Amanee's Ultimate Solo Travel Guide: Hawaii

Hawaii has always been at the top of my travel bucket list. I mean… Who wouldn't want to go to Hawaii? One, it’s absolutely gorgeous. Two, it’s so far away that it feels like you’ve been whisked away to another country. And three, it’s a part of the U.S. so you don’t need a passport!

I recently returned from a trip to Maui and O'ahu and I fell in love! I didn’t want to leave. If I could afford to live there, I might even consider moving… But it’s literally the most expensive place to live in the U.S., so that's a no for me! The average rent in Hawaii is around $3,000 per month and the average price of a home is around $1 million. Food and other goods are also extremely expensive in Hawaii because pretty much everything has to be imported. 

I had an amazing time. And surprisingly, I loved being there by myself. I’ve always wanted to go on a big trip alone, so this was a great test run. I just wish I had someone else to take photos of me (lol) but other than that, it was pure bliss. Granted, this was still a part of my nearly two-month-long work trip, so it wasn’t all fun and games… I still had to visit high schools and go to college fairs even though I just wanted to be a beached whale all day every day, BUT I tried my very best to do some fun things in my free time and just take it all in. Keep reading to see and hear all about my solo Hawaiian adventures!

I flew directly from Phoenix, Arizona to Maui, Hawaii on an early Monday morning. The flight was about five and a half hours long and I slept for four of them. Luckily, I’ve never had a problem sleeping on planes. Although, I was rudely awakened by a baby screaming at the top of his lungs. I had to turn my music all the way up just to tune him out! 

Once we landed in Maui, I took the shuttle to pick up my rental car and drove 30 minutes to the Wailea Beach Resort. The main roads only have two lanes and the speed limit is somewhere around 40. Getting around the island was a task. 

The Wailea Beach Resort is a Marriott property and I would 10/10 recommend. I had an amazing stay. The bellhop gave me a lei as soon as I got out of the car and the front desk attendant gave me a cool, damp towel to wipe my hands and fresh guava juice to drink while I was checking in. Everyone who worked there was super nice… Actually, everyone on the whole island was nice. The hotel staff, the guidance counselors, and the students— they were my favorite. 

The view from the outdoor lobby was BREATHTAKING. I literally shed a tear. The resort is right on the water like something out of a movie. Once I got to my room and changed my clothes, I strolled around the resort and the Wailea Beach walk. 

As I was walking, I caught myself randomly smiling like a weirdo… Thinking to myself, “Wow, I’m really in Hawaii… for WORK.” I’m just so happy and blessed to be able to do something that I absolutely LOVE and to have a job that provides so many amazing opportunities. 

Being an Admissions Counselor is extremely challenging yet SO incredibly rewarding. I love the fact that I’m impacting young adults and aiding and encouraging them to further their education at my alma mater… And because I’m only in my mid-twenties myself, I really feel like I serve as a role model as well. ESPECIALLY for the ethnic students. I can’t even tell you how many Black, Hispanic, and Hawaiian students came up to my table at fairs just to say hi or tell me that they like my hair or my outfit… And boom! We’re talking about what they want to study and taking selfies together. All it takes is a connection. Representation truly matters. I’ve honestly never been happier. 

Okay, now back to my trip lol I had dinner at the Humble Market Kitchin by Roy Yamaguchi restaurant on the resort property. It was happy hour so I ordered calamari and had a drink at the bar. A very nice older gentleman sat next to me and gave me all sorts of suggestions of places to sightsee and eat on the islands. It was only about 7:30 pm but the time change was getting to me. I decided to go back to my room and I tried my very best not to fall asleep… I can neither confirm nor deny if I succeeded or not LOL.

The next morning, my body was up at 4:00 am on the dot. I was used to being in the Pacific Time Zone, which was three hours ahead. Fail. I sat on my lanai, which overlooked one of the pools and answered emails. It was a beautiful view. 

Once the sun came up, I walked 3 minutes to the beach to get some sun before I had to leave for work. It was so peaceful and not crowded at all! There were even people a little further down doing yoga. So relaxing. 

After about two hours, I went back to my room to get ready for work. I visited a couple of high schools and couldn’t believe the views! SO gorgeous. After I finished for the day, I stopped by Island Gourmet Market and picked up some sushi and fresh fruit. I was so hungry that I finished it before I left the parking lot— it was delicious though! 

Once I got back to the resort, I went to the “adults only” serenity pool. It was so nice to lie there looking out at the sunset over the ocean from the infinity pool. It was an added plus not to hear any little kids screaming or splashing water into my drink! I had a Mai Tai. It was pretty yummy.

For dinner, I went to the HIGHLY suggested Monkey Pod restaurant. It was very close to the hotel and there was even a free shuttle. The restaurant was extremely crowed and the wait for a table for one was almost an hour— but you know me, I finagled a seat at the bar in less than five minutes. 

