We’ve been home since late Saturday night and we’re still not ready for reality. We’re still listening to contemporary Hawaiian music at dinner, figuring out ways to get back ASAP, and in a general “vacation hangover” state of mind. For some reason, Hawaii always does this to us… the spectacular sunsets, trade-winds that kiss your face as the sun meets the water, crystal clear waters, and the general “island time” lifestyle… it’s always hard to transition back to “real life” after several days in Hawaii….
Usually we head back to our tried and true favorite spots, but this time around we headed to the sleepy, old, and charming town of Haleiwa on the North Shore. I believe it’s referred to as the “country” of the island… and for us, it didn’t disappoint.
We actually booked the house back in the summer of 2020… when we thought the pandemic was almost over, but were still looking to stay somewhere that wasn’t a hotel… a place where we could comfortably not leave the property… cook all of our meals… and just relax. So when we found this house, we knew it would be perfect… it’s oceanfront, with a pool, and is a mere 9 houses away from a private beach. Little did we know, when we booked it, we would need to cancel it two times (the owner was so accommodating, never charged us more, and always let us pick dates that worked best for us when we needed to cancel…).
The wait was 100% worth it and exceeded all of our expectations, and as I reflect on the trip, I feel an immense sense of gratitude for the time we were given. Not only was it a special way to kick off summer, after a school year we were incredibly apprehensive about, but the entire family(my mom, dad, sister, BIL, and little niece) was able to join us… something that wasn’t in the original plan. And an “all family” vacation hasn’t happened since 2019.
Sappiness aside, if you’re looking to explore a side of Hawaii that is low key I can’t recommend this area more. Being there I never felt like I “needed” to be doing anything other than what I was doing… there aren’t thousands of excursions beckoning you… or a restaurant on every corner that you feel you might be missing out on… and I guess that’s what I appreciated about Haleiwa… do as much as you want or as little as you want… and you’ll still have a wonderful time.
That being said, we opted for the “doing a little less” so I’m sharing the things we enjoyed… and adding in a few other ideas of things you could do if you wanted to “do a bit more….” (based on local suggestions) below. I hope it’s helpful….
I also wrote up this review on Ko’olina and Honolulu and here is one from 2019 in Maui….
EATS
We spent the majority of our time cooking and BBQing at home, which was nice, but we did enjoy a few meals out that I wanted to share here, since they were so good:
The Sunrise Shack: Literally the cutest shack on the side of the highway (if you aren’t paying attention, you’ll miss it)… delicious bowls, smoothies, and coffee (or so I’m told but the coffee lovers on the trip). It’s also just super cute and a fun experience!
Farm To Barn: LOVED this place… their food is farm to table, it’s open air seating, with live entertainment on the weekends. We went for Sunday breakfast, and between the delicious food and great atmosphere, it’s a spot I wouldn’t mind revisiting over and over again.
Haleiwa Bowls: We went here a few times for some great smoothies and bowls… not as out of the way as sunset shack, and they have a delicious assortment of smoothies, bowls, and chia seed pudding.
Uncle Bo’s: We actually didn’t eat here, but we have in Oahu and it’s so good… it’s a fusion of a lot of different cuisines, so if you like that, this is right up your ally!
The Beach House: Another spot we didn’t dine at on this trip, but have in the past on other islands… great views, cocktails, and food!
Turtle Bay Resort: Again, didn’t eat here… TJ and I were all dressed and ready to go enjoy a cocktail and some appetizers… and then we couldn’t find an über to pick us up (one of the cons to this side of the island). BUT, we heard it’s a great experience!
Makua Banana Bread Co: SUCH delicious banana bread… we brought home 3 loaves!
North Shore is well known for their Food Trucks… and we drove past so many…. so if you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth visiting! Da Bald Guys was recommended to us by a local we met on the beach…
ACTIVITIES
There are so many great activities as well… we loved exploring beaches, with Waimea Bay having a rock for TJ to jump off of (it was fairly high, my anxiety was high as well, haha). But a few other activities include:
Paddle Boarding
Kayaking
Horse Back Riding
Golfing (the guys golfed Turtle Bay)
WHERE WE STAYED
This property was absolutely amazing, and I hope we go back someday soon. It had everything we needed and more. When we were looking for places to stay, back in 2020, a requirement was oceanfront with a pool… which wasn’t super easy to find. This pool is great for families because it’s only 3 feet deep, so Camille could easily touch the bottom. The yard was expansive, the kitchen amazing, and it had a grill on the deck for BBQing. The house has 3 large bedrooms and bathrooms, with a separate living quarter above the garage that was probably 1,000 sq ft… making it a 4 bedroom, 4 bath house that comfortably fit 3 families.
