"Horses, Dessert, and Surfing" – Hawaii Day 5

On Day 5 the group toured the Turtle Bay Resort. This resort is secluded on 800 acres of the North Shore. The North Shore has some of the best surfing in the world. The property has a golf course, and two private bays. I’m pretty sure that every single room has a view of the ocean. The pool area was great. You could sit at the pool and watch those brave enough to surf.

View of the Turtle Bay

View from the pool of some surf watching

Horseback Riding at the Turtle Bay Resort

Another Road Less Traveled…

View of the Turtle Bay from a top my horse “Coconut”

Standing in front of Ted’s Bakery

Home of the BEST Coconut Pumpkin Pie in the WORLD!!

On our way to the JW Marriott,
we stopped at Sunset Beach to watch the pro’s.

Scott felt like he learned enough from the pro’s to try it himself?

What do you think of his form?

The worlds best Dole Whip (Pineapple Smoothie)
was found at the Dole Plantation. (You must stop here)

Our final night was spent at the JW Marriott Ihilani
This resort is GORGEOUS!! (5 Star)

Another end to a perfect day!
I finally figured out how to take a picture of the sunset. 🙂
This is a view of the lagoon from my room.

"The Jungle" – Hawaii Day 3

Oahu is more than a beautiful beach destination. I spent Day 3 hiking through the rain forest about 20 minutes from Waikiki. The company I used was called Bike Hawaii, and they are the only company that can legally take hikers into this private 75-acres in the Moana Valley. We were picked-up from our hotel around 9AM. We were in a group of about 10 people. Bike Hawaii was prepared for the rainy weather with our lovely rain boots and ponchos. Matise (spelling?), our guide, prepared us for the wild boars, fed us trail mix, and fabulous turkey sandwich’s and even took our pictures.

The entrance of the Bike Hawaii Trail

Matise showing us the secret to Paul Mitchell conditioners.

Jason is standing in the jungle, in the rain,
talking on his cell. ??? haha

200 ft private Bike Hawaii Waterfall

Hiking down through the Bamboo Forest

A Road Less Traveled…

Bike Hawaii option 2…bike ride down mountain
and have lunch at gorgeous overlook.

Bike Ride overlook of Waikiki and Diamond Head

Definitely time for a drink.
(Shorebird at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach)

The group at Indigo’s.
Indigo’s is a high-end and very trendy restaurant in
Oahu’s China Town. The food was delicious.
The first Friday of every month this area is one big party.

We ended the night at Chai’s Island Bistro near the cruise pier.
Chai’s is one of the top restaurants in Oahu.
The food and entertainment were amazing!

My next posting will cover my journey to the North Shore. 🙂

"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.