Fun Fact: A monkey pod is a tree shaped like an umbrella. The monkey pod tree has a single stalk and branches that spread into a wide canopy. They thrive in the Hawaiian Islands, more than anywhere else in the world. Unlike other trees that kill the grass and other plants that live beneath them, the grass is literally always greener under the monkey pod tree. The tree leaves release nitrogen to naturally fertilize the soil beneath it.

I got the royal treatment sitting there by myself. The bartender was so nice and kept giving me little shots of drinks that he made too much of. I didn’t even have to order a drink! I got to try a sample of all of the specialty drinks on the menu. 

A couple from Ohio sat at the bar next to me and said that they thought I was a singer on tour… Ha! The joke is that I can’t sing to save my life. After I told them what I really did for a living, they were so interested. We talked for a good 20 minutes about my different territories and travels.

Everything on the menu looked delicious. I couldn’t make a decision! The bartender told me to get the grilled ahi, so I went for it. I’m extremely picky and I don’t like to try new things but this was actually REALLY good. It came with jalapeño mashed potatoes and some kind of vegetable with caramelized onions… I don’t even care for onions but I ate every single piece of food off of that plate. 

For dessert, they brought out two complimentary cream pies for the couple and I to choose from— one was strawberry and one was banana— they let me pick first and I don’t really like bananas so I went for the strawberry one. It worked out perfectly because they both love bananas. It was really yummy. It tasted like cheesecake. After dinner, I took the shuttle back to the hotel and slept like a baby.

The next morning, I woke up early again and went to the beach— Highlight of my day! I sat on the sand and ate a quarter of a pineapple and a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant. 

After my morning meditation, I went back to my room to get ready for my extremely busy day. I had three college fairs to go to all on opposite sides of the island. For someone who doesn’t like driving, I sure do a TON of driving! I stopped at a little shopping center on the side of the road because I saw a sign for ice cream… I can never turn down ice cream. It was called Hula Cookies and Ice Cream— Delicious!

After my last fair that evening, I drove to the airport, dropped my rental car off, and waited for my flight to Honolulu to board. The flight wasn’t until 10 pm and I was EXHAUSTED. The flight was only about an hour long… I don’t remember any of it. I must have fallen asleep before we took off. When I got to the shuttle to go to the rental car facility, it was full of admissions counselors... And a couple who had just gotten married… The bride still had her dress on and everything— Weird. We (the admissions counselors, not the couple) were all in town for the national college fair being held at the convention center the next day.

Once I got to my room at The Laylow Autograph Collection, another Marriott property, it was around 1:00 am. The next morning, I was up bright and early for the national college fair. There were two sessions. One from 8-11 am and another that evening from 5-8 pm. I was able to see Waikiki in the daylight and I was just so confused! Maui was exactly what I expected Hawaii would be… Calm, beachy… Ya know, island life! Honolulu was the exact opposite.

Side note: I couldn't figure out why people kept using Honolulu, Waikiki, and O'ahu to talk about the island. So, to save you all the trouble, I googled it: Waikiki is a district in Honolulu. Honolulu is a city on O'ahu. So, you can find both Waikiki and Honolulu on the island of O'ahu.

After work, I decided to walk around to find something to eat. My hotel was right in the center of all the commotion. It was sooooo crowded and congested and the streets were filled with high-end designer shops. I thought to myself, “Am I on 5th Avenue in New York or on the Las Vegas Strip or in Hawaii?!” There was all kinds of stuff going on— a strike outside of hotels with people banging on drums and chanting, a ton of Japanese and Australian people, cars blowing their horns and people driving like maniacs… It was just a lot. I couldn’t be bothered to find something cool to eat so I went to Cheesecake Factory, ordered take-out, and called it a night.

The next morning, I got dressed for my high school visits and went down to the lobby to chat with the concierge. The hotel gave me a $50 off coupon for an excursion booked through the concierge so I definitely wanted to take advantage of it. Once I was finished with my visits and fairs, I had some free time until my flight the following evening. My high school visits that day went very well. The schools were soooo nice. I even got to have lunch and tour President Barack Obama’s high school, Punahou School! After I was finished for the day, I went back to the hotel, made a reservation at the famous Duke’s restaurant for 8 pm and took a nap. Pretty much everyone I talked to suggest that I go to Duke’s for dinner so I had to try it out.

The restaurant was really cute and right on the water. I had been in Honolulu for almost two whole days and didn’t realize that the beach was RIGHT THERE. It was blocked by all of the tall buildings! I ordered baked Mahi Mahi with sea asparagus and black forbidden rice and a delicious frozen drink. The food wasn’t bad, but Monkey Pod in Maui was better. It was a great atmosphere though! I enjoyed the experience. After dinner, I went back to my room and crashed again. I live in a constant state of “I’m tired” and “I need to explore.” I think I did a pretty good job of balancing it. Naps are essential lol 

I hopped out of bed the next morning because I had a full day ahead of me! I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to wake up at 5:00 am on a Saturday. I had never been snorkeling before so I was SUPER excited. I got dressed and walked a block over to the coach bus pick up location. 

