Dec. 21, 2010

This was our last day with the family. We had to check out of our hotel at noon, so we spent the morning packing and getting all ready to go. In the afternoon, since we didn’t want to swim and not be able to take a shower before flying (let alone have a soggy suitcase), we went to Lahaina and continued looking into the little shops all along the historical waterfront area. Lahaina is a great town with some really spectacular art galleries. It is amazing the amount and quality of the art available to purchase in Hawaii.

We were tired of shopping before too long and decided to see a movie. Part of our group went to see Tangled, the others went to see Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. When the movie was over we watched another breathtaking sunset over the water. At dinner time we stopped at Cheeseburger in Paradise (811 Front Street, Lahaina, HI 96761). I had chicken strips and sweet potato fries. I liked the fries, but the strips were not my favorite by far. They put some chili or hot sauce on them after cooking them, making them a little soggy. I’d get something else if I went there again. Josh had one of the burgers and onion rings, which he liked.

We headed off towards the airport eventually, stopping one more time at Walmart (can’t stop shopping!). Half our group got lost in the vastness of the store. Finally, we made it to the airport. Josh and I had an earlier flight than the rest of the group, so after security we said our goodbyes and headed to Honolulu. Our families had long, multi-stop journeys, but eventually everyone arrived home safely in time for Christmas.

Josh and I arrived in Honolulu and went to our hotel, The Sheraton Waikiki (2255 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815). It was really a great hotel. They had a multi-pool family area complete with waterfalls and a water slide, and an adult only infinity pool looking out over the ocean. We walked down and ate at a few of the restaurants at the other Waikiki hotels during our trip but the pool areas at the Sheraton were definitely the best I saw. We enjoyed them.