I’m so excited to share my most recent trip with you! I had the super cool opportunity to travel to Hawaii with OPI, and go on some amazing adventures at the Hilton Waikoloa Village! I had a fun packed four days, and the awesome part was that each adventure I went on incorporated one of the polishes from the collection! Ready, set, go!
I arrived at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, totally jet lagged, but that wasn’t going to stop me from exploring! The entire resort is absolutely gorgeous, and so lush with tropical landscape, parrots, and that perfect ocean breeze!
The hotel has its own monorail so you can get around easily, or you can take one of it’s boats from place to place. How cool is that? I loved that I could always see some amazing views from anywhere on the resort. There are plenty of pools to cool off in, and it’s own private saltwater ocean lagoon, filled with fish, and turtles.
After getting settled in, I headed to Queens’ Marketplace which is only about a mile away. I was in the mood to chill out and do some shopping, so I definitely came to the right place! I loved the variety of stores, and found some cute boutiques that I’ve never seen before! It was a scorcher so I finally cooled off with some delicious iced tea at Starbucks. I wore ‘Suzi Shops & Island Hops‘ with fun chevron accents.
After picking up a couple tops from Quiksilver and a dress from Mahina, I headed back to the hotel for my spa appointment. I was VERY happy about that! I arrived at the Kohala Spa, where I was given my locker key, a comfortable robe, and slippers to change in to. The atmosphere was so relaxed and peaceful. There was plenty of space in the locker room, which was super clean, and had a nice modern touch. I sat in the candle lit waiting room, and sipped on some complimentary lemon infused ice water. Finally, my masseuse arrived and I followed her to the massage room. I’ve never had a Lomi Lomi massage before, but it was really amazing. It’s different from the traditional massages since they do longer strokes and concentrate on some stretching as well. Here I’m wearing ‘Aloha from OPI‘.
Once it was over, I didn’t really feel like getting up. But after such a relaxing massage, who really wants to move? I finally got up and grabbed some more citrus water and gathered the rest of my things together. The spa has everything you could ask for from traditional massage, to facials, and mani/pedi’s. It’s the perfect place to treat yourself!
Later that evening, I headed to the Legends of Hawaii Luau. I’ve never been to a luau before, so I was excited to see what goes on! What I did know for sure, is that there’s plenty of food, and I was definitely looking forward to that!
Everyone sat next to each other on long tables, just like they did for traditional luau’s from back in the day. You had your choice of salad, fish, meat, vegetables, and dessert. A little bit of everything. I loved that you could pick and choose whatever you wanted, and if you wanted more, go right ahead!
The dancers started about 20 minutes after we arrived. They put on an amazing show that really showed the history of Hawaii and it’s unique culture. I don’t know about you, but I need to learn how to move my hips like those hula girls! And of course I had to wear ‘That’s Hula-rious‘ for my mani! How could I not?
Once the luau was over, it was time to get some rest, because the next day was another very exciting one!
I woke super early since the time is 6 hours earlier than the East Coast. I had a filling breakfast at the Water’s Edge buffet and then I went back to the room to get ready for the Big Spectacular helicopter tour! I’ve never ever been on a helicopter so this was something I was thrilled about! I took the shuttle to the Blue Hawaiian landing pad, which was only about 5 minutes from the resort.
After watching the safety video, I got all geared up with a flotation device around my waist, just in case! Our group was called, so we all headed down to the helicopters, single file. Each person went in one by one, and I was so happy that I was the ‘co-pilot’ since that meant I was sitting in the front. Once the workers strapped me into the seatbelt and handed me headphones, we were off!
The views from the helicopter were just breathtaking! You always see these things on TV but to actually see it in person was a totally different story. We flew over the volcanos, and lava flows, then onto the Hilo side where the cliffs and waterfalls are. On top of everything being super awesome, the ride was so smooth!
‘Go With The Lava Flow‘ was quite fitting for this adventure, so to add some flare, I did a simple negative space design.
