Beaches, Cocktails and Shopping - Hawaii

Spring is here, in Sydney, nice and warm with the breeze strong as ever and I just wish I was on an island sipping cocktails. The last place I can go back to is Hawaii :) There last December for my best friend's 30th and it was a fabulous trip. I can't believe I hadn't considered going there earlier. I know most Aussies think of pacific island holidays but with the dollar as strong as it has been for us, there is no reason why Hawaii shouldn't be on everyone's lists with affordable packages for a quick 7 day break.

Now since we were 2 single girls in Hawaii, my destinations weren't the honeymoon ones but I do know its a perfect place for one since my cousin was there for her's around the same time and had a gorgeous time in the 'Big Island', Maui and O'ahu. Though from their feedback, you can skip the volcanoes if your on your honeymoon and maybe head to one of the other beautiful islands like Kaua'i.

We on the other hand had adventure on our minds and enjoyed 3 days on the Big Island where you can experience 11 out of the 15 climate zones. Flying into Kona all you see is the rocky formations all along the coast and driving through the same terrain, varying from smooth to stony, you feel like your in a lava desert with nothing around you for miles. Part of our package had us staying at the Hilton Waikoloa Village which is a massive resort with a beautiful spa and dolphin swimming. The highlight of the island sure was the helicopter ride over the volcanoes and seeing the lava flow and literally burn the trees above. I sure felt like I was in an episode of Hawaii Five-O with beautiful landscapes and mountains covered in thick trees. You should definitely do a day tour as well, which took us all over the island and up close to the crater as well. But something we missed out on, which sounded simply amazing, is the night tour where you get to view the stars, definitely put that on your list for the Big Island. There is so much more to see, with the waterfalls up north and the restaurants and bars south of Kona but time was a barrier for us and we were off to O'ahu in 3 days.

What can I truly say about Waikiki that hasn't already been said... my 3 words would be Beaches, Cocktails, and Shopping! All we did for 4 long days was these 3 things and days with combinations of these 3 things. Taking a break from the laborious task of shopping to sip cocktails at the massive outdoor shopping mall of Ala Moana, spending the morning at the beach, complete with cocktails and of course as an Indian I love the fact that they had umbrellas on the beach beds (only Asians will understand this) so I could rest up without getting a tan :) shop all evening till 10pm and then end the night with more drinks at one of the many clubs/pubs and maybe a mid-night snack at the Cheese Cake Factory.

Oh and I almost forgot, I can't stress how much you should go to Nobu, my friend, who really isn't a raw meat eater, found a new found taste for Japanese food, it was simply divine.

So on a sunny spring day like today's all I could want is to be on the Strip in Hawaii. So glad that I have a similar holiday look forward to  in 2 weeks - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka