In this post, thoughts on our recent stay at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu, some trends from the Nordstrom Sale, and a book celebrating late bloomers.
Aloha! We’re back from Hawaii and are sweating it out this 4th of July in the Bay Area! Whew! As they say, it’s a dry heat right? Hope you and yours found a safe and fun way to celebrate. We’re hunkered down at home staying cool and looking forward to seeing our good friends later this weekend.
Waikiki in Honolulu
As I mentioned in a previous post, we just spent a few days in Honolulu where my husband had work meetings. While he was in meetings I had time during our stay to explore and window-shop the high-end shops on Kalakaua Ave in Waikiki – Hermes, Chanel, and the like. My shopping budget didn’t include those stores, but I did manage to find a new bathing suit at Tommy Bahama, a great packable sunhat, and some white Birkenstocks that actually fit my feet!
While we were in Honolulu we also made sure to eat at our favorite restaurants – Tommy Bahama, Merrimen’s, and Sansei, which is hands-down our favorite sushi restaurant in the islands. They also have locations on Maui and the Big Island. So good!
The best part of our stay in Waikiki was spending time at the Royal Hawaiian, a lovely historic Hawaiian hotel. The vibe there is definitely slower-paced, which is a nice change from all the activity surrounding it. As one of the oldest hotels on Oahu and in Hawaii, it has a rich history and there are lots of displays of artifacts and photos on display dating back 100 years or more. I highly recommend staying there at least once if you have a chance. Our suite was comfortable and extremely spacious.
Turtle Bay Resort
The hour drive north to Turtle Bay is a nice way to see more of the island, especially if you drive up the eastern coast where the views of the ocean are stunning. We drove up through the interior of the island on the way there and then took the scenic route down the coast on our way back to the airport at the end of our stay.
My favorite part of the Turtle Bay Resort, besides its location on a peninsula overlooking the Pacific, is the gorgeous lobby area. There are views to the water out either side and one side is completely open to the outside. The lobby itself is divided into smaller seating areas by flowing curtains that move in the breeze. Wood and other natural elements are featured, with the centerpiece being an approximately 20 foot long live edge table topped with candles. There are organic shapes throughout, from the light fixtures to the occasional tables.
The hotel was originally built in 1972 and was recently renovated in 2021 by Dianna Wong Architecture + Design of Los Angeles. She described her vision: “I felt an instant connection to this extraordinary location and to the natural elements of wind, water, waves, light and the rugged shoreline that completely surrounds you at Turtle Bay,” said Wong. “The design celebrates the resort’s relationship with nature, incorporating these environmental elements in every detail throughout.” Wong said she was also inspired by the North Shore’s legendary surfers, for whom surfing is life, the wave is the star and the connection to nature is all-encompassing. “Coming out of a difficult year, I believe adventure and exploration is the cure, and there’s no better place for this than Turtle Bay.” – Source Turtle Bay Resort
Accommodations
The great thing about this hotel is that all of the rooms have some sort of ocean view. This is our second stay at the resort and this time we upgraded to a premium ocean-view room, which meant that our room was on the top floor and our view was looking directly west over the ocean.
We loved being able to relax on our balcony and watch the sunset. I captured this incredible rainbow picture from our balcony during a rain shower.
What to do, see, eat, etc…..
The North Shore is pretty quiet and laid back, but there are plenty of things to do and see. We haven’t even scratched the surface of what I’m sure is available. There are also hiking trails on the property and we have hiked there a couple of times. We are also hoping to bring our clubs and play golf there one day.
Once we get to the resort, we tend to hang out at the beach or the pool and relax. We rented a daybed overlooking Turtle Bay on our on our last full day at the resort and it was the perfect way to end our trip. We had a private spot to lounge and watch surfing lessons. We spotted several turtles as well.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, TripAdvisor has lots of great information for people who like to stay busy. There are lots of great sites to see all over Oahu: The Pali Lookout, The Dole Pineapple Plantation, The Polynesian Cultural Center, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, and more (all of which I’ve been to although it’s been years!) If water sports are your thing, there are also tons of places to snorkel, surf, paddle board, etc. Be sure to check ahead of your trip to see if any places require advance reservations!
