Just the 19 of Us – Oahu North Shore & Aulani – Jan. 2016 ~ Updated 6/4: Complete & DL TR Link!

[Imagineer5]

I know I commented on the first part but don't see it? Anyway crazy flight out day but glad you made it okay!

And the funny thing was that she kept saying, “We’re not in Hawaii yet.” After much back and forth, we finally figured out that, in her mind, Hawaii=Aulani. Poor kid was so confused and disappointed when we explained what was going on.

Aria was the same way with Disney, referring to the parks. When we spend the arrival day at the resort, Aria doesn't seem too thrilled (although, she has gotten it down now). She is really excited that we have 11 days to Disneyland and told me this morning she's excited to walk through the airport. Airports are one of my favorite places since it means we are going somewhere, so I guess she is feeling that way too!

We had rented a condo through AirBnB for our first 5 nights. It was in the Turtle Bay resort area in a gated neighborhood. Dug’s parents and Kay and Jay both had rented condos in the same neighborhood through VRBO. We were nearby, but all a bit spread out as well. At any rate, it was a little tricky to get into ours. The instructions told us that one person would need to get out by the gate and walk to the condo to use the provided code on the door lock to get inside and get the key for the gate. It ended up being tricky for two reasons:

1.) The road you have to stop and wait on has no shoulder. So, we were just sitting in one of two lanes of potential traffic. It wasn’t terribly busy, but made me nervous. Especially because:

2.) Dug was trying to locate our specific condo unit at night. It’s hard not to feel creepy going around and checking numbers at the doors, but there was no other way to identify it. So, it took him a while.

Well, my photobucket ban means I can't see your pictures, boo. Sounds like a really great plan though to have everyone rent condos in the same area, but you have that family separation too. Crazy figuring out where the condo is, in the dark, ugh!

We discovered that the previous occupants had left a few unopened things for us in the kitchen. One of which was frozen burritos. So, that’s what we had for dinner:

Awesome!

And, yes, that is some POG (pineapple orange guava) juice I couldn’t resist buying. Though we are not normally big juice people, this is an exception. (It's like the juice at Kona and Boma, in case you are wondering).

MMM Hawaii has the best juice!

On that delightful and silly note, we hit the hay. That King bed was very nice after a long travel day. Oh, and we set up Izzy’s tent (Kidco Peapod, which she loves) on the floor of the bedroom and that worked great for her (as I didn’t want her on the sofa bed in the living room with that giant un-tethered TV there). Anyway, I think we all slept well.

That works well! Glad you all slept well.

 

[Leshaface]

Just as we did so, Dug gasped and started sobbing, “No!!! No, no, no!!” Turns out that he just then realized he’d left his backpack at home. That contained all his electronics, our waterproof camera, and various other somewhat important things. Not things that can easily be purchased once in Hawaii. Ugh. Dug was upset and hopeless and feeling like his trip was ruined. We were doing reasonably okay on time. So, I made the snap decision to get him and Izzy and our stuff dropped off (since we were pulling up to the airport) and then I’d bolt home and get his backpack.

OH man I would have totally freaked out too! Poor guy.

felt a bit better on this part of the drive, as I’d made good time back to our house and things looked pretty do-able now. I pulled into their driveway at 6:05am and the cab was waiting, just as I’d hoped. I grabbed what I needed, hopped in there, and was soon at the airport.

Thank goodness there was no hiccups along the way for you!

And then the flight attendant came over. She said she needed to see the FAA approval sticker on the car seat. What?! AFTER I’d completely installed it and had a happy 3-year-old buckled into it just prior to take off?!

Ha you should have asked her to re-install it for you! I was not a fan of putting the car seat in that itty bitty space.

I got Izzy set up with Frozen on the iPad

Still a fan of Frozen?!

Very, very cool and convenient! The only thing DS really enjoys doing is taking the wrappers off the crayons. Not actual coloring

In case you are wondering, our iPad is really old (the original iPad model!), so all it really can hold is Frozen and a few old games, haha. Works for us!

i'm sure you already saw by now, I asked this question on your other thread! Great thanks for including this!

They also didn’t really check the car seat, even though we were basically waving it in their faces to make sure they knew it was FAA approved.

I would have been too!

Don't you love this sight on the plane?!

