A SoCal Thanksgiving plus Legoland - November 23-30, 2021

Traditionally, Thanksgiving is held at my parents' house, but this year, we decided to head down to Southern California and celebrate at my brother Edmund's. We would also take the opportunity to go to Legoland.

FLIGHTS AND LODGING

My flights were purchased with Southwest points, then used my Companion Pass for Kaleb to travel free, so we only needed to pay the 9/11 security fees of $5.60 per person each way. My parents also used Southwest points for their tickets.

The first part of the week, Kaleb and I would be staying at my brother Allen's, then we would move to Edmund's on Thanksgiving day. My parents would be staying the entire week at Edmund's.

I reserved two studio suites for one night at the Staybridge Suites Carlsbad for us and my parents using the free night certificates that Kaleb and I received for having the IHG Select credit card (no longer available for application). With each room costing $325 cash rate a night, the $49/year annual fee is worth it. (to be fair, any comfortable hotel room would be worth $49) Edmund used his IHG points to reserve a night at the Holiday Inn Carlsbad next door as Staybridge Suites sold out of award nights when he checked.

Now back to the trip...

Edmund, Angela and Abby picked us up from the airport, then we got some takeout for dinner. After dinner, Edmund dropped me and Kaleb off at Allen's house. The next couple of days were filled with activities such as walks around the neighborhood, playing sports in the park, good eats such as waffle dishes at Bruxie and home-cooked wonton noodle soup, as well as me and the kids preparing side dishes for Thanksgiving dinner.

On Thanksgiving, we convened at Edmund's house, along with Angela's parents. It was a delicious dinner with all the traditional fixings as well as goodies from Porto's Bakery. Kaleb and I sat at the kids' table, lol! (thanks to Angela for many of the pictures here)

We and Edmund's family went to Legoland on Saturday. They had annual passes and were generous to share their guest tickets with us. It was a fun day, with hardly any lines compared to Disneyland.

Mom and Dad's boat broke down so an employee had to don some waders and push them back to the start (11 second clip):

After Legoland closed, we headed to our hotels to check in. My parents, Kaleb and I were dropped off first to check into Staybridge Suites. I shortly found out that the two studio suites I reserved were upgraded to a 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom suite, so I immediately called Edmund to have him try to cancel his Holiday Inn reservation and stay in the larger accommodation with my parents. Fortunately, he made it just before the cancellation deadline and got his points back. I assume the room upgrades were due to having IHG Platinum status (thanks to the IHG credit card).

The suites were roomy and included a full kitchen. The 2-bedroom was similar to the 1-bedroom, but with the second bedroom and its own bath attached to the living room. Breakfast is always included for all Staybridge Suites guests.

We were in search of dinner and decided on an Italian restaurant called 2051 Cucina Italiana, uniquely located in a design studio space. Since we didn't have reservations, we had to wait a while, eventually seated in a quaint outdoor patio replete with propane heaters. The food and drinks were delicious!

And that was the end of our Thanksgiving break in Southern California...good eats and good times with family! Legoland is always a fun place to go, especially when it's not as crowded as Disneyland.

Where to next? The girls go cruisin'...stay tuned!

(Missed reading about our trip to Oahu? Click here! Don't miss a single update! Click here to subscribe and have the latest delivered straight into your inbox...opt out anytime.)

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Getting excited reading about these trips and want to go?  Contact me at kat (at) yellowdogtravel (d0t) com with your ideas and I can help you plan it!  Or if you've already put a deposit on a cruise through the cruise line, contact me to get more information on transferring the reservation to me to get bonuses like extra onboard credit or gifts.  I have lots of happy repeat clients - references always available.

Another disclaimer:  The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!

Previous post: Hiking, relaxing and good eats in Oahu

Hiking, relaxing and good eats in Oahu - November 12-21, 2021

Thanks to the pandemic, I had a backlog of timeshare weeks, so I exchanged one for Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club, located on the west coast of Oahu. We planned to visit our friend Quan, who had taken advantage of flexible "work-from-anywhere" company policies and moved to Honolulu. Kaleb and I would arrive a couple of days earlier before check-in date to spend time with Quan and do some hiking. The last time we were at Ko Olina was almost 10 years ago for New Year's, and we left after 4 nights. I had to reread my old blog entry to remember what we did, so in essence, this upcoming stay would be like the first time. My parents were also coming along; it would be their first long-distance trip since the pandemic began.

FLIGHTS

We and my parents redeemed a bunch of Alaska Airlines travel credits from canceling a trip to Kauai back in spring 2021 due to continued Covid. Kaleb's one-way ticket to Oahu was on Southwest Airlines using his points, then applying his Southwest Companion Pass for my ticket, trying to squeeze as much usage as possible out of the pass since he had qualified for it in March 2020.

TRANSPORATION

Quan would pick us up from the airport, then two days later, return us to the rental car center so we could get a car, pick up my parents and drive to Ko Olina, about an hour's drive away.

LODGING

The first few days in Honolulu, Kaleb and I would stay in the guest bedroom at Quan's place.

The Marriott website priced the seven-night stay for a Ko Olina two-bedroom villa at $6700, making the timeshare week such a tremendous value as the maintenance fees cost about $1000. $150/night for a two-bedroom in a nice resort is a steal. It's not easy to garner deals of this caliber - it requires a lot of flexibility, purchase of a high-value Marriott timeshare resale for trading power, and plain know-how. I recommend extensive reading of the Timeshare Users Group website and its forums if any of my readers are interested. If that's too much to research, I recommend simply renting timeshare weeks on redweek.com.

