Monday Hawaii Photo

Waikiki Beach on a typical sunny day!
 Photo courtesy of Muriel MacRae

Discover the Islands of Hawaii 2012~the ultimate three island tour

Beautiful view of Waikiki Beach from Waikiki Marriott Hotel

Escape to the islands of Hawaii anddiscover this diverse tropical paradise. Perfect for weddings, honeymoons, andromantic getaways. Experience Oahu with three nights in one of the mostdreamed-of vacation spots in the world – Waikiki Beach staying at the HyattRegency Waikiki! Visit the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor,  the historicPunch Bowl Cemetery, snorkel at the famous Hanauma Bay Natural Preserve,  trysurfing the waves along Waikiki Beach, or take in the shops!

Fly to Maui, the Valley Island, for threenights where you can spend some time on some of its beautiful beaches,  and visit the sleeping volcano ofMount Haleakala. Enjoy the “hottest show on the island –the “Drums of thePacific” where you can journey through time enjoying the music and dances ofSamoa, Fiji, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Hawaii. Your home in Maui is thebeautiful award winning Hyatt Regency Maui Hotel.

View of Haleakala Crater on Maui

Travel on to Kauai, the Garden Island foryour three-night stay at the award-winning Grand Hyatt Kauai. Kauai is a tranquilisland away from the hustle and bustle with turquoise blue skies, lush greenvegetation and sparkling jade oceans. During your stay, visit Waimea Canyon, “theGrand Canyon of the Pacific”, or take a helicopter tour and experience thehidden areas that are not accessible by land and sea of this beautiful island.

Grand Hyatt Kauai on Shipwreck Beach

All photos courtesy of Muriel MacRae

 Findout how you can have this trip customized especially for you.

Starts at $3200 per person (does not include airfare to Hawaii)

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Muriel MacRae, owner of Del Sol Travel, is a Calgary travel agent and WPIC wedding planner who specializes in destination weddings, honeymoons, and romantic getaways to tropical locations such as Hawaii. Mexico, the Caribbean, Costa Rica and the South Pacific. Located in Calgary, Alberta, she plans destination weddings for couples in and around the Calgary area and throughout North America. For more information about planning your destination wedding, honeymoon, or romantic getaway, please contact her at travelinfo@delsoltravel.ca or phone 403-477-0643 .

Visiting Waikiki Beach in Oahu

A good friend of mine called me the other day and askedwhere she should go as first time visitors to Hawaii! Honolulu, Maui or the BigIsland? She and her husband are celebrating their fortieth birthday and wantedto do something really special as a holiday.

This is certainly not an easy question to answer. I’m goingto start with Honolulu.

Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head in the background
Photo courtesy of Muriel MacRae

Most people who go the island of Oahu start by visiting Waikiki Beach , abeach  in the city of Honolulu. When most people think of Hawaii, they picture this sunnywhite, sandy beach lined with its high rise hotels set against the backdrop of thevolcanic cone, Diamond Head. Waikiki is located in an area of roughly 1.5 mileslong and half a mile wide. Upwards of 4.5 million sunbathers visit its beaches  each year.

Although the beach is packed during the day, the streets arepacked in the evening with window-shoppers, street performers, and you can hear live music  drifting from the bars and restaurants. KalakauaAvenue runs the length of Waikiki and along it you will find Waikiki’s mostfamous hotels and lots of shops ranging from upper end brands to the ABCstores.

View from the 17th floor of Wakiki Beach Marriott
Photo courtesy of Muriel MacRae

Waikiki has some of the nicest weather you would want  with most days the temperatures rangesbetween 75°F and85°F with gentle light breezes.  There isless than 25 inches of rain annually  with the rainy months occurring  in the months of November, December, andJanuary.

If you are looking for peace and quiet, this is not the place togo. Crowds of people visit the beach each day and it is often hard to find aplace to put your towel. Waikiki Beach is a popular surfing spot, especiallyfor beginners as the waves are rarely higher than three feet. At nights, the city comes to life and the sidewalks are crowded with strolling tourists enjoying the beautiful evening.

