A few days ago I shared part one of our Oahu Hawaii vacation with our toddler twins! I also shared how we flew to Hawaii for free! If you missed that post, make sure to read it here.
Okay, we are on day 4 of our trip! Last post I shared how we went to Kualoa Ranch while the grandparents watched the boys, so to start this morning off, Todd & I had the boys solo while the grandparents had their turn at Kualoa. We decided to keep it easy by going to the pool and eating some acai bowls at the Hilton Village where we stayed.
Then, once the grandparents returned and got cleaned up, Todd & I went out for a surf lesson! Neither of us had any prior experience with surfing, but Todd mentioned it as something he really wanted to do in Hawaii, so I surprised him with our own “private” lesson! We had the absolute best time! Both of us found it surprisingly easy to actually stand on the board (something I didn’t think would happen). However, surfing was not easy! We were totally wiped out after just one hour. Our instructor was amazing, at some points he literally was pulling me on my surf board with his foot. If you want to take a surf lesson in Oahu, then I highly recommend the company we used!
After our surf lesson, we met up with some family friends that live in the area and had dinner at their house. We loved getting the scoop on all things Hawaii from them.
Day 5 we started out going out to Brunch with the same family friends. We ended up going to a place called The Boardroom which had a great place for kids to play as well as an outdoor coffee shop you could take advantage of while you waited.
Afterwards, we drove to the Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden. I wanted to spend longer there, but it was so windy and started raining on and off, so we only got a little time to explore and snap a few pics.
Boys henley top linked here
We headed back to the resort for naps, and some pool time. The grandparents offered to watch the kids so we could go on a double date with the family friends we were visiting. We ended up at Shore Frye, which wasn’t too far from our hotel and we sampled a few local favorites like poke nachos (which were surprisingly good!). We also went to Liliha Bakery to try a few other Hawaii staples, like a mochi donut and coco puff! I was a big fan of the puff!
The next morning, Todd and I got up super early along with Todd’s Dad to go on the Koko Crater Hike. This steep trail consisted of abandoned railroad ties that used to be used by the military. This hike, while short, was intense. Pretty much a full mile of stairs. But the views are worth it!
This hike is not toddler friendly and pretty intense so bring water and take breaks!
The beginning….
and the end at rung 1….
comfortable tennis shoes (not exact) linked here
We got soaking wet, which actually was nice, and it was really windy at the top. But man were the 360 views worth all those steps!
We even got to see a rainbow at the top!
Once we got back and cleaned up we headed to the Dole Plantation, but first we made a pit stop at Surfers Coffee Shop for some fuel and some mochi waffles!
At Dole Plantation we decided to do the garden tour & the train. Our boys actually loved running around the garden, great way to stretch their legs, and they got to see lots of new plants.
my favorite tee (wearing above) linked here
If you are wanting to see where they grow the pineapples, make sure to definitely take the train ride! I was under the impression that it was a kids attraction, but it truly is for everyone! I enjoyed seeing all of the different types of vegetation Dole grows.
And of course, we had to get some Dole Whip while we were there!
After Dole Plantation, we headed right down the road to Green World Coffee Farms. We met up with our friends again, and the boys had a great time chasing around the chickens and sampling some shaved ice.
Then we headed back for the night and ate some dinner in our room.
I should have one more recap coming soon of our trip!
-Kasey
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