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Resort Life: Hilton Grand Vacation Resort

February 26, 2016April 3, 2017Posted in Hawaii, Hotels, oahu, travel, vacationsTagged oahu, travel, vacation3 Comments

When we went to Hawaii in january, we did the timeshare trip. You know the one? The kind where you are invited to stay for cheap and watch a 2 hour presentation on vacation club ownership. I have a Hilton Honors membership and they offered me a 5 night stay for $699 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. On a whim, way back in June of 2015, I bought it. Originally we planned to go in the fall, but with the new teaching job I moved our trip to January (for a small fee).

our room

view from our balcony

We almost never stay at resort type locations because I am so thrifty. I stay more at Hampton Inns and Hilton Garden properties to save some cash (and give my family a free breakfast). But a while back for mother’s day I stayed at a Loews and loved it. I decided I deserved a little resort life.

Amenities we took advantage of:

On site restaurants:

When we ate on the property, we ate most of the time at the Tropics Bar and Grill next to the beach. I enjoyed their happy hour. There are multiple restaurants with different foods and prices. The cheapest one had take out pizza and food I didn’t want in Hawaii. There was a Starbucks on site that we used for early morning coffee on the way to the airport, but we also tried the other coffee shop (that also had amazing ice cream) on site. There are a lot of choices on site.

Pools:

There are several pools on the property with an ability to order food and drink poolside. Yessss. Getting lounge chairs by the pool can be competitive, but I prefer a chair a row or so back so I don’t get splashed by kids. The only bummer about the jacuzzi was that it was adjacent to the kiddie pool and frequently had a lot of kids in it. I don’t mind kids, mine are just grown so I don’t need to hang out with lots of them.

Fireworks on Friday:

Okay, we didn’t really see these. Because the guy at the timeshare presentation said we would be able to see the free Friday firework show from out balcony. But we could not. At all. You really need to be down at the beach to see it.

Starlight Luau:

Fun luau, but not the best luau we had ever seen. We enjoyed meeting the people at our table. It turns out Dec/Jan is a popular time for Australians to visit Hawaii. The luau is on the roof of the parking garage, and we could actually hear it from our balcony on other nights. The food was okay, but the performances were good. The best out of all three we have seen is Paradise cove.

Free movies:

One night we decided to get a movie and chill in the room. We were so beat from our busy day out and waking up at 4 am (time difference), we thought relaxing in our room was in order. When you check in, they give you a card to access the dvds and then you return them the next day.

We enjoyed our Hawaiian stay. The staff was extremely helpful all of the time. The grounds were clean and everything was beautiful. All in all, the resort is a very convenient way to visit Waikiki. The last time we came to Oahu was 11 1/2 years ago. So much has changed in Waikiki, we almost didn’t recognize some parts. We did a lot of things we hadn’t done previously. I think if we had younger kids all of the amenities would have been appreciated even more. Renting movies for kids, the food options, the pools, club penguin for kids, etc. But as a couple who enjoys exploration of new places, a resort isn’t as necessary for us. But we loved our pool lounge time, charging drinks to the room, and the pineapple salsa nachos (minus the pork) at Tropics Bar and Grill. And honestly, in terms of Waikiki hotel locations, the Hilton Village is in one of the best spots. Great access to transportation and beaches. The one thing I wish I would have done, was morning yoga at the resort. But the morning I was headed out, I was digging in my suitcase (under the safe in the closet) and hit my head on the in room safe. Hard. So I gave up on yoga.

I am so glad we got the chance to revisit Oahu and enjoy time together. Have you been to Hawaii? Do you love resort life?

Hiking Diamond Head

January 14, 2016April 2, 2017Posted in America, Hawaii, hiking, photography, travel, vacations1 Comment

Diamond Head crater on the island of Oahu, is from a volcanic eruption that occurred some 200,000 years ago. The view of the outside of the crater, as seen from Waikiki, is an iconic image used in many images of Honolulu.

For our first trip of the new year, my husband decided to head to warmer weather. I know your thinking, but California is warmer weather. But the day we left, El Niño storms were settling in. We traded rain for 80 degree weather. On our trip, we decided to hike Diamond head.

We did not rent a car on our trip, but taking TheBus from our hotel to the park entrance was easy and only $2.50 each way per person. We walk in the park on an easy ascent and paid a $1 fee to enter.

The hike would not be as easy.
Hiking Diamond Head is best done early. There is some shade along the hike but it got pretty hot and humid. You should wear appropriate clothes and bring water. Wear hats and apply sunscreen. I saw some people who looked unprepared in flip flops. The dirt trail can get slippery and I don’t how they managed.