I was asked to share a PROS/CONS list to renting a house, see below:
PROS:
You don’t have to battle for a lounge chair, like you do at large hotels, so I felt like we could relax more in the morning and not have to rush down to the pool to get a spot… or we could leave mid-day and go to the beach without getting the “you have 30 minutes or we will take your chair” flag (hahah)…
You don’t have to wait for a BBQ like you would have to do at other large hotels (for hotels that have them)…
More Privacy…
Unobstructed Ocean Views + Sunsets nightly…
Private Beach (a 4 minute walk away, or 9 houses down)…
You don’t have to go up to the hotel room when the kiddos need a break or need to take a nap… you can just take the monitor downstairs to the pool… so you get much more time outside…
Much more room than a hotel
Laundry In House
CONS:
You’re more removed from central activities
If you don’t like to cook on vacation, you’ll need to drive to all meals
No cleaning services for the room (I was anticipating this to be a problem, but it really wasn’t)
The pool isn’t as elaborate as a hotel pool might be for the kiddos (i.e. slides, etc)
Sharing some photos and outfit details below!
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(We arrived in time to change out of our travel clothes, toss on some swimsuits, enjoy the sun, and take in the prettiest sunset of the trip… Hawaii greeted us with it’s true beauty… swimsuit, cover-up, bucket hat (another option), TJ’s Trunks)
(This was our favorite private beach to walk to, everyday… it was small, beautiful, and never had more than 10 people on it at a given time… linen coverup, swimsuit)
(And then we’d come back and enjoy some time relaxing by the pool and taking in the views…. they never got old…)
(A couple of rainy afternoons didn’t stop us….)
(Kept it casual for our nightly happy hours, taking in the sunset… shorts, tank (also this option), cardigan (15% off with code Natalie15))
(Sunday breakfast at Farm to Barn… the girls loved these little tables… shorts, linen top, sandals, linen bag))
(Back to the beach we went… swim top, bottoms, cover-up, similar hat)
(We picked up fresh poke to make homemade poke bowls at home and they were delicious!)
(One of the most beautiful sunsets… shorts, sweatshirt)
(The cutest little spot… Sunset Shack… tank (also this option), shorts, sandals)
(Headed to Waimea Bay for some rock jumping and calm waters… my sister’s suit, hat)
(I will miss these nightly moments… shorts)
(One of my favorite suits I brought on the trip… sandals, coverup)
(This beach had sea turtles on shore daily… so amazing to view from afar… the girls were mesmerized)
(Camille requested these little beachside cat-naps whenever we were at the beach….)
(We bought the little ones matching suits… Camille passed on the photo… haha)
(My parents gave us a night to ourselves… and we opted to just hang on the beach… solo… it was so nice… cover-up, disc necklace, bezel bar necklace (both 10% off with code SHANNON10 in June only)
(Best spot in the house… with Nana…)
(Morning walks around the property… shorts, tank)
(They just never get old…)
(The night we were supposed to go to Turtle Bay… dress (another option here, 15% off JK with code Natalie15), Sandals (10% off with code ITSYBITSYINDULGENCES10), Tennis Necklace (10% off for the month of June with code SHANNON10), Shorts, Harper’s Dress, Camille’s Dress)
(Headed to Hale’iwa Bowls twice… loved their Pipeline Smoothie…. shorts, tee)
(Brought along this comfy one piece… cover-up)
(Best banana bread… I hate the word moist, but it’s the only word to describe it… haha.. picked up 3 loaves to bring home…)
(Last day… headed back to the beach and enjoyed fresh coconut water from the coconut tree on property… sandals)
(The last sunset and evening spent star gazing… I’ve never seen the stars like that in Hawaii… it was spectacular)