The bus driver was a great tour guide. She pointed out different landmarks from the H-1 highway as we drove to the west coast of the island. She also told us about all of the different restaurants to try out, such as Rainbow Drive-In and Leonard’s Bakery. We rode past a TON sites from the bus, but I didn’t snap any great pictures because everything was out in the distance. We saw the University of Hawaii’s Aloha football stadium where they hold a massive flea market on the weekends, the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, the site of the opening scene of Gilligan’s Island, and old sugar plantations and mills which have since closed.

40 minutes later, we arrived in Ko Olina, a vacation resort and residential community on the western side of O'ahu, known as the Leeward Coast, 17 miles northwest of Honolulu. I thought to myself, “Now THIS is what I was expecting.” The atmosphere was much calmer than the busy Honolulu and Waikiki areas. We saw beautiful black swans swimming in the ponds and the Ko Olina Golf Club where they hold the LPGA championship tour. 

The excursion I booked was with Ocean Joy Cruises and I would highly recommend them! The crew was amazing. As I mentioned before, I had never done any sort of water activity other than swimming so I was a little nervous— especially going out on my own— But they explained everything in great detail and made me feel extremely safe. With hotel the coupon, the whole trip was only $100. This included the coach bus to the boat, all of the equipment, unlimited drinks, and food. 

When we first got onto the boat, we were welcomed with coffee, soft drinks, and homemade banana muffins while we sat on the deck and listened to the crew give safety instructions. There was even a photographer on board who took stunning photos. 

We went out on a catamaran, which is a really fast boat. They took us to the unspoiled Wai’anae coastline on the island of O'ahu where dolphins, turtles, and other sea life flourish. We were able to dive into one of Hawaii’s most secluded snorkeling spots. Lucky me!

I stood on the front of the boat the entire time and got soaked from the water that splashed up. I didn't want to miss anything! It was so much fun! I had only seen dolphins at the National Aquarium in Baltimore so I was super excited to see them in their natural habitat. We spotted a pod of dolphins and it was the coolest thing. They even had a baby dolphin with them. Super cute! One did all kinds of flips right in front of our boat!

After the dolphin show, we prepared to get out and snorkel. We had a great mix of people on board. A few experienced divers, a few newbies, and even a little kid! Everyone was really nice. Snorkeling was SO much fun. I was scared at first, but I got right in and did it! 

It was amazing to see all of the fish just swimming around beneath me. We even spotted a couple of sea turtles and the photographer dove down and picked up a starfish. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I just felt so free and peaceful. After we finished snorkeling, we all got back onto the boat and had a hot lunch and unlimited drinks. It was a great time! I’ll definitely do it again. 

After I got back to my hotel, showered, and changed my clothes, I had a few hours to kill before I had to head to the airport so I went out and did some more sightseeing on Kalakaua Avenue, one of the main streets in Waikiki. I walked on Waikiki beach for literally a hot second because I didn’t want to get too sandy and walked right past all of the fancy stores like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Tiffany & Co., Chanel, and all that jazz to the little shops in an alley. A nice little old lady sold me two beautiful jade bracelets for $20, while they were $15 for one on the main road. Crazy!

I got a chance to try Hawaii’s famous shave ice. It’s like a snowball but a little finer. I had my usual strawberry and mango… It was soooo good. 

Next I had lunch at Doraku, a cute little sushi restaurant. It wasn’t anything spectacular though. Womp womp womp. Someone told me that Hawaii has the best sushi outside of Japan but I must not have gone to the right spots!

My last spot on my food tour was Leonard’s Bakery for their famous malasadas. Leonard’s has been a fixture since 1952. A malasada is a Portuguese donut made of fried dough and rolled in sugar. The treats are made to order so it was hot and delicious. I only ordered one but I should’ve gotten a dozen for my plane ride back! So good!! Sorry the photos are kind of wonky. I had to eat it in the car on the way to the airport lol 

Well, that’s all folks. I think this is probably my longest blog post of all time, so if you made it this far, thank you. I just had so much to jam into a couple of days, ya know? Even though I had to work and I was exhausted from all of my traveling, I am just so grateful that I was able to have that experience. 

Hawaii was a dream. The beauty, the weather (hot and humid—just like I like it), the people, the culture. I loved every bit of it, well minus the congestion in Waikiki—I could do without that. Everyone even pronounced my name correctly… Probably because it kind of sounds like a Hawaiian name. The whole experience was simply amazing.

Please feel free to share this post with your family and friends! Leave me a comment if you have any suggestions of other things I should do the next time I go to Hawaii! Diamond Head and the Dole Plantation are still on my list. ;)

Until next time, my loves. Aloha!

-A.