Oahu Day 2

Today was such a chill day compared to our time in Australia and New Zealand.

It was so nice to wake up in a big comfy bed and make coffee and breakfast standing upright! We had a leisurely morning before walking to the Sheraton Hotel nearby for some pool time. Hannah used to work at the Sheraton (as did I once upon a time) so she hooked us up with some pool wristbands, towel cards, and coffee tokens. Allan desperately needed a haircut, so he went off to a barber before he met us. It was a bit of a weird experience walking through the hotel and shops. It was all familiar and coming back to me, but I didn't quite remember things until I saw them and it jogged the old memories.

When I met the family at the pool, they had already claimed some sun loungers. Teddy was looking very cute in his swimsuit and pool hat. We went and got some very tasty, iced coffees (cold brew with haupia cold foam for me) and then made our way back to the loungers. We got sunscreened up and then chilled out. Teddy just took turns crawling from one lounger to another and getting people covered in whatever snack he happened to be eating by the time he got to your lounger. Watermelon, cookies, and goldfish were popular items. Hannah managed to also get some drink tokens, so we ordered some drinks poolside which was a huge treat.

Sarah, Hannah, and I took Teddy into the pool, but it was a little bit chilly for him. We tried to help him go down the small slide, but Sarah just put him down the slide and didn't go with him, so he toppled over towards the end and got sad (it was also a bit funny...). Because Teddy got scared, we didn't stay long in the pool and took him back for more snacks to cheer him up. We also ordered some lunch from Rumfire, the Sheraton's restaurant. I ordered Allan a mahi mahi sandwich which he shortly joined us to enjoy, and I had a teriyaki chicken bowl. Mom and dad couldn't linger because they had to go and pick Nick up from the airport so they missed out on the yummy lunch.

It was pretty hot, so after lunch we took Teddy back into the pool to try the slide again with Uncle Allan going down with him and mommy at the bottom to catch him. He still got a little scared. We walked over to the baby section and let him sit and splash around instead which he did enjoy. After playing in the water, we got back out to dry off and then headed back to the hotel room to get ready for the luau.

The Paradise Cove luau is definitely one of the better ones on the island. When we arrived we were greeted with flower lei and got our pictures taken as a family. We've been to this luau when we first lived here a couple of times with friends who visited, but it was nice to go again with Allan. After our pictures, we made our way over to the imu for the ceremony when they take the pig out of the ground that's been cooking all day. It was a short display, but jazzed up with a bit of dancing to make it more interesting.

After we left the imu, we got some drinks before taking our seats and then heading up to the buffet for dinner. There was different fresh salads, kalua pork, fresh fish, chicken, rice, poi, and a few desserts like pineapple, chocolate cake, and haupia. I loaded up my plate as much as I could before sitting back down and digging in. Teddy was getting little bits of everyone's food, and you had to watch his quick little baby hands didn't snatch the edge of your plate or drink.

During the end of dinner, there was dancing that symbolized the different Hawaiian Islands. It was a more informal performance while people ate and we waited for the sun to go down. Around sunset, the dancing stopped and there was a sort of intermission to get final drinks and/or sunset pictures before the proper show started.

The main show showcases dancing from different Polynesian islands. I always love seeing the different styles and costumes. The feathers, colors, and different instruments the dancers use all add so much to the performance. There's also fire dancers who spin two, and then four, double-sided fire torches. One guy caught his grass ankle piece on fire, and I'm surprised there's not more that catches fire with how much fire they wield. It really is mesmerizing!

Once the final song was sang and the last dance danced, we closed the chapter on our last ever luau and said goodbye to Paradise Cove. It was bittersweet because I never expected to be back and doing something like this with the family, or Allan, but it also felt very final, for good this time.

The drive back to the hotel was quicker without the rush hour traffic. Once we were back, it was just a case of getting ready for bed and getting some rest before another big sightseeing day tomorrow.Read more