ALOHA CITY
You know all those postcards with pink and purple sunsets that we all thought were photoshopped? They are not- sunsets in Hawaii are that gorgeous. Islands of Hawaii are definitively how we imagine Heaven. These Volcano made islands have warm climate year around, with amazing beaches and breathtaking sunsets. When we visited Hawaii’s Island of Oahu we were based in Honolulu, but rented the car to be able to drive around during our 5-day stay. We stayed at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani hotel in Waikiki- hotel is nice, had a balcony and a swimming pool, but most importantly its location was amazing- it is half a block away from the Waikiki beach and all shops and restaurants. While there are many other even more beautiful beaches in Oahu, Waikiki Beach is such an iconic place that you just have to spend some time there.
Here is the list of our favorite things to do in Oahu
(which really comes down to beaches/snorkeling, hiking, history, helicopter rides and of course eating and drinking.)
BEACHES
Waikiki
Hawaii’s most famous beach and the Honolulu’s most visited part of town. If you are staying near all the action you will not need a car or Uber to come to the beach for a swim. The beach is stretching along side the most popular hotels, restaurants and bars, and is a hot spot for surfers from around the World. To best experience this amazing beach, it is highly recommended to stay in Waikiki area in one of the many hotels nearby.
The beach is getting crowded from early hours till way past the sunset, as this is the top location for breathtaking sunset, but honestly if you wake up around 7-8, you can still get this place to yourself. For sunsets, go on a peer and you can take great photos.
Duke’s Kahanamoku beach
This is the western end of Waikiki, and it is a sparkling salt water lagoon, that is right in front of the Hilton Hotel. It is great for sunrise and sunset chasers. Still part of Waikiki area, you can walk to it. Below is the view from Duke’s Kahanamoku Breach.
Hanauma Bay
This was definitely our favorite beach- but you do need to rent a car or organize transportation to it (it will not be difficult to do- tours/ vans come here all the time). The bay is a former volcanic crater filled with ocean’s water, creating the perfect habitat for many exotic fish. The state of Hawaii limits daily traffic and the bay is closed every Tuesday for the bay’s ecosystem and its tenants to recuperate. This preserve is great for snorkeling especially in early morning hours. We loved it- even bought special masks for it on Amazon. While I loved my new sci-fi snorkeling mask, my wife was not a fan.
To get into the Hanauma Bay State Park will cost you $7.50 per person, in addition to the $1.00 parking fee. You can buy food at the upper level. Highly recommend coming as soon as they open- even then there was a line which only got worse as the day progressed. Visitors first have to watch an educational video about reef preservation (very interesting), and if you are not in shape to walk up/down the steep incline to get to the beach from the entrance, you can pay a small amount ($1 each way) for tram services. There isn’t a lot of shade in the park, so be careful with the sun. We stayed only for few hours, kept putting on sunscreen all the time, and still got a little sunburned.
Turtle Beach (Laniakea beach)
This is a must visit because of the turtles- of course. The beach itself is also nice and we spent some time swimming and snorkeling (far away from the turtles as it is illegal and immoral to touch them). This beach is hard to spot and if you are lucky (and we were), you can find a parking spot right across. You cannot spend too much time there- it is perfect to observe the turtles (really fascinating), and go swimming a little bit, but there are no toilets, nor food or drinks, and very little shade. We stayed approximately 1.5 hours and it was enough.
Pahipahi alua beach
We found this beach off Kamehameha Highway- we saw a nice beach with only few people on it so stopped to check it out. It was very quiet and peaceful, and we were able to park right by the beach, which seemed like a huge success after the stress of parking by the Turtle Beach. This is a great place if you want to escape all the tourists or if you are tired of driving around and want to have a quick dip in the ocean before moving on. There is parking underneath some trees, so in shade. So you can also stay in your car a little, roll down the windows, play some music and enjoy the view. Unless you bring your own food/water (there are no toilets) you are probably good for one hour there.
Halona Blowhole
The blowhole is an underwater lava tube that contains an opening to both sides. It is about a 20 minute drive from Waikiki. The drive is extremely scenic, since you get to pass Hanauma Bay. The waters can be very violent, so just be careful and mindful of where you step. A parking lot is available right near the lookout point, so it was very easy to get access to the lookout point. There is a beach nearby for swimming, called Halona Beach Cove, but it is not right next to the parking lot so it was not made for a quick stop for a dip in the ocean.
