Hawaiian Islands Vacation: Oahu Day 4Part 1: Hanauma Bay

 I'm back with more of our Hawaii vacation pictures, and still determined to finish sharing them!  Today I want to share our trip to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve.  Snorkeling at this location is epic and a must-do activity if you visit the island of Oahu.  The water is crystal clear, and the reef is stunning!

We arrived to Hanauma Bay early so we could make the cut off (they limit the number of people and once the limit is met, the bay is closed.  I've also heard that the water gets more murky as the day progresses, so the best snorkeling is first thing in the morning when they open.

Sadly, you can tell that a lot of the reef closest to the shore has been damaged by human contact, and even with the crowd control measures in place I think they still allow too many people in the area at a time.  We still were thrilled by our experience here, and think you should definitely put this on your must-see list when you visit Oahu.

Also, I totally recommend buying a Lifeproof case for your iPhone if you don't have an underwater digital camera.  We picked one up the evening before for about $80 and we loved being able to take photos underwater.

More of our Hawaii Vacation:

Oahu Day 3

Oahu Day 2

Oahu Day 1

A Tour of Our Ko Olina Resort

Trip Itinerary

      

Hawaiian Islands Vacation / Oahu Day 3

 We woke up on our third day in Oahu ready for a day of relaxation and family fun at the beach.  We got out to the lagoon early enough to snag a good seat under a grass umbrella so we would have plenty of chance to slip into the shade.  We brought along sand toys, a kite and some fresh papaya.

 Zion had so much fun flying her first kite.  I was pleased with my decision to grab this $1 kite from the dollar spot at Target in the days leading up to our trip.  There was never a dull moment in our time at the beach, from building sand walls to snorkeling to relaxing and taking in the scenery - its incredible the amount of activities you can come up with as a family when you are on vacation.

 Before we left the beach, we rented a water hammock and floated around for a bit.  Have you ever tried one of these?  Zion was a little unsure at first, but in no time she was loving being out in the ocean with Jerry and I.  She even bravely jumped off the side in her life jacket once.

 After lunch and naps and picking up our rental car, we ventured toward the windward side of the island to Bayview Mini Putt & Zip Line.  Jerry and I had been talking about playing mini golf for months (I have never been) and I was determined to make it happen in Hawaii.  We chose Bayview because of their boast about being the only zip line in Oahu and thinking it might be fun to go ziplining for the first time as well.

Though the Zipline was short and sweet, it was great for our first time.  I definitely want to do more Ziplining!  It is a huge rush.  Zion loved seeing each of us zoom down as well.  Afterwards, Jerry taught Zion how to putt while I fumbled my way through the course.  I had no idea mini golf was so fun!  Unfortunately for me, our fun was cut short by the infestation of mosquitos at this course - in an hour I got about 15 bites and they gave me huge welts all over my legs!

We made it through about 15 holes before giving in to the mosquitos.  After that we were hungry (and I was itchy) so we asked the staff at Bayview for local food recommendations.  We ended up heading to a burger joint called Teddy's Bigger Burger - and were happy we did.  I chose the Kaneohe burger which was super tasty, along with parmesan garlic fries and an obligatory chocolate peanut butter milkshake.

More of our Hawaii Vacation:

Oahu Day 2

Oahu Day 1

A Tour of Our Ko Olina Resort

Trip Itinerary

      

Hawaiian Islands Vacation / Oahu Day 2

 Our second full day in Hawaii began with a dip in the resort swimming pool.  I was lucky enough to get sunburned on our first day so I stayed under the umbrella while these two had a good time swimming.  Our agenda was pretty simple for the day, we opted into a timeshare presentation at the nearby Marriott Vacation Beach Club, partly because we were genuinely interested in their program, and partly to gain a huge discount on that evening's Paradise Cove Luau (our gift for attending).

 The views from the beach club were amazing.  And can you believe that swimming pool?!  We were actually really impressed by the rooms at the beach club - though we decided not to buy in at this moment in time.  I think with our desire to travel extensively in the future, a timeshare might be a good option down the road.

 After our presentation, it was time for lunch and naptime for Zion, so we headed back to our suite and ordered room service.  The food was so delicious!  I had a seafood bisque and Jerry had a burger, we split some coconut shrimp and then nibbled on a decadent chocolate macadamia nut mousse pie.

 We arrived at the Luau shortly after they opened and took the counsel of our timeshare presenter heading directly to the activities area.  We went on a canoe ride, had polynesian body art tattooed upon our arms, made floral headbands with giant tropical leaves and snagged good viewing position for the presentations.

The cultural presentations were really fun!  From climbing a palm tree for the "Shower of Flowers" to a little hula dancing on the beach, they really immersed us in the Polynesian culture.  We learned the right way to open a coconut and Zion and I had a chance to learn a special hula dance.  I had no idea that a Luau is so much more than just a banquet and a show!

 As the sun started to set it was time for our dinner and the main presentation - which by the time we sat down to eat, unfortunately it was so dark I didn't really capture much of the stage performance on camera.  The performers were very entertaining, the food was alright (I had limited options due to my dietary restrictions) but my favorite part of the evening was the sunset!

More of our Hawaii Vacation:

Oahu Day 1

A Tour of Our Ko Olina Resort

Trip Itinerary