Did not know you had to fill this out Now i'll definitely pack a pen in my purse

The honeymooners were still canoodling:

Meh, they'll get over that in a few years

I don’t have a lot more notes, but the ones I have indicate that Dug saw a cigarette in the restroom trash (he told a flight attendant and she was not a bit concerned )

Seriously!? It truly amazes me that people can't go without smoking for 5 1/2 hours

As I had done before, I kept checking back on the rates as the trip drew closer, since they seem to drop shortly beforehand.

I'm hoping this is the case still! I'm going through Costco also per your advice but noticed this week that prices have gone up? I don't officially have a reservation, have just been watching the prices and they went up about $80 or so. Well for what we want - SUV.

Hawaii=Aulani

That's how I look at it!

Beautiful!

And, yes, that is some POG (pineapple orange guava) juice I couldn’t resist buying

Totally buying this! Either at Costco or Target but glad to know that Target has it!

“Shake Your Poopies.” (She still sings it to this day! Yes, she's gross. )

I literally LOL'ed!

 

[TinkLoverSam]

@Leshaface Try www.carrentals.com I found my Hawaii rental cheaper there than on Costco

 

[Leshaface]

@Leshaface Try www.carrentals.com I found my Hawaii rental cheaper there than on Costco

Used to use this one all the time, totally forgot about it! Thanks for reminding me, i'll check it out

 

[chunkymonkey]

I've just caught up!! I'm excited because I'm headed to Oahu in November! This time I'm bringing a bunch of friends with me. We will be staying in Waikiki for a week. They are not Disney people (I know right? I have non-Disney friends?!?!) so we aren't going to Aulani. I hope to go there some other time with DH's family who live on the west coast. It'll be easier for them to get there.

We stayed at Turtle Bay before, at the resort, but the condos look great! I'm definitely going to consider this on our next trip.
Can't wait to read more!!

 

[Dugette]

Sorry for taking so long on this, folks! I promise I haven't abandoned this - I'm just a slowpoke.

What an eventful travel day you had! I can't believe they made you find the sticker after she was already strapped in! Glad you found the condo ok- did not sound very fun in the dark!

To this day, I am SO irritated when I think about the sticker thing. I mean, they had so many chances to check it, but waited until the point that it was just obnoxious! Ugh. And, really, are there even many carseats NOT FAA approved? Just seems silly. And, yes, finding the condo in the dark was rough, just creeping around peering at doors.

Can't wait to hear more- and I'm so glad you found some time for alone time!

Update finally coming up! And I loved the alone time that next morning!

Oh WOW-I would have been freaking out if we forgot a backpack! What a stressful way to start the vacation.

It was super stressful! I knew that Dug would be a grump without it, so took a fairly big risk by going back to get it, but thankfully it worked out fine!

I guess it was a good thing that Izzy didnt sleep on the first flight so she had a good solid sleep on the second leg and how nice for you to get a little time to yourself while she napped.

Kids sleeping on airplanes = one of my favorite things.

Yikes, that is a stressful start to the trip! I'm glad you made it back to the airport in time and that the flight was uneventful!

Me too - it was a very stressful start to the day, for sure, but made the flight that much more enjoyable (you know, just to actually be on it ).

Rory does the same thing with coloring. He'll say something like, "let's draw a car!" and that really means that I will draw a car and he'll watch me. Too funny.

Haha, love the teamwork. I feel like being a parent of a toddler is like being a personal attendant.

The place you rented looks really nice. It's nice to have that extra space, and the in-room laundry is always useful.

I really like going the AirBnB route for that extra space. We just came back from visiting my cousins in Portland and did an AirBnB home rental there too, which was really nice!

 

[Dugette]

I know I commented on the first part but don't see it? Anyway crazy flight out day but glad you made it okay!

Beats me, maybe the DIS ate it.

Aria was the same way with Disney, referring to the parks. When we spend the arrival day at the resort, Aria doesn't seem too thrilled (although, she has gotten it down now). She is really excited that we have 11 days to Disneyland and told me this morning she's excited to walk through the airport. Airports are one of my favorite places since it means we are going somewhere, so I guess she is feeling that way too!

