Hawaii Island Hopping

Hawaii has been on my bucket list for a while, especially since I started working at Mode Travel over 4.5 years ago. Our agents have always spoke about how Hawaii is magical and how it changes you when you visit, so when I got the opportunity to experience it, I packed it with as much as I could! 

I visited 3 of the islands - Oahu, Hawaii Island (The Big Island), and Maui. Each definitely has it's own charm, but I feel like you can not go wrong with any of them! There is so much to see and do on each that - even though it is very convenient to island hop, you don't need to in order to have an amazing time. 

Oahu has a bigger city feel with the Waikiki Beach lined with hotels, shopping, bars, and restaurants to keep you busy for days! On top of that, the island also has incredible botanical gardens, outlook places to see the beautiful island landscape, history, secluded beaches, mountains - of course, and so much more. 

If you find yourself on Oahu check out some of my favorite things: 

• Take a Sunset Catamaran off of Waikiki Beach 
• Drive up to Pali Look Out
• Stroll through Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden
• Visit Waimea Valley and Falls 
• Get a scoop of creamy ice cream at Scoop of Paradise
• Walk the beach and have a beach picnic!

Hawaii Island was so fascinating, as part of the island is a volcanic desert! There is such a contrast in scenery as you travel across the island from nothing but lava rocks to lush greenery and magical beaches. The Big Island is somewhere you can take a big relaxing breath in and out as you can find many areas to unwind, away from any hustle and bustle. I had so many incredible experiences that I will never forget here, like the night snorkel with the Manta Rays! I have never been so relaxed and calm while snorkeling and the team that led it are so knowledgeable and experienced. I also got to experience my first Luau and we could not have picked a better one than the one at Mauna Kea. The food and show both felt so authentic and I learned so much. 

Things to do on Hawaii Island: 

• Snorkel with Manta Rays
• Go to a Luau
• Take a stop at Lava Lava Beach Club
• Grab a beer at Big Island Brewhaus
• Relax and Unwind at a pool or beach

My last few nights were spent in Maui where I felt some of the history come alive. With a stop at Ka'anapali Beach Hotel, we saw pieces of history pulled into every facet of the hotel and it was incredible to hear the significance of each item to the culture and history of the island and its people.

We spent some time driving around the island and some time unwinding at the resort and watching the sunset. One great thing about Maui's resort areas are the beach walk paths. They have miles of sidewalks where you can walk along the beach visiting other bars and restaurants, looking at hotels, stopping to shop in some areas. This made the island feel homey to me, like I was just strolling through my neighborhood. 

Some things to do on Maui: 

• Walk along the beach walk 
• Take many MANY pictures of the beach ;)
• Do some shopping and eating through Whalers Village 
• Stroll through downtown Lahaina
• Visit Wailea
• Do a pitstop at a look out along the highway - we stopped at Papawai Point 
• Ask and listen about the history and culture *on any island*

There is so much more that I could say, but I know you will understand the draw and see the magic of the islands when you book your trip!