Oh, Pool Boy...

I know I just got back from vacation, but I'm already starting research on our 2012 trip.  Oh the choices!!  I'm just hoping for a view that looks like one of these~

And, one of my personal photos taken from the Sheraton, Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii~ 

The Royal Hawaiian

I wanted to share more pictures of Hawaii today.  We started our trip at Waikiki Beach in Honolulu on the island of Oahu.  We stayed at the Sheraton Waikiki, which is next door to the historic Royal Hawaiian.  The Royal Hawaiian first opened in 1927 and originally cost $4 million to build...I can't even imagine how much money that was back then! It's been called the Pink Palace of the Pacific and was frequented by celebrities such as Shirley Temple.  It closed for a while in 2008 for renovations and completed final renovations in 2010. 

A few days before we left, I got my February copy of Traditional Home magazine in the mail.  It contained a nice piece on the Royal Hawaiian.  I can't even begin to tell you how beautiful it is in person.  My pictures don't do it justice.  The renovations maintained the integrity of the original design.  The bottom floor is open air.  The atmosphere makes you feel like you elegantly stepped back in time.  From the original brass elevators to the historically perfect furniture, maps and mounds of fresh flowers, it is just perfect.  And, did I mention it's pink???

Aloha!

This past February my parents, my brother, my husband and I, along with 5 family friends, travelled to Hawaii.  We spent 3 days on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu then headed to Maui for 7 days.  It was my first time, and it exceeded all of my expectations...which were pretty high.  I took over 1000 pictures!  Since I haven't really featured any design this week, I though I would share a few photos of our condo in Maui. 

We stayed at the completely amazing Honua Kai Resort located on Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, which I highly recommend.  The stellar reviews on Trip Advisor sold me on where I wanted to stay.  Then, after extensive searching on VRBO and other travel rental sites, I found a killer deal on our 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom ocean view condo.  We had the most amazing time and can't wait to go back.  More on our trip in future posts, though!

I thought I'd share a few pictures of the incredible kitchen, which included an oversized built-in refrigerator, built-in dish washer, granite counters and back splash, all gourmet appliances, and the list goes on.  And, let's not forget that view!