We drove along the North Shore to Turtle Bay Resort, where we spent a couple of days. 
Turtle Bay Resort was beautiful and had every amenity and comfort we could ask for! Our peaceful room overlooked the ocean on the very tip of the island, and we enjoyed panoramic views. It was the perfect spot to sit with morning coffee, work though emails, and enjoy the solitude.
Seabass doing his morning surf check!
Yes… that is a dog on the front of that surfboard!It’s a far cry from Waikiki. We snorkeled, surfed, ate by the pool and enjoyed the amazing on-site restaurants and peaceful surroundings. It was lovely to escape the touristy stuff of Waikiki.
Drive along the North Shore
On our way to Turtle Bay Resort, we stopped to visit the famous North Shore beaches; Sunset Beach, Pipeline, and Waimea Bay.
Searching for Surf!
Sebastian was on the quest for surf, however the waves during summer are less than ideal. We didn’t get to witness the epic waves you see in contests, so we settled for amazing sunsets, beaches, delicious food trucks, and quaint art galleries scattered along the North Shore.
It’s made by shaving a block of ice into a bowl, and adding various flavored syrups that soaks into the ice. We ate it most days and were on a quest to find the best shave ice on Oahu.
You can also add ice-cream or a “snow-cap’ which is condensed milk drizzled over the top. Soooo many people recommended we visit 
The line was insane, and while we didn’t want to wait, we decided to suck it up to see what all of the fuss was about. Verdict from Julian: “This is the 
Once you find your spot, you are steps away from a delicious cold cocktail at 
It’s the perfect spot to take your first surf lesson! However at the risk of sounding bratty, t
That’s assuming there’s surf of course… we didn’t exactly luck out with the 
The ash settled and today, Diamond Head State Monument is one of Oahu’s most scenic hiking trails. We made the mistake of walking from our hotel in Waikiki around the crater and up to the beginning of the trail at the crater floor. And it was a loooooong and hot walk. Many people drive to the crater floor and begin the 760 foot (almost straight uphill) hike from there to the top. 
We’re all pretty fit and it took us about 45 minutes to hike to the top from the crater floor, and 30 minutes to hike back down. We certainly earned our Mai Tai’s that day!
It’s fairly easy to find on the East coast, but the challenging part is finding a place to park. After we found our (slightly illegal) parking spot, we found a beach entrance nestled in between two houses and stepped onto the most beautiful beach we have ever seen. 
We were surrounded by miles of calm aqua blue water, and spent an afternoon feasting on the incredible scenery.
The drive is breathtaking and once you leave the city of Honolulu the traffic thins out. It was such a pretty drive, and we all enjoyed the air-conditioning of the car since the temperatures outside were hot hot hot!
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