Isn't he a cool dude? :)
After a late afternoon stop at the pool, we headed down a couple hotels to a really nice luau - the Paradise Cove! There were some beautiful performers and great food - - all enjoyed in the glow of a beautiful sunset. There was a sprinkle of rain and we were tired by 8 but it was worth it.
And now...we crash...with the ocean lulling us into our blissful slumber.
Well, readers...other than an extremely long flight (mostly for the youngest member of our party) our trip has gone rather perfectly so far! The Honolulu airport is just plain beautiful...all the indoor/outdoor areas were a perfect transition from rainy Portland to our warmer, sun-drenched surroundings. As we walked outside to go between the concourse and baggage claim, the open door brought this flood of heat that made us all breathe deep. Isaiah stopped dead in his tracks, opened his arms wide and looked around..."Now, that's what I'm talkin' about..." Indeed, young one...indeed.
Our very first stop...straight from the airport...was Helena's. For those of you who are freakishly obsessed with the Food Network like we are, you might remember a special episode of Man vs. Food where Adam was in Hawaii. One of the places he stopped was Helena's - a seeming hole-in-the-wall place with some killer Hawaiian fare. That episode just happened to air when we were making our vacation plans and right then and there, we knew we had to make the trek to Helena's! Well, dear reader...we were NOT disappointed. We were greeted with very genuine hospitality, a few gentle smirks from an entire restaurant of locals and the best darn pipikaula short ribs you've ever had the distinct pleasure of shoving down your gullet. Accompanying dishes like lomi lomi salmon, lau lau and kalua pig were mere bashful sides to this powerhouse of pipi. I am not ashamed to admit, I overdid it. I've been strictly adhering to torturous point counting and activity point calculating just to not loathe my bathing-suit-clad frame this trip but all of that went right out the window at Helena's and I applaud her for it!
So, clearly the experience WAS something to write home about because here I am...
We made a quick stop at Target for groceries and then checked in at the beautiful Ko'Olina Beach Club...gorgeous! We spent the afternoon splitting our time between the pool and the lagoon. Rough life, yes? We are all just resting now and waiting for Will to awaken from his beauty sleep so we can head off to dinner and have...salad? light dressing? TTFN, friends!
P.S. We'd like to publicly note that our party is woefully short by one member...love you Grandma Susan! Next time!
