travel style

Family friendly luau on the Big Island

 in General Fashion / Travel  tagged chicos / children / family / hawaii / hawaii big island / mens outfits / outfits / summer 2019 / teens / travel / travel style / vacation outfits by

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My luau outfit: bold silver earrings c/o Chico’s / prescription sunglasses / summer lipstick / convertible silver necklace c/o Chico’s / palm print dress c/o Chico’s / summer nail polish / woven handbag c/o Chico’s / ivory espadrille wedges (I own these in 3 colors-love!)

One of the must-do’s while visiting Hawaii is to attend a luau! Luau’s can be expensive, so when I researched which luau to attend on the Big Island, I wanted to make sure it was both family-friendly, and really good! There were several reports from all over the internet which suggested the Island Breeze Luau, on the grounds of the Courtyard by Marriot King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, was one of the top five luau’s on the Big Island. Thankfully, it was located at our hotel! Win-win!

When I realized our hotel played host to one of the best luau’s on the Big Island, I needed to make sure it was family friendly before dropping several hundreds of dollars on tickets. Thankfully, I could tell from their website that they were a great luau for families. Score!

There are two types of tickets you can buy for the Island Breeze luau. They have general admission, and then there is the Hanohano upgrade, which is basically VIP. Oh you know I am all about VIP! So of course, I made sure to buy the upgrade. If you plan on attending the Island Breeze luau on the Big Island, I highly recommend getting the upgrade. It allows you to enter the luau first, and sit in the front. This is key when you have kids who cannot see over the heads of adults. My kids loved being able to sit front row! In addition to sitting front row, you get to line up for the buffet first. VIP all the way bay-bee! You can book it online here.

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On my husband and kids: Men’s Hawaiian shirt / little boys Hawaiian shirt / floral dress on my teenager / white dress on my tween /

There were so many fun activities to do at the luau. They had games on the lawn, live music, and the last hour consisted of a hula show which showcased hula dances from all the Polynesian islands. It was really well done, and my kids loved it! If you ask what they enjoyed most about Hawaii, they will tell you the luau. This luau is top notch!

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Of course, when attending a luau, you have to look the part! This dress from Chico’s was perfect. The exclusive palm leaf design was right in theme with the Hawaiian luau. I also made sure my kids and husband had in-theme outfits as well.

We also made sure we put lay’s on before entering the luau. I mean, did you attend a luau if you didn’t wear a lay? It’s a must-do! You must also try poi, I really liked to dip my fish into the poi, I thought it had a nice flavor. Yum!

Shop my Hawaiian Luau outfit:

Shop my husband and my kids outfits:

Have you been to a luau before? Which one did you attend?

Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for more Hawaii coverage!

Aloha!

Cathy

luau outfit ideas

Exploring Hulihe’e Palace in Kailua-Kona

 in General Fashion / Travel  tagged chicos / hawaii / hawaii big island / outfits / summer 2019 / travel / travel style / travel tips / vacation outfits by

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wearing: sun hat c/o Chico’s / bold silver earrings c/o Chico’s / summer lipstick / sunglasses (avl in prescription) / bold convertible necklace c/o Chico’s / black tee c/o Chico’s / palm print kimono c/o Chico’s (on major sale!!) / black slim fit pants c/o Chico’s / bold blue bracelet c/o Chico’s / summer nail polish / woven handbag c/o Chico’s / gold ankle bracelet / black espadrilles (super comfy!)

One of the first things I wanted to do when we arrived in Hawaii, was to show and teach my children some Hawaiian history. After breakfast on our second day on the Big Island of Hawai’i, my husband and I took the kids out to tour the grounds and buildings of the famous Hulihe’e Palace.

We took a few family photos around the grounds until 10am when the first tour was supposed to start. Unfortunately they didn’t have a docent available, so we ended up doing the self guided tour. It was incredible to view the interior of the Palace, and learn the history behind Hawaii’s last royal family; and the grounds themselves. I wish we were allowed to take photos inside the Palace, but they only allowed outdoor photography. Boo!

