As spring started peeking its head out here in California, our family was looking for a new adventure. The kids idea this time: wander the island of Oahu.
We wanted it all… beaches, restaurants, high-energy spots, along with nature, and a bit of exploring.
Oahu held it all for us.
We began in Waikiki and it was a city full of everything all at once.
There’s something about big cities sitting on the beach, an urban environment steeped in beach culture... Places like Rio de Janeiro, Miami or even, I imagine but have yet to experience, Sydney. Seaside metropolises have a very unique feel. Waikiki was no exception.
Salty air on a busy boulevard, a man in board shorts walking into a high-end boutique, wet hair at the dinner table, sand stuck to your ankles long after you’ve left the beach.
To offset the neon feel of the city we stayed at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. I’m a sucker for something a little bit worn around the edges. The Royal Hawaiian is 99 years old and wears its age beautifully. It leans into its history as a quiet pink presence now tucked between towering resorts.
In my world, a historic room covered in pink pineapple damask wallpaper with a single window overlooking a lush garden trumps a high rise overlooking the ocean every time, but… to each their own.
Each afternoon we came back to something slower.
Filtered light through palms. Our quiet room grounding all of us.
I’d take that any day.
The Royal Hawaiian is also known as the Pink Palace and it’s just so… cute! We loved it and it was a reprieve away from the skyscrapers and 30+ story, timeshare-heavy high-rises.
Our days in Waikiki were spent in the water, playing in the waves, floating around in the mild ocean and strolling the white sandy beaches. Evenings were filled with exploring bustling streets, underground food halls, and less crowded hole-in-the-wall spots. We would naturally make our way from the chaos to the cocoon without planning it. Of course, there were Mai Tais and shave-ice, and I can never get enough ahi poke or cucumber kimchi in Hawaii!
After a week of hedonism, we grabbed our Turo, an older model Honda CRV, and set out for the North Shore.
Unsurprisingly, the shift was immediate.
We traveled up the windward side of the island through a lush rural Hawaii.
The Kualoa Ranch is on this side where many tropical locale films are made; you can imagine Jurassic World here as the mountains rise up to meet the sky.
We made our way to the Waimea Valley visiting the infamous surf spots just to take a peak of where the ocean gets wild in winter.
Waimea Falls was quiet and we could slow down, enjoying a slow walk to the falls, meandering off the main trails, exploring the flora and fauna, tucking flowers behind out ears.
We found the North Shore friendly and unassuming while at the same time stoic and still. Quiet and grounded, a welcome breath following the overwhelm of Waikiki.
A place like Hawaii draws you outward without trying, it leads with its natural beauty. That’s why a tropical city always has me torn, it seems like a compromise to enjoy city life in a place where nature is the star.
I don’t travel for a single reason. I love traveling for the contrast, for the unknown, for the path less traveled. The loud, bright, full city followed by something quieter, softer, more spacious.
One is brighter only by contrast to the other.
And isn’t that the point? Yin and Yang. Not balance as perfection, but balance as layering. Something we keep adjusting, in our homes and in the way we connect with the world.
Oahu did it beautifully…
Do you agree? What did Oahu shift in you? What stayed with you after you left?
If you know a place on Oahu that still feels untouched, I’m all ears… Also always taking advice as to where to go next…
If you’re looking to bring a bit of this feeling home, I’ve gathered a few pieces. Items that carry that same balance of warmth, layered, and lived-in.
xo
Abby
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