Picture this: it’s summer and you are sitting on a clean white sand beach with a blue ocean in front of you and a fresh acai bowl in your hand. Sounds like an absolute dream, doesn’t it? Well, that was my dream vacation and I finally got to experience it three months ago.
At the end of August, I finally had a reason to visit the Aloha State, which was to visit my deployed sister. As someone who never visited any state past Illinois and has done a lot of reflecting during the quarantine, it felt like an opportunity worth taking after realizing I have not traveled for most of my life. Before I knew it, I was flying from Newark to Los Angeles for five hours. Then flew a little over six hours to Honolulu from Los Angeles. Although all the time spent flying on the airplane may seem daunting, it was well worth the trip.
Honolulu was the perfect place to visit. It has activities for those who are adventurous and those who want to relax. There were hikes with the most beautiful views at the finish line and secret beaches that only locals and the curious dared to go. We made every day worthwhile by exploring all that the island had to offer us.
The one thing that I enjoyed the most in Hawaii was the food. With the Dole Plantation right in Honolulu, pineapple is the most popular tropical fruit available. As someone who is obsessed with drinking coffee, Hawaii Kona Coffee was a refreshing drink to sip to stay energized due to the time difference. Many consider Hawaii to have one of the top best coffee beans due to their production on the slopes of the Hualalai and Mauna Loa volcanoes, which is an ideal spot.
Being in the place that served one of the most delicious cups of coffee was a dream. Foods that are fish-based are common. It is the destination for fresh poke bowls and even the Mcdonald’s local menu featured spam and rice-based foods.
North Shore, which had more of a countryside feel contrasted from Waikiki’s city-like area. Tourists typically stay and explore Waikiki, but North Shore was worth visiting. On the drive there, we stopped to try some local cuisines, desserts, and shaved ice from food trucks. We pet horses on Kualoa Ranch, which is the site of films such as Jurassic Park and Pearl Harbor. We carefully went down an open hole on a beach ground to explore the Mermaid Caves. The waves at the North Shore beaches were calmer than Waikiki and I was able to ride my giant unicorn pool floatie without falling off.
My dream vacation is visiting more of the islands in Hawaii. Although I only visited Honolulu, I have been told that the rest of the islands have their own charm. There are over one hundred islands that are part of Hawaii but only eight including Hawaiʻi, Maui, Kahoʻolawe, Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, and Niʻihau, are considered main islands.
While some may refer to Disney as the happiest place on Earth, I truly believe that Hawaii is the happiest place on Earth. Parting from Honolulu was difficult as I realized how I have fallen in love with the beaches, hiking trails, and Polynesian gastronomy within a matter of days. Now as the cold weather approaches us in New Jersey, I hope I can escape to the warm island once more in the near future.
