Hawaii - The Hotel

We aren't usually the kind who spend too much time in the hotel while on holidays. We usually don't worry about paying extra for a view that we're not going to look at because we're out sightseeing anyway. And we only do the token dip in the pool on the last day to just kill time before flying out. But this time we knew we wanted a relaxing holiday where we would lay by the pool and wake up in the morning and have a coffee (or a Mimosa) whilst enjoying the view from our room as we plan what to do (or not do) the rest of the day. So, when I came across the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort and read that they had not 1, not 2, not 3 but 5 pools on the property, I knew we had found the perfect retreat. And with the ocean in their backyard, we were spoilt for choice as to where to spend lazy afternoons. And don't even get me started on the view from our room on the 32nd floor of the Tapa Tower....

View from the Lobby

Our Room

The colours of the ocean we woke up to every morning

The view from our room on the 32nd floor

The view

Sipping cocktails on the balcony

Panoramic shot of our view at dusk

Lunch at one of the restaurants in the hotel by the beach

Hotel Grounds

Pool 1

Pool 2

Pool 3

Pool 4

We didn't get to try Pool 5 because that was always the busiest one as it had water-slides and was filled with kids the whole time. And there was also a man-made lagoon on the property which we didn't get to try. But you know, there's only so much relaxing you can do on a 7-day trip. Plus it's a good excuse to go back. Although, the hotel is very crowded and busy most times, this is just a sign of how popular it is and because of the beautiful view and great location right on Waikiki beach and close proximity to everything you'll need during your stay and the 5 pools - I'd highly recommend staying at the HHVBR if you plan to go to Oahu. We booked our hotels and flights on Expedia, we got great rates so I also recommend you try researching your next holiday on Expedia to compare prices. They have great deals year round specially if you bundle flights and accomodation. Bon Voyage!

Hawaii - The Sights

We flew to Hawaii for a week last week. It was absolutely wonderful! The weather, the shopping, the relaxing by the pool and beach - it was all perfect. A much needed break. And I hear we avoided some really cold days in Melbourne, so that was a bonus. I'll be putting up some of our photos from the trip in a series of posts. I thought instead of a travel diary by day, I'd do posts by theme, so this is the first - The Sights of Hawaii.

Waikiki Beach

Driving around Oahu Island

Turtle Bay

Turtle Bay Resort

Chinaman's Hat

 Arizona Memorial & King Kamehameha's Palace

Battleship Missouri

"The Ultimate Surrender" Statue

King's Statue & Palace (as seen in opening credits of Hawaii 5.0)

Atlantis Submarine Tour

Heading to the Submarine in a Ferry - Diamond head Crater in the background

111ft deep in the ocean

  Such beautiful sights! Day or night, Hawaii doesn't disappoint. I miss it already!

Coming up next posts on Shopping, Our Hotel & Food, My Outifts....

Phuket Diaries

It was Phuket next on our (very short) itinerary (I'm very good with spellings - but that word always gets me). Bangkok Air got us there and I fully recommend using this airline if you're travelling within Thailand. At Bangkok Airport even on an Economy ticket we got full access to the Bangkok Air lounge. This included free wifi, coffee/tea/hot chocolate from a machine, sandwiches, cake, other local snacks and a popcorn machine - so all in all not exactly a gourmet feast, but its enough to keep you busy and its the thought that counts right? If your're anything like me and love freebies, you will appreciate the sentiment.

Now that I've actually sat down to write this post, I've realised I was so busy relaxing that I didn't take nearly as many photos in Phuket as I did in Bangkok. :(

  

Just lots of selfies at the beach!

We stayed at the Royal Paradise Hotel (it was a huge contrast from Grand Millennium) not the best hotel I've stayed in - but I've got say, great location! Right in the heart of everything Patong has to offer, and the tallest building in the area, so whenever we got lost - and its really easy to get lost in Phuket with all the One-Ways - we would just look for the tallest building and head in that direction. It's a 5 minute walk from Patong beach, where we spent our day lazying on beach chairs which you can hire for the day for 100B (Approx. $3). You can eat, drink, shop, get a massage/henna tattoos/mani/pedis without ever getting out of that chair. The beach-vendors come to you. And unlike some other places I've been to, they don't harass you - which is great!

Beautiful Sunset at Patong Beach

After lazying around all day, I finally got off my bum and went jet-skiing into the sunset all by myself! It was such a wonderful, peaceful and empowering experience. At first, I was a bit scared as the waves were getting a bit rough, but turned out I was really good at it. And I rode(?) the jet-ski to a quiet spot away from the beach and watched the sun go down, it was pure bliss! 

The next day, we went to Karon beach, 20 min. drive from Patong. And I have more selfies to show - but this is how I shopped on the beach. There were no mirrors, so I was trying things on and taking pics to see what they looked like.

Crochet top - that I didn't buy - I bought a crochet dress though for around $8

Sarong that I didn't buy

Sarong that I DID buy - finally! Approx $5

 I loved shopping at the beach! It just doesn't get any better than that! And remember when you are in Thailand ALWAYS bargain. Tourism is the biggest income of their economy and they'll try and get as much money from you as they possibly can, and yes, everything's pretty cheap when you convert to dollars, but its fun to bargain! Don't feel embarrassed to go down to half or even one-third the price they quote. They know how much they want and they know you'll bargain so they'll always start at a really high price and you've got to start at lower than what you are willing to pay, so that you can get to a mid-way compromise. And this goes for everything from shopping in markets to taxis.

Karon Beach

Karon - Relatively quiet as compared to Patong Beach

And that brings me to my last night in Thailand :(. How time flies when you are having fun! Well, I can't end without an Outfit Post. Time to see what I wore on my final night in Phuket...

Sequinned Top: Approx $25 (Forever 21)

Coral Laser-cut Shorts: *$22.97 (Forever New)

Colour Block Ballet Flats: *$25 (Forever New)

Bracelet: *$7 (Forever New)

Gold Clutch: *$22 (Colette)

Outfit Total: Approx. $101.97

* = sale prices

Oh and here's how we got to places while in Phuket, we hired mopeds for 300B/day (approx. $10). They were so much fun to ride around on, not to mention incredibly economical. Here's a couple of videos I took of the bike ride (and you'll see that's how most people get around in Phuket). This is Patong...

And that brings us to the end. I feel just as sad writing about it, as I did when I actually had to leave. We had such a wonderful time in Thailand! It was definitely an unforgettable experience! The people, the climate, the beaches, the nightlife, THE FOOD were all spectacular! I can't wait to go back. Here's hoping - to Thailand!