Hawaii – An Exquisite, Extraordinary, and Exceptional Adventure!!
On our fourth and final day on the island of Oahu, on our epic Hawaiian Adventure, we rose at the crack of dawn to hike Diamond Head (1.6 miles, 538 ft. elevation). It was, for lack of better words, exquisite, extraordinary, exceptional! Much easier than our day one hike, to Koko Crater Trail, we were so thrilled to check off this bucket list item. Diamond Head is absolutely iconic and appears in so many Oahu pictures, so we were beyond thrilled to have this experience.
We headed back to our resort for breakfast (yep, we’re super early risers) and then loaded up to fly to our next island, Kauai.
Major Adrenaline – and too close for comfort…
We thought we had plenty of time before our next flight, so we stopped one more time at Waikiki Beach and Ala Moana Beach Park. When we arrived at the Honolulu Airport, the security lines were out the door and down the sidewalk. Just know, we did make that flight, but only by one minute!!
Never in my life did I imagine hearing our names over the airport speaker system. Way too close for comfort for Daddy Starbucks, mind you. I, however, thought it was all a grand adventure and my adrenaline was pumping!!! When we took our seats in the very back of the plane, after walking the aisle of shame (because the pilots had actually waited for US), Daddy Starbucks looked at me and we both just burst out laughing!! Whoops!
Hawaii – you are exquisite!
Once we landed in Kauai (literally 30 minutes later), we headed to the most beautiful resort we’ve ever seen – the Grand Hyatt Kauai, where we were greeted with a beautiful flower lei. There are no adequate words to explain the incredible smells, or the view through the lobby.
It all just felt like a dream. We literally spent the rest of the day walking around the gardens, enjoying the ocean, and eating our way through the club lounge (and wearing the very squooshy robes and slippers that came in our rooms). So very thankful to God for His amazing blessings!
It MUST be just a dream…
Since this was our very first trip using only points, I kept waiting for someone to say, “Mrs. Starbucks, there’s been a terrible mistake! Unfortunately, I hate to tell you this, but you owe us tens of thousands of dollars!” Y’all – IT NEVER HAPPENED! And not only did that NOT happen, but as every day progressed the trip just got better – the perks just increased! We were absolutely astounded. You’ll hear about that more in upcoming posts. And I can’t wait to share.
HOW WE ACTUALLY GOT TO HAWAII!
We were able to spend two full weeks in Hawaii because of credit card points. You see, everything that we spend in our household gets charged on one of several credit cards. Then we immediately pay that credit card bill in full (sometimes several times per week). We NEVER carry a balance and we are very mindful to never charge more than we can pay off. If you are interested in our step-by-step plan for accumulating points, you can check that out HERE.
LET’S GET TO THE POINT!
If you would like to learn more about how we travel the world for little to no money, using points, feel free to reach out to me HERE, or sign up for my newsletter on the right side of my blog. As well, please follow along on my social media channels, on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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We had a fabulous trip to The Big Island of Hawaii, and definitely want to return to visit other islands. How awesome that you were able to do it all with credit card points!
Linda, we’re planning a trip to the Big Island for the fall. I’d love to hear your favorites!! And yes, we were so thrilled to go on points!!
I’m saving this info! Going to Hawaii in July for the first time!
Crystal, thank you – Woo Hoo! You will absolutely LOVE it there. There are a few other posts on my blog too if you’d like to see ALL the things we did! Are you going THIS July?? Have an awesome time!
What a beautiful trip! I love your photos too! Thanks!
Tricia, thank you for your kind words! We had a wonderful time! Blessings!
Amazing!
Danielle, thank you! And thanks for stopping by!
Wow, your hotel looked amazing! I would love to stay there and see all the pretty flowers!
Mariah, I think the Grand Hyatt Kauai is listed as one of the top 5 on the planet! We started BIG – now my kids are spoiled!! Blessings!
It has been so long since being in Hawaii. I want to go again!
Me too Douglas! We’re already planning our return visit! Blessings!
Looks like you had an amazing time! Your pictures are so beautiful and I agree Hawaii is exceptional and a must visit for every family!
Agreed Holly! And thank you for your kind words. We did have the very best time. Planning our return visit to hopefully include the Big Island!! Blessings!
I would love to go to Kauai next, and big island. We only made it to Maui and Oahu last time!
Lisa, me too! We are planning our next trip and both of those are on the list. We’ve done Oahu, Maui and Kauai. Definitely returning to Oahu (2 days), and Kauai (5 days), and I think we’ll add the Big Island for at least 7 days. If you’re doing both Kauai and the Big Island, give yourself plenty of time. Kauai has been our favorite so far. Absolutely breathtaking!!
Hawaii is on my bucket list! And what better way to go than on points!
Kim, I couldn’t agree more!! Definitely make Hawaii a top priority – you won’t regret it!! Blessings!
Had an amazing trip to Hawaii, but not with points. That’s awesome!!
Debbie, it’s like no other place on earth! We can’t wait to go back (hopefully this fall)!! And using points makes it that much sweeter!
I love Hawaii very much, would love to go back and ride down the volcano on bikes again!