Let's get on with the vacation...

Over the past year, tourists traveling to Hawaii had to deal with Covid protocols such as pre-departure PCR testing and filling out an online form. Fortunately by the time we departed for Oahu, the only requirement for fully vaccinated travelers was to fill out the online form to get a QR code that needed to be verified either at your home airport or after landing in Hawaii. Since we arrived at the airport early, the line to be verified by airline staff wasn't terribly long. We were given wristbands to signify our completed status.

It would take over five and a half hours to get to Honolulu. Masks were required to be worn during the flight. Going to Hawaii, Southwest served more than snack mix; we brought our own food for lunch. There was a limited drink menu available.

When we arrived in Honolulu, it was quick to exit the terminal as we had our wristbands. Folks without wristbands lined up to have their QR code verified.

Quan got us from the airport and we headed to his place to drop off our luggage and change clothing for a Koko Head Crater hike this afternoon - hitting the ground running! The trail went straight up the mountain, with railroad ties as a staircase. It was challenging for me, huffing and puffing most of the way, but reaching the top was exhilarating.

at the bottom

almost to the top

Then we headed into Waikiki for some al-fresco dinner at Barefoot Beach Cafe. Live Hawaiian music was playing and you certainly can feel (and taste!) the aloha. Proof of vaccination was required to dine here.

fish of the day

fish burger

17-second clip of live music:

Waikiki at night

The next day, after stopping by a farmers market to purchase some fruit, we did a short hike on the Mau'umae Trail to the top of the ridge. 

Afterward, we went on the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail and enjoyed spectacular views of peaks and Honolulu in the distance. The trail started in a gated housing community with paved portions, eventually becoming dirt and (dried) mud. We were lucky that it hadn't rained recently.

Thanks to Quan for taking all these awesome pics!

As a reward for our efforts, we each got a cup of shave ice at Uncle Clay's and enjoyed it at a nearby beach park.

We then drove along the eastern coast to visit some of Quan's favorite spots. I can't remember the names of all the places!

Post from RICOH THETA. - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

sunset at Magic Island

We grabbed some poke and other snacks from Foodland Farms at Ala Moana Center to take back to Quan's place. The fruit in this store was just as good as at the farmers market, and with better prices.

ahi and oyster poke, pork rinds

On Sunday morning, we visited some attractions (Tantalus Lookout, Byodo-In Temple) and went on a hike to Lanikai Pillbox.

nice view of Diamond Head

heading up to the pillbox

Quan ringing the Sacred Bell before entering the temple:

Then we enjoyed a beautiful drive down Interstate H-3 back to Honolulu airport. The 8 mile section in the mountains was exceptional! After Quan dropped us off, we got the rental car, picked up my parents and headed to Ko Olina Beach Club. We were lucky to be assigned a lagoon view villa.

view from our balcony

fruit haul from farmer's market and Foodland

Since we had a car, we shopped at Costco to make breakfast, lunch and a few dinners in the villa. We also drove into Kapolei town for food:

• Standard Thai fare from Thai Lao

• Delicious bowls of pho from Pho & Co, almost as good as in the Bay Area
• Combo #1 and #2 at Da Crawfish & Crab Shack

Upon request, you could get bibs and rubber gloves to reduce the messiness.

• Shabu shabu at Hawaii Pot Shabu Shabu House

It was all-you-can-eat: the server would bring the raw meats but the rest was a buffet with fresh vegetables, create-your-own dipping sauce, plus assorted seafood (including oysters!) and other goodies in the refrigerator. Everyone got their own hot pot filled with choice of broth. When the liquid boiled down, the server would fill it back up.

• Conveyor belt sushi at Genki Sushi

One night, we walked over to the nearby Four Seasons Resort and had dinner at Noe, an Italian restaurant. 

whipped ricotta

Noe signature tagliatelle

scallop

filet mignon

It may seem like all we did was eat, but we did enjoy the fresh water pool and hot tubs (replete with waterfalls), as well as floating in the lagoon.

snorkeling was poor in our lagoon

35-second clip of not a lot of fish:

1-minute video of us swimming in the lagoon:

During the week, Kaleb did the Pink Pillbox hike solo and traversed the Kuliouou Ridge Trail with Quan.

And that was the end of our trip to Hawaii - many thanks to Quan for hosting and showing us a different side of Oahu. I also enjoyed our time at Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club and hopefully won't wait another 10 years before returning.

What is next on the horizon? A short visit to Southern California for a family Thanksgiving gathering...stay tuned!

(Missed reading about our staycation in San Francisco and sailing the Bay? Click here! Don't miss a single update! Click here to subscribe and have the latest delivered straight into your inbox...opt out anytime.)

***

If you came here from a Facebook or Twitter link, thanks for clicking the "Facebook Like" button at the top of the page or retweeting!

Don't miss a blog entry!  Sign up for updates direct to your inbox here or add the blog to your RSS feed.

Getting excited reading about these trips and want to go?  Contact me at kat (at) yellowdogtravel (d0t) com with your ideas and I can help you plan it!  Or if you've already put a deposit on a cruise through the cruise line, contact me to get more information on transferring the reservation to me to get bonuses like extra onboard credit or gifts.  I have lots of happy repeat clients - references always available.

Another disclaimer:  The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!

Previous post: IMAX and a sailboat ride in San Francisco