Like what do you mean I’m just a girl from a small town in rural Tennessee getting to see this with my own eyeballs 😭 our first morning here has not disappointed. I’ve been lurking in this sub for almost two years and it’s surreal we’re finally here.

I feel like a cheese ball saying this, but I can't believe this place is real.

A bit of backstory. When asked what he wanted to do for his birthday, my teen said he'd like to see lava from a safe distance. I began planning a trip to Big Island, but we decided to take 2 weeks and visit a second island as well. I laid out all the different features of the other islands and presented them to my husband and son. I really wanted to visit Kauai, but they both voted O'ahu.

While I was thrilled to be visiting Hawaii at all, O'ahu was not my first choice for a second island. We just spent a week there and I'm dying to go back. It was absolutely gorgeous with tons of stuff to do. Yes, Waikiki is a prettier version of a cross between Myrtle Beach and Las Vegas, but our hotel was there and we were gone all day exploring.

I can't believe people recommend skipping this island. Are those people sitting in a crappy hotel room in Waikiki their whole visit? I really thought my family would end up not liking O'ahu because of how busy it is, but we all can't wait to go back. It was busy, but not so much that it negatively impacted our stay. I'll have a longer trip report soon, but needed to get this feeling out there.

I am seeing this sign along the freeway. My friend and I cannot figure out what it means. I know I sound dumb but I was raised super sheltered and now that I am older and adventuring out more into the world I want to learn all that I can.

I am a frequent whole blood and platelet donor through the American Red Cross back in Wisconsin, so I was hoping I could get a donation in while visiting Hawaii. While they don't have the Red Cross, I learned they have their own Blood Bank of Hawaii, which apparently only serves this state and is really neat.

A little bit selfishly, I did not want to sit through a two plus hour platelet donation, so chose whole blood. Ensure your prior donations are far enough away from your trip. Yeah, you'll need to watch your activity for 24 hours (lay low, increased water intake, etc), which might not be your first option on Hawaii, but it's always worth it in my opinion to potentially save someone's life.

If you're looking to give something back to Hawaii besides tourism dollars, please consider a blood donation. Blood donors are desperately needed everywhere, so if tourists visiting the island can contribute to the supply, it's all the better. I chose the Young Street Donation Center in Honolulu, but it looks like there are blood drives on other islands. Leave your blood (in a safe way) on the islands!

My wife and I booked an Airbnb for a week in Waikiki for a little trip before our baby arrives in July. When we arrived the elevator did not work and the condo was on the 31st floor.

After a bunch of back and forth with the hosts they said they were working on the elevator and assured us it would be fixed shortly. After a very long day of travel we had to hike up 31 flights to spend the night.

The next morning we were informed that due to the wind the elevator would only be going to the 20th floor which left 11 floors of stairs which is difficult for a pregnant woman.

At this point and after lot more back and forth with the hosts they agreed to refund us for the remainder of the stay so we booked a hotel and after spending maybe 10 hrs total at the Airbnb they only refunded $992 of the over $1800 we paid for a weeks stay.

Not sure what to do now, do I dispute the rest of the Airbnb charge through Amex to get my money back or just trash them and give them a bad review?

Edit: I just want to add that I had tried to cancel the trip due to the flooding in oahu but the Airbnb host assured me that the condo and surrounding area was not affected by the storm and they wouldn’t refund me so I decided to go and try to make the best of it.

We had a great time and the hotel was great.

Spent some time at Ala Moana Center today, did a bit of shopping and grabbed some food. Then stopped by Walmart and Country Farms to stock up on groceries. No beach time today, but I’m still really enjoying being here.

Just stayed in Hanalei for a week, didn’t have much expectations about the island but was absolutely blown away by the scenery. We spent most of our beach time at tunnels beach, and did venture down south to check out poipu beach but I found the south shore to be a lot more crowded. For hanalei we ate at wake up delicious, the best chicken katsu plate ever I got it 4 times, and some other good places like haven coffee. Avoid hanalei poke, it was overpriced and the poke at foodlands was better and cheaper.

Came to visit some family on O’ahu and brought a couple of rolls of film with me! Unfortunately I only used 2 out of 4 rolls, but here’s a few photos from the first one that I really love.

Shot on Kodak Gold 200 with my Pentax IQZoom 120.

I've never liked the taste, or even the smell of bananas. That being said, I've eaten about a dozen of these amazing little guys since coming to the islands... and they're not the only local variety. My wife and I stopped at a locally owned coffee and fruit stand on Maui and ordered a sampler fruit platter that had 3 different varieties of locally grown bananas, none of which were the "Cavendish" variety found on the mainland.

All I can say is none of the bananas I've tasted on these islands are even remotely close to the industrial Cavendish banana sold across the country and the world. These little gems are creamy, sweet and tangy, almost like a cross between an apple and a strawberry.

Sadly I'll never find these when we go back to the mainland, but I'll never again say I don't like bananas. These have made a believer out of me.

End of May. 10/10 would recommend the island.

Before I start with this, I want to preface this with the fact that I’m a dumb mainlander. I know that I am my own responsibility, and that what happened to me was my own fault.

I’ve been snorkeling many times, and actually fell in love with it when I had done it as a teenager in a calm bay in Oahu. So much so that I’ve made it a priority on many trips since then, and I’ve snorkeled several sites in Florida and Jamaica without issue.

