Hawaii! Finally!
First of all, I must thank my good friend Courtney for this trip. She has been traveling to Hawaii for work for 1-2 weeks a month for several months and she invited me to crash in her hotel room. THANK YOU, Courtney, because not only do we get to hang out in a beautiful place, I would probably have talked myself out of this trip in lieu of an option with less expensive lodging. Courtney, you're awesome. Mahalo!
Next, the ticket. This trip confirms my choice of the Chase Sapphire Reserve as my preferred travel credit card. The sign on bonus is spectacular if you have the credit score for it. If you want a referral, let me know and I'll send you a link :)
I was packed, relaxing and flipping through Groupon and LivingSocial when I realized I had almost forgotten this!
Even if I don't end up using it, I wanted to have it with me.
I got up early and drove to my brother’s house in Leesburg, parked my car and Grant graciously drove me to Dulles. Thank you, Grant! The flight to LA was made better by my latest attempt at a neck pillow, which was a total win. This trtl neck pillow. It looks strange but I highly recommend you get one. It was so much more comfortable than any other neck pillow I have tried in the past.
It wraps around your neck like a scarf and it has a plastic piece similar to half of a c-collar in it to stabilize your neck. It may look weird, but it kept me warm on a cold flight and was really comfortable. I actually slept!
Another win on this flight was my new BUBM iPad and cable case.
This case was about $16 and is another fantastic buy. I’m a fan of its organization and simplicity and it was easy to slide in and out of my backpack. Plus, my cables don’t get tangled!
I landed in LAX and headed over one terminal to the Alaska Airlines Lounge, which is included in my Priority Pass. I get the Priority Pass as another perk from my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card. This is an amazing perk. It doesn’t work with every lounge so you have to check their app to see what is available and when, but when it does work, I love it. It saves me money not having to buy food or drinks, it's quiet and the WiFi is always better than the junky free WiFi in airport terminals. I had a G&T, substantial snacks, good WiFi and a comfy seat to charge my phone. I also had a relatively quiet place to do a phone / FaceTime interview for a Fire and Rescue Academy Adjunct Instructor position! I never make things easy on myself...
The flight from LAX to HNL was on time, and off I was to meet Courtney! The H
onolulu airport is a little strange in that you immediately walk outside and feel like you have screwed up, but that's correct. You hop on a bus to the main entrance and walk outside to passenger pick up. Courtney was there to get me in her Mustang convertible - the perfect island rental car!
I was famished and she took me straight to Moku Kitchen, so we put our name in for a table and wandered around the outdoor market and live music. We each had a delicious burger and split this seasonal, local roasted veggie plate. Even though we were full we ordered a strawberry cream pie at the recommendation of some of Courtney's friends. It did not disappoint. It may have been one of the most delicious pies I have ever eaten! The pie itself was thick, whipped cream with just strawberries on the top. It was perfect. Hawaii is 6 hours behind Eastern Standard Time, so I was exhausted early. I took a nice, hot shower at Courtney's clutch location Waikiki hotel and we went to bed to prep for my first full day on the island.
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