oahu

ichiban special at Matsumoto's shave ice in Haleiwa on Oahu's north shore

A shave ice in Haleiwa on Oahu’s North Shore where you can even eat the bowl

June 4, 2024

There are many things our family looks forward to when going to Hawaii and one thing is definitely the food. We’ve visited various Hawaiian islands over the years (especially Hawaii Island) and each island has specific treats we like to have in each place but shave ice is one thing we have on all our […]

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boating the sunshine coast

A few travel highlights from 2014 while I plan this year’s adventures

January 23, 2015

The hardest part of starting a New Year is saying good bye to the old one, especially if it was a good one and while other people are performing cleanses of the body detox sort, I’m purging my phone of the14000 photos I’ve managed to store there in the past year because I don’t want […]

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Seattle Memberships you might consider if you like to travel with your family

March 5, 2014

We have memberships to many of our local museums and I think we’ve even been zoo members for nearly 10 years now.  (Yes, we were members even BEFORE having kids.  I absolutely love our Woodland Park Zoo!)  Seattle memberships are one of the ways we get to do so many things with our family in […]

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Photo Friday: I heart Haleiwa town

February 26, 2014

Haleiwa town on the north shore of Oahu is such a fun place to visit with kids. There is good food, lovely beaches and the Turtle Bay Resort is about a 15 minute drive away and it’s such a gorgeous place to stay. The beach there is sandy and calm and we could just hang […]

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where to hear manoa dna

A train you want to visit just so you can eat pineapple and see hungry fish (Dole Pineapple Express , Oahu)

February 25, 2014

This is a train we’ve done over and over again, just like we’ve heard a zillion versions of Ka’a Ahi Kahului (Hawaiian Train Song) since we first rode the Dole Pineapple Express.  (PS. THAT song is about another ride-able Hawaiian train, the Sugar Cane Train on Maui, and our family’s favorite version of the song […]

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Bishop Museum and a yummy lunch nearby (Oahu with Kids)

February 23, 2014

I didn’t realize there could be such a thing as too much sun, beach and pool, but on vacation my kids literally wake up as soon as the sun rises and they could spend the whole day in the sun and in the water until it gets dark.  I thought a good way to make […]

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Lillikoi, Malasadas, Coco Puffs, Shave ice and Pie (Oahu with kids)

February 18, 2014

Who am I kidding with that Lillikoi in the title? Our travels are usually full of food adventures of the bakery and dessert kind and while we did stop at a lovely roadside fruit stand near the Turtle Bay Resort (recommended by the Gypsy Guide app I bought that had a running commentary/tour of the […]

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Saved the best for Last (Paradise Bay Resort, Kailua, Oahu)

February 16, 2014

We just got back from a trip with the kids to Oahu and it was such a welcome bit of paradise in all the cold we’ve had in the last little while.  We usually don’t spend more than three nights in one place so we’ve stayed at three places over the course of this trip […]

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oahu farm tour with movie highlights

Oahu Shopping late on a Monday (planning for a trip to Oahu with kids)

January 14, 2014

I’m often asked about how I book my travel plans.  It usually starts with some kind of interest our family has in a place combined with the kids’ and hubby’s vacation schedules. Sometimes, I get a place in my head because of some animal adventure I’ve heard about, or a farm tour I’m curious about […]

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On finding Melona

July 17, 2012

On a trip to Hawaii a few years ago, we discovered a treat with a very odd name. Yes, it’s made of melons, but it just seems like an unfortunate sounding title for such a delicious ice pop (a friend recently told me it sounds like a skin disease.) But it must be popular in […]

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The whole beach to ourselves

April 13, 2012

The last time this happened, we all camped out under an umbrella at our resort in Turtle Bay determined to have a nice day at the beach despite the torrential rain that kept pouring down.  I don’t think you’d ever find such a beautiful beach in Hawaii so empty so we savored it.  (But still, […]

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Honolulufest Parade and Something we made

April 6, 2012

Whenever we travel I like to check out what goes on in the city when we’re there.  The last time we went to Oahu it coincided with the Honolulu Festival called “Honolulufest” and I was so excited to watch the parade. This float was spectacular-like a giant glowing lantern. And the boys remembered it when […]

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Kailua area hotel

Hukilau Cafe (Kaneohe, Oahu)

March 16, 2012

I totally wish this was a real cafe, but it’s just a set on a really gorgeous piece of property in Kaneohe, Oahu.  Apparently it was used in 50 First Dates as the Hukilau Cafe (I love that movie!) but it’s also been used in a couple other movies/shows as well.  (Sorry, the names all […]

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Manoa DNA

March 13, 2012

My guys are in love with this Hawaiian band called Manoa DNA.  They are a band made up of a dad and two sons and we saw them play last year at our hotel the Outrigger Reef in Waikiki, Oahu. The guys (especially Leelee) adore their ‘fast songs’ and the train songs that are on […]

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You win some, you lose some. (Weather in Oahua in March)

March 11, 2012

Maybe we jinxed ourselves when we disregarded the weather forecast and left our rain-gear at home for the first time on a trip with our kids.  We thought it doesn’t rain in Hawaii like it does in Seattle but then suddenly the headline below is what we ended up with-and it is not fun to […]

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Best Souvenir Ever (Polynesian Cultural Center,Oahu, HI)

September 2, 2011

On our last trip to Hawaii, we visited the Polynesian Cultural Center for the first time because Leelee loves luaus.  We had a blast exploring all the “islands” with our three year olds and while we waited for dinner we spotted a booth that for 5 dollars you could make a beaded bracelet.  Little did […]

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Hawaii 2011-where do we begin?

June 27, 2011

Travel is getting easier with the duo.  At nearly four years old, they can almost navigate themselves and they are a lot more self-sufficient. We went to Oahu a couple weeks ago and had a blast at the Outrigger Reef on the beach.  It was a low-key trip where we planned just to sit on […]

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Wiki Wiki Bus and our Sweet Rides.

June 13, 2011

We just got back from a much-needed trip to Oahu, and all the boys can talk about is the bus we took from our car to the airport and back.  Alaska Air has a fantastic seat-sale out of Bellingham and since it was a direct and overnight flight we thought it would be the best […]

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