Lisa, that sounds so fun! We drove to the top of Mt. Haleakala (on Maui) and we saw people riding down from the top! It looked like an incredible adventure!! I’d love to do it someday!
This looks like an awesome trip! Thanks for sharing . I’ve only had 1 day to spend on Oahu and would love to go back.
Kirsten, you definitely need more than just one day to fully appreciate Oahu. We were there for four days, and probably could have enjoyed at least seven! We’ll go back for sure! Blessings!
I love hearing people taking vacation on their credit card points. We’ve not figured out how to do it in full yet, but my husband has earned us a few free flights and hotel rooms. Hawaii should be our goal, right?
Jen, that’s a GREAT start! Any money that you save is a huge bonus (and allows you to splurge on nice dinners or excursions). Put EVERYTHING possible on your CC and then pay it off right away. Those points will just start adding up. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me. Blessings!
Hawaii has a special place in my heart. I can’t wait to go back!
Me too Lee Anne! Blessings!
Every time I read a blog post about Hawaii it makes me want to go there. Thank you for sharing.
Alice, so true! Thanks for stopping by.
Being late for a flight is one of my biggest fears. One time we were late to the gate and they were calling our name and holding the plane for our family of 6. I had to go to the bathroom, so as my husband and kids headed to the gate I ran to the bathroom and prayed that I’d make it back to the gate before they finished scanning their boarding passes. I just knew there was no way I could wait until the seatbelt light went off to go to the bathroom. It was extremely stressful. Ever since then I’ve tried to make sure we have PLENTY of time to get to the gate before it’s time to board.
Sara, this is a GREAT story! We try and leave WAY ahead of time as well. We had NO idea that the Honolulu Airport would have an 1.5 hour wait to get through security. It was your prayer that held that plane – ours too! Blessings!
What a dream! I know my dad has learned to maximize the Disney Rewards system with his credit cards, basically getting to vacation at Disney World for free every year with just swiping his cards on purchases he already normally makes. I’m hoping to use his perks and benefits one day to get myself to Aulani!
Eva!!! What a GREAT goal! We flew right over Aulani – it’s beautiful for sure! Your dad is figuring it out – good for him! If he ever wants to go somewhere other than Disney, have him stop by my website. He’ll need one other credit card (I would recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred), but instead of only earning Disney points, he’ll be earning points that are transferrable to 10 separate airlines and 3 different hotel chains. It’s our go-to for sure!! Blessings!
What an amazing trip, I am impressed that you did it all on points. Fantastic!
Thank you Heather! I’m pretty passionate about it. We spent years traveling to my parents lake house in Virginia so that we could have a vacation. I didn’t learn about points until most of my kids were older. Now we’re trying to squeeze as much travel in as we can. It has completely changed our lives!
I can’t wait to get back to Hawaii! I love that picture with the trees! How fun!
Kendra, thanks so much! We are looking forward to returning too. Hopefully soon!
I’ve spent a week with girlfriends in Oahu, but would definitely go back with the family this time and would love to visit other islands. And note to self- avoid the plane aisle walk of shame lol.
Definitely avoid the walk of shame Ethel! Too funny!
Your title could not be more accurate!! Hawaii is breathtaking!!
Awww, thank you Santana! And I TOTALLY agree – it was breathtaking!!
Can’t wait for our trip to Oahu next spring! I read every post I can about Hawaii, even though I know my daughter will be our tour guide. She’s heading to U. of Hawaii in August!
What a blessing that your daughter will be going to school in HAWAII!! Wow! You will absolutely love it Charlene! Have fun, take lots of pictures and make even more memories!
Your trip sounds amazing. I love traveling on points.
Sandi, me too! And thank you – it was extraordinary!! Blessings!
So awesome! I miss traveling so much and your post did not help at all! 😉
Katherine, I’m with ya! We can’t wait to get back out into that great big world!
I would love to visit Hawaii someday! I just can’t wait to start traveling again, period.
Tonya, I completely agree!! And definitely put Hawaii on that bucket list!!
I have got to learn how to use credit cards for points better! I do it *most* the time, but have to get to the part of doing it *all the time*!
Tiffany, if you could just make a list of which cards give you bonus points, you will easily learn, no matter what you purchase, which card is the best option. I carry at least 4 at all times! And those points will just keep adding up!
I can’t wait to explore Hawaii! Your photos are wonderful. I’m glad you had such an amazing trip.
Thank you Cindy – I have a house full of photographers and videographers. And we absolutely LOVED Hawaii!
I can’t wait to go there some day!!
Melissa, definitely add this one to the top of your bucket list! You won’t regret it!
I have to agree that Diamond Head is one of the easiest hikes on Oahu but just because it’s easy doesn’t mean the view isn’t amazing! I love the view from the top of Diamond Head! Wow, you got to go to Kauai too!!! Oh, I love it there! It’s so pretty and green!!!
Ruth, we found all of Hawaii to be an absolute breath of fresh air (literally)! We were thrilled to add the Diamond Head hike on our last morning on Oahu. Somehow we managed to get so very dirty on that hike, but like you said, the views were spectacular!!