For the past few years, I spend New Years' in Hawaii to escape the cold and snow of Philadelphia. I usually meet up with my travel buddy, Chris from New Zealand, re-connect with nature, get some vitamin D and have a mai tai or two - a drink I'd never have anywhere else in the world. Since Hawaii is relatively remote and fairly expensive, I accumulate a lot of airline miles and hotel points throughout the year and use them for splurge travel awards. Booking early helps, except when I finalized plans in February of 2020 - only weeks before the pandemic hit. As the terrible COIVD summer and fall of 2020 dragged on, I held on to my Hawaii trip. While Chris was still in lockdown in New Zealand, I decided to go through all the pre-trip COVID testing necessary to meet the state's safety protocols. Mask and QR code of my negative PCR test in hand, I headed to the airport right after the Christmas holidays. 

Flights: PHL - LAX - HNL

One of the first reactions I get when I say I'm going to Hawaii is - "but the flight is SO LONG!" While true, it's about 10 hours of flying from my home base in Philly; with some prior planning, it can be enjoyable, even fun. I rack up American Airlines miles with my Aviator Mastercard and then go to American Airlines to snag web awards, mileage savers or other discounted awards. Sometimes just adjusting a departure a day or two can score some significant mileage discounts. I do also use the Amex Platinum card for Centurion Lounge access, Uber credits and a host of other benefits that makes this card indispensable to me. I always double-check my seat assignments on Seat Guru before booking - just so I'm sure of what aircraft I'm flying and any seats to avoid in any class of service. While it's great to have an aggressive award acquisition strategy - sign up bonuses, carrying several credit cards, paying for everything with a card to bank miles - I have only recently come to appreciate the when and how of redeeming awards, especially if they're devalued in the near future. For me - this American award flight is a perfect choice for me to splurge.

Hotel: The Royal Hawaiian - the "Pink Palace of the Pacific"

Making friends at the bar (6 feet apart!) 

One of the joys of traveling is the people you meet - and my Hawaii trip was no exception, even during a pandemic. On my first night in Waikiki, I wondered over to the bar at theRuth's Chris Steakhouse (I know I know...it's a chain and a steakhouse of all things - but as I'd been traveling all day and knew I had two weeks of poke and mai tai ahead of me....) only to sit 6 feet away from my lovely friend Tracy, aka Princess Hikai! We started up a conversation only to realize we had met on a previous trip, and within hours of landing, a great friendship was born! Tracy is in tourism and hospitality (with the personality to match!), and she and I met up a few more times during my stay for socially distant cocktails at various spots around town. Here's a pic of Tracy and me from our first night...

North Shore Oahu: 

After a few days in Waikiki, I jumped up to the North Shore to soak in the vibe of the wintertime surfing capital of the world. About an hour's drive north, the island becomes much slower-paced, and beaches around Haleiwa have some of the biggest waves around. I always spend an afternoon checking out the surfers at Ehukai Beach (Bonzai Pipeline) and Sunset beach. A great one-two punch is to spend some beach time at Waimea beach and then hike up the Waimea Valley to the botanical gardens with an incredible waterfall at the end of the trip. The north shore is famous for its food trucks, including Giovanni's shrimp truck, which must do for some local plate lunch flavor. Check out some of the incredible waves at the Bonzai pipeline! 

Big Island, Hawaii

My adventure continued to the Big Island of Hawaii (all of the other Hawaiian islands could fit within the landmass of the Big Island) to re-connect with an old friend from Philadelphia, Brian Richards! While no relation, people did confuse our names thirty years ago as we both volunteered for the same HIV/AIDS non-profit. Brian and his husband got married and moved to the Big Island a year and a half ago, and I promised him on my last trip to Hawaii that the next time I would come to see him. I met up with Brian on my first night at the one gay bar in Kailua-Kona, My Bar, where Kevin, Brian's husband, bartends. After several drinks, it was like several decades had not passed since seeing each other. Check out our friend-reunion...

Adventures: 

One of the many reasons why Brian is a great guy is that I mentioned a few of the things that I wanted to experience on the Big Island since I hadn't been there in 9 years. One of which was going to the top ofMauna Kea to see the observatories. So, bright and early the next day, he and Kevin picked me up and drove up 13,000 feet to the summit. Mauna Kea is actually the world's largest mountain as measured from the base in the pacific ocean to its summit at 13,796 feet (4,205 meters). It's freezing and windy, but the drive up and the view is absolutely stunning. Above the cloudline, you can see across to Maui and trace the lava flows that created the island. Check out the view from Mauna Kea!

Helicopter Tour of the Big Island 

The second surprise Brian had up his sleeve was a two-hour helicopter tour of the Big Island! I was mentioning that the eruption of Kilauea in December 2020 made headline news and that I would love to see it if possible. The next day, Brian and Kevin swing by to get me, and we head off to Paradise Helicopter for an unforgettable tour around the coastline, canyons and the active volcano. What an epic adventure; thank you, Brian!! Check out the lava lake on Kilauea!

Night Dive with Manta Rays

I love to scuba dive, and I've been PADI certified for over 15 years...but I've never done a night dive before, and I certainly haven't swum with Manta Rays! But the Kailua-Kona coastline isn't only famous for its coffee plantations - it has some of the best diving in Hawaii. I hooked up with Big Island Divers late in the afternoon and went out with a small group - only three other divers due to COVID restrictions - and did an afternoon dive and a surface break before the sunset, and we went down for the main event - diving with the Manta Rays! Our dive boat set down a 'campfire' - basically, a milk crate filled with really powerful flashlights - that attracted the plankton that the rays eat. Within 10 minutes, we had a few of these gorgeous, silent creatures skimming by with their mouths open to catch dinner. I just laid on a sandy slope in about forty feet of water and watched the show for a good 20 minutes. Really amazing to be up close to these huge creatures - the average wingspan is 12 to 16 feet! - in pitch black, with only a handheld pocket light for illumination. It was a great way to end my Hawaii adventure! Check out me chilling on the dive boat at sunset...

Aloha and Mahalo! Until next time Hawaii....