Our Hawaiian Getaway

Our venue was the Hilton Hawaiian Village, and thanks to my Hilton Honors status, we received a complimentary upgrade to the Ali'i tower. This afforded us a partial ocean view, a glimpse of the lagoon, the pool, and the oasis below. Our oasis contained flamingos, penguins, and was topped off by a wedding chapel with waterfalls.

We soaked in the sun, lounged on the tower's private ocean view balcony, worked out in the gym, and enjoyed each other's company-- just the two of us. Our escape from the worlds that have taken us by storm-- literally and figuratively-- provided us the time to chat, reflect, plan, and make more memories.

We dined at Ocean Room, Rum Fire, and almost all of the restaurants within the village. We loved the Ocean Room and its romantic touches. I would not recommend Rum Fire to anyone, except those looking for take out. The food was spectacular, but the venue tried too hard to be something its not whereas its service lacked on both counts.

Our favorite little haunt was a small bar/restaurant below the Chart House. The locals favored this marina-side joint. Our treks to and from our cozy nook took us around the lagoon and marina, where we pointed out the tongue in cheek names of the vessels within.