My Favourite Holiday: Eleni Drake
Singer-songwriter Eleni Drake recalls a Hawaiian adventure where the chilled-out lifestyle left its mark
My favourite holiday has to be O’ahu. I’d seen it in films and documentaries but somehow it was even more beautiful in real life, as if someone had turned the saturation all the way up on the world itself. The sea danced in various shades of blue, the mountains stood towering and grand, and streets seemed to bloom with life.
The hikes were unreal. Lush green forests wrapped around trails, waterfalls singing through the trees, paths full of stories. Even the suburban streets were lined with frangipani trees, their sweet scent hanging in the air. I also loved visiting places like the Bishop Museum and Honolulu Museum Of Art, which helped me get a small insight into the rich culture and history of the islands. Surf culture was everywhere and I absolutely loved it. I’m terrible at surfing, genuinely awful, but there’s something addictive about paddling out into those waves anyway, sitting on a board and watching the sun fall into the horizon.
What sat with me most, though, was the lifestyle. People woke up early, swam in the sea, spent time with friends and family, went to work, and then chilled again at the beach to eat together at sunset. It felt like life was meant to be lived, not rushed through. Happiness there seemed tied to community, nature, balance and presence, not constant pressure and stress in a rat race.
Eleni Drake tours until Tuesday 21 July.
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