The Wild Rose

As of early this morning (and I do mean early, 4am to be exact) we were off on yet another adventure, only this time we weren’t on our own. With the Hawaiian Islands as our destination, and our family as our traveling companions we packed up the limo and headed to O’Hare.

After two flights and 12 hours travel time we finally spotted the islands.

Upon arrival we were greeted with necklaces made out of shells, and made to feel a part of the ever expanding Hawaiian family.

It was about a 30 minute drive from the airport to our hotel, the Moana Surfrider on Waikiki Beach. The Surfrider is the oldest hotel on the island, celebrating over 100 years. They also boast the oldest Banyan tree on the island.

When we arrived at the Moana we were once again greeted with necklaces, only this time they were made out of Kukui nuts.

We could not have asked for a better location, for the hotel sits right on the famous Waikiki Beach.

Our rooms are at the top floor giving us a great view, not only of the beach, but also of downtown Honolulu. As if the view wasn’t enticing enough to spend all of our time on the balcony, we set up our hammock we brought with us and immediately took to lounging around like a couple of beach bums.

It’s just pushing 8:30pm here, but because our bodies are still on Chicago time (1:30am) it’s becoming more and more difficult to keep our eyes open. We’re eager to explore more tomorrow, but for now we just need some sleep!