1. 1. Hawaii FEBRUARY, 2015
2. 2. Aloha To many, the elusive destination of Hawaii remains on lifes bucket list. For us, it is a paradise come true, an adventure awaiting its beginning in just a few days
3. 3. Departure Our morning flight departs at 8:15am. Luckily we are still Aeroplan Elite until the end of the month, which means we can relax at the lounge when we arrive at the airport.( It also doesnt hurt that our itinerary to get ther is in Business class the whole way through!)
4. 4. ArrivalinHonolulu We will arrive late at night, which means well grab our car and head to the hotel.
5. 5. Day1:Honolulu Its Friday to ease us into our vacation we have the choice of either hitting Waikiki, or going for an easy hike up Diamond Head to soak in some scenery.
6. 6. Day2:Honolulu Day 2 begins with a visit to the Farmers Market (yes, we will have breakfast there!). Its Negars birthday, and Negar wants to snorkel!! We head to Hanauma bay for some of the best snorkeling in Hawaii.
7. 7. Evening2:Honolulu Tonight we sample Morimotos sushi along with some chilled Daiginj under the stars and to the sounds of crashing waves.
8. 8. Day3:Honolulu No vacation would be complete without a lavish brunch! We are feasting at Orchid this morning at the posh Halekulani resort.
9. 9. Day3:HonoluluHaleiwa Haleiwa awaits on the northern shores of the island, where wintertime brings monster waves and hoards of professional surfers.
10. 10. Day3:Haleiwa We have the options of shark cage diving, surfer watching on the breezy beach or taking a scenic drive back in time for an afternoon hike to Manau falls.
11. 11. Evening3:HaleiwaHonolulu We say goodbye to Honolulu (for now!) with exotic drinks and fresh Hawaiian food at Alan Wongs, or if we have spent the day in Haleiwa, local food trucks keep us full and under-budget.
12. 12. Day4:HonoluluMaui We have to catch our flight to Maui at noon, which means we have a leisurely morning ahead of us. Maybe one last visit to Waikiki? A quick trip to the mall? A longer, more lavish breakfast to remind us were on holidays? The choice will be ours.
13. 13. Day4:Maui We arrive mid-afternoon and will have ample time to pick up our car and drive a half-hour to the Wailea hotel area. Once checked-in at the Waldorf, we can unpack and get ready for our first evening on Maui.
14. 14. Evening4:Maui Dining options around our hotel are plentiful: we can select what we are in the mood for once we are there. Drinks however, can be in a scenic spot; we can hop over to the Four Seasons for their excellent cocktails and their swanky beachfront bar.
15. 15. Day5:Maui Our itineraries for Day 5 and Day 6 are interchangeable depending on the weather or our mood. One day will be dedicated to visiting the Haleakala crater (by car) and its neighboring small towns. The afternoon/evening is spent at leisure either in Wailea or the town of Lahaina (which is touristy but a must-visit if only for the willow tree!).
16. 16. Day6:Maui Again, interchangeable with our previous days plans, is our day snorkeling on the north shore in Kapalua. Its about an hours drive from our hotel and well see all of Mauis resort areas on our way (passing Lahaina as well).
17. 17. Day7:Maui We are completely at leisure today! Our choices include whale-watching boat rides, snorkeling the nearby crescent-shaped island of Molokini (via ferry) or, if were dying for some more sand (although Maui is not known for its beaches per se), sun ourselves on one of many golden beaches peppered through the island.
18. 18. Day8:MauiHana Today is dedicated to one of Americas most scenic drives: the Hana Highway. Bamboo groves, botanical gardens, black sand beaches and secret waterfalls await us during this picturesque journey. We reward ourselves for the adventure by relaxing at the end of the road, in Hana.
19. 19. Day9:Hana Our time in quiet Hana will be relaxing. Our possible activities for the day are horseback riding (!), hiking to Oheo Gulch and spa-ing on the premises at Travaasa (our hotel).
20. 20. Day10:HanaKahuluiAirport Honolulu We drive from Hana back to the Kahului airport to take our flight at 3pm back to Honolulu. Its a short 35 minute flight, which means we are back in Honolulu, checked-in for our final night in Hawaii and ready to party at around 6pm, just in time for our last sunset.
21. 21. Evening10:Honolulu Have we done it all? Did we have satisfying Mai-Tais? Did we enjoy the view of Diamond Head during sunset? Did we slow dance to Hawaiian music? Tonight is the night to make sure we have checked off everything on our wish list
22. 22. Day11:Honolulu/DepartureDay We depart at 9:25 pm so we have all day to shop shop shop! Outlets and Premium options are avilable to us, so lets spend whatever we have left over (if anything!).
23. 23. Evening11:Departure Good night! We are on the red-eye flight to Los Angeles before flying into Montreal.