I have mixed feelings on airports. Agree about it being great because you are going somewhere. But they almost always put me through a stressful experience that leaves me wishing I could just drive everywhere. I mean, this trip we just took to Portland for example: we brought Izzy's carseat through security and, for totally indiscernible reasons, it triggered their alarm thing (went through fine on the way there, but triggered on the way back - nothing had changed in that time, except maybe some extra crumbs in the seat ). Because I was the one who handed them the carseat, they had to search all of "my" stuff (so, basically all of mine and Izzy's stuff) AND do the totally uncomfortable pat-down on me. Obviously, we were fine and they let us go, but it cost us a lot of time and embarrassment. Over nothing. Ugh, I really do hate airports - but they are a necessary evil.

Well, my photobucket ban means I can't see your pictures, boo. Sounds like a really great plan though to have everyone rent condos in the same area, but you have that family separation too. Crazy figuring out where the condo is, in the dark, ugh!

I wish your work hadn't blocked Photobucket! And I have all sorts of pretty Hawaii pictures coming up! The condos worked out pretty well, I thought. However, the in-laws thought we were a little too far apart (I was fine walking, but they felt they needed to drive to the other condos).

Awesome!

Free food is always good!

MMM Hawaii has the best juice!

That works well! Glad you all slept well.

It was a comfy place to sleep!

OH man I would have totally freaked out too! Poor guy.

Yeah, he was really upset.

Thank goodness there was no hiccups along the way for you!

So glad the risk paid off.

Ha you should have asked her to re-install it for you! I was not a fan of putting the car seat in that itty bitty space.

No, not fun at all, especially since we seldom get to board beforehand it seems, so all three of us are crammed into the row (to keep the aisle clear) while I'm squished in there trying to install a seat. Interestingly, on our flight back from Portland last week, a male flight attendant insisted (in a nice way) on installing our carseat - he was in the row behind us and did it from there!

Still a fan of Frozen?!

To Izzy - Airplane = iPad = Frozen (though our Portland flights on Southwest actually allowed us to get Disney Junior on the iPad, which blew her mind! )

Very, very cool and convenient! The only thing DS really enjoys doing is taking the wrappers off the crayons. Not actual coloring

Izzy is finally starting to get the hang of coloring, but it's taken a while. I love the little travel crayon packet, though!

i'm sure you already saw by now, I asked this question on your other thread! Great thanks for including this!

Someday we'll upgrade that old iPad!

I would have been too!

Don't you love this sight on the plane?!

So much! My favorite!!

Did not know you had to fill this out Now i'll definitely pack a pen in my purse

Yes, pack a pen!

Meh, they'll get over that in a few years

Exactly!

Seriously!? It truly amazes me that people can't go without smoking for 5 1/2 hours

Agreed!

I'm hoping this is the case still! I'm going through Costco also per your advice but noticed this week that prices have gone up? I don't officially have a reservation, have just been watching the prices and they went up about $80 or so. Well for what we want - SUV.

I think you leave in a couple days, so I would check again NOW! I've found Costco sometimes has a dip right before your dates.

That's how I look at it!

Fair point (but there are other beautiful sights).

Beautiful!

You're going to love just driving around!

Totally buying this! Either at Costco or Target but glad to know that Target has it!

Yes, gotta make sure you feel like you're on a tropical vacation!

I literally LOL'ed!

Glad someone appreciates her sense of humor! She still talks about, "Remember when I made up that song in Hawaii?"

@Leshaface Try www.carrentals.com I found my Hawaii rental cheaper there than on Costco

Before I used Costco on our first Hawaii trip, the cheapest rates I found were on discounthawaiicarrental.com - but then Costco got cheaper right at the end.

Used to use this one all the time, totally forgot about it! Thanks for reminding me, i'll check it out

Since you're about to leave, did you find something good?

I've just caught up!! I'm excited because I'm headed to Oahu in November! This time I'm bringing a bunch of friends with me. We will be staying in Waikiki for a week. They are not Disney people (I know right? I have non-Disney friends?!?!) so we aren't going to Aulani. I hope to go there some other time with DH's family who live on the west coast. It'll be easier for them to get there.

And since I've slacked off on this TR, it's next month now that you go! For what it's worth, my in-laws were very against Aulani BECAUSE it was Disney - well, they loved it and want to go back (very much so)! It's just a great resort and Disney happens to own it.

We stayed at Turtle Bay before, at the resort, but the condos look great! I'm definitely going to consider this on our next trip.
Can't wait to read more!!

The condos were nice. Ours were back in the neighborhood, but BIL's family rented one right on the beach, which was awesome (and more expensive).