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My kids enjoyed seeing the Hulihe’e Palace, and learning the local history. It was fun to learn that the Prince had studied in San Mateo, and ended up having a San Francisco Bay Area connection. The museum included a large amount of historical facts and items, including what happened to the monarchy of Hawai’i. The self-guided tour took us close to an hour to read through and absorb. It was truly amazing, and a must-do if you ever visit the Big Island of Hawai’i.

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Since we were doing a lot of walking, I was so happy to have a comfortable outfit which had an island theme. These pants and this tee were the perfect canvas for this amazing kimono from Chico’s. I received so many compliments from both tourists and locals alike! This kimono was the hero piece of my look, and it was so much fun to wear! If you are looking for one fabulous piece this summer to get you into a vacation vibe, this is it! Plus, it’s on major sale, love that!

If you visit Kona, don’t miss touring the Palace! It’s on beautiful lands, and the history is just incredible. It is so important to learn about the places you visit around the world, otherwise, what’s the point?

Shop my Hawaii sight-seeing outfit from Chico’s:

Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned for more coverage from Hawaii!

Aloha!

Cathy

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Landed in Hawaii

 in Travel  tagged family / hawaii / hawaii big island / outfits / summer 2019 / travel / travel style / vacation outfits by

kona airport alaska airlines

Pictured: We flew Alaska Ailines to Kona. That’s my husband walking off the plane. The airport is out of an old Hollywood film. It’s all outdoors and filled with palm trees. So dreamy!

We landed in Hawaii! We are so excited! This is the first time we have taken the kids to Hawaii, and to say they are excited, would be an understatement. We took an early flight from San Jose to Kona, so we had just enough time to check into our hotel, and then venture out to lunch.

things to do in kona

We checked into the Marriott Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel which is located on the beach! Yay! It is also right there in town, so we could easily walk anywhere in town we wanted to go. Double yay!

You can see the hotel in this photo. Our room is in the east wing which is overlooking the street. All the beach view rooms were already taken. As an elite member, they apologized to me. I’m OK with it because the beach is right outside the hotel! I don’t need to see it from the window too.

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pictures: See that white building in the photos above? It’s a building I see all the time in photos of the Big Island, but for the life of me I can’t remember which TV show or movie it’s featured in. Do you know?

After checking into our hotel, we walked across the street to Splashers Bar & Grill for lunch. The food was SO YUMMY and we also had a fabulous view of the ocean. I enjoyed the avocado poki with rice croquette’s and an ice tea, so good! Welcome to Hawaii!

splashers bar and grill

The excitement continued to build for our family. We felt so relaxed and happy to be in Hawaii; and away from the office! (Away from school for the kids, haha) After lunch, we took a walk and explored the area where our hotel was located. We couldn’t believe how beautiful everything was. After exploring, we headed to the hotel pool to relax and unwind. We had been up since 5am San Jose time, which was 2am Hawaii time; so to say we were slightly tired was an understatement!

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This is what I wore on the airplane, and for exploring on our first day on the Big Island. From top: sunglasses / summer lipstick / bold earrings c/o Chico’s / white tee (under $25) / print wide leg pants (so comfy for travel!) / woven convertible bag c/o Chico’s / summer nail polish / ivory wedge espadrilles (wore sneakers on the plane and switches shoes when we got to the hotel)

The pool was perfect after waking up early, flying for five hours, and then walking around. We felt so refreshed! After the pool, we headed out to dinner at another waterfront restaurant, Paradise Brewing Company Tap & Grill. I had a pineapple drink! It was really fun to have a drink in a pineapple, so much fun, that I barely drank it because I kept holding it instead. Haha, can’t take me anywhere!! My kids loved the fact that my drink was served in a pineapple too, they were pretty bummed they couldn’t take a sip. My Pineapple drink was for adults only 😉 haha

paradise brewing company tap and grill kona

I enjoyed the Shrimp Scampi and my pineapple drink-which I forgot the name of! Eeeek! It was good, but I only drank about 1/4 of it. I was too busy looking at the pineapple and talking about it with my kids. LOL

Shop my travel look for my flight from San Jose to Hawaii:

Well, after dinner we hit the hay! Our Hawaiian adventure was about to begin! Stay tuned for all my Hawaiian vacation coverage here on the blog, and feel free to check out my insta-stories for more fun Hawaiian adventures! I have everything saved in my highlights.

Thanks for stopping by!

Aloha!

Cathy

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