To think Oahu almost got the cut, is CRAZY sauce! Good thing I accidentally booked a non-refundable 10 day trip, and that the Four Season’s Resort did-not-budge on its policies (consider this a warning!).  After finally coming to terms with the fact Oahu was the next #rickettsadventures, I went to planning. Below are five reasons you should consider Oahu for your honeymoon (or next vacation!).

1. Waikiki Beach.  Our first night we stayed at the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort and Spa, located on the beautiful Waikiki beach. I mean, you literally walk out of the lobby and BAM, luxury shopping and fine dining steps away in front of you, and a beautiful beach in back of you! I wanted to be able to experience the hustle and bustle of Honolulu, and actually spend time on the legendary Waikiki beach without having to rent a car.
2. Best of Both Worlds. The “West Side” aka Sunny side of Oahu is where we spent the other 9 days of our trip at the Four Season’s Resort. If you are considering Oahu, but really don’t want the “big city feel”, then the west side is a great place to stay, plus who doesn’t want SUN on their honeymoon!!
3. Pearl Harbor. Because no life is complete without a visit to Pearl Harbor 🙂 In all seriousness though, it was such a great experience to be able to learn and see in-person the memorial created and real life battle ships. Tip: book tickets in advance and dedicate a day to it. We waited until the last minute, and only had time to tour the USS Missouri.
4. Experience a real life ocean WAVE POOL! Like legit. This reason is for the adventurous couples, for those who ignore the “do not enter signs” (true story), who don’t mind hiking down rocks, or risk getting thrashed by huge ocean waves! I actually found this location, Halona Beach Cove a.k.a Eternity Beach (located on the southeast side of the island) looking through engagement shots from an Oahu based Wedding Photographer. To be completely transparent, it was something that Isaac was against (for safety reasons), but I wasn’t going to back down; plus, the fact that “other people are doing it!!!” and the joy radiating from their faces helped my cause. It seriously was the highlight of our trip, well that +  my wedding styled shoot! For tips on how to setup a Styled Shoot, check out my blog post here.
5. The ice-cream + shaved iced combo at Matsumoto’s!  A true hot-spot. If for no other reason, let it be this one. For one of our day trips, we rented a car and headed to the North Shore to check out the town and the legendary surf mecca. There we found Matsumoto’s, a true hot spot and small family owned business, where fans line up for shaved ice in exotic flavor’s and combos, together with ice cream!! While I’m normally not a fan of “weird” combo’s, I stepped out of my comfort zone with this one, but glad I did. So YUMMY!!

Check out some of my favorite pics from our trip below!

With Love,

TR