Our first trip to Hawaii started with an early flight out of BNA on Saturday, May 16th. We were supposed to fly Delta, but due to constant flight changes we switched to Southwest. This was our first flight with them since they started assigning seats. We went for the extra leg room seats which meant we got Group 1 boarding. This also came with 2 checked bags…which we needed. :)

Off to Hawaii!

Arrival and settling in…

We arrived in Honolulu around 1:30pm local time. The one thing we knew we would have to deal with was the time difference. We really didn’t have much trouble with that going, but coming home was a different story. More on that later. The main issue was getting up around 5 or 6am Hawaii time, which was 10 or 11am back home. Overall, we all got over the time difference pretty quickly.

We did Waikiki Beach early in the week, mainly because you really have to since it is the famous beach. It was nice, but over crowded and not really what we were looking for. A few days in we found a beach up on the north side of the island that was almost deserted. Beautiful beach, no one around, great views…it was perfect.

Pearl Harbor

The first tour we took was Pearl Harbor. What a humbling experience to visit a site where so many gave their lives. Really is a somber feeling. The memorials were well done and the tour of the USS Missouri was amazing. It is a must do item if you are ever there.

Dole, Coffee and Shopping

We did an organized tour that took us to a few stops. First was a small coffee farm where we got to taste a few coffees and pick up some beans. Really good stuff. Next was a stop at the Dole Plantation to see where they grow pineapples and of course get some Dole Whip. Then it was off to Hale’iwa up north. Cute little town with shops and some good lunch. I had read about this shop located there that had the best banana break, so of course I had to check that out. The reviews were spot on, great banana break. Look up Makua Banana Bread if you are ever there. You won’t be disappointed.

Polonesian Cultural Center

Wasn’t sure what to expect here. We had read good things and decided to do it since you could add a luau and a show at the end. The place was setup like a theme park really with six different areas dedicated to different Polynesian cultures and islands. It was really interesting to see how some of them were similar, but also very different. We had a guide to take us around all day and she did a great job. The food and show at the end were pretty good.

Wrapping Up the first week

We wrapped up the first week in Hawaii with our anniversary. I was able to rent a convertible Mini Cooper for the day so we could drive around the island, just the two of us. We took a scenic ride around the coast line and stopped at several amazing lookout points to take pictures. We ended up in Kailua and had brunch at a great place called Cinnamon’s. Highly recommend the cinnamon roll pancakes, but just get the half stack. Trust me. After that we walked around to a few shops and then did a chocolate and wine tasting at Manoa Chcolate. Really really good. To end the day we headed back to Honolulu, change clothes and then went to a really nice dinner at Michel’s. We had seats right next to the beach so we get to see the sunset and then fireworks over Honolulu. It was a great way to end the first week!