Aloha from Paradise - 08.01.26

Today was the beginning of a trip of a lifetime! I was traveling with my boyfriend and his family to Hawaii. We specifically were traveling to The Island of O’ahu. I am fortunate enough to have visited this Hawaiian Island and Maui before with my family and I was ecstatic to go back! It had been several years since my last visit, and we had a new itinerary to explore.

Avery, my boyfriend, and I were up at 3 AM to prepare ourselves for our early 7 AM flight from PHL to PHX then from PHX to HNL. Our travel to and in the Philadelphia airport went smoothly. We quickly found the rest of our party (his mom, dad, sister, and her boyfriend) at our gate and had celebratory pre-flight mimosas. Our flight to Arizona and layover in Arizona went smoothly as well. Our departing flight to Honolulu was delayed which allowed us time to grab a bite to eat. We ate at Blanco Tacos and Tequilas, and I had the Eggs & Mexican Cheese Breakfast Burrito. Everyone enjoyed their meals and before we knew it, we were on our second flight. Unfortunately, this is where we had our first mishap of the trip. Due to the weight of the plane and increasing heat of Arizona (110+ degrees Fahrenheit), our plane was not allowed to take off. This debacle turned into a two-hour ordeal. In the end the flight crew had to get 15 passengers to volunteer to get off the plane and reschedule their flights so that we could lighten the load. We applauded all of the volunteers, the true heroes, especially the lady who volunteered in Avery and I’s row. Her sacrifice allowed us a very comfortable and roomy flight. 

After a very long travel day, we arrived in Hawaii just after 5 PM HST. The time difference between HST and EST is 6 hours, so when we arrived in Hawaii it was 11 PM EST. Thankfully I was able to do a good bit of sleeping during the travels, so I was less disorientated than the others. Once off the plane, we gathered our luggage and obtained our rental car. We then headed to our resort, Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa. This resort was paradise with a touch of Disney magic. We stayed in a two-bedroom villa that could accommodate up to 9 guests and had 2.5 bathrooms. Our villa had a full kitchen and three balconies that overlooked the pools and ocean. After settling in, aka brushing my teeth, our crew of 6 were getting rather hungry so we ventured down to Ulu Cafe at Aulani. Ulu Cafe offers convenient grab-and-go selections, hot entrees, and snacks. I ordered a Classic Poke Bowl (waipoli greens, ahi, sweet Maui onion, scallion, sesame seeds, ogo, sesame oil, soy sauce, crushed red chili, Hawaiian salt, cucumber) and a White Claw. After we ate, a few of us went on a quick self-guided walking tour of the grounds. Shortly after, we called it a day and went to enjoy our first night's slumber.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•