Speaking of reservations, if you want to eat at certain restaurants, you better make them! We always make our dinner reservations a week or two prior to our trip, especially at the more popular restaurants. Turtle Bay Resort has two main restaurants on the property, The Beach House by Roy Yamaguchi and Alaia. There are also casual dining spots, such as Lei Lei’s Bar and Grill at the golf clubhouse and the Sunset Bar and Grill near the pool area. We had advance reservations at The Beach House and Alaia. Both were good, but our meal at Alaia was especially great, as their ingredients are all farm to table and very fresh. We did venture off property to eat lunch at Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck in nearby Kahuku. Their menu is short and it’s all delicious. We ordered the shrimp scampi and a hotdog cooked in scampi sauce. So much butter! Don’t tell my doctor. As you can tell, we may have also had a few tropical drinks. (Highly recommend the MaiTai at Turtle Bay!) And we maybe had a couple of desserts. I promise there was actual somewhat healthy food consumed as well! But hey, we were on vacation.
Nordstrom Sale
There’s nothing like coming home from Hawaii to a summer heatwave to put me in the mood for shopping for fall sweaters. Ha! Yet here we are. While I don’t need much in terms of cold-weather clothes anymore, I did scope out the sale to see what’s being offered this year and I noticed some trends.
Striped Sweaters
I bought one of these last winter and I love it when I already own something that’s a trend! Here are some options if you love stripes like I do.
Red Flats
Wasn’t this a trend about 15 years ago? I distinctly remember owning a pair of Jessica Simpson red ballet flats. Might be time for a new pair. I don’t wear much red clothing, but red shoes are fun!
Middle: Mansur Gaviel / Sam Edelman / BernardoFootwear
Bottom: Birdies / Paul Green / Chinese Laundry
Camel Coats
This is the one thing I’ve been looking for and hope to snag at the sale. Every time we travel to New York in the cooler months I find myself wishing I had one of these. They look great with everything.
Lady Jackets
I bought a cute Nic + Zoe knit jacket back in February and I’m looking forward to wearing it a lot this winter. There are so many cute ones available this year.
Button-down Shirts
These are so versatile and work for all kinds of weather. I wouldn’t mind adding a couple more to my wardrobe.
What I’m Reading
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Are you a late bloomer? If so, this book is for you! In his book “Late Bloomers – The Hidden Strength of Learning and Succeeding at Your Own Pace” author Rich Karlgaard researches why our society is obsessed with people achieving success at younger and younger ages and questions if we as a society are selling ourselves short. It’s an interesting read with lots of case studies of people who achieved success later in life, such as author J.K. Rowling and astronaut Scott Kelly. He questions whether the current obsession with achieving high test scores and getting into the best colleges is doing more harm than good. He proposes that our society too often recognizes early achievers and discounts people who take longer to achieve their full potential, to our own detriment.
I just bought the Kindle edition and it’s a fascinating read. As a newly retired teacher (at a relatively young age) it gives me hope that I too have more talents to discover and develop in the second half of my life.
I was recently invited to join a book club here in our new neighborhood and this month’s book is “The Covenant of Water” by Abraham Verghese. It’s supposed to be a great book and I’m looking forward to reading it, but it’s 715 pages and our meeting is this Tuesday and I haven’t started it yet. Yikes. I was going to take it to Hawaii with me but it took up too much room in my bag. I should have gotten the Kindle edition! Have you read this sizable tome? What did you think?
I did just finish reading “Just Another Missing Person” by Gillian McAllister during our trip. I like suspenseful novels and this one has a good twist. I also enjoyed her prior book “Wrong Place Wrong Time”.
I have a book case full of summer reads that I’ve yet to get to. I somehow have trouble finding time to sit down and read, even though I enjoy reading books. My summer reads are probably going to be winter reads at this rate! Anyone else relate?
Thanks for stopping by. I hope that you are staying cool wherever you live! Have a great week!