girls and myself before we went to Hawaii. I bought the boys different ones.
    • Packing cubes – I just couldn’t justify the price of the expensive ones. These had good reviews and seemed like a good place to start. I bought three different colors. 
    • Reusable shopping bags – I really like these because they are thin, basic, and easy to wash. They’re great to carry along to separate dirty clothes or move other items if you aren’t staying in one location, which we don’t do on many trips. They also made great beach bags for this trip.
    • Book light – I read on my Kindle a lot when I travel, but I wanted a book light just in case I wanted to read on the airplane or in the hotel while everybody else wanted the lights out. I like this book light because it charges and doesn’t require batteries. 
    • Kindle Unlimited – I downloaded the maximum number of books included with this subscription so I have plenty of options. I reload it as needed. Y’all know I’m a fan of the waterproof Kindle Oasis.

    *****

    God authors the stories on our porches – in every season, wherever we are! If you haven’t already, please subscribe to  #PorchStories emails to receive them about every other week.

  • From snow to sand

    ByKristin vacation

    I wrote about our Miami trip as we went along (good use of the unexpected car time!), so I’m going to share about it like journal entries from each day we were there. From snow to sand we go!

    Monday, Dec. 26

    When we left the house at 5:30 am to allow plenty of time for our 9:30 am flight, snow was falling. That made our roads that hadn’t recovered from Thursday’s ice and subsequent freezing temperatures even worse. Interstate 24 was not great but did have one lane mostly cleared. 

    Along the way, we learned our flight was delayed and then canceled. We arrived at the Nashville airport a little less than 3 hours later and got in a very long “rebooking” line. Greg tried to book with another airline or rent a car so we could drive down and still fly home Friday. But nothing was available. I inched forward in line for 2+ hours when we decided to leave. I honestly was saying & thinking, “Let’s go eat and then go home.” We ended up eating and then driving … toward Miami. 

    We stopped near Chattanooga in the midst of traffic and I had to wait in a line of at least 10 people deep to use the bathroom. But we got some snacks and continued on. 

    You can Google the meltdown Southwest has had this weekend and today. I definitely was frustrated we got stuck in the midst of the airline’s issues. But we certainly weren’t the only ones. And I still can’t through on the phone to get a refund for the flight Southwest canceled. Eventually, surely, I won’t get a busy signal. 

    (EDITED to add: We got the refund initiated on Thursday night, after I called an obscure “lost baggage” number buried on the website. Southwest sent me notifications to check in for my flight on Friday evening, but, of course, we had to cancel that one because now we had a mini van in Miami! We have since received a full refund to our credit card.)

    I know traveling is a privilege and something we get to enjoy. We are going to Miami because this is Christmas with my siblings, their families, and our mom. We decided to go somewhere warm instead of exchanging gifts — and I’m still totally on board with that plan! My sister called between the airport and food when I still thought we should head home. But her encouragement came right when I needed it. I think I was having trouble mentally transitioning from the peace of the last few days to the chaos around me. 

    We stopped for dinner at a Mexican restaurant south of Atlanta and we are going to drive some more tonight and stop for some sleep somewhere in Florida. 

    I hear Key Lime Pie and sunshine calling my name. That’s my plan for tomorrow with my family, so we’ll see how that goes. 

    Tuesday, Dec 27

    My kids have been troopers. Seriously. They’ve been kind and patient. Ben even found Sour Patch Kid socks at a gas station yesterday — he’s into tall, fun socks and loves to eat Sour Patch Kids. 

    We made it to Miami right at 24 hours later than we originally planned. Better late than never, I suppose. 

    We met my family at Black Point Ocean Grill and had a good lunch. Then we went on a boat tour that was really interesting, especially about celebrities’ homes on Star Island. The way Miami sits on so much water really is beautiful. 

    We ordered pizza from Steve’s Pizza and hung out at our rental house’s lovely outdoor area. The kids swam, played basketball and pool, and climbed on the swing set. Cassie and Zac brought a Solo Stove (actually an off-brand one that they like better!) and we enjoyed the evening together. 

    Gathering together with my siblings is always fun. Our kids get along well and enjoy being together. The house we rented was in Cutler Bay, which was nice so we could do various things in South Florida. The interior of the house was odd and not great, but the outside area was awesome! 

    Wednesday, Dec 28

    We went to the Everglades Safari Park and did an airboat tour, which was awesome! We saw several alligators and birds. It was such a neat way to see a tiny portion of Everglades National Park. Multiple people in my family consider this a highlight – and it was for sure! 

    Then we went to Top Golf for a late lunch and entertainment. It was my first time there, and although I’m not into golfing, it was a fun experience. 

    Thursday, Dec 29

    We headed even further south to Key Largo, where we spent some time at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, where we went on a two-hour boat tour. We learned a lot about mangrove trees, went through some channels in the Key Largo Sound, and saw dolphins in the Atlantic Ocean. Then we had the best meal of our trip! Delicious food and a sunset view at Jimmy Johnson’s Big Chill were for sure a highlight. The key lime pie was the wait. 

    Friday, Dec 30

    When in Florida, a beach is necessary, so we ventured through traffic to Miami Beach. The streets leading to the sand were upscale and colorful – just what I imagined Miami to be. The beach itself reminded me of lots of other beaches, although they had the cutest, most colorful lifeguard huts. 

    We had lunch at Big Pink, which was delicious and had the biggest wraps, burgers, sandwiches, and chicken and waffles … basically everything everyone at our table ordered was huge. 

    My crew decided to hit the road this afternoon with full bellies and good memories. Once we arrived, the trip really was smooth. The greater Miami area has so many different things to do – beaches, everglades, seafood, big city things, Key Largo, and boat rides.

    Thankfully, the trip home was less chaotic than the trip south. And I got to lunch with my cousin-friend Mary, her kids, and my uncle Tom just north of Atlanta on our way home.

    Happy New Year to us!

    *****

    EDITED 1/11/23 to add: I wanted to give Southwest Airlines a shout-out because its people did what they could to make it right after the fact.

    We got a full refund for the flights back to our credit card, were surprised with 25,000 reward points each, and have reimbursement for our alternative travel (hotels there and back, fuel, and food there and back) coming.

    Plus this week I booked Southwest flights for our Spring Break trip.