HAWAII
ELOPING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
As many of you already know, Tom and I fell in love so quick, and after 8 wonderful months together we got engaged during our last road trip throughout Southwest of North America.
After the engagement, our first questions were: 'where, when and how?' and then it was when the idea of an elopement in Hawaii become the perfect option to us. Why?
1. I was about to travel back to Spain and it was the moment to decide if we wanted to do it right away or to wait for a while. We did not want to spend time apart from each other and we wanted to do it.
2. It is so easy! You only need to fill out the marriage license online and pick it up once you get there with your ID or Passport. Then, you find someone to officiate the ceremony and that's it!
Since many people do this, there are many companies that provides the officiant, photographer and all kind of packages. We just hired an officiant through one of these companies and an independent photographer.
P.s. If you are planning something like this and need help, just ask away!
3. We did not want a big wedding and having a small one was super complicated considering that my family is in Spain and my friends all over the world.
4. Who doesn't want to get married in Hawaii?!
So, long story short, we decided and planned everything in the following month and went to Oahu!
When the date of travelling to Hawaii came closer we had some doubts because the virus was starting to be a real thing in America. At the end, we decided to go because in Hawaii there were only a couple cases confirmed and because we already had everything planed for our wedding.
We isolated ourselves for almost 2 weeks before travelling and once in Hawaii the only contact we had was the officiant and the photographer of the wedding.
You are probably asking to yourself what we did during our trip with such situation.
Get yourself a lei (wreath of flowers) or even a haku (flower crown) and discover the island with me.
On 17th March we flew from New york to Honolulu. The flight was more relaxed that I expected, the plane was half empty so we did not have anybody sitting right next to us.
Once in Honolulu we went directly to our apartment in Waikiki, a small studio with gorgeous views to the city and the ocean.
We chose to stay in the city the first two days -we will move to the east later- because we needed to do some errands involving the wedding, but if I were you I would stay the whole time closer to the nature.
Since we did not want to be in contact with people, after our errands were done we decided to enjoy the island.
Most of the trails, hikes, etc were closed but just to be able to enjoy the nature of Oahu is a blessing.
Oahu
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Where to stay and how get around:
If you have followed me before you would know that I am a lover of camper-vans and road trips but I must say these aren't the best options for Oahu.
To rent a van is so expensive and the island isn't that big so my advice is to rent a condo -we used Vrbo or airbnb- and to rent a nice car! Yes, you heard, or read me right, to rent a cool convertible isn't expensive and going around in a convertible on an island is dope!
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Oahu beaches:
Every beach in Oahu is beautiful but I am gonna tell you my 7 favorite ones and why.
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Lanikai beach: Paradise.
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Waimanalo beach: Do not confuse withe Waimanalo beach park. the beach is miles long and generally empty.
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Kailua beach: Right next to Lanikai it is another beauty.
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Ke Iki beach: Surfers paradise.
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Laniakea beach: If you're lucky you'll see a turtle on the beach - we weren't.
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Hanuma bay: This small bay is so touristic and I always try to avoid this but Hanauma (or curved bay) Bay is a former volcanic crater and an underwater park for snorkel where you can see more than 400 species of Hawaiian fishes including Hawaii’s state fish the humuhumunukunukuapua‘a, turtles and other marine life.
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everywhere along the east and north shore.
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Oahu food:
My diet is mostly plant-based -definition: focus on foods primarily from plants. This includes not only fruits and vegetables, but also nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. It doesn’t mean that you are vegetarian or vegan and never eat meat or dairy. Rather, you are proportionately choosing more of your foods from plant sources. Anyway, I do not eat dairy because I suffer from lactose intolerance. There are many awesome options in Oahu, even if you aren't a follower of this diet take some notes and add them to other places that you want to try. My husband eats everything and he loves plant-based foods too.
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Raised By The Waves
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The sunrise Shack
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Hale'iwa Bowls
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The Cosmic Kitchen (My favorite one)
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Pupukea grill
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Oahu 'musts':
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Lanikai Pillboxes: wow! the view from here is breathtaking.
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Simply hang out in the North Shore.
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Diamond head: This 1.8 mile round trip hike has some crazy awesome views of Honolulu and the East Side.
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Ho'omaluhia Botanical garden: Amazing! You have probably seen a viral picture taken at this place. People only wanted to go there for the picture and they have banned now to take pictures at that spot. Anyway, I am glad. The garden is huge and so beautiful, it is so worth it to spend a couple hours wandering around.
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Admire the views at the Nu’uanu Pali Lookout.
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Kualoa Ranch: remember jurassic park?
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Take a drive along the Kamehameha Hwy, simply a beautiful ride.
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Kawela bay: this is the place we chose to get married at. This small bay is surrounded by a lush forest and quiet.
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Tantalus dr: Beautiful ride through a rainforest.
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Halona blowhole lookout: You will see ocean water shoot 30 feet into the air from a lava tube.
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Manoa falls: They were closed for hiking because of some works but just the surroundings were spectacular, so lush and tropical.
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A lot of falls and hikes worth to do if you have time and there is not a pandemic going on!
