Hawaiian Oasis: A Travel Diary with Courtney Scott

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This post comes from FP Me user & Brooklyn based travel blogger/filmmaker, Courtney Scott!

This whole adventure began in 2007 when I quit my corporate job and booked a one-way ticket to Italy.  I started a blog about my expat life and never looked back.  Now, I get the chance to travel every month to new destinations creating videos for my YouTube channel and giving tips about my travels on my blog and on TV. I just returned from a week on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, shooting an episode of a new show for the Ulive Network called State of Style.  While I was there, I also had the chance to run around and explore the North Shore beach scene and some cool hotels in Honolulu.

Get the look: Electric Orchid Print Swing Tunic

First, I headed up to the North Shore, one of my favorite places to hang out in Oahu. I have my ritual of getting a soy latte at Coffee Gallery and then driving up and down the shoreline until I find the perfect beach to spend the rest of the day. On this trip it was a beach with no name along the Farrington Highway. You’d probably cruise right by it if a handful of cars weren’t parked out front. You could tell they all belonged to locals — a sign of good things to come. The path to the beach is long and dreamy — fields of yellow flowers with birds, bumble bees and beautiful horses. Pinch me.  

And then you get to the beach. There were the most gorgeous specimens of driftwood I’ve ever seen; textured, worn out from long days in paradise, and the perfect shade of grey. If you go to this beach, don’t make the mistake I did… remember to pack lunch and drinks because you won’t want to leave… ever! Lunch should consist of the shrimp scampi plate from Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck and the pitaya bowl and “happy tummy” smoothie from Lanikai Juice. Trust.

Get the look: Lacey Day Romper, Dany Tiered Drop Collar

Get the look: Miss Hayworth Top, Miss Hayworth Bottoms

The next day started bright and early before the sunrise at the Kahala Resort. I had a date with a SUP board and a yoga instructor named Spring. Has anyone tried SUP yoga? Not as easy as it looks on Instagram! I consider myself a yogi on land, but even a basic warrior pose on water woke up muscles that I didn’t remember having. My favorite part of the hour-long practice was the final meditation — eyes closed, the sun warming my skin and the sound of the tiny waves hitting the shore.  So beautiful.

Next I hopped hotels over to the Modern Honolulu right in Waikiki. Fun vibe, enviable pool deck. The scene gets pretty lively during the day but I managed to steal some sun before the party kicked off, then it was off to Chinatown to shoot some footage for the show. You definitely have to see Chinatown. Until recently it was known to be seedy and a bit run-down, but in the last several years a bunch of new boutiques and restaurants have made Chinatown the “it” place to hangout.  

I love the people I meet and stories that I encounter on the road.  I love learning languages, eating food I can’t pronounce and living out of a suitcase. I love getting from point A to point B… on trains, bikes, boats, and on foot.  I love how travel challenges me physically and mentally. 

Get the look: The Madeline Hat

+What do you love about traveling?     

For more of Courtney’s adventures, follow her on Instagram and YouTube or check out her blog.