sister karli tyson

private island getaway...

{ featuring }

quinny.
kev.
yours truly.


a private island getaway seems a little unrealistic for college students right? wrong! this past weekend we took a spontaneous trip to lanai- the smallest of the hawaiian islands. it is privatley owned by david murdock... the man who owns dole. i went to his house once in california. i wish that would have qualified me for speacial treatment on his island. we began our journey at 6:30 am friday morn and drove to the honolulu international airport. we took off around 7:53 am in a tiny 9 seater plane. it was so cool. we flew real low so you could see everything, and we got to chat with the pilot the whole time. we arrived at lanai international airport apporximately 40 minutes later. it was so teeny tiny. we were the only ones in the whole airport other than the few staff members. the shuttle picked us up and took us into lanai city (the only city on the whole island). from there we walked around the whole town and saw all there was to see- the dole pineapple park and a handful of shops. i love lanai city. it reminded me of lake tahoe a little bit- weird i know. it was beautiful and mountainous. i loved all the houses. they were all different colors and kept up well- not ghetto like other parts of hawaii. we then rented a car, and began our expedition around the island. our first stop was shipwreck beach. there is an oil tanker that got stranded just off the shore in the 1940's so we went to check it out. i took a nap on the beach, and the boys went exploring. unfortunately the ship was too far away to swim to, but we all really wanted to take a look inside. oh well. nest we drove to garden of the gods. this reminded me of home so much. i miss utah. we got some fun pictures. after we continued on a dirt road in our fancy jeep commander and found a really cool secluded beach. we swam and played in the sand, and decided that is where we would set up camp later that night. we drove back to town to grab some dinner and checkout the four seasons. we swam in the pool and sat in the hot tub. it was divine. once we got wrinkly, we headed back to our base camp on the beach, stopping for firewood along the way. we built an epic fire (it took forever, but we eventually succeeded) and roasted hotdogs. i love campfires, especially on the beach. whoo hoo. once we burned all the wood we retired to our hammocks for the night. the next morning i took a little dip in the ocean, and we headed back to town to return the jeep. after that, we were walking to find some lunch, and we stumbled upon the cat's meow ... best thrift store ever. i found this killer vintage button up for kev. the best part about it was in was only 50 cents! after that we ate a blue ginger cafe. if you ever go to lanai... eat there. it is yummy. (try the turnovers- amazing.) after our bellies were full we jumped onto the shuttle and headed to the four seasons. this time, we were going to be legitimate guests. (we got a really great deal because we are hawaii residents) when i checked in they kept calling me "miss tyson" and were so fancy and legit when they were explaining everything to me. it was just like the movies. once we got to our way sweet room, we went to the pool. oh it was so nice. they set up towels and chairs for you, then brought you ice water, fruit, and mini smoothies. fancy huh? oh yeah and there were guys walking around that would spray you with evian water mist, or put ice cold washcloths on your eyes. fancy. we went down to the beach when we got too hot, and did a little snorkeling and sipped on some complimentary ice cold lemonade. when we got our snorkel stuff, the guy didn't believe we were really staying there- i don't blame him... 3 college kids at the four seasons? yeah right. after the beach we headed to the spa and sat in the steam room. it was great. they had lots of free stuff in there too that you could use and pamper yourself with. it was fun. after that we watched the sunset and realaxed in the room for a bit. we went to dinner and just got a few appetizer deals and the boys played pool. they didn't like us very much because we didn't order any alcohol. it was annoying. we went back to the hot tubs for a bit after that, and then just back to the room. we were all so tired. we tried to watch a movie, but i was out before the previews even started! i slept so well in that big fancy bed. the next morning, we had some leftover bagels for breakfast, and kev and i went to relax outside. we looked through people magazine at the top 25 sexiest men alive... that was entertaining. then we watched dolphins... yeah dolphins. there were a ton of them! it was neat. we went back and got in our church clothes, and headed to town for the dedication of the laie temple. looking like a couple from the 1970's they were hesitant to let us in. i'm glad they did. we watched in at a little branch with 5 other people. it was a really neat experience. i am excited to go in there in 5 days! wooo! we ate at blue ginger again after that, then went to the airport and flew home. i wish i was still by the pool- but here i am... back in the library procrastinating :]