 

[Dugette]

Waimea Valley

Our first morning in Hawaii!

Dug and Izzy were joining his extended family this morning at the Waimea Valley botanical gardens and waterfall. I had taken Izzy there on our previous trip, so decided to skip the outing and enjoy a relaxing solo morning instead. I’ll get to that in the next update. This one is about Dug and Izzy’s explorations.

Since I wasn’t there, I don’t have a lot of details, but did just get a few from Dug that I’ll throw in.

Arrival:



Various pretty sights:













Izzy was enjoying the bridge, I guess:



More pretty scenery:





Obviously, they arrived down at the waterfall. Dug took a selfie:



So, he didn’t realize that everyone he was with brought their swimsuits and had plans to swim under the waterfall. Despite the signage everywhere about Leptospirosis, a dangerous bacteria that could potentially be in the water. Dug and Izzy just stood by and watched and took photos while everyone else donned the required lifejackets and made their way in:



They took in the beautiful view:



And Dug got some video, if you’d like to imagine you’re relaxing near a waterfall:

(click to watch)

Then it looks like they were just goofing around:







And apparently they saw a chicken:



Looks like they started heading back:



Dug and his dad utilized the golf cart rides available to get across the expanse of the park:



He said that the driver on the way back was great about explaining what they were seeing. They also talked about other plans and Dug mentioned maybe going up to a historical site in the area and she said that it’s kind-of like visiting a gravesite and a rather odd thing to do, so they skipped that.

Anyway, more views:













There are so many amazing things to look at there!

When they made it back the gift shop area, Dug got a coffee and an ice cream cookie sandwich, as he’d heard they were good:



I guess this was in the area:



Dug said that his parents (Nana and Papa) took Izzy into the gift shop, wanting to buy her a stuffed animal or something. She ended up selecting a cute little wooden stamping set instead, which she proudly showed off to me later on.

Everyone had a good time and was glad to have visited a pretty, peaceful place to start their day (oh, and nobody got Leptospirosis, thankfully!). Also, the minivan we rented worked out well, as Dug, Izzy, Nana, Papa, Kay, and Jay were all able to ride together to and from the place.

Up next: My morning walk.

 

[Dugette]

A Morning Stroll

I had a very pleasant morning. I slept in for a bit, since Dug was taking Izzy and I had nobody’s needs to attend to.

When I got up, I snapped a picture of Izzy's sleeping arrangements so you can see where we put the tent:



I took a nice, long shower to start the day. I also unpacked and checked the condo out a bit more. I sat in this comfy chair and made up a grocery list:



I realized, when I unpacked, that I forgot to pack socks (except the pair I was wearing), so that was on my list. I know it’s Hawaii, but I still wear shoes and socks (see past Hawaii trip report for weird toe birth defect ). So, that would be fun to see if grocery stores in Hawaii carry socks.

Then was the worst part of my morning. I opened up the cabinet where some leftover (closed) foods had been left by the previous guests. There was a large crawling occupant of the cabinet. I slammed the door back shut and ran away. Then I got brave (and grabbed my phone) and crept up to it again, cautiously opening the door:



Eeek! Yeah, we didn’t use anything from that cabinet. I told Dug when he was back, and he checked, but never saw our buddy again. Ew.

So, on a more pleasant note, it was time for my walk to explore the grounds of Turtle Bay. Heading out of our condo area:



And by 11:38am, I was sitting on this bench and making some trip notes on my phone:



The view from the bench:





In video form:

(click to watch)

Since I enjoyed that bench so much, I took a picture of the remembrance plaque:



I walked around some more after that. Went along the ocean on the trail, past much of the resort and over to an event area:





Lots of benches, haha:



I have another ocean video for you. The North Shore of Oahu, especially during the winter months, is known for its big waves. Definitely not a calm beach like at Aulani. You can get some idea of that here:

(click to watch)

I was near the wedding pavilion by this point and it was all set up for an outdoor ceremony:







Pretty place!

I also walked by the spa area, which contained private massage cabanas:



You can see part of the bar here too:



Here’s the pool:



Our condos had a pool also, but we never used it.

The Turtle Bay Resort:



Hot tub:



Turtle Bay also has these oceanfront cottages and I walked by as they were cleaning, so I caught a glimpse of the view through to the ocean:



Sure would be a nice place to stay!

