Jack and Jill Adventures Hawaii

(Click here for more photos or here for video)

It is easy amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season to forget that you are, in fact, in a tropical paradise with warm sunny beaches, cool trade winds, rugged mountains, coconuts, rainbows and palm trees surrounding you. It is difficult to keep in mind when you are fighting your way through snarling traffic to get to an overcrowded shopping mall, or struggling online to find that perfect gift for someone only to find out after purchasing that shipping to Hawaii is not free despite what the company’s website claims, that you are, in reality, wearing a swimsuit and slippers when most of the rest of the country is bundled up in snowsuits and mittens! It is in moments like this, when the frustration of the holidays and island life can reach a fevered pitch, that our family likes to step back from the modern day routine of Christmas and simply take time to enjoy the season and all that it offers, particularly in Hawaii, where there is so much to see and do that can only be experienced here. One of our favorite holiday excursions we make a point to enjoy each year to help us unwind and catch our breath is a trip to Waikiki to take a leisurely family stroll through the heart of Oahu’s tourist district to check out the holiday decorations at the many hotels and resorts that line its beaches. Each holiday season, Waikiki hotels seemingly spare no expense to transform their grounds and lobbies into holiday wonderlands that are well worth a visit, even for residents. Many even feature special Christmas themed activities and events that are not limited to guests only and most can be enjoyed for free! We enjoy the opportunity to get out of the house and walk off a few of the Christmas cookies that we snuck while baking, enjoy the fantastic weather, and set aside the anxiety over whether or not we remembered to send Auntie a Christmas card or not, at least for a few hours! All of the hotels and resorts decorate to some extent and they are all worth a look, but there are a few noteworthy ones in particular, that you do not want to miss. The Hilton Hawaiian Village has amazing displays throughout their grounds. Ocean and beach themed Christmas trees are in the main and tower lobbies and restaurants and snow flake lights adorn the palm trees. The main driveway into the resort is line with lights and some of Christmas’ most memorable characters. The Hale Koa Hotel has a beautifully decorated banyan tree in its center court surrounded by brilliantly lit palm trees. Within the resort you can find Santa’s Toyland and a Gingerbread Fantasyland. In the main lobby, there is a terrific Hawaiian “snowman” display that is sure to illicit a smile or two. The Moana Surfrider is tastefully decorated with classic decorations befitting the 110 year old “First Lady of Waikiki” and the hotels plantation style décor. The Royal Hawaiian is decorated throughout with traditional holiday trappings…all in pink of course!  The nearby Halekalani is also nicely decorated and worth a look. The Sheraton Waikiki has an amazing sand sculpture celebrating Christmas and Hawaii’s gift to the world, surfing! The sand sculpture took 5 days to create and contains over 6 tons of sand!  Without a doubt, the best hotel holiday display is at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Hotel. The resort’s lobby is home to Santa’s German Gingerbread Village on display until January 2nd. The 14 foot tall and 24 foot wide edible winter wonderland made of gingerbread and other treats was the creation of the hotels Executive Chef, Ralf Bauer. The village is representative of a quaint German mountainside village complete with ski slope, carousel, skating rink, and much to our son’s delight, two working trains, but also includes a touch of Hawaii with the inclusion of local iconic structures such as the Kawaihao Mission Church, Moana Surfrider Hotel, Iolani Palace, and Aloha Tower. When completed, the entire display took over 700 hours to build and set up while consuming 140 lbs of dark chocolate, 50 lbs of white chocolate, 70 sheets of gingerbread and 225 gallons of icing. This is a can’t miss display that your family must make the time to see if spending any part of the holiday season on Oahu. It is truly remarkable to see and will delight the entire family. In addition to the hotel displays, be sure to check out the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center which is nestled among them and also is very nicely decorated for the season. Be sure to bring your camera so you can take lots of pictures! Also, bring a stroller if you have little ones that tire easily, there is quite a bit of walking to do if you visit all of the hotels mentioned. There are numerous places along the way to eat or get a drink if you decide you want something and there are restroom facilities at all of the hotels and the shopping center. There is plenty of parking near or at the hotels but we like parking at the public lots near the Hale Koa and Hilton and walking east saving the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani for last. If you only intend to visit the Gingerbread Village, then park at the public lot adjacent to the Honolulu Zoo which is much closer. The beach, zoo, aquarium, and Diamond Head are all nearby, so if you are looking for something else to do while you are there consider checking them out too. This is an excellent chance to unwind as the momentum of the holiday season mounts. It is a terrific way to get out of the house and enjoy a sunny, trade wind afternoon or a warm, tropical evening. It will no doubt put a smile on your family’s faces and get everyone into the holiday aloha spirit!