Flying into the valley to see the waterfalls was, again, SO amazing! There’s just no words for this experience, to be honest. To see the island from this view is truly unique, and something I completely recommend to do with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters!
I worked up a big appetite, so when dinner time hit, I headed to Kamuela Provision Company on the resort. It’s right on the ocean, so you have a beautiful view, especially when the sun is setting. The menu is filled with many options, but I ended up with some maui onion rings for an appetizer and vegetable primavera pasta for the main meal.
My pasta was packed with the freshest ingredients which made for a very tasty dinner. I also had a pineapple smoothie which went well with ‘Pineapples Have Peelings, Too‘ on my nails.
I knew I had to work off all the delicious food I ate, so after I made sure I digested, I headed to the saltwater lagoon for some paddleboarding! The lagoon is great since you can do so many things. Swimming, snorkeling, kayaking and more! It has it’s own white sand beach with plenty of chairs to relax on, as well. Paddleboarding is new to me, so I was a little shaky, but luckily I have decent natural balance so I got the hang of it!
And boy, does it work your legs and abs! There’s a lot of core strength involved. It’s not only fun, but also a great exercise! The purple I’m wearing is ‘Lost My Bikini in Molokini‘. Thankfully, I didn’t lose my bikini at all! 😉
The next day, I went on a morning nature walk through the property. Everywhere you look, there are flowers, ponds, fish, parrots, and more!
I loved the areas with the lily pads and koi fish. There’s also small little waterfalls, and cute sitting benches in case you want to read a book, or just relax.
I was hoping I’d find a gecko to match the ‘My Gecko Does Tricks‘ mani I had on, but to no avail! They are a bit elusive!
I made my way over to the Ocean View Terrace to create some lei’s. The colors of the flowers here are so vibrant and pretty! I found a nice shady spot under a palm tree and began to thread the flowers. I thought it would be fun to do a floral print design over ‘Do You Take Lei Away‘ since it’s the perfect neutral base.
Buddha Point is right next to where I was sitting, so a little after I made my lei, I went over to get a cabana. The #1 cabana closest to the Buddha statue has the best view! It was nice to look out to the ocean, and clear my mind.
I was served nice cold water which really quenched my thirst. ‘This Color’s Making Waves‘ really matched the curved negative space design I did on my nails.
A bit later, I made my way to Malolo Lounge near the lobby since I was in the mood for something sweet! I heard they had great drinks here, so I ordered a Lava Flow which is basically a pina colada topped with strawberry. It was just what I needed! Sweet and flavorful!
You would’ve thought I’d order a Mai Tai to go with ‘Is Mai Tai Crooked‘? on my nails, but there’s a special place in my heart for anything coconut or strawberry, so I couldn’t help it!
It was getting darker, and I wanted to stargaze, so once I was done sipping on my drink, I went back to my room.
I had no idea you could see almost 90% of the stars from Hawaii! The sky is so clear at night, which made for a great sight off the balcony of my room. I used ‘Hello Hawaii Ya?‘ topped with some gold and silver stars for my design.
I was leaving to go home the next day, so I got up bright and early to grab some Kona coffee. It’s grown on the Big Island, so it tastes so fresh since it’s harvested so close to my temporary home.
I wore ‘Just Lanai’ing Around’ for my final day in Hawaii. Since I was leaving so soon, I drank my coffee on the lanai of my room, which has a beautiful view of the ocean. I packed up my things, and it was time to head to the airport.
Watch my video for more from my trip!
I really enjoyed my time at the Hilton Waikoloa Village! It has everything you need on the resort, so you don’t need to worry about leaving. You can sit poolside, go visit the dolphins, or have fun in the lagoon, there’s something for everyone! This trip was definitely something I will always remember, and I’m so thankful I could experience it! And, of course, share it with you! Until next time!
Disclaimer: OPI + Hilton Waikoloa Village were awesome enough to sponsor this trip and video. The Hawaii Collection was sent to me as a press sample. Opinions are always my own. Some links in this post are affiliate links.