Aloha!

I just returned from a week in Hawaii. We stayed in a beautiful boutique hotel, the Hotel Renew just a block off of Waikiki Beach. It was very clean, friendly staff and very convenient to restaurants and attractions. We were able to walk down to the beach at sunset and then have dinner at a nearby restaurant. The Aloha Burger and garlic fries at Lulu's were amazing.
During our week, we had a rental car and explored much of the island.
We drove through Diamond Head over to the east coast.


We visited Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial.
We spent a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

We took an interisland flight over to the Big Island for a day in Volcanos National Park. Hiking out on the lava fields was amazing. It was like being on another planet. Helping that feeling was the fact that there were no other people out on the hiking trail with us.

We drove over to the west coast and found a little known beach that was not crowded and enjoyed some snorkeling and just playing in the water.

On our final day we took a drive up to the North Shore. Since it was summer, there weren't any of the famous big waves, but the beaches were beautiful. We also made a stop at the Dole Plantation. I highly recommend the Dole Whip, but any other food there isn't the best.