Day One

Day One was Thursday (2/17) after arriving at the condo very late the night before. Christopher came into our bedroom and woke me up saying it was already 8 o'clock. Disoriented, I got up to keep him company. Once downstairs I saw it was still dark outside and realized it was 8am Seattle time, thus only 6am Hawaii time.

By this point we were both wide awake and we decided to watch the sunrise on the lagoon nearest the condo. We hopped in the car and took the short drive in the dark. We were wowed by the beauty of the lagoon and played in the sand and collected coral pieces until the sun was fully above the horizon.




We got back to the condo around 8am and the rest of the crew were awakening. We had a quick breakfast of cereal and fruit and put on our suits and sunscreen and headed to the lagoon for swim and sun. We spent the morning on the lagoon beach, swimming and playing, and Grammie joined us after her walk from the condo about 11:30am. We were all hungry and walked the paved path to the third lagoon at the Marriott and had a delicious lunch outside.

Ko Olina - Here We Come

So we booked the townhome at the Fairway Villas in Ko Olina resort. Just couldn't beat the $199/night price tag and the 3BRs + 2.5 BAs. It is a 10- to 15-minute walk to Lagoon #4 (the one near the Marriott I believe) and the landlord recommended taking the 2-minute drive instead.

Was very hard to give up a place on the beach or with an ocean view but from the extensive looking I did, the cost for such in multiple locations was about $100 more a night. We'll take the long walk or the short drive and be happy to be so close to so many things - several nice restaurants, a great golf course, 4 safe and swimmable lagoons, a marina for booking dolphin- and whale-watching trips and the Paradise Cove luau. Plus close to Honolulu and the North Shore.

Yea!! The many hours of research on where to stay are over and we can move to rental car and scoping out all the funs things we could do while we are there.

Ko Olina Resort

So the 3BR, 2BA is available!! But having final decision paralysis and still browsing. But it is definitely Ko Olina.

Yelp Reviews of Ko Olina Lagoons:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/koolina-resort-and-marina-honolulu

Frommer's Beach reviews:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/oahu/0009020389.html

Where To Stay #6

OK, so last post about Pokai should have been a Where to Stay post.

But stumbled on Ko Olina resort. West shore so less rain (good for winter) but potentially heavier winter surf (not good). I had read about Ko Olina before but had said unthinkingly "no, that's not the beach." But the man-made lagoons are beautiful with sandy beaches and gentle surf plus you get all the resort amenities and it is halfway between Honolulu and North Shore.

Check out this ground floor 3BR, 2BA townhome for $199/night!! The pictures of the kids in the lagoon are great. I think this might fit the bill. Sent email and keeping my fingers crossed.

http://www.vrbo.com/91907

And here are some reviews of the Ko'Olina beach and resort from Yelp:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/koolina-resort-and-marina-honolulu

Where To Stay #5

OK so have been looking and looking and looking...and maybe this place will fit the bill? About to email now.

Basically 3BR, 2BA, steps to Waimanalo Beach (which would be so close to Lanikai & Kailua as well as Honolulu).

http://www.sunrisebeachhome.com

Where To Stay #4

Have 3 possible rentals in Kaialua or Lanikai. Gorgeous beaches with relatively calm surf and nice area with convenient access to Honolulu and North Shore. But all 3 rentals are $300+/night and wanting to see if I can find an equally appealing location for slightly less...

So considering a number of other eastside locations

There are a couple that are more north, specifically

• Punaluu Beach Park
• Kualoa Beach Park (closest city is Kaaawa)

Then there is Kaneohe which is a deep bay just north or Kailua and Lanika. There is also Waimanalo Beach south from Kailua & Lanika.

Stay tuned.

Eliminating Ewa Beach

On south side of Oahu near entrance to Pearl Harbor and nice enough looking beaches but consistently rated poorly. Eliminating Ewa Beach as a possible place to stay.