If you follow me on Instagram (here) you may know that last week was my Birthday and that my parents were visiting from Germany. My parents were staying for about 9 days including the travel days, and we did a few day trips to the city. Since the weather was not so great the week before my Birthday, I was super happy that the sun finally had decided to come out and we were able to go on the top of the Rockefeller Center, also referred to as “Top of the Rock”., and we were able to see NYC and it wasn’t covered with rainy clouds.I loved having my parents here, and am grateful that they were here for my Birthday since I haven’t celebrated my Birthday with them in 3 years and that was actually the last time I had seen them also!

Since it was actually quite hot on my Birthday (not complaining though :D), I decided to wear something more airy since it always gets extra hot in the city. These airy blush pink culottes from H&M are truly a dream. I already love pink as you may all know, but they also fit perfectly and it wasn’t too hot with them 🙂 And I love that they match my blush pink Michael Kors purse! Yay 🙂

When you’re visiting New York and you’re trying to decide whether to go on top of the Empire Building or on Top of the Rockefeller Center, I recommend to you to definitely go on top of the Rock. Simply because when you take pictures on top of the Rockefeller Center you’ll have the Empire State Building in your pictures, and I think that’s amazing and it’s one of the most iconic trademarks of New York City. I actually ordered my tickets online here. I love buying the tickets online and in advance, because sometimes the tickets are already sold out for the time that you’d want to go.

I also teamed up with TopView Sightseeing to share some discounted prices with you guys for Sightseeing Tours in New York! When I first arrived in New York City almost 8 years ago I actually took a Sightseeing Bus Tour (here) with TopView, and last year when my best friend from Germany was visiting I took a boat tour (here) down the Hudson River with the company also, and I absolutely loved the experiences! On my to do list is definitely riding a bike through Central Park that TopView also offers (here).

I would love to hear your thoughts on New York City Sightseeing Tours, if you’d want to know more things to do in the city 🙂 I’m looking forward to reading all your comments! Bisous, Joëlle

OUTFIT DETAILS
BLOUSE: H&M (here)
CULOTTES: H&M (similar, similar)
SHOES: WHBM (similar, similar)
PURSE: Michael Kors (similar, similar)
WATCH: Daniel Wellington (here)
BRACELET: Perditi (here)

[A]loha, and welcome to Oahu, Hawaii. 🙂

Where to stay?

During my time in Oahu I stayed at the Disney Aulani Resort. If you are just as big of a Disney Fan as I am then you are going to love this resort. I even got to take pictures with the characters at the character breakfast. Yes I know I’m an adult, but I had to. I love Disney!

The hotel offers many different activities, one of them is snorkeling in a closed area. That was really an awesome experience. I love how the underwater pictures came out 🙂 You pay for a day pass and then you can go snorkeling as many times a day as you please. And since the pools are right by the snorkeling area you can keep switching, which was really cool!

The Disney Aulani Hotel has a big SPA, and they also offer Ocean Fitness, Yoga, and many more activities. One morning I did Ocean Fitness which started at 7am sharp. And yes, it was in the ocean. I did squats, push ups and burpees on a paddle board. That was so much fun! And yes, I did fall in. 3 times actually! Thankfully the water wasn’t that cold. I am so happy I did this class, it was 45min long, and I was definitely sore the next day 😀 Then the other morning I did Sunrise Yoga at the beach, and that started at 6am! Yes it was very early, but it was so much fun and I am happy I did both classes, it was such a great experience. And the beach is beautiful too. It doesn’t have too many waves, since it’s a family resort. But it was very nice and relaxing!

The Disney Luau is also something that you have to experience while being in Oahu. The show was awesome!

Other Hotels

I did some research of other hotels and one of them is The Royal Hawaiian , which is also called the “Pink Palace of the Pacific”. Literally everything is pink, and it’s such a beautiful hotel. When I took a picture at Waikiki Beach you can actually see the Pink Hotel in the background. So the location of the hotel is right by Waikiki Beach, which is awesome! Another hotel I found is the Moana Surfrider Hotel, which is also located right by Waikiki Beach. This hotel is one of the oldest hotels on Oahu., and it’s absolutely beautiful! The Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort is also located in Waikiki and has some great prices.

Blue Dress: Bloomingdales (similar, similar) (more pictures here) ; Floral Dress: Bloomingdales (similar, similar, similar) ; Purse: H&M ; Sandals: TjMaxx (similar, similar)Black Bathing Suit: TjMaxx (similar, similar) ; Green Bathing Suit: via TjMaxx (similar, similar, similar, similar, similar) more pictures here

Waikiki Beach

Waikiki Beach is probably the most famous beach, besides the North Shore, for surfers. There were so many surfers in the ocean! There are many places that you can rent a surfboard at, next time I definitely want to try it. Waikiki Beach is very big, but also very crowded. You have to either like it and not mind it, or you hate it, then Waikiki Beach is not for you! And that’s okay, Waikiki Beach is not for everybody. Sometimes a more private and less crowded beach is nice too. But however, before you stop at a nice lonely beach, make sure you know how to read the ocean. If the waves are breaking further out evenly, that mean there is a coral reef and big fishis can’t swim through and you should be save (of course there can always be an exception to the rule). But if there is a break in between the waves out far, that means there is a gap in between the reef which means big fishis can definitely swim through. So be careful. *Disclaimer: I got this info from my tour guide who was born and raised in Hawaii and that’s what they tell their kids when going into the ocean. They teach them how to read the ocean early on.

Blouse: H&M (similar , similar) ; Shorts: Victorias Secret PINK (similar) ; Sunglasses: Ray Ban

Pearl Harbor

When you’re in Oahu, I highly recommend to visit Pearl Harbor. I got there in the morning, and the tour takes about 3-4 hours, depending how long you take walking around the Pearl Harbor & USS Arizona Memorial. It is very informative, and very sad walking around the memorial, and out of respect I am not going to share more pictures.

All pictures are mine,

So to summarize, I had an amazing time in Oahu staying at the Disney Aulani Resort. It is an absolutely gorgeous hotel. There are so many great things to do in Oahu, and I am looking forward to visiting again. On the top of my to do list for Oahu, when returning, is going on a helicopter ride to see more of the island. Also I’d like to go snorkeling in the ocean, try surfboarding, and do some more beach hopping. I hope you guys like my Hawaii Travel Guide’s. I am looking forward to your thoughts! Mahalo, Joëlle