At the top, there was a tunnel that came after a strenuous ascent. If you are claustrophobic, that tunnel may be a challenge. The top can be reached by a very steep staircase or a slower ascent with stairs and switchbacks. We chose the slower ascent, which was still a good workout.

We rewarded ourselves with shaved ice after we came back down. There is a burger food truck that has the only food in the park for sale. The people who run it are super friendly. When we approached tired from our hike, they handed us cool, wet napkins.
I am so glad we included this adventure on our trip. The reward when you reach the top includes amazing views of the ocean and Waikiki. Plus you have the shaved ice waiting for you at the bottom.

College Road Trippin

January 1, 2016June 20, 2017Posted in travelLeave a comment

This December, with the school break, I decided to embark on an inspirational trip with my youngest. Just mother and daughter, driving through California, checking out the colleges she may attend. She has had anxiety about the important life decision of going to college and pretty much did her applications at the last second. None of her friends are planning to go away to college. They are all planning to attend the local junior college. I was hoping seeing the campuses would help her imagine herself there.

First stop was my oldest apartment. She was under the weather so we brought her soup. I checked out her refrigerator and it wasn’t as unhealthy as I thought.

After visiting with my sick kid, we headed to the central coast to see CSUMB. All of the schools she applied for have great mascots like banana slugs, sea otters and anteaters. My husband and I want sweatshirts from one of these schools. The tours were stressful for her. Partly because we were the only ones on them. Apparently no one tours schools right before the holidays. That makes my daughter uncomfortable because the focus is completely on her. But in the end I think was a good thing because she got to ask anything she wanted.

Dorm rooms with a en suite bathroom???? Bonus!

Banana Slug territory.

Morning coffee/hot chocolate in Santa Cruz. I had my daughter play navigator a lot to help us find what she wanted (like In N Out).

Walking around Capitola. This colorful houses can be rented.

Katie chose for us to drive back along the 101, through Morro Bay. We watched the sunset over the ocean. I think in the end, the trip was a success. I think she got a taste of a life that she can picture herself in. And I think she knows which school she would rather attend. That’s one of the reasons I love travel. It lets you imagine yourself in a different life than the one you live now. You literally see yourself in a new place with new possibilities.

2016 will bring new things to all of us. I will send my youngest to college. I will finish my Masters. My husband and I will visit an island we have never been to before. Our stepson will do an internship with a congressman. My oldest will apply for a program in the UK. Who knows where we will end up. Whatever 2016 brings you, I hope it is more of the life you want for yourself.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

It’s Really Grand

October 18, 2015June 20, 2017Posted in America, Arizona, Grand Canyon National park, summer, travel, vacationsTagged America, Arizona, Grand Canyon, travel4 Comments

Every day, I wake up and go to work. No really. Every day, I wake up, and I go to work. Except when I schedule a day off of call in sick or am lucky enough to be cancelled. But that costs me because I still need to get paid, only after being cancelled I will have less paid vacation hours. That’s for the weekend job (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). But M-Th, I just work. I took this teaching job knowing it meant working every day, but also knowing it would be temporary. And this week I am half way through the first semester. 5 more weeks of my grad school semester. 7 more weeks of teaching. And then I have 5 weeks off (just not from the weekend job). Is it confusing yet?

Basically what it means is I can go some more places. And there is nothing like teaching international students from Brazil, Italy, Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan, and more, to make you want to get out and see the world. So I am already planning a trip AND my husband and I already have a trip to Hawaii booked.

But before the monsoon of crazy work/school schedules began, we went to a bucket list destination.

This summer we drove to the Grand Canyon.

From LA, the drive is fairly long, which is why we did that stop in Vegas. But after Vegas, we hit the road to somewhere I had been wanting to go for a while. And the Grand Canyon was really fantastic. On the way from Nevada to Northern Arizona, we stopped at Hoover Dam for a short tour. It was HOT in July. But the dam is impressive nonetheless.

We also stopped in WIlliams for lunch, wine, and a little Route 66 kitsch.

But Grand Canyon National Park…well, it really was worth the placement on the bucket list. It’s just hard to imagine how big it is until you walk along the rim, and then look back at places you were standing.

When you try to spot the Colorado river and it looks like a small creek, but the park rangers tell you it’s around 300 ft across.

Our short time in park was more than we expected. For example, lodging and dining options in the park are numerous, but we never felt especially crowded like some people describe. Also, we imagined the Grand Canyon to be rocky and dry. At 7000 ft up, it can be dry, but it is also surrounded by a forest. Which means trees. That was something we did not imagine in Arizona. Getting up at sunrise and watching the light change on the south rim was awesome. And then we ate breakfast by the window facing the rim at the Hotel Tovar. If you have ever asked yourself if the Gran Canyon would be worth the visit, the answer is yes.