Bula from Fiji

Bula!  You hear that everywhere in Fiji.  When asked what it meant, they just replied, “It means everything!”  So we heard it coming and going and just as a joyful acknowledgment.  The people were so warm and welcoming, I felt like I was home.  If home was the most epic beach location.  I wish!

It’s hard to describe the color of the beautiful water surrounding Tokoriki Island.  It’s the most inviting blue I’ve ever come across.  It’s so toasty warm I could snorkle for hours.  And after a long snorkle, we could simply relax in the quiet of an adult only resort with a beverage and the sound of the ocean lapping at the shore.  It’s magical how beautiful Fiji has been to us.

Silly in Santa Monica

Those of you that know me know I have kind of a huge obsession with dinosaurs.  I mean, my favorite movie of all time is Jurassic Park!  (And if any of you know how I can be an extra in the 4th one, I’ll be forever indebted.)  So while I was visiting 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, I was super excited to see garden dinos!  I’m just getting my silly on in these shots so don’t judge.

While the boys watched football at Barney’s Beanery (an epic place to watch any sporting event), I got my shop on at some of the great boutiques in the area that I don’t have down in San Diego.  Brandy Melville and Kitson were my two favs.  I have some major wandering coming up soon so keep your eyes peeled on my social media!  (Instagram: @WanderingInHeels)

 

Clam Digging in Washington

That’s right, my friends.  I went digging for clams in Washington.  Over our Thanksgiving trip, Tyler’s family suggested a camping adventure to Pacific Beach to dig for razor clams.  I’m game to try anything once but got a little freaked out after looking at the weather report.  It kept warning of an “Arctic Invasion” (“Killer Snowflakes!”  My mom exclaimed) and the thought of battling almost freezing temperatures with high winds and rain while clomping through the wave edge looking for razor clam holes was not as appealing as I originally thought.  We totally lucked out though.  When the tide was low, the weather broke and we had an absolutely great time.  I was shocked how fun it really was!  That was until we got to the cleaning the clams part…  I’ll spare you the details.

P.S. – I wore this look when I went to get my clamming license at Sportman’s Warehouse.  I don’t think they believed me that I was actually going to use it…

 

 

Hawaiian Sunset Montage

As a finale to my Hawaiian adventure, I’ve compiled all the beautiful sunset/sunrise shots from throughout the trip.  I never really did get used to the time change so I was up by 6 am and usually passed out embarrassingly early every day.  I actually liked it because I got to see both the sunset and sunrise!  I’m everything a morning person is not so I can’t remember the last time I saw a sunrise!  I have to say… I kind of like them!!

Thanks for following me on my Hawaiian Adventure!  We have a few other trips in the works and I can’t wait to share more details with you when everything gets nailed down.  Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter (@WanderingHeels) for all the details!

 

Resort Review: The Kahala Resort

I don’t even know where to start with The Kahala Resort.  It’s so luxurious and amazing!  Coming here was a total surprise from my honey for our 4 year so as we walked in, I was floored.  Not to mention my eyes welled up with excitement when I saw the dolphins (see my last post for pictures of the happiest girl in the world and her dolphin pal).

We might be the luckiest people to have gotten an upgrade to the 9th floor with views of the ocean and the dolphin lagoon.  We were able to sit on the balcony, enjoy our celebratory mimosas, and watch the dolphins play frisbee with their trainers.  The Kahala is also a hugely popular place for weddings and we saw at least 3 happening daily.

The resort is a place for relaxation and since cabanas come with the room, we spent many hours soaking up some rays, eating lunch in the sand, and snorkeling the reef that starts just feet from the shore.  You can paddle board, kayak, and do yoga classes on a paddle board as well but we decided to be lazy so swimming and snorkeling were our activities of choice.

The Kahala is also home to Aracino, one of the best Italian restaurants we’ve ever been to.  We had the 5 course meal with wine pairing and could hardly believe how delicious everything was.  The service was amazing as well and they were able to answer all Tyler’s questions about the meal (he’s an aspiring chef so there were many questions!).  If you’re on Oahu, I highly recommend coming here for dinner.  It’s one of the top 3 meals I’ve ever had so this is an absolute must-visit in my book.

Overall, The Kahala has everything a relaxing Hawaiian resort should have.  I did not want to go home at all after staying here.  I mean, life is good but there’s just something about a vacation that makes everything even rosier.  5 stars Kahala… 5 stars…

You would have found me in this position often

The Grand Entrance of The Kahala Resort

Super excited about the view for our balcony

I loved watching the sea turtles swim

The view from our balcony

Sunset on the balcony

Sunrise on the balcony

Look at those people doing that exercise thing *sips mimosa*

There’s a gorgeous wall of orchids on the way down to the beach

 

A Secret Hike in Hilo

After we said our goodbyes to the North Shore, we took an island hopper flight over to The Big Island to stay in Hilo for a few nights.  Originally we were supposed to visit the Volcano National Park but because of the government shutdown we weren’t able to go.  No worries though!  Hilo was full of super fun things for us to do!!