HiKINg
Koko Head Summit Trail
The Koko Head Summit (aka Koko Head Stairs) is by far the most challenging hike in Honolulu area, and honestly one of the toughest hikes we ever did. It sounded appealing enough in the beginning- hiking on railroad tracks that were used during World War II to supply the military bunker on top of the crater overlooking the West side of the Oahu Island.
This is an extreme and very difficult hike which is not for everybody as some sections are very steep and very unsafe. It took us almost 2 hours to climb up, with very frequent stops to rest. Once on top, the view of the Island of Oahu is rewording enough, and you could enjoy it more if you were not worried about going down those same railroad track with no handrails. This trail is not official, so no bathrooms, water stations nor trash bins along the way (there are bathroom facilities at the base of the trail, together with plenty of parking). Bring lots of water, as this excruciating climb can be very demanding, especially on a sunny and very warm-humid day. Sun screen, hats and comfortable hiking shoes are a must.
Diamond Head Crater Trail
After Koko Head Summit Trail, this hike felt like a breeze although in reality it is a moderate hike because of the climb. This is one of the more popular trails in Oahu with good reason. The climb to the top is about 1 mile, but it is paved and has handrails, which makes all the difference. You have to pay $5.00 per car to enter the state park, and only $1 for pedestrians. There is very limited parking, so plan accordingly. A nearby parking lot is available- but even though it is near, it will still add 30min of walking from your car to the park entrance. Few shops are open at the entrance where you can buy water, drinks and some snacks.
Lanai Pillbox Trail
Although we didn’t visit this trail, we heard it was very simple and the views of Lanai are breathtaking. If you have the time, many people recommended that go here, but our trip was relatively short so we just never got to this part of the Island. Next time.
history
Pearl Harbor MEMORIAL
Pearl Harbor National Memorial commemorates the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on the US, and is a resting place for 1,102 sailors killed that day. This is a must visit not only for Americans, but for all those history lovers out there. There is no entry fee for the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center (which is part of the Memorial complex) and no ticket is required to see the museums. Reservations are recommended however to avoid long waiting time, and the cost to reserve these free tickets is $1. Tickets can be reserved at the official National Park’s web site.
Memorial is open daily from 7am till 5pm with plenty of free parking. You can also rent a narrated headset (we did), but honestly there is no need to do that- the free Museum has so much interesting and useful information and great displays, that listening to the headset became too distracting and we stopped listening and only focused on viewing and reading museum displays. When we were there USS Arizona Memorial was closed, but if we go back we will probably get the Passport Package which will allow us to visit USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, and USS Missouri Battleship and Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum on Ford Island.
HELICOPTER TOUR
When possible I try to book a helicopter tour in a new place - experience is amazing, as are the photos. This time I chose Magnum Helicopters from the Honolulu Airport - they were one of the few tour operators in Oahu and were offering no door helicopter ride above the island of Oahu. For $249 you get a seat in a fairly small MD-500 helicopter. The booking is very easy via at Magnum Heli website. They offer flights all day, with the first one at 8am and the lat one at 4pm. There are 4 seats at the helicopter, 2 next to the pilot (prime seats for $279) and 2 in the back ($249/person).
The order of seating will be determined due to the weight distribution. The best seat will be the one behind the pilot as that seat offers unobstructed clear view of the island. You can find more info about this tour on our blog post.
restaurants and bars
There are so many great places to eat in Honolulu, selection of which will probably depend on where you are staying. Since we were centrally located we tried several good restaurants around, and were also lucky to taste some amazing food from food trucks while driving around the island.
We tasted and can recommend the following: Duke’s Waikiki Restaurant and Bar (very touristy but right on the beach, amazing view, breathtaking sunset, good food and drinks); Momosan Waikiki (Chef Morimoto, ramen, people watching, relatively affordable, frozen beer); Morimoto Asia Waikiki (same chef, above the ramen place, more fancy and therefore more expensive, excellent food); Wang Chung’s Karaoke Bar (good bar with good music, neon lights, packed); and Island Vintage Wine Bar (good lunch place if you are sunburnt and need to stay indoors, pleasant breeze with all the windows open, great to sit by the bar).
We also tried food trucks along the way (pulled pork with pineapple was to die for, as were some kind of beignets), but we would probably never be able to find those trucks again. You can’t go wrong with food in Oahu, everything was just great.
