nadineyap

We stayed on the top floor of a house right on sunset beach. I highly recommend the house. http://www.halekimo.com. Each floor has 3 BR 2 BA. There is an awesome large wraparound lanai with a grill. Hammock on the lawn. Gate right down to the beach. The store is 3 miles down the road – super convenient. Very helpful and responsive management. The two downsides are that the beds aren’t the most comfy in the world (well, we are spoiled with our super deluxe king mattress) and the bedrooms back onto the main road. You don’t hear much if you sleep with AC but if you sleep with the windows open it can get noisy on Friday night. North Shore is also a bit further out of sightseeing spots in Honolulu (1 hr) if that’s something you’re keen on doing, but the drive is easy – much of the way on freeway. We found Haleiwa easy to get food from if we didn’t want to cook. We never made it to Turtle Bay Resort for the fancy meal that we thought we were going to have.

The North Shore is, of course, known for its surf. We took surfing lessons from local Maven “Uncle Brian” (Brian Surratt – look for him on Sunset Beach), who also took our 15 month old out to catch a wave (we have this on video). He’s a character and definitely added flavor to the week. He was nice enough to pick some local flowers and bring them back for a lei making session. He’s the kind of guy who knows everyone, you know? Full of social energy.

With a toddler, we spent most of our time just relaxing on the beach. My sister and her fiance also did some skydiving nearby. And the local ranch is nearby if you fancy some horseriding.