They even had a hammock:



Then I made my way over towards the stables:



There was some sort of event going on in the open/parking area there (little booths set up). I took some video:

(click to watch)

I love the Hawaiian music in the air!

Found the stables:



Hi, horsies:



A look back at where I’d been:



Obligatory ocean selfie:



A friendly horse:



I tried to take a selfie with him after this and he walked away quickly.

Around that point, I got a call from Dug that they were getting close and could pick me up. I told him to meet me by those cottages I’d walked past, as there was some parking/places to stop. I headed back through the event again:



So pretty:



Also, there are feral cats in Hawaii:



As I was waiting for them to arrive, I saw this point of interest nearby:





It was the site of radar’s first wartime use (Pearl Harbor). Interesting to read about.

But then I got a call that they were pulling in to pick me up, so I had to take off to meet the family and hop in.

Up next: Ted’s Bakery. So yummy!

 

[Imagineer5]

Dug and Izzy were joining his extended family this morning at the Waimea Valley botanical gardens and waterfall. I had taken Izzy there on our previous trip, so decided to skip the outing and enjoy a relaxing solo morning instead.

That sounds nice, but what a beautiful place the botanical gardens were!

So, he didn’t realize that everyone he was with brought their swimsuits and had plans to swim under the waterfall. Despite the signage everywhere about Leptospirosis, a dangerous bacteria that could potentially be in the water.

Ew?! How was Izzy skipping the water?

Dug got a coffee and an ice cream cookie sandwich, as he’d heard they were good:

That looks good!

She ended up selecting a cute little wooden stamping set instead, which she proudly showed off to me later on.

That was a good choice!

I also unpacked and checked the condo out a bit more. I sat in this comfy chair and made up a grocery list:

LOL had to laugh at the random chair pic.

The view from the bench:

Beautiful spot, looks like a great resort

A friendly horse:

Cool they have horses, too!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Despite the signage everywhere about Leptospirosis, a dangerous bacteria that could potentially be in the water.

Ewwww!

(oh, and nobody got Leptospirosis, thankfully!)

Then was the worst part of my morning. I opened up the cabinet where some leftover (closed) foods had been left by the previous guests. There was a large crawling occupant of the cabinet. I slammed the door back shut and ran away. Then I got brave (and grabbed my phone) and crept up to it again, cautiously opening the door:

Eww eww eww ewww EEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

 

[Dugette]

That sounds nice, but what a beautiful place the botanical gardens were!

They are really beautiful. If I hadn't been there 14 months earlier, I would have gone. But a little extra sleep and some alone time sounded ideal that day.

Ew?! How was Izzy skipping the water?

I don't know. Dug probably told her it wasn't safe for her or something.

That looks good!

I agree!

That was a good choice!

She loved it! (though I have no idea where it is now)

LOL had to laugh at the random chair pic.

Part of me thinks that I took that picture for a reason and there's more to it, but I sure don't remember.

Beautiful spot, looks like a great resort

It is a really nice resort. I could have sat on that bench for a LONG time.

Cool they have horses, too!

Indeed! We didn't ride, but they offer it.

Ewwww!



Eww eww eww ewww EEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

I know, this was pretty much just a disgusting update, right?

 

[khertz]

Such beautiful scenery!! And nice that you got a little quiet morning to yourself. I'm sure that doesn't happen often, especially in such a pretty and peaceful environment.

 

[pepperandchips]

I'm here! Looks like you are off to a great start on your trip. Love those solitary walks to enjoy the quiet and your own exploration!!

 

[schmass]

Sleeping in and a morning to yourself - nice!! Looks like you had a nice and peaceful morning.

Dug and Izzy's morning didn't look too bad, either! I'm glad they stayed out of that water though - yuck!

 

[Dugette]

Such beautiful scenery!! And nice that you got a little quiet morning to yourself. I'm sure that doesn't happen often, especially in such a pretty and peaceful environment.

Yes, it was a rare treat to sleep in and then not to have to worry about anyone but myself.

I'm here! Looks like you are off to a great start on your trip. Love those solitary walks to enjoy the quiet and your own exploration!!

It was a really nice way to start the trip. I love taking walks by myself and the scenery was beautiful!

Sleeping in and a morning to yourself - nice!! Looks like you had a nice and peaceful morning.

Dug and Izzy's morning didn't look too bad, either! I'm glad they stayed out of that water though - yuck!

