Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

Dani and Jen planned a fantastic Hawaiian adventure for our family of 4, which includes 2 adult children. We had initially planned on traveling in March but sadly, we had to shift our timing; Dani and Jen were amazing and without issue moved everything.

In the planning stages, Dani and Jen helped us understand how each island differed so that we could narrow down our options. We ended up staying in Oahu for two days so that we could visit Pearl Harbor, which was an unbelievable experience for all of us. We then spent the remainder of our time on the Big Island. Our first stop there was on the east side of the island where we drove the Chain of Craters Road—an unbelievable experience! We then drove to the west side of the island where we enjoyed a stargazing tour, swimming with the manta rays (don’t miss this!) and a helicopter ride over the island with a stop at a beautiful waterfall. Dani and Jen were wonderfully helpful both before we left as well as during our time in Hawaii. They offered great restaurant recommendations and even tried to locate a guitar for our son, who was desperately missing strumming the strings. Thanks so much for helping us end our summer with great memories.

With expert help from Dani and Jen, we had a wonderful multi-generational family vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii in June. A visit to Hawaii had been on our son’s wish list, so that was our destination to celebrate his high school graduation. In addition to our core family of four (including our 16-year-old daughter), my parents joined, making this an extra-special family getaway.

Given the primary goal of being together, along with different levels of activity and mobility of our group, our lodging was particularly important. We needed a house big enough for all of us that would be a great home base and enjoyable place for my mother to spend time when others were venturing out for more active days. With that, Dani and Jen recommended the Villas at Mauna Kea resort on the Kona coast. We had a spectacular house with a large pool and amazing views of the beach and sunsets. The house was just a 5 or so minute walk down to the hotel’s great beach (best on the island, including one very friendly turtle), which made it easy for different members of the group to peel off for beach time while others stayed “at home.” With a gourmet kitchen we generally had breakfast at home together, as well as a number of dinners — and sunset cocktails was a can’t-miss, every-night event. The villa was the most expensive place we’ve stayed on any vacation to anywhere, but also one of the nicest and worth it for this special family vacation.

Before Kona, we spent a few days at Volcano House in Volcanoes National Park. The park is like no place on earth and the hotel is steps away from one of the largest volcanic craters. The hotel itself is fine, but we were glad we started in Volcanoes because it would have been very hard to go there after the luxury splendor of Mauna Kea.

Other highlights included an amazing helicopter trip for me and my son with Blue Hawaii and driving the Chain of Craters Road in Volcanoes Park — both are must-do activities on the island — as well as the Waimea Saturday farmers’ market, snorkeling in Puako Bay (nearby to Mauna Kea) and eating shaved ice at every opportunity! We capped the trip off with an amazing dinner at Canoe House at the Mauni Lani hotel — Dani used her inside connections to get us a perfectly timed reservation for our last night, which was the perfect send-off for our vacation.

Dani and Jen worked with us to find the perfect place to stay in Oahu. They provided us with options in different locations (Waikiki, Ko Olina, and North Shore). Within those choices, they provided us different price points. We selected North Shorte — Turtle Bay Resort. It was the perfect place for us as it was remote, tropical, and had plenty of activities available to keep us moving.

Jen ensured we had onsite dinner reservations (a must), as well as scheduled an excellent UTV tour at Kualoa Ranch. Don’t miss the very dirty UTV tour. It’s loads of fun.

Advice: Be clear in what you’re looking for and gain alignment early on. Ask if you need more communications or have questions. Don’t skip reservations for dinners and activities!

This was our second time using Dani for a vacation to Hawaii, except this time instead of 2 people she was tasked with planning for 3 generations (6 people) and two islands. As before, she worked her magic and provided us with an exceptional experience.

Because of the number of people, she suggested a villa on the Big Island and found one that suited us perfectly. It was furnished with everything necessary, including its own pool, several outdoor spaces for dining and lounging, room for us all to have our own space, and spectacular views. Everyone is still talking about all the fantastic activities she planned for us — a helicopter flight over the island included flying over Kilauea, which was erupting (providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience), a visit to see sunset at the summit of Mauna Kea, and snorkeling with manta rays (something our grandchildren thought was the BEST!). Our grandchildren experienced their first luau, with best seats in the house courtesy of Dani. It was also very special as they had the opportunity to take the stage with the dancers for a hula lesson.

It was then on to Oahu for 2 days, where because of Dani’s connections, we had some of the best rooms at the Royal Hawaiian. This was a short stop, and our only request was a visit to Pearl Harbor; although there was some confusion about this tour, Dani once again pulled a rabbit out of the hat and ensured we experienced the expected tour, including basically making the lines disappear! It was very special to visit both the Arizona and the Missouri.

We will return to Hawaii again, and once again Dani will be our first call.

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