My last sunrise on Kauai was a lovely one and I will definitely miss seeing this every morning. After working on my blog post it was time to complete our packing. Luckily it was pretty easy and straight-forward and we had a time for a relax before leaving at 10am.
We had a couple of hours till our flight to Oahu so we headed to a nearby Starbucks. Of course, I got my usual Dragon Drink and Kevin enjoyed his Iced Chai Latte and a Blueberry Muffin (which he said was really good). We sat to enjoy them for a bit before taking a quick wander through Macy’s.
We then headed to the airport where we dropped off the car at Thrifty. I was just about to sit down at the transfer waiting area when the bus turned up.
A few mins later and we were at the airport and greeted with hoards of people outside the terminal. We made our way over to the check in area – since my online attempts had failed. We then had to drop off our bags and get in the long, long line for security. My (fibro) body was definitely not impressed with an almost 2 hour wait to reach the scanning area. As you can see no-one was staying one cow apart.
Thankfully during this time Christy sent through some lovely puppy photos which definitely cheered us up.
Of course, with such a delay getting through security we missed our flight to Oahu at 12.35pm. But luckily for us there is a flight every half hour or so, so once we got to our gate (which was the furthest one !!) we were able to get booked onto the next flight at 1.35pm. Luckily we were right by that gate and once scanned on they actually closed the doors behind us. So yet again we were last onboard the plane. What is it with us and being last onto Hawaii planes??!!
Though I was in a bit of pain and rather hungry it was a relief to be onboard for the short flight to Oahu. .
Once again we departed, were served a nice refreshing juice, and then started our descent into Honolulu. As you can see there is quite a bit of rain around. But I believe rain is only forecast for today. Not going to complain after the amazing weather we had on Kauai.
The good thing about catching a later flight than expected is that once we made our way to baggage claim our luggage was already there and waiting for us (since it had caught our original flight). We then made our way to the parking garage to find the car we had booked through Turo (which is kinda like airbnb but for cars) that we are trying out for the first time. At least Kevin should feel at home driving a Prius – even if it is from a different side of the car.
Thankfully, being Sunday, traffic was flowing really well out of Honolulu and it was a quick 20 min trip out the Ko’Olina area. But being almost 3pm I was pretty hungry (remember I didn’t have a proper breakfast and no lunch) so first stop was Aloha Salad. So glad I knew about this place (from my research online). They had a whole plant based menu and Kevin and I decided to share the Vegan Aloha Pineapple Wrap. Boy was this delicious. We ate as we walked back to Target.
I was super impressed to see a whole Pride section at the front of the store to celebrate Pride Month. This is a much bigger store than the one on Kauai and I found things I wanted to purchase in addition to our groceries.
When we came out of Target it was raining, but not too heavy. We put the groceries into the car and then finally it was time to head to Aulani. A quick 5 mins later and we were pulling up to the check in area.
I was surprised when they take your car away close by and then bring it back when you’re ready. But I guess they know check in here isn’t as quick as at other hotel, esp. if you haven’t been here before and have to stop and take in the incredible lobby area.
We actually got to sit for our check in with the lovely Jennifer. Kevin was super excited when she said “welcome home” which is the greeting you get as a DVD member.
After our check in we had a little more look around the lobby and the outdoor area. Funnily enough our room is actually in this photo. Feels so good to be back.
We then drove our car to self parking (which is free for DVC members) and went to find our room. And oh boy !!! I’d seen photos and videos but they don’t do it justice. The room/s are just stunning and so much bigger than I expected. It’s a lot of room for the 2 of us (you can sleep 5) but it’s great to have a full kitchen and a separate lounge area. And a bath !!
And you just have to love the view from our balconies – yes we have two !! And even though we have a pool/garden view, we can actually see the beach and some ocean.
I got unpacked and sat with my feet up to recover/rest from our day. Then about 6.30pm we headed to explore the resort and check out the shops. We didn’t buy anything yet but there are a few things I’m considering – no not the ears Kevin put on my head !!
We then wandered around outside, catching part of a show by the pool.
Back in the room we had a late frozen dinner. My vegan lasange was really good. I then had a nice bath before heading to bed.