It was a great morning for all of us. And I was so happy when he told me that he and Izzy didn't go in the water. Smart boy!

 

[Dugette]

Ted’s Bakery & Ocean Sunset

I’d just hopped into the minivan with the family after they returned from Waimea Valley. Izzy told me she had a good time. We swung over to Nana and Papa’s condo first, as they wanted to be dropped off to freshen up before lunch. We took Kay and Jay back to our condo so that they could see it (they liked it!).

Before we headed back out, Kay and Jay apparently felt the need to do some stretches :



We swung by Nana and Papa’s condo, they hopped in (this minivan really turned out to be a good decision), and we soon arrived here for lunch:



We were excited to finally try the pie here, as we’d heard about it previously, but hadn’t made it in here on our previous trip.

We all decided what we wanted and put in our orders:



Dug got this shrimp combo meal thing:



And we got some BBQ chicken and rice to share:



In addition to some chicken and rice, you can see that Izzy got some Goldfish too.

All the birds under our outdoor table really appreciated the Goldfish crumbs :



And, of course, we got a slice of their famous Chocolate Haupia (Coconut) Cream Pie to share:



In the background of that picture (top) is the carton of mini chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies we got, at Izzy’s insistence. She’s never met a cookie she didn’t like. Well, those cookies turned out to be a surprise hit! We ended up going back and buying another carton later in the trip. I kind-of wish I had a supply of them here at home – very addictive and yummy! Speaking of yummy, the rest of our meal was as well. And the pie didn’t disappoint.

Once Izzy was done eating, she amused herself with the free newspaper/magazine dispensers behind us:



She would pull out a pile, then proudly pass one out to each of us. (We put them all back.)

On our way back to Turtle Bay, we stopped at a roadside fruit stand to grab a few tasty treats:





Kay and Jay had already stopped here and told us about some of their favorites, like the fresh coconut (you can see that near the bottom right of the picture above). Dug and his mom hopped out and made some purchases.

We dropped everyone off at their condos (well, Kay and Jay probably got out at Nana and Papa’s and walked back, knowing them), then stopped back at ours.

When we parked, I saw a GIANT grasshopper on the mirror of the neighboring vehicle :



Dug and Izzy went in for naptime (for both of them), while I turned around and headed back to Haleiwa. I was on my way to Foodtown to do our shopping for the week. We planned to do a lot of dining in, so we needed some things. I parked in the lot at Foodtown and noticed they had some loiterers:



I knew food was more expensive in Hawaii, so braced myself for the prices. It was more than I’d like, but not terrible. For a fairly full cart, it ended up being $150. They even applied some sort of discount too (for joining their club, maybe?) Also, I asked an employee if they sold socks (you may recall, I forgot to pack them ) and they said they did not, but had actually gotten that question a lot lately. I guess I am not the only person to search for socks in Hawaii.

I headed back and stopped over at Nana and Papa’s, as she’d texted to ask me to buy some laundry stain remover stuff for them. I dropped that with Nana and headed back to our condo. Got the groceries put away while Izzy continued to nap in her tent:



Nice, she’s even wearing her Hawaii (hula girl) jammies!

We all were planning to meet up at the pool bar to watch the sunset over the ocean, so we had to wake Izzy up and get going. I dropped Dug and Izzy off at the hotel entrance, so they wouldn’t have to walk as far to the beach, as I knew I’d likely have to park pretty far back in the lot. As I was going to park, I spotted Nana and Papa walking towards the resort. I knew Papa didn’t have the best mobility (heart condition; gets tired very quickly), so I drove over and offered them a ride the rest of the way, which they appreciated. After dropping them off too, I finally went to go park (and got a pretty good spot!) and walked back to the pool bar. I spotted Jay’s extended family and headed that way. Kay, Jay, Nana, Papa, Dug, Izzy, and I grabbed a table together.

One of Jay’s relatives (his aunt, I believe) stopped by on her way to the pool bar to see if we wanted her to get us a drink. We requested Mai Tais and she insisted on buying them for us to thank us for the heads-up on the great airfare and DVC point rental rates (for Aulani) that made this trip possible! Very nice! I didn’t realize how grateful Jay’s extended family was to us for making this trip a reality for them.

