Our resort was beautiful. We stayed at the Royal Lahaina for the first five days and they made our stay very comfortable. By the time we got off the plane and to the resort on Friday afternoon, it was about four o'clock already. There's a five hour time difference so our bodies felt like it was nine in the evening. Add on all the exhaustion from one six and a half hour flight and another hour and a half flight and we. were. spent. We checked in as quickly as we could and passed out in our room pretty much the moment we found it.
The room was really nice too. I'm sorry to say I never thought to take a photo of it.... But, you can just take my word for it, it was great! There was a nice king sized bed, a cabinet/desk with a large flat screen tv, a pretty screen type of blind separating the sink and bathroom area from the rest of the room and a medium sized balcony just off of two sliding glass doors. Two giant blinds slid over to cover the door and, while we mostly left ours open to catch all the scenery and sunlight that we could, it was nice to be able to close it if we wanted.
There was daily maid service, which was so convenient. They didn't do much other than bring clean towels and make the bed but, it really did make it easy to come in after a day of exploring and just relax. Glen booked breakfast everyday with our package and it was so yummy. They had a huge bar full of traditional breakfast foods along with some of the local dishes. We would wake up each morning around six a.m., since we were still on Missouri time, and head downstairs to the restaurant. Not having to leave the resort to eat made it easy to have a good meal at the start of the day and then stretch our snacks so we didn't feel too hungry again til dinner. We brought protein bars and a few things along to get us through the afternoon and it really worked out so well. Then for dinner we would order room service or go out if we didn't feel like sandwiches from our little trip to Safeway for a few supplies.
This was one of my favorite days simply because we got to see the little coastal town as the locals do. There were quite a few touristy shops but, also a lot of restaurants and art galleries, which was neat. Each little block had artists and singers peddling their goods or asking for tips for their music. We saw surfers riding bikes with their boards in hand (how do they even do that!?), homeless people along the rock walls by the water, families with littles, museums amidst the shops and a pretty neat library right by the coast (Alexis, you should totally move there!). It was really a cool atmosphere. We spent a little part of our walk with some people that had been there before and were back visiting and they were so nice and informative. When the older gentlemen heard that it was our tenth anniversary trip, he gave us a little cash to get lunch! Seriously, nearly everyone we met was so kind.
We spent a lot of the day Sunday in the ocean and on the beach. It was simply breathtaking. The water was so clear you could literally see to the bottom, even where you could just barely touch your toes into the sand. When we were just ready to get out, we saw a Sea Turtle swimming right off of the shore! I actually jumped back in a swam along side him for a bit up the coast. It was so amazing! That evening we attended a Luau at our resort (we were told it was one of the best on the island of Muai) and it was really cool. The food was great, the entertainment was incredible and we got to meet some sweet people from New York and Utah. Did I mention how friendly everyone was to us?!
(I'm going to skip Monday and Tuesday for now because I'd like to share our adventures on those days in another post so as not to cram too much into this one. ;) )
We hopped over to Honolulu, on the island of Ouahu, on Wednesday. One of my closest friends from High School lives there with her husband and Glen worked it out with her for us to stay in their guest room for a few days! I can't explain how exciting it was to see her again!! Her husband was in the army for eight years so, they've always been overseas or out of state. She's come back to visit a couple of times but, the last time was over four years ago so we were wayyyy overdue for some girl time! She and her husband were so inviting and generous to us the entire time we were there. They have two of the sweetest pups I've everrrr met (seriously considered hiding one in our suitcase on the way home..) and our overall stay with them was just wonderful. I didn't even think to snap a photo of the four of us, or even Ashley and I, and that makes me really sad. But, the truth is, we were just having way too much fun to think about it!
We visited the Makapu'u Lighthouse one day while we were there and the views were incredible! They actually used the lighthouse in the filming of the movie Fifty First Dates (during the "first kiss" montage) and that was the movie we saw on our very first date, back in 2004. So it was super special to be able to make the hike up to see it! You can't actually go to the lighthouse but, the trail ends just above it, giving you a great view of it along with the coast leading to it, Makapu'u Beach, and the Kalanianaole Highway, which had some really breathtaking views! It was a pretty easy hike up to the lookout point with a paved trail and places to stop and rest along the way. Seriously, so much fun.
Ashley and Norman knew some of the best eating spots in the Honolulu/Kapolei area and made sure we were always happy and full. We had The Cheesecake Factory, Monkey Pod Kitchen and another place that I can't remember the name of, along with some fast food and snack stops on the way to adventures. All were sooooo good! I had a mini moment of ecstasy in the middle of my Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake that gave us all a good laugh through the rest of the night. LOL Really though, I can't thank our sweet friends enough for hosting us our last three days in Hawaii and making our time there so memorable and relaxing. We did a little shopping, watched movies into the night and picked up some fun souvenirs for our boys and family. We also visited Pearl Harbor (so so amazing) and I'll include that in my next post. It's safe to say I'll be thinking of this trip for a very long time to come and I still can't believe it's already over..
Ten years together and it seems like it's flown by already. I knew Glen was the one when we started dating nearly thirteen years ago but, I never imagined our life would be as blessed and happy as it is. Happy Anniversary to my best friend! I love you more than anything and can't wait to spend another ten years and more loving you.
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