When you find yourself having to decide between dozens and dozens of dream places the choice can be really very difficult. This is how our trip to Hawaii began, we could not decide what was better than anything else in front of wonderful images of dream beaches. Determined to conclude our project, map in hand, we evaluated our priorities. We wanted an easily accessible location after so many hours of flight, possibly not excessively overcrowded with tourists, a few steps away from a dream beach and at the same time close to a city center with bars, restaurants and local shops. We couldn't choose anything better than Kailua. (20 minutes from Honolulu airport with Uber)
When we arrived, despite the bad weather penalizing us, we found exactly what we expected, so if you want a relaxed vacation, away from the hordes of tourists, surrounded by the true Hawaiian beauties, choose Kailua. But what surprised us the most was something we weren't prepared to receive. Ray and Sabine. Their wonderful Aloha Suite is perfect in all respects. The huge fan on the ceiling allowed us to spend peaceful nights even in the torrid tropical climate, the large, spacious and very clean bathroom, equipped with clean and perfumed towels and a hair dryer, the kitchen corner with all the necessary comforts and above all the private garden, well separated from the road, full of flowers and manicured trees, made us feel immediately at home. But it was only after a while that we managed to get in tune with the spirit of the island, and we would never have succeeded without the help of Ray and Sabine. Sabine welcomed us immediately making us feel welcome, with lots of fresh fruit on arrival and fresh flowers waiting for us in the room, she gave us all the information we could need, maps, bus schedules, favorite restaurants, numbers by phone, activity and more, she was available for any of our needs and allowed us to use surfboards, beach chairs and anything else needed to spend a wonderful day at the beach (5 minutes walk from the house), she then told us about Hawaiian lifestyle, local people’s mindset, and explained to us why foreigners so easily fall in love with this land.
One day of our vacation it was particularly gray and drizzly, and while we were trying to figure out how to get to Honolulu by bus, Ray knocked on our door with a huge smile, saying he was available to guide us through the wonders of the island ( You can find his "My Aloha Tour" Tour on Airbnb Experiences) We could not believe the luck that was happening to us and we accepted the offer immediately. We got in the car, and after a short stop for a great coffee we started our tour. We walked through the historical site of Ulupo Heiau, where Ray showed all his love and passion for flowers by showing us almost all the species, then we visited some very peculiar local farms immersed in a surreal landscape, passing from one moment to another between wagging through mountain paths and discovering unknown and breathtaking beaches. We passed by the beautiful Waimanalo, and skirting the entire eastern part of the island, Ray guided us among the surfers (impossible to resist, a bath with them is a must), among the Golf clubs, on amazing cliffs, and made us taste an enormous amount of local dishes, among which I strongly recommend you to try the "Squid Luao", I fell in love with it.
Then Ray took us up to Waikiki also passing by Ala Moana to taste the typical shave ice, he let us stop whenever we wished along the road and he carefully told us every detail of the mountains we watched and the bays we crossed. As a true Hawaiian, he told us about his respect for nature, his reverence for the ocean and his love for calm things, he made us discover places we never thought we could see by ourselves, and made us truly feel Hawaiian a day.
Our Hawaii would not have been the same without these two modern superheroes, who wonderfully carry out one of the most challenging jobs in the world: welcoming travelers to their home and making their experience unforgettable.