Birthday Palm Springs Trip ~ Part 3 ~

On the second day, two couples did their own things.

So, I went out to breakfast with Aaron at the Colony,

which is one of my favorite hotels and also across the street from Alcazar!

Oh the beautiful morning in Palm Spring

My Spanish something was oh-kay,

but his french toast was the best one I've ever tasted. So fluffy and juicy.

And we just kicked at the hotel the whole day.

Pool, nap, and reading. Ahhhh. Vacation at its best.

We did, however, had a major activity later that day.

Golf in Indian Wells!!

Yes, it was still over 100 degrees at our 5:30pm tee-time, but we managed to enjoy ourselves.

After the 4th hole, the weather started being comfortable too.

The drink lady who served us cocktails was heaven sent.

Nothing like ice-cold margarita on a hot day.

It was so hot, but I had such a fun time.

Birthday Palm Springs Trip ~ Part 2 ~

After the tram ride, we hit the town for some lunch.



The restaurant Tropicale was almost empty, but the food was great.

The free home-made muffins and bottomless champagne for $10!!

Me likey.

We stayed at a two-bedroom suite at Alcazar Hotel this time.

It was super cute and very much affordable.

After we chilled at the hotel for a while, we got dressed up and went out for dinner.

Palm Springs is always changing and the restaurant we went to is one of them.

We went to a tapas restaurant called "Tinto" in the Sagurao Hotel.

This used to be a sad sports bar in the Holiday Inn.

OMG, it looked so much better.

And the food was very tasty for its price.

(Granted, it was Restaurant Week, but we got so much food for just $38/person)

Birthday Palm Springs Trip ~ Part 1 ~

June is a very busy month for me.

My bestie Karena's birthday, my birthday, my boyfriend's birthday...

And a couple of other friends also have birthdays in June, including my little brother. Woo wee.

Anyways, I took a weekend getaway trip to Palm Springs with my favorite people.

First stop was Palm Springs Aeriel Tramway.

I've gone to PS so many times, but I've never done this before.

From the visitor center, we drove up the mountain and jumped on the shuttle.

On the way up, the tram was SUPER crowded. 

Not the greatest environment for a girl with claustrophobia like myself.

At the 8500 ft higher from the desert, the mountain has nature!

Who knew? The mountain was full of rock climbers and hikers.

Being the middle-age lazy mofos, we only walked for like 20 minutes.

Pacing ourselves, I would call it.

Going down, the tram was empty.
I fully enjoyed the view with lots of breathing room.

I think it was totally worth the $23 ticket.

Hawaii - Final Night -

That night, there was a welcome ceremony at the resort.

Interesting outfits on men. How ya doin!!

 And then as a final meal of the trip, we sat at the outside restaurant at the hotel.

We watched the sunset, sipping wines and champagnes.

I had so much fun hanging out with my parents.

I wish my brother could have made it too.

I wonder how many more times we can have trips like this, just us family.

In any event, it was a great trip. I'm glad I went. Food poisoning and all.

Hawaii - Last Day -

On the last day, I finally felt fully recovered.

We drove up to North Shore in the morning.

After 30 minutes or so, the scenery changed from forests to fields.

Interesting looking tree. Nature is truly amazing.

My parents took a glider tour in North Shore.

They were seated in this tiny thing.

(Eh, me? No thank you. I feel like I can't breathe just looking at this.)

Pulled by a small plane, off they go, up in the air!

The flight lasted only 15 minutes, but they said it was really great.

I'm glad my parents are still healthy and very adventurous. Good for them.

And then we took a drive to the east of the island.

Fruit stand on the way.

After 30-minute drive later, we arrived at the destination: Romy's Shrimp!!!

Lucky for us, we beat the lunch rush and only waited for 20 minutes for food.

We brought our own beers. Ahhh.

We got the garlic & butter shrimp and steamed shrimp. SO TASTY.

After we got full, we took another drive along the coast to Honolulu.

It was a very scenic drive. Ocean on the left, mountains on the right.