Surfers on Waikiki Beach
Photo courtesy of Muriel MacRae

There  are over 100 lodgingestablishments in Waikiki Beach with over 60 hotels  and 25 condominium hotels which appeal to avariety of budgets. The first hotel in Waikiki was the Moana Hotel, now calledthe Moana Surfrider.

Front Porch of Moana Surfrider
Photo courtesy of Muriel MacRae

Great places to see include a hike to the summit of Diamond Head, the Honolulu Zoo, the Waikiki Aquarium. Waikiki  really comes alive at sunset with hundreds ofrestaurant and bars to choose from.  Forthe shopper, it is definitely a shoppers paradise. If you are looking forsouvenirs, art, clothing, and jewelry, the choices are limitless. There are lots of different companies which porvide bus transportation around the island making it very easy to take in the tourist sites.

If you want lots of action and plenty ofactivity, many restaurant and hotel choice, great shopping, and love the hustleand bustle of a busy cosmopolitan city, then this is the place to visit!
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Muriel MacRae plans destination weddings, exciting getaways and customized vacations for discerning travellers, honeymooners and families. As the owner of Del Sol Travel, she offers romantic vacations with personalized service and unique itineraries. Getting to know and understand her clients is critical in helping turn their ideas and vision into a unique and memorable masterpiece when creating their customized vacation. Located in Calgary, Alberta, she plans weddings, destination weddings, and honeymoons for couples in and around the Calgary and Banff area and throughout North America. For more information about planning your wedding, honeymoon, or romantic getaway, please contact her at travelinfo@delsoltravel.ca or phone 403-477-0643.

Five Reasons to Visit Waikiki Beach in Oahu

There are still many reasons why you would want to visit Waikiki Beach, a â€œmini city within a city”. When I arrived in Oahu this week, I realized that I have not been back to Waikiki Beach for twenty years. Many things have changed but a great deal of the old charm is still there. Many people are drawn here to the excitement of Waikiki Beach  with its colorful clubs and  wonderful assortment of restaurants. Hawaii still calls…

An aerial  view of Waikiki Beach
Photo courtesy of abtraveldine.com

Perfect tropical setting: Waikiki Beach, which is part of the city of Honolulu, is located on the island of Oahu. It is lined with high rise buildings in a picture perfect seaside location with a nice long white sandy beach with water that is a beautiful turquoise blue color. Sitting on our lanai on the 17^th floor of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa overlooking the ocean reminds me why tourists come to Hawaii.

I could look at this view every day!
Photo courtesy of Muriel MacRae

The weather is close to perfect with sunny blue skies and gentle breezes blowing to keep you cool. The view of the ocean with the white waves of the surf crashing on the sandy beach is absolutely spectacular. Early in the morning until dusk, the surfers and the boogie boarders are out searching for the perfect wave. It does rain but usually for a very short period of time making it a perfect place for the multitude of visitors seeking paradise.

Waikiki Beach
Photo courtesy of Muriel MacRae

Waikiki Beach is humming with activity: This is definitely not the island where you want to getaway from it all.  It's a shopper’s paradise with world class shopping in a wide variety of stores ranging from the higher end Louis Vuitton, Macy’s, Coach and Ralph Lauren down to the Honolulu Cookie Company, the little ukulele stores, and the Hawaiian Quilting stores. There are higher end hotel chains and more exclusive shops in general. One thing that hasn’t changed in twenty years is that there is still an ABC Store on every block. It is still a diner’s delight. The number of restaurants and stores has increased and even on a Sunday evening, the streets are crowded with people. Many are waiting to get into some of the popular restaurants, some are returning from late night dining, other are drawn to the shopping as the stores are open until 11:00 pm, or people are just walking the streets enjoying the atmosphere and the beautiful evening.

Waikiki Beach waterfall located beside the street
Photo courtesy of dickandrockey.blogspot.com

The streets are filled with buskers who play music, hold parrots, stand as statues dressed in grey with grey facial makeup, or simply play the drums on different sized containers. The evening weather is pleasant and a person can be very comfortable even without a jacket or a sweater most times of the year. Many of the restaurants have outdoor bars and restaurants where you can hear the uniquely Hawaiian sounds of a slack-key guitar.  I couldn’t help but notice that there are no mosquitoes like we have back home, and I haven’t been accosted by the time-share hustlers of the past this visit.

