I hope you like the new name of my blog!  I didn't want to change my domain but thought the island girl part of my blog name needed to go.  I'm not saying I will never visit another island again, but the type of travel I will be doing is likely to change at least for a while.  You can read my previous post to see why I have become disillusioned with visiting tropical islands especially if the UV rays are very high which most are.  I live in Florida as it is so I get more than enough UV rays already! 

This post is just a look back at my travels during 2015.  I chose my top five trips and a few of my personal favorite photos.  I do believe that Oahu and Vermont made the list only partially because I have friends there and that tends to make vacations more fun!  I will say that Bora Bora / French Polynesia were at the top of my bucket list and I finally made it in February and March 2015.

Lake Garda,  Italy

Ko Olina Oahu Hawaii

Curacao

Burlington, Vermont

Bora Bora - French Polynesia

 Sorry this is a photo only post.  If you've been following along you've probably seen these photos already.  Thank you for the visit.  Happy new year to all and I hope 2016 is your best year yet! 

~Michelle

 After visiting the Hawaiian islands six times I finally got to see Waikiki Beach!

When visiting Hawaii I spent a day and a half exploring the city of Honolulu and the Waikiki Beach area.  It is really not as hard to drive in the city as I thought it might be.  However I live in Tampa Florida which is not a small area either.   Since I was on the islands during Halloween my friend Lori and I came across many Halloween decorations. 

We had dinner two times at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki which has is such a fun place as it has a lot of great restaurants, stores and the beach.   I wish I'd had my good camera and tripod but we were going out for a night on the town so that wouldn't of worked very well.  I was kind of surprised that most of the bars and restaurants closed around 10 or 11 o'clock however we did find a bar called the Wild Irish Rose.   Now I am no stranger to dive bars but it has been a long time since I have visited one so I was hesitant to go to this place.  Surprisingly, I had a great time as the band was good, the staff was friendly everybody there was enjoying themselves and people were dancing.  I would return when I visit the island again. 

Here are a couple of photos that I took from the plane as we were flying into Oahu:

Here is the famous Aloha Tower:

We had dinner at Gordon Biersch

in the back of the tower overlooking the water - very nice!
Here is a famous banyan tree in the Hilton Waikiki Village that has lights on it at night and is very pretty!


Another view of Waikiki Beach:
Here is the Rainbow Tower in the Hilton Hawaiian Village right on Waikiki Beach:

My friend Lori and I went out at night in Honolulu.  I apologize for the quality of some of these photos.  They were taken with my very old point and shoot. 

Here is a statue I tried to photograph called "The Blessing of Puanani", meaning “Beautiful Flower,” at the Hilton Hawaiian Village:

Here is a photo of my friend Lori and I at the Wild Irish Saloon.  I was hesitant to go, but glad I did!  If you watch the short video of the band playing "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple be sure to turn down your volume!

 Here are some goofy photos of some cool Halloween decorations we saw that night.  Of course I wanted my photo taken next to the black cat!

I suppose it's good to get out of your comfort zone from time to time!  Thank you so much for stopping by and let me know if you have stepped out of your comfort zone and if you agree that it is a healthy thing to do?  I hope you all have a wonderful wee!

~Michelle 

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The above photo is of myself and my friend Lori of 25 years and the biggest reason I wanted to visit this Hawaiian island.  We both definitely have the wind blown look in this photo!  She was a wonderful tour guide and I was able to see and learn so much more of the island having a friend who lives there.

While visiting Oahu, Hawaii I stayed in the Ko Olina area at the Marriott Beach Club, but did spend a day exploring the north part of the island which is known for its beaches and great waves for surfing.  The north part of the island is a great place to get away from the city and the crowds.  I don't know a lot about the northern area of the island, but it's very picturesque so I thought I would share a few photos,

I visited the Aloha Tower on my way back and had dinner at a great place overlooking the water I love staying in Ko Olina but might consider staying on the north side of the island the next time I visit.  It reminded me of Kauai which is my personal favorite island in Hawaii and the northern part of Maui.

Below you can see a popular beach called "Eternity Beach" that requires one climb down quite a distance.  Unfortunately I wasn't dressed for the walk down.  I am tentatively planning a trip back to Oahu in 2016 and want to swim at this beach when I do!

Although there are many beautiful beaches on the northern part of Oahu, the water does get really rough and the tide is very strong so therefore is not recommended in many areas even for the best of swimmers and surfers. 

As you can see this area of the island is quite peaceful and definitely away from the busy city area of Honolulu


I didn't see any surfers, hike Diamond Head, or any of the other lovely areas on the Northern part of the island.  Those things will go in my bucket list for my next trip!


I visited the Dole Pineapple Plantation which has a great tour of the grounds and the cost is for adults: $8:50 children: (4-12): $6.50 and children under 4 are free.  They have a fantastic gift shop and restaurant.  I bought all of my souvenirs there.  I saw these fantastic su rays as I was leaving the plantation:
Here is a giant pineapple sculpture at the Dole Pineapple Plantation:
This cool sign is in the plantation's garden:

When you travel to the same area do you like to stay in a hotel which is tried and true or do you like to stay somewhere new?   If you think I should stay on the northern section of the island, do you have any suggestions?

Thank you very much for visiting I would love to hear any stories you have about your adventures in Hawaii or which islands you have been tempted to visit.   Have a great week!

~Michelle 

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