Perennial Travels: California to Hawaii

Perennial Travels: California to Hawaii

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Dinner at Nanea

Wearing: Milly (sale)

Over the past three weeks, I have been enjoying an amazing final summer vacation before beginning the “real world” next Monday with my new career. Mid-June, I left Destin, FL to visit my boyfriend in Los Gatos, CA. While visiting him, we traveled up to Lake Tahoe and to Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Lake Tahoe
We spent a long weekend at the Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe for a friends wedding weekend. We stayed on the North Shore and it was an amazing experience. We spent our free time primarily relaxing at the Ritz spa, doing some light hiking, and playing lawn games. As for the wedding, we went to Lahontan the night before the wedding for a cocktail party. After being in hot Dallas and Florida, it was nice to feel the cool air while standing by the fire. The following day, we went to West Shore Café and Inn where the wedding and the reception was held.  The venue was on the water and was absolutely gorgeous!

lahontan club lake tahoe

 Wearing: Lilly Pulitzer dress, Burberry shoes, Kendra Scott necklaceritz carlton lake tahoe hotel

hiking in lake tahoe

West Shore Cafe wedding

Kukio

Following Lake Tahoe, we had a quick stopover in my boyfriend’s hometown of Los Gatos, CA before we headed to Kukio on the Big Island of Hawaii. Since I had never been to the Big Island before, I was excited to see what it was like. Kevin’s family goes to the island often, so they planned such a fun variety of activities and excursions for me to soak in as much culture of the island as possible!  Two of my highlights from the trip were a helicopter tour of the island and snorkeling with the manta rays. The three hour helicopter tour (that picked us up directly from the resort) was a great way to see the volcanoes, valleys, beaches, and waterfalls all before lunch. Snorkling with the manta ray’s was also amazing! We saw about 20 manta rays and rubbed bellies with a couple of them… definitely an experience I will not forget. I also loved all of the activities offered at the resort. While there, I paddle boarded, kayaked, swam with the dolphins, played golf, tennis, and took a spinning class. There was never an excuse to be bored at Kukio!

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Wearing: Echo cover-up,  Coolibar hat (similar), Jack Rogers sandals, Columbia shirt

 

big island excursion

An afternoon of exploring

Wearing: Express shirt, Free People shorts 

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Lunch at Mauna Kea

Wearing: Lilly Pulitzer shirt, shorts (similar), purse (similar)

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Dinner at the Kukio Beach Club

Wearing: Lilly Pulitzer




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PS for GM: Buick Encore

PS for GM: Buick Encore

When GM reached out to us to spend a week test driving cars for them, we were more than thrilled with the opportunity. We were each given a coupe, SUV, or electric car to use as our own and provide our personal feedback on the car. Since I normally drive a sedan, I chose to drive the Buick Encore for the week. Though aesthetically a bright blue car isn’t my top color choice, I really enjoyed all the features the car had to offer. The compact body shape was similar to Janie’s ML350, which made for an easy transition to a SUV for a sedan driver. The interior of the car featured two-toned leather on all of the seats, which was a new look I really enjoyed! In order to get a full feel of the Encore, we decided to take it on a fun weekend road trip.
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My favorite part of the car was definitely the XM radio system. Rather than having to Shazaam my favorite songs on my phone, I could simply click one button and the system would store the song and download it on my iPhone. How amazing is that? Another feature that really stood out was the option to add a plug in the backseat – impromptu need for a curling iron? Buick has you covered.
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Though this SUV is quite compact, it was definitely spacious… and for a family of girls that ALWAYS overpacks, a large trunk is definitely important! The Encore did not disappoint on that feature.
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The only flaw I found on this car was that the front two seats shared ONE armrest. Two armrests would’ve been much better for a long journey! But like I said, it’s compact..

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Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the Buick Encore. Click here to see more of the features available on this car.

Shop the Post:

Ellen: Lululemon Jacket // Old Navy top // Old Navy pants // Aviators // Converse // Janie: Lululemon Pants // Columbia Jacket // LV luggage

While this post was sponsored by GM, the opinions expressed are my own.