Aloha Waikiki

I don't think we were actually prepared for the wave of tropical heat that hit us when we walked out of Honolulu Airport. It was a perfect introduction to the island holiday that just began for Kevin and I. Our 10 hour flight with Hawaiian Airlines was super smooth and while Kevin had some solid hours of sleep, I was too excited to sleep for longer than 45 minutes at a time. Our flight left Sydney at about 9:30 of Friday night, and got us into HNL by 10:30 am on the same date. With this kind of travel schedule, it's usually an easy transition to Island time. We jumped into a cab and made headway to the hotel where we'd be spending the next 4 days. The Hilton Hawaiian Village was buzzing with eager and excited travellers waiting in the outdoor concierge to check in. I was immediately taken by the atmosphere; the sound of a band playing in the distance, happy kids jumping in and out of the super pool, the waves crashing on the not too distant beach... It was just the scenery we needed to inspire a big first day.

With the help of an incredibly sweet girl who assisted our check in, we managed to access our room a little earlier than the specified time. Staying on the 12th floor of the famous Rainbow Building, our room has two large balconies that essentially provide us with the ultimate view of the stunning resort as well as the famous Waikiki Beach coastline. Let me paint a picture: I'm writing this while laying in bed fitted with sheets that feel like heaven, with a view of the ocean so perfect I feel like I could touch the water from here.

The hotel is within excellent walking distance to the main shopping strip of Waikiki. From here, you can access so much on foot, including the massive Ala Moana Shopping Center. To keep ourselves awake and kicking, we decided to get the tourist bug satiated with a meal at the Cheesecake Factory where Kevin was defeated by his ridiculously massive burger. After a big walk and a short nap back in our room, we finished off with a 3 hour shopping session covering all of Kevin's essential American brands. For dinner, we dined at one of the restaurants on site. Fresco Italian Restaurant was just the ticket to satisfy Kevin's hankering for pasta. I ordered the Linguine Ala Pescatore, perfectly cooked and flavoured with a white wine and butter sauce. This time I was defeated, even after sharing lots of it with Kevin.

We came back to our room with tired feet and full bellies. I packed our shopping and felt accomplished that we had ticked that off our list on the first day. It could only mean one thing...more time in the sunshine.