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Our toddler has become quite the train enthusiast this year!  Fortunately, the Christmas season in Hawaii is a wonderland of holiday themed child-sized trains suitable for riding that fills the imagination with dancing candy canes and larger than life presents overflowing their neatly wrapped boxes!  While there are real trains that run throughout the year on Oahu (Hawaiian Railway Society), Maui (Sugar Cane Train) and Kauai (Kauai Plantation Railway) that offer riders an authentic railroad experience, there is something enchanting about the Christmas season and the magical world evoked by a fully decorated, pint-sized holiday train traveling through a landscape of endless imaginative boundaries!  Most are conveniently located so that parents don’t even have to make a special trip to the station to take their children for a ride, but are located within other traditional holiday meccas...like the shopping mall!  Our family’s two favorites are the Candy Cane Train at Ala Moana Center and the Pearlridge Express at Pearlridge Center Uptown.  The Candy Cane Train at Ala Moana Center (click here for video), located in the Nordstrom Wing, Level 2 is based on “The Christmas Gift of Aloha” storybook.  The 30 foot long train is for keiki age 12 and under (must be able to sit up by themselves) and runs from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays daily through Christmas Eve.  Tickets are $5.00 and are first come, first serve and can be purchased at the Train Depot located near the center of the mall by the Louis Vuitton store on the mall level 2.  When you purchase a ticket, you will be assigned a departure time.  Plan on arriving about 10 minutes before your departure time to get in line.  Seating on the train is first come, first serve within your assigned departure time.  This guarantees your child a seat, it just may be in the middle facing backwards if you don’t get there early enough!  The train does not run on a track but is driven, like a car, by the conductor through the mall which we thought took a little bit away from the experience but that is a parent’s perspective, the kids certainly did not mind!  The ride lasts about 10 minutes as the train does about 5 laps around the wing, escorted along the way by staff who are there both for the safety of the children and inattentive mall shoppers, and to sing along on with the carols on the train’s musical journey.  The Pearlridge Express at Pearlridge Center Uptown (click here for video) in the Center Court is a scale model steam train that travels on its track through a magical land of giant toys!  The ride costs $3.00 and lasts about 10 minutes as the train completes about 5 laps through the toy wonderland.  Keiki must be under 48 inches tall to ride (and able to sit up on their own).  Tickets are sold at the Pearlridge Express Ticket Booth adjacent to the ride near the elevator and Starbucks and are sold on a first come, first serve basis.  Your child will be assigned a specific time and seat when the ticket is purchased.  This is nice for parents because it prevents the made dash to the train to get your child a good seat when your assigned time comes!  Children sit in a line, 3 to a car, so there are no bad seats.  The ride runs daily from 10:00 a.m.to 8:00 p.m. (10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays, Christmas and New Years Eves) now through January 8th, 2012.  Also a hit with our child, this train offers the most realistic railroad experience of the two featuring a track complete with railroad crossings and sidings, and a locomotive with an authentic sounding steam whistle and the familiar “chug-chug-chug” of a real train.  Regardless of which train you choose, your child will be thrilled by the experience and will undoubtedly beg you to go again and again!  It is a terrific holiday adventure for your children and a great way for parents to catch their breath and get a few minutes of rest while holiday shopping!