It’s a blessing that our flight to Hawaii wasn’t cancelled. On the night before our departure, there was a forecast of snow in the Dallas metroplex. The next morning, I looked out at the window and saw we were surrounded by 3-6 inches of snow. Fortunately, it was going to be sunny all day and the snow eventually melted by early afternoon. 


Imagine my relief when our plane took off from Dallas. I knew there was nothing that can stop us now. We were headed to Hawaii, where the air breeze is much warmer. We spent the night in Los Angeles and took an early flight the next day to Honolulu. 


“I’m going to die in Dallas”, I told my husband as we landed in Honolulu Int’l Airport. “Oh no, not me!”, he replied. No, I don’t mean I’m going to die in Dallas literally. Not if I can help it. I have to be honest, I don’t like living in Dallas. Perhaps it’s a different story if I live in Austin. But I don’t. Dallas bores me. It lacks the cultural diversity I longed for. It is also very flat. No ocean. No mountains. No coconut trees. It also doesn’t help that I have no family in Dallas. And despite having found good friends, I often find myself lonely in this city.

Whenever my husband suggests Hawaii as our vacation destination, there’s always that initial disagreement between us. I want to go somewhere different, somewhere we’ve never been to before. I have been to Hawaii countless of times when I worked for the airlines. And we have gone there four times with the whole family already. But this trip is his gift to himself to celebrate a milestone birthday, although eight months too late. I couldn’t argue with him. For some reason I could never understand, he’s always had a profound love affair with Hawaii. 

But I must admit, he made the right decision this time. Honolulu has everything I need for my inner peace —the ocean and the mountains, combined with the skyscrapers, it is paradise. 

the hotel lobby


Our home for the week was at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. It is a 22 acre oceanfront property with beautiful tropical landscapes. The resort has many restaurants and shops (including a Louis Vuitton store). They have five pools and a lagoon. It also has 60 species of exotic birds, turtles, waterfowls and fish throughout the property. We were given a room with a breathtaking view of the ocean and Diamond Head. 

took this photo early morning
our room’s view with the Diamond Head in the background

Hawaii is five hours behind Texas. The time difference definitely worked in our favor. We woke up early the first morning, walked by the beach before it got crowded. The moon was still visible and the water was calm. The only noise we could hear was the sound of the waves. The tranquility was an indication of what lies ahead- an unforgettable vacation in paradise. 

Aloha!