One of the beautiful sunsets on Waikiki Beach
Photo courtesy of oahu-hawaii-trip.com

Plenty to do: There are plenty of activities to do when you’re not spending a lazy day at the beach. The first evening we arrived, there was a hula dancing show on the beach which attracted many tourists. For those vacationers interested in animals and sea life, the Honolulu Zoo and the Waikiki Aquarium are a must. Sailing, catamaran tours, surfing, snorkelling, and scuba diving excursions are plentiful and sold by almost every hotel concierge. A visit to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve is perfect for the snorkelers in your group.

Hanauma Bay
Photo courtesy of Tripadvisor

You might want to revisit history, take a day trip to Pearl Harbour to visit the USS Arizona Memorial. For the romantic at heart, take a sunset dinner cruise and enjoy a sumptuous dinner while you enjoy live entertainments and experience the views of Waikiki’s scenic coastline. A trip to the north part of the island to the Polynesian Culture Center will take you back in time as you immerse yourself in five island nations’ lifestyles with cultural demonstrations and hand-on activities. Don’t miss the IMAX theatre, Ali’I Lua”au and the evening show, “Ha: Breath of Life”.

Hawaiian dancers
Photo courtesy of Polynesian Cultural Center

Or enjoy a day of golfing or zip lining! One perfect way to take in the sights is to take a helicopter tour where you can appreciate the various locations on Oahu from a bird’s eye view. With so many activities to experience and places to discover, you will also want to take the time to relax and unwind under the soothing Hawaiian sun and cool, tropical breezes.

Easy to get around: Getting around in Waikiki Beach is really easy to do without having to rent a car. Since Waikiki Beach is located in an area which is roughly 1.5 miles long and a half a mile wide, most places are within walking distance.

Strolling streets of Waikiki Beach
Photo courtesy of oahufamilyactivities.com

There are also numerous trolley tours and The Bus running every ten to twenty minutes during the day with very economical fares.  One can even go on a tour of the city on a Double Decker Bus! If you are planning on travelling to other parts of the island, then you may want to consider renting a car. There are also different companies which provide a shuttle to and from the airport to your Waikiki Hotel.

Popular Waikiki trolleys which  run every 10 minutes
Photo courtesy of alohoa-hawaii.com

Island of romance: As you will find when visiting many of the Hawaiian Islands, Waikiki Beach is a place for romance. As soon as you step off the plane and feel the warm air hit you, you can smell the fragrances of the numerous Hawaiian flowers. With the lush tropical greenery, the lovely flowers, and the palm trees swaying in the breeze, and lovely weather all year round, you will feel that you have reached a tropical paradise. The pace is much slower allowing you to take time to reconnect with your loved one and just enjoy the experience of being on the island together. You can take a slow-paced evening walk along the busy sidewalks or stroll along the beach on the sand the full length of Waikiki, if you chose.

A romantic stroll along the beach
Photo courtesy of excellent-romatic-vacations.com

Take time to stop and view an incredible picturesque sunset or have a romantic dinner in one of the two historic hotels located on the beach, the Royal Hawaiian, noted for its pink exterior, or the Westin Moana Surfrider, the First Lady of Waikiki. Let this tropical paradise take you to a place far away from the hectic rush of your life back home, and take the time to “smell the flowers” and enjoy Waikiki Beach with the one you love!

Royal Hawaiian  Hotel
Photo courtesy of Muriel MacRae

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Muriel MacRae plans exciting getaways and customized vacations for honeymooners and families. As the owner of Del Sol Travel, she offers romantic vacations with personalized service and unique itineraries. Getting to know and understand her clients is critical in helping turn their ideas and vision into a unique and memorable masterpiece when creating their customized vacation. Located in Calgary, Alberta, she plans weddings, destination weddings, and honeymoons for couples in and around the Calgary and Banff area and throughout North America. For more information about planning your wedding, honeymoon, or romantic getaway, please contact her at travelinfo@delsoltravel.ca or phone 403-477-0643.