Waikiki Hawaii-The Grand Appeal

Hawaii is not called 'paradise' and rainbow state for nothing. It is considered the wedding capital of the world, and one of the most romantic tour destinations. More than 20,000 marriages are performed annually on the islands, to include ours. The islands natural beauty, and climate, the fairest weather you will ever find, (temperature is between 75°F and 85°F with light breezes. The temperature of the ocean varies from a summertime high of approximately 82°F, to a low of about 76°F during the coolest winter months), makes it perfect to tie the knot and have a honeymoon.

It was thirty years ago when my husband and I came to Hawaii for a week's stopover, and I was immediately 'lovestruck'! Beautiful as it was, what to me, was more incredible was the 'feel', or the spirit i sensed among it's 'melting pot' of folks. I would later learn about the spirituality that ran strong among the Islanders, and of course the value and high priority invested into it's tourism. After a quick run to the nearby Marketplace to buy a bathing suit, off we went to join the beach crowd, a carpet of tourists, sun worshipers, surfers, name it. We took our little spot on the white sand, sprayed on Hawaiian Tropics oil, ordered our Pina Coladas, and set our eyes to admire the aqua waters, clear blue skies and swaying palm trees.

Waikiki Beach is also considered the world's most famous and most filmed beach. There's a popular local saying that goes, "Lucky you live in Hawaii", and now that Hawaii is now our home, we can only nod and give it our thumbs up. It does have it's dilemma, of being highly commercialized and being very pricey. This is inevitable, with about 4.5 million visitors to host every year. And this number does not seem to be affected by the recession. There is the Hawaii, we, it's natives love and hope to preserve. One must live here to find that out. For those who consider themselves as true explorers, there are six Islands home to treasures unlike any other on earth: There are cliffs of the Napali Coast on Kaui, the miles of white sands of Papohaku Beach on Molokai, the dolphin friendly waters on Lanai, the summit of Haleakala on Maui, the primal energy of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big island.

Waikiki consists of nine individually named beaches stretching along the two miles from Kahanamoku Beach near the Hilton Hawaiian Village to the Outrigger Canoe Club Beach near the foot of Diamond Head. Waikiki is a peninsula jutting out from Kapiolani Park to the southeast and enclosed by the Ala Wai Canal on the east and northwest and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It is approximately two miles long and a little over a half mile at its widest point. The 500-acre Kapiolani Park and Diamond Head Crater mark the southeastern boundary of Waikiki. It has over 100 lodging establishments, and these include over 60 hotels and 25 condominium hotels. The first hotel in Waikiki was the Moana Hotel, now the Moana Surfrider - A Westin Resort. The most famous hotel is the Royal Hawaiian, home to the Mai Tai Bar. The Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beachwalk is the latest addition to the landscape of Waikiki. The brand new hotel, commonly referred to as the "Trump Tower Waikiki" is considered an"ultra-luxury" hotel with such amenities as an infinity pool and waterfall at the 6^th floor, koa, granite and marble stone finishes in the rooms; gourmet kitchens with Wolf, Sub-Zero and Bosch appliances; and nightly turndown service.

Waikiki comes alive at sunset. Hundreds of restaurants offer a wide variety of cuisine from all over the world. Kalakaua Avenue teems with street performers and most hotels offer live music, luaus and partying. It is a shopper's paradise, filled with numerous designer boutiques and almost all of the hotels have their own shopping areas.

Kapiolani Park is the site of historic Diamond Head, the 42-acre Honolulu Zoo, and the Waikiki Shell, venue to many outdoor concerts and shows. There are lots of art shows and craft shows. Diamond Head is Hawaii's most famous landmarks. A hike to the summit is moderately difficult but is rewarded by amazing views of Waikiki and eastern Oahu.

Waikiki will always be one very special place on this entire planet for me and my husband. It is where we renewed our marriage vows, after a long sad separation. We are hopeless romantics, and we are sure God was on our side when He scripted our reunion, and the celebration of our love. I so love rainbows, and feel blessed that they appear with regularity in Hawaiian skies. But, i was totally floored when two rainbows showed up, Easter Sunday, on our wedding day. If not for my make up, i swear i could have cried a cupful, if not overflowing, with joyful tears. I said a prayer of thanks to a gracious God...and praised Him for regained paradise.