I cannot believe it’s already been a month since our Hawaiian Islands adventure! Hawaii is such a dream and today I’m going to be sharing with you all about our short time on Oahu, including where we stayed, things to do, and our favorite places to eat! Waikiki was surprisingly one of my favorite parts of our trip around the islands and I would go back in a heartbeat! But, I mean come on, it’s Hawaii… Who wouldn’t go back in a heartbeat?!

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We stayed at the Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger.  The location was absolutely incredible as we were walking distance to the beach, restaurants, and uh-mazing shopping! Yes, I begged Danny to let me just walk through the Louis Vuitton store and dream a little dream.  We were only staying in Waikiki for one night before we hopped on the cruise ship so I wanted to stay somewhere that gave us easy access to everything we wanted to do to make the most of our short visit! I specifically picked this hotel as it was connected to two places I knew we would both enjoy.  One, the quote on quote “most instagramable coffee shop and bar in Oahu” hellooo that’s right up my alley.  And two, the Maui Brewing Company, a fun restaurant and bar with yummy food and local beer flights- something I knew Danny would love!

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Hawaiian Aroma Caffe: AKA the most instagramable coffee shop in Oahu! Lol it was so cute and the food and drinks were delicious! They serve gourmet waffles all day along with other food and hand crafted lattes.  Later on in the day it turns into a full service bar with fun tropical drinks that you could have served to you in a pineapple or an “adult juice box”!

Maui Brewing Co: We grabbed appetizers and drinks from here our first night in Hawaii.  Danny enjoyed a beer flight and I had a cocktail with lychee in it! I kept going on and on to Danny how much I love anything with lychee flavor in it and he asked me what it was and I honestly had no idea but I just remembered from my last trip to Hawaii loving it! We looked it up- it’s a berry that’s sweet but not too sweet with floral notes!

Duke’s Waikiki: Such a fun spot to grab lunch or dinner! It is located right on the water with amazing views of the water and Diamond Head! They’re known for their drink called the Honi Honi, their take on a classic Mai Tai! It comes in a tiki cup and a raw sugar stirrer (much needed, LOL).  We ordered their Cajun shrimp tacos which came highly recommended from our server and they did not disappoint!

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Waikiki Beach– Since we didn’t have a lot of time to travel we opted for the famous Waikiki Beach and Boardwalk, it was only a five minute walk from our hotel! This beach was one of my favorites to swim in! The water was so crystal clear and blue it almost didn’t seem real.  The temperature of the water was a dream so warm and refreshing.  The waves were calm and fun to play in on one side, and perfect for surfing on the other side! We didn’t try surfing but it was so fun to watch! The view of Diamond Head wasn’t too shabby either!

Pro tip: GO EARLY! Since we were jet lagged and up at 5:00AM we were at the beach by 8:00AM and it wasn’t crowded at all!

We had the best 24 hours in Waikiki and it was the best way to start our trip around the islands! Waikiki, we will be back one day! Up next, I’ll be sharing all about our time in Maui!

XOXO,

Sarah Ashley