Laie, Hawaii + San Marino
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Alison is obsessed with the Gordon Ramsay channel on her TV. Now she can watch her favorite man all day every day. Lulu is obsessed with poetry. An upcoming 10K Saturday guest is a poet and it has reignited Lulu’s love for the medium.
Alison is wanting a massage chair. With the pandemic, it’s been so long since she’s had a massage, and with no sign of that being a comfortable or safe choice, a chair that mimics the relaxation of a massage would be great, thanks. Lulu would like an automatic bathing suit dryer!
Alison picked this locale on the Oahu Island solely based on an Airbnb “situation” that just begged to be booked! The outdoor bathroom with shower and the beachfront views are a big draw for the Tiki Moon Villas "6". The number 6 represents the SIX bungalows that comprise this villa set within 32,000 square feet of beachfront gardens. There's even an event space for up to 100 people!
Alison spent $4660 a this Airbnb for two nights, which is half of her budget, but this price tag is ridiculously affordable considering that it can fit fifteen couples - that’s just $155 per couple per night! For this imaginary trip she is just bringing Lulu though, who she flew first class to join her.
Alison has to go snorkeling with turtles. It’s kind of her thing. She books the Oahu Grand Circle tour, whose island jaunt starts with sea turtle adjacent snorkeling on the North Shore, then goes on to spots like the Dole Plantation, the Halona Blowhole, Diamond Head, and Makapu’u Beach. The tour begins with pickup from any Waikiki hotel, but since she is staying in Laie an hour away from Waikiki - a neighborhood in Honolulu - she decides to book a car and driver through Blacklane instead.
After their outdoor adventure they head back to their villa, or villa compound rather, to have lunch. Alison hired a private chef whose business is called That Girl Cooks! The name alone sold her, but the five star reviews and raves about her working with your budget are big draws too.
They hire a massage therapist to come by and give them each an hour long massage. They also hired a guy named Randy Allen to come serenade them while getting massaged, and depending on how long his set it, while lounging around on the beach.
The evening is spent off-road exploring through some of the beautiful flora and fauna this area has to offer, with a guide taking you to a hidden cave and WWII sites. This private off-road sunset dinner takes place at the tour's final destination, Gunstock Ranch, with a locally catered meal by a fire. Starting at $288 for two people, this is a picturesque way to spend an evening, one that will likely end with some roasted marshmallows! Time for some star gazing, which from their beachfront villa should be absolutely perfect. So Alison buys this Celestron AstroMaster Telescope, which comes with a website and app for understanding the stars.
While one of the richest countries in the world, San Marino is also Europe’s least-visited country! It'd be an easy one to visit, too, if you are in Italy, as this microstate is completely surrounded by Italy. Literally, its 24 square mile area is in the middle of Italy, about 3 hours give or take from Florence. Officially founded in the year 301, this country has a different calendar than the rest of us, with their year beginning on September 4th! Lulu has selected a beautiful villa on Airbnb titled Grande Casa con giardino, which translates to “large house with garden”...doesn't it sound so much better in Italian? This spacious spot has a large kitchen and lounge area, three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, along with a pool, an indoor fireplace, and a favorite of any frequent traveler…a washer and dryer.
Lulu books a Mercedes S-Long and driver with Enrico Limousine Service, with her first stop being the tourism office to get a stamp in her passport. As they have an open border with Italy, you won’t get one automatically. But if you, like us, love the idea of filling up your passport pages, then a nice walk up the hill and five euros is all it takes!
For a bit of education and a lot of scare, Lulu checks out Museo dei Vampiri e Licatropi…aka the Vampires and Werewolves Museum. "Visiting the museum through the dedicated app will be a complete and satisfying experience"...not necessarily for scaredy-cat Lulu. She also visits the Museo della Tortura (Museum of Torture) so it’s safe to venture a guess that she will need a hand holder for her perusal of this exhibit.
She’s thinking a half day spent in nearby Bologna means that she can do two countries in one day, but she’ll save that for a future imaginary trip. At just over 1.5 hours away, you could definitely split a day between the two!
The menu at Righi is absolutely riveting. Lulu orders the Cuttlefish with ink and fresh goat cheese, green spaghetti with clams, Adriatic fish soup, their cheese tasting, and brownies. She also ordered what may be the oddest sounding dessert we’ve ever encountered - strawberry soup with peas ice cream and apple crumble.
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