The mai tais were good:



And the view was even better:



Acceptable :



Selfie:



Looks like Izzy was enjoying a container of cereal as I took sunset photos:



It was pretty cool watching the sun just sink into the ocean:





Our waitress came by at some point and basically said (in a not terribly friendly way) that we either had to order food or leave. I guess enjoying drinks at a table in the bar area was not enough. Dug’s family was pretty upset about this and probably thinking about leaving, but Dug and I were actually a little hungry (it was about dinnertime), so we said not to worry about it and we’d order some things that could be shared. Looks like we got some sort of nachos and chips/salsa:



I also ordered a hot dog and fries to share with Izzy:



I’m pretty sure I ended up eating most of it and it was very good!

My notes also say “monkey drink”, which I don’t entirely remember, but I feel like it was some sort of chocolate/banana drink that Dug and I shared. We don’t seem to have a picture. I think we really enjoyed it, though.

There was a musician playing and we all enjoyed that:



At one point, Dug’s dad and sister went up to talk to the musician:



When they got back, Kay explained that she requested Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time and the musician wouldn’t do it. Apparently it actually sounds pretty cool on a ukulele, according to Kay. Who knew?

We had a nice time just hanging out and chatting with family. We like Kay and Jay a lot normally, but they somehow seem even more fun after a couple drinks. We were having a great time together, even after Dug’s parents decided to head back to their condo. Kay and Jay stayed and we talked and they played with Izzy. Kay even volunteered to take Izzy to the bathroom when she said she needed to go potty.

Also, interesting thing was the animals we saw. A couple people brought their small dogs to the bar. Kay and Jay have two Yorkies they were missing, so they were really admiring the little doggies. Izzy loved them too. And there were also feral cats roaming. In fact, one came right over to the lady at the table next to us and let her pet it! She was shocked and couldn’t believe that actually even happened. Friendly kitties there, I guess.

We had a really fun night just hanging out. We probably could have done so longer, but we did have a three-year-old in our party, so had to call it a night. Looks like Dug took a picture in the Turtle Bay Resort lobby on the way out:



We headed back to our condo and got a good night’s sleep. It was a great first day in Hawaii – very relaxed and enjoyable. Much different pace than a WDW vacation.

Up next: Football and a walk along the beach.

 

[Imagineer5]

And, of course, we got a slice of their famous Chocolate Haupia (Coconut) Cream Pie to share:

This looks fab!

In the background of that picture (top) is the carton of mini chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies we got, at Izzy’s insistence.

I think that's my favorite type of cookie! yum!

On our way back to Turtle Bay, we stopped at a roadside fruit stand to grab a few tasty treats:

What a neat fruit stand!

Got the groceries put away while Izzy continued to nap in her tent:

Cute, glad she got a good nap in!

One of Jay’s relatives (his aunt, I believe) stopped by on her way to the pool bar to see if we wanted her to get us a drink.

That was really nice! So glad that the family appreciated your tips.

And the view was even better:

Beautiful sunset!

that we either had to order food or leave.

That's really rude, I'm sure the drinks weren't cheap! Glad you "took one for the team" though lol!

When they got back, Kay explained that she requested Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time and the musician wouldn’t do it. Apparently it actually sounds pretty cool on a ukulele, according to Kay. Who knew?

Hmm very interesting! hahahaha

In fact, one came right over to the lady at the table next to us and let her pet it!

Cute, I love finding random animals on vacation when I'm missing mine!

We had a really fun night just hanging out. We probably could have done so longer, but we did have a three-year-old in our party, so had to call it a night. Looks like Dug took a picture in the Turtle Bay Resort lobby on the way out:

Sounds like a really awesome night! Definitely more relaxing than Disney, but still really fun.

 

[SpaceEngTM]

Really enjoying your trip report, can't wait to read more! We also spent a couple of nights on the North Shore during our summer trip this year and loved it. We found a fun little beach cottage not far from Ted's. It was a great part of our trip and we will definitely do it again.

I have to tell you that the waves were not as large this summer, we went in June, but I wouldn't say they were that kid friendly. We are used to Galveston and Florida gulf coast waves so even the "small" waves on the North Shore were a little more than my girls were comfortable with swimming in for very long!

 

[schmass]

All the photos in this last update are making me hungry - everything looks so good!

Those are some great views you had! I'm glad you guys were hungry enough to order some food so you could stay and enjoy the atmosphere for a bit longer.