The genuine spirit of aloha: How Ashlee is living the dream in Hawaii

If there’s one place that has stood out as the enduring dream holiday destination for generations, it’s Hawaii. Actually living there, however, is another fantasy altogether.

Not so for Ashlee Galea, who made the dream come true in 2015. Galea became well acquainted with the island while working as a Hawaii tourism rep in Sydney, this meant that she travelled to the region more than 40 times during a six-year period.

“I saw a lot of special places across the Hawaiian Islands, had incredible experiences, met wonderful people – including my girlfriend – and felt that genuine spirit of aloha,” she says. “I began dreaming about moving to Hawaii, and after a lot of investigation and hard work, everything fell into place.”

Galea now lives in the foothills of the Diamond Head crater on the island of Oahu with her partner, Keli’i. The couple work together buying and renovating apartments in hotspot Waikiki – something that was well timed, with the rising popularity of websites such as Airbnb.

“While there are a lot of holiday apartments in Waikiki, a significant amount are neglected, with dated furniture and predictable tropical themes,” she says. “We like to create functional, modern spaces that feel beautiful inside – places we would want to stay in ourselves.”

Galea and Keli’i live in a one-bedroom condo that has its own little courtyard and is walking distance from the famous Waikiki beach. Galea explains that finding a suitable and reasonably priced long-term rental in Hawaii can be expensive and “painful” and is usually done via Craigslist. It took the couple a year to find their one-bedroom condo, which costs around the same to rent as Galea’s two-bedroom unit in Coogee.

Purchasing a home is a slightly different story.

“In terms of buying a property in Waikiki, compared with Sydney I think it stacks up pretty well,” says Galea. “You could purchase a two-bedroom apartment with parking and [in] walking distance to one of the most famous beaches on the planet for $US500,000-750,000 ($650,000-970,000).”

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Buyers are assigned their own real estate broker, who works as an agent to essentially hold their hand through the whole process – from finding listings to arranging and attending inspections, and helping negotiate sales for you.

“We adore our real estate broker; she’s become a very good friend. It’s also nice that auctions aren’t common practice in Hawaii; [it’s] much less stressful,” says Galea.

As well as having her hand in the property industry, Galea operates travel blog The Hawaii Admirer, which is a place for her to share her knowledge and immense love of Hawaii.

She lists the diverse range of delicious foods (including ramen noodles and Poke bowls), “jaw-dropping” natural landscapes, a multitude of activities, friendly locals, lively hospitality scene and perpetual 25-29 degree weather, as some of the highlights of living there.

Of course, there are also things Galea misses about home: her favourite TV shows, sticky date pudding, beer gardens, “Sunday sessions”, efficient card payment services and a great healthcare system, for example. But for Galea, the benefits of island life currently outweigh the downsides.

“The biggest perk of living on Oahu is having the opportunity to live a slow-paced tropical island lifestyle, while still having a hip-and-happening city right on your doorstep,” she says.

Galea’s advice for anyone thinking of moving to Hawaii is to learn some Hawaiian and start saving now (as it’s difficult to set yourself up in the US without a local credit history), and to get some professional advice on working visas. Making the move isn’t an easy process, but Galea is proof that it’s possible.

“If it’s something you really want to do, you can make it happen,” she says.