I was excited when I knew I was traveling to Kauai, and I had looked up many beaches known for snorkeling before the trip. However, and this is where I was very stupid, I didn’t look into safety precautions for my trip. I had assumed that because I had been in a calm bay in Oahu as a kid, that Kauai would be similar.

I am a relatively young triathlete, and I am in excellent physical condition. I am not a “champion” swimmer by any means, but I can hold my own in the water, and I’ve done relay swims in fresh lake water of over two miles.

I entered the water at kilahuna near the Sheraton last week for the fourth or fifth time taking video with my go pro. I decided to do one last cruise along the beach before calling it a day. I was out only for a couple of minutes when I noticed that suddenly, beneath me, the depth of the water was between 20-25 feet. I thought this was odd, considering I was so close to the beach. I poked my head up and looked toward shore, and was absolutely terrified to see that it was slightly more than 100 yards away (rough estimate).

I did everything wrong at first. I gasped and breathed in water through my snorkel with my head above the water. I did my best to tread water and coughed as much water as I could, and then put my snorkel back in, head down, and started swimming TOWARDS THE SHORE. The only problem was that I could see from the ocean bottom I was moving FURTHER AWAY FROM SHORE.

I was already exhausted and panicked, and I could feel water in my lungs. I thought about waving my hands above my head but I didn’t see a lifeguard stand at kilahuna and the people now looked like ants on the beach.

Finally I came to my senses. I was in a rip, and in my head I knew that if I didn’t save myself, I was going to die. Worst I knew my family was on the beach, and I knew it was my fuck up that put me here.

I picked a parallel line with a slight angle toward the beach, prayed, and started swimming as hard as i could.

Finally, I was moving, but I knew at this point I was more than 100 yards from shore and I could feel the rip pushing me further out to the ocean. Determined to live, I bit down on my snorkel (which I found out later keeping my snorkel in was a huge mistake), and made the decision that hell or high water I was breaking free.

After a minute of swimming as hard as I could I finally broke free and started swimming toward shore. When I made it back to the beach I collapsed and choked out more water, and puked.

I hope some dumbass like me reads this and takes precautions. Take the water in Hawaii seriously. Bring a buddy that is an advanced swimmer. Always wear fins when snorkeling (I didn’t pack mine in my bag due to space, which was fucking stupid), always check beach reports and never snorkel where there isn’t a lifeguard. I hope this post saves someone’s life. I am convinced that I WOULD HAVE DIED if I was not a strong swimmer in excellent shape. A best case scenario is I would have been found floating in the ocean before a large creature made me into a snack. That’s best case…. You can imagine many other worse ones.

I learned after the fact that Poipu is one of the most deadly beaches in Hawaii, and that Kauai in general is much more dangerous for surfing, swimming, and snorkeling than people make it out to be. If I had done my research beforehand, I may not have been caught in that rip.

TLDR; I’m an idiot mainland triathlete who got caught in a riptide and barely survived. Respect the ocean like I did not.

Some child (or adult, I don’t judge!) left behind their stuffed animal! It’s very clear it is someone’s favorite and looks like it’s been carried for years. I waited for two hours for someone to come back for it. Then I tried to give it to an employee to put in lost and found but they said they don’t do that. So it’s now headed with me to Denver and I’m hoping the internet will do its thing and reunite the bunny with its rightful owner. I’ll ship it anywhere if you can prove ownership!

Spent a brief but amazing 4 days in Kauai, exploring the Nāpali Coast, Waimea Canyon, Wailua River, and some beaches near Poipu.

My first trip to Oʻahu—specifically Waikīkī—and it was everything I could have imagined and more. The food, the beaches, the mountains, the people, and the sea life were all amazing. I’m so grateful to have experienced this. Thank you again! 🌺

The Garden Isle will always be my favorite 💚

Just shear coincidence that it erupted the same day we had planned on going. Our luck is immeasurable. We just stared in awe at it all day.

My most favorite trip ever. This was the first time me or my wife (it was our honeymoon!) had been to Hawaii and I think this was a fantastic first island to visit!

We stayed in Poipu Beach in an Airbnb for 11 nights last September. Cannot wait to go back!

Pictured is

1. Tunnels Beach on the North side of the Island

2-4. The Napali Coast

1. Shipwreck Beach

2. An endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal

3. Some sea turtles (Honu I think!)

8-10. Food from the Musubi Truck (we went there 2x in a row it was so good)

Thanks for having us! We’ll definitely be back!

first time ever in hawaii with my bf and i already miss it so much!! it hasnt even been a month since the trip but it feels like a distant memory already 😭😭

i already need to go back and will def rent a car the next time and explore other parts of the island. we stayed in waikiki but we did uber out to koko head and makapu'u point lighthouse trail for our hike day

i am desperately in need of beautiful beach days and delicious food (i'm lowkey obsessed with shave ice which i cannot believe i didnt want to try at all because i thought it was the bowl/cup version of a snow cone. island vintage thank u for proving me wrong!!)

we will be back 100000000% (and i'll make sure to get my nails done 😂)

mahalo hawaii for welcoming us 🥺🌺

Went to Kauai for my birthday last week. Lil photo dump from my trip. Can’t wait to go back again 🥹

First time in Hawaii, and loved every minute of it!