One of my favorite adventures was a totally unplanned stop on our way up to Akaka Falls.  There was a teenie tiny trail head on the side of the road with a stunning view.  So we pulled over to take some shots and decided to head down the trail a bit.  I’m so glad we did!  There were little hidden beaches, mini waterfalls, and plenty of ocean views.  If you’re looking for this secret spot, it’s about 1 mile South of the Hawaiian Botanical Garden entrance.  Just keep your eyes peeled for a small trail head sign just before one of the bigger curves in the road.

Tip:  Do this hike before buying your tickets to the botanical garden.  Once you’re a ticket holder, you can’t do this hike for insurance reasons.  Also, bring some water shoes.  You’ll be walking across a few streams and things you won’t want to miss out on!

 

Rental Review: North Shore Beach House

I won’t lie… we totally lucked out on our rentals while in Hawaii.  I mean, this place is directly on the water, there’s great snorkeling right out front, and sea turtles swimming by every few minutes.  I’d give it 5 stars if it was just a place to pitch a tent with those credentials but it was so much more.  The 4 bedroom 4 bathroom house was set to impress.  There was everything you could possibly need to cook and BBQ, lots of snorkeling gear, and water shoes/fins.  We ended up spending many nights just creating our own personal luau and playing “The Turtle Game.”  The rules are basically just shout “Turtle!” when a sea turtle pops it’s head out of the water and scramble to get a glimpse.  Yeah… it’s a totally stressful environment… Not!  I think the only negatives are, for the price, we might have expected more amenities in the bathrooms (i.e.- soap, shampoo, hair dryers) but nothing you’ll die without!  The salt water will give you the best bath anyway!

Check out more details at www.HawaiiNorthShoreBeachFront.com.

There’s a stunning view of the sunset here!!

Here’s the view from the back yard.

We’re only steps from the ocean!

 

 

Hike to the Northern Point of Oahu

When I think of hiking in Hawaii, I think lush tropical flowers, waterfalls, and vine canopied trails.  Not so  much on this hike.  The manager of the house we rented suggested we take a hike to the Northern tip of Oahu to catch a glimpse of seals lounging on the beach and get an amazing sunset view.  Sounded great!

Well, the hike was not exactly as described.  It was essentially an off-roading track thats main features included tire tracks, empty beer cans, and panties left behind.  Not exactly the picturesque trail we were expecting.  We turned back after talking to someone that said we had a long ways to go… by car.  Since we didn’t want to be walking back in the dark and wine on the beach sounded so much better, we turned around.

The best part was climbing over the rocks along the beach.  Here are some shots of that portion of our walk.  The moral of the story, take advice with a grain of salt and make the time to research the destination yourself.  Oopsy!

Random office chair left behind

Top: Equipment,  Swimsuit: J.Crew, Shorts: Jolt, Shoes: Toms

#TBT: Bondi Beach, Australia

I’m one of those annoying people that always has her camera on her and is the paparazzi of the group shouting “Smile!” every few minutes.  In the end, I’m always happy I did when I look back at the photos of our trip.  I can’t believe it’s been almost 4 years since I visited Australia with my two besties!!  Time flies!  Today I’m reminiscing on a portion of our epic adventure: Bondi Beach.  We only visited here for the afternoon but for some reason, it was such an amazing day that it sticks out in my mind as a highlight of the 3 week trip.  Here’s just a sampling of photos from our day at Bondi Beach.

 

I had long hair then and I just let it go wild for beach days!

 

There is a long stretch of graffiti for fallen surfers

 

 

 

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Birthday on the Beach: Coronado, CA

I’m getting to the age now that most of my friends are getting married and having kids.  So what that means is there are a lot of fun times to be had celebrating these life events!  Today, we celebrated our good friend’s daughter’s third birthday on the beach in Coronado.  It’s a gorgeous day for some fun in the sun: we splashed in the water, played with bubbles, and enjoyed some yummy cupcakes.

The water was too cold for my liking so I stuck to the shore in some bermuda shorts, a bandeau top, and a cover up.  Of course, I needed my trusty UPF 50+ protection hat to shield my face.  I want to look 25 when I’m 50 after all!!  Who doesn’t?!  This Wildfox coverup is one of my favorites!  It’s perfect for walking around a beach town or over your swimsuit.  I topped off my look with a chunky ocean inspired necklace (I’ve worn it before, remember?).

I bet you didn’t know…

The birthday girl, Mila (right), and her bestie. Little divas in training!

Sandy Sandals

 

Hat: Eric Javits, Cover Up: Wildfox (Similar), Necklace: Target, Sandals: Two Lips (Similar)