5 things I miss about Hawaii

The most beautiful rainbow showed up as soon as we stepped foot on the beach on our first day!

So if you didn't already know, Sky and I went to Oahu for our honeymoon and it was absolutely amazing.

I had been dreaming of going to Hawaii since I was little and as I got older, I started saying, "If I don't go there before I'm married, I'm going there for my honeymoon!"

Lucky enough, Sky also was stoked to go there, so we very eagerly planned our trip!

I'll say we were a little green when it came to planning. It was both of our first times there, so we did a lot of tours and things. But I'll get into that more in another post!

Today is just about why I am missing it so darn much just a few months later and the top five things that I miss about Oahu, Hawaii!

1. THE SCENERY

Literally everywhere you look is stunning. From gorgeous coast lines, beautiful flowers and palm trees as tall as sky scrapers, to murals that take up entire sides of buildings and sunsets that look like paintings. There is always something of beauty, even in the darkest corners.

The view from our hotel balcony.

We both felt constantly in awe of the island's landscape and plentiful colors.

Even though where we live now is beautiful and tropical, it's just not the same. Hawaii just offers some kind of magic that I just can't put my finger on.

2. THE FOOD

We went to many restaurants during our trip, but the one thing I still dream about, and may or may not be salivating over right now just thinking about it, was the Kalua pork sandwich from a little bar/grill in the Ala Moana Center, which if you don't know is a mall.

I've had Kalua pork a few different places, but this one took the cake. They also had a really delicious drink called The Big Island—a spin on a Long Island Iced Tea. Yum.

Also, I am a huge fan of coconut shrimp. I ate it multiple times while on the trip and I've yet to find a place that has been better, even living in SWFL. I'd say the closest I've gotten was a restaurant in South Beach, Miami.

Malasadas from Leonard's Bakery

Then, there's the Malasadas. They're like small, Portuguese donuts and they are probably one of the most delicious desserts I've ever had. We were told we had to get them from Leonard's Bakery, and we were definitely not disappointed. I have dreams about those too.

3. THE ALOHA SPIRIT

Everyone there is just so laid back and nice! Even the people visiting seemed to all be in really good spirits (which I honestly don't know how you couldn't be in such a beautiful place, unless you're my husband who got cranky because it was raining lol) But really, the locals just embodied that aloha spirit and were always so eager to help anyone out!

The one day we decided to take an Uber to the mall, but then when we went to head home, we realized there was a bus that went to our hotel for a couple bucks. We waited in line, only to find out they only accepted cash. We didn't have any on us at that point so we had to walk away and figure something else out. But as the bus was making it's way out, the driver flagged us down and let us ride for free!

I felt awful about it but I guess we looked sad and dejected that he felt bad for us haha. He was really kind, and so was everyone on the bus! They found us seats and told us not to worry. I won't soon forget that kind gesture!

Me @ Kualoa Ranch

4. THE CHILL, SURF VIBES

Everywhere you look is either ocean or something referring to it. The ocean is like the goddess of the Hawaiian people, and I'm not just saying that, a lot of people will tell you that when you go there. It's truly their lifeblood, and is constantly celebrated.

I really love being able to go to so many different beaches that are all unique in their own way. I loved watching a surf competition in Honolulu and then seeing locals surfing on the North Shore.

Waikiki Beach during the Adaptive Surf Competition

I also really love the laid back, beach style that I incorporate into my daily life. Seeing it on a larger scale and truly embracing it was liberating.

5. THE ADVENTURE

We had so much fun just getting to see everything the island had to offer us. We went hiking up to the Waimea falls, got Dole Whip at the pineapple plantation and even spent a day driving around ourselves!

We learned a lot on the tours and they were really a lot of fun. But the real adventure was one day, just us and the island. We hit up a couple places we had already been but wanted to see more of, and then we found our own exciting places!

Lanakai Beach sunset

On our way headed back to the hotel from the North Shore, on a rather cloudy day, we were treated to the most breathtaking sunset. We were just driving along when we hit a ton of traffic. We didn't know why until we came to a clearing and saw this sunset on the beach. We were able to park off the road, run down to the beach and enjoy that wonderful gift from the islands. It was a perfect end to a perfect day.

BONUS: LEARNING A CULTURE

I consider myself pretty well-versed in the basics of Hawaiian culture, but actually going there and hearing it from the locals was fascinating. We learned about their dances, their food, the way they dress, the names of all the different trees and where they came from. We learned the history of the culture and the history of the island and even after hours of new information, we could just not get enough.

Byodo-Inn Temple

I can't wait to go back to Oahu and I look forward to the day where we can visit the other Hawaiian Islands.

Keep an eye on the blog for an upcoming post about some of our favorite, must-go places!

XO, Briana