Hawaii Weekender Guide: Tips For Avoiding Crowds And Soaking Up All The Sun!
This post sponsored by Alaska Airlines
A few weekends ago Harper and I had the awesome opportunity to go back to Hawaii for their Annual Pride Festival. This is quickly becoming our favorite Pride Festival because…um well, it’s Hawaii. Our friends at Alaska Airlines generously flew us back to the island for a weekend full of relaxation, fun and rainbows.
Always so impressed with this airline and their commitment to the LGBT community. They created a helpful page that lists LGBT friendly destinations and events they help coordinate throughout the year. Actually very helpful. We honestly almost fly exclusively through them because of it (and because we collect points and they have a great rewards program).
We went to Hawaii with them last year, and I have a great blog HERE talking about all the cute IG spots and great restaurants you should check out. This round, we decided to learn from our past Hawaii trip and made some adjustments that we LOVED.
First off, we decided to spend the first two nights outside of Waikiki
For a location that is flooded with tourists, Waikiki is actually still really lovely. Nevertheless, we wanted to start our trip away from the crowds and just enjoy a beautiful quiet beach town.
That’s why we spent our first two evenings at
Lanikai Beach
It was by far our favorite destination last year, and so why not go back and stay longer? Lanikai is on the eastern shore of the island (about a 30 min drive from Honolulu) and has the softest whitest sand and the most turquoise water you will ever see.
This is a very popular beach for locals, and it is easy to see why. We found a super cute Airbnb in one of the nearby neighborhoods only a short walk from the beach. It was honestly perfect and exactly what we needed.
Where we ate:
Kono’s- Amazing Pulled Pork Sanwhiches. Perfect for Lunch after the beach
Prima- When you’re in Hawaii you don’t immediately think pizza…but we did, and this place was amazing. They have this amazing spicy oil that Harper wanted to steal and keep in his purse at all times ;)
What we did:
Laid on the beach and relaxed, duh.
Next, we headed back into the city for the actual Pride Festival. The Pride parade was MUCH larger this year, and it was so fun to see the city come out and celebrate. So many colors and awesome floats. The parade goes down the main boulevard in Waikiki, ending at the festival near the Zoo in the park. We found a cozy grassy spot along the street (finding shade was key) and then followed the parade down and checked out the festival.
We wandered around Waikiki for awhile and this is what we found:
Best Gay Bar
Bacchus- Kind of a dive, but in all the best ways. We actually went there twice, once for happy hour, and then back that evening for dancing. We had so much fun!
Tastiest Brunch Spot
Mahina & Suns- The food here was soooo TASTY. It is located at the Surfjack Hotel, which also probably has the best coffee shop in the city as well. A must stop spot.
Favorite Hotel
While in Honolulu, we decided to stay at The Modern Honolulu and we LOVED it. Amazing minimalist vibe, lovely room with a balcony, and most importantly, AN ADULTS ONLY POOL.
It was the perfect place to get away and relax.
Where we ate:
Maui Brewing Co. - Okay, so touristy, but honestly, nothing beats their spicy sriracha fries. We went twice for lunch. No regrets.
Bills Hawaii- Delicious food and pretty interior!
All in all, we had the most amazing weekend in Hawaii. We are so thankful for Alaska Airlines for giving us this incredible experience again. Definitely check them out for your next Pride destination, or if you are needing a little Hawaiian getaway. Only took us 6 hours to get to tropical paradise!
Which island is your favorite?
