My husband and I had the vacation of a lifetime at Pheap's beach retreat. After a sunset stroll on Waikiki and eating under the tiki torches of Duke's Outrigger Restaurant, we arrived in Punalu'u and walked straight out onto the lanai overlooking the ocean. Too hyped to call it a night, we walked underneath the moonlight amidst sea turtles on the shore. It was magical.
We snorkeled in Turtle Bay where Catching Fire was filmed (not a lot of fish there) and then went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Thank goodness our tickets were good for three days because there were so many shows and activities for a mere single day. The luau had me at the pina colada slushie served in a pineapple with umbrellas and flowers. And the "Breath of Ha" fire dancer show was professional in an outdoor amphitheater.
Pheap's place had everything you need to cook some quick meals on your own (pots, pans, toaster, kitchen utensils), and then we used the beach towels, snorkeling equipment, and boogie boards to hit the beach. Shark's Cove was the best spot to see schools of fish, a baby sea turtle, and an octopus.
My husband and I managed to hike easily in flip-flops on all trails we went on. Waimea Falls was packed with people. Wailele Falls behind BYU Hawaii was not and was far more adventurous! Again, we were thankful for all the amenities at Pheap's place; we were grateful for a washer and dryer in the apartment, a hose outside the building to wash your feet off, and 24/7 security guard on the premises with CCTV cameras.
All the food trucks were fantastic! We ate fresh seafood whenever we could. If you are not a seafood person, you will still just absolutely die at the shrimp trucks. Our favorite restaurant was Pounder's at the Hukilau Marketplace where we had the most delicious octopus and sunfish. As I am dairy-intolerant, I told my husband we had to eat every chance we got the Acai Bowls...for science.
We bought a bike cruiser and an oscillating fan for our daughter heading off to college at BYU Hawaii and we were happy to see that the prices in Walmart were the same as in the states. We swam with sharks with One Ocean Dive, snorkeled with sea turtles at Lanikai Beach, and took surf lessons with Mike at his secret spot.
Take every chance that you have to just talk to the locals on the North Shore. You will be hard-pressed to find more kind, down-to-earth people anywhere else in your travels.
Mahalo,
The Palmers