The Perfect Day with One Kings Lane and The Luxury Collection

When I received the phone call asking me if I wanted to go to Hawaii, I squealed "Yes!" in response. I've always wanted to visit Hawaii since I was a child. Most of my west coast friends spend their vacations there and now that I am an east coast transplant we typically go to closer tropical getaways such as Mexico and the Caribbean. Hawaii is a bit of a trek for us, but so worth it. I was invited to spend 3 days in Honolulu staying at The Luxury Collection's Historic Royal Hawaiian on Waikiki Beach with One Kings Lane. A collaboration between the two capturing "The Perfect Day" in Waikiki. I was in great company with Andrea Stanford of One Kings Lane and Caitlin Lindquist Arizona based fashion blogger.

I arrived to Honolulu late Saturday afternoon. As we drove down the circular drive way lined with tiki torches and lush tropical foliage I was greeted in a traditional Hawaiian fashion with a lei. I was escorted to my beautiful suite on the 4th floor overlooking a surfer specked sea. The hotel was built in 1927 and I was lucky enough to stay in the historic section. The iconic perfect shade of pink structure represents a Spanish-Moorish design one popular to that era. A story I found most interesting was that during the time before air travel people would spend 5 days traveling at sea to arrive to Hawaii. Once they arrived they would stay for long periods of time, the best and most highly coveted rooms being those with views facing inland towards the lush mountains. After days at sea, the last thing anyone wanted was to face the ocean. How times have changed.

During our stay we spent an afternoon taking a surf lesson given by The Waikiki Beach Boys. That was the highlight of my trip, I stood up on my second try, granted the instructor helped me catch the right wave of course. I could have stayed out there all day, I loved it. We also hiked to the top of Diamond Head Crater, with the most beautiful 360 degree view of the island. After the hike we went to try Hawaiian shave ice, its not shaved ice fyi. The perfect way to cool down on a hot day. In the evening we went to the traditional Hawaiian Luau at the hotel. We were served a delicious multi-course meal showcasing some of Hawaii's local cuisine, such a poi (a side dish made from taro plant). I wanted to try everything that the locals ate, you know me.

One thing I didn't mention is that during our stay we were filmed. Yes. Me. Filmed. A whole new territory for me as I am typically hiding behind my camera. Hopefully I don't embarrass myself too much ;) I will be sharing more images and the video in the next few weeks to come. A big thank you to The Luxury Collection and One Kings Lane for including me in this amazing trip!