Manoa Falls trail was one place that had been recommended to me by a friend before we left for Oahu. It was close enough to our hotel on Waikiki Beach for a morning trip. After enjoying breakfast at ARVO we drove up to the entrance in our rental car. First thing to note, is plan to arrive early. We didn't have any trouble finding parking at the base but the lots were filling up quickly. When we started the hike there were lots of people already on their way back down. I definitely wish we would have gotten an earlier start to the hike ... Read more...
Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden
The Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden has been on my travel bucket list for so long and so when we planned our trip to Oahu I knew we had to make it there. I wasn't too sure what time was best to visit, where the iconic photos were I'd seen online and on social media were taken, or really anything about planning our visit...I just knew we had to check it out. The gardens open at 9am so since I wasn't sure how crowded it would get we planned on arriving first thing. There are a few parking spots outside of the gates. We decided to park ... Read more...
Visiting The Dole Plantation
One of our must stop places in Oahu was the Dole Plantation. We knew that Mason would love it. So much of what we did on this family trip was outdoorsy and so it was a nice change of pace to do something less strenuous. They have a number of activities to do including a Pineapple Express train tour, plantation garden tour, and pineapple garden maze. They also have the yummiest pineapple soft serve which we couldn’t resist getting. Mason ended up falling asleep halfway through the train ride. While that part was definitely for him, ... Read more...
Review: Northstar Lodge by Welk Resort
Thanks to my wholesale travel club we were able to book a last minute family trip to North Lake Tahoe. I got a killer deal on our hotel, Northstar Lodge. I booked a luxury suite for us and saved $135 off the lowest price listed online. It's addicting to search for deals and book trips, even if they're short. We did a three day, two night trip since Tahoe isn't too far from us. When we arrived to Northstar Lodge we were pleasantly surprised when they had upgraded our room to a two bedroom, two bathroom family suite. The room was ... Read more...
Family Fun at North Lake Tahoe
A few weekends ago Justin and I took Mason to North Lake Tahoe for the first time. We've been numerous times by ourselves, going on an annual trip with our friends, sans kids, so we decided it was time to see Lake Tahoe as a family. I knew this trip would be way different than our previous ones and I was looking forward to experiencing all the family fun that Northstar and North Lake Tahoe have to offer. I love Lake Tahoe during the summer. Probably more than I love it in the winter. While it is a beautiful winter wonderland I'm ... Read more...
