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Published: February 26th 2010
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Four visits now to Oahu and I still love going and am still finding new things to do and places to visit. Each trip I have used Oahu as the launching point to either Maui or Kauai but Oahu itself is certainly a great destination in its own right. As busy as it is, Waikiki is a good place to stay to take in the sites around the city for a couple days. But, if you go to Oahu, make sure to also rent a car and get out of the city to explore the rest of the island. Dealing with the general congestion of driving around Honolulu is not so fun but there are many great experiences to be had.
Around Waikiki I would recommend watching the sunset on the beach (and bring your camera), climbing to the top of Diamond Head for the beautiful view, taking in the free hula dancing just after the sunset, and eating as many honey roasted macadamia nuts as you can. If you are into crowds and shopping this is also the place to be especially at night walking up and down Kalakaua Avenue. Going up Diamond Head for the view is
a must. If you like to run, making a loop around Diamond Head (approx. 4-4.5 miles) is a nice way to start the day. And you can find some good beach volleyball down the beach on Waikiki. Kapiolani Park is a nice respite there from the hustle and bustle of Kalakaua Ave.
For food start your day off right with a trip to Leonard’s Bakery (http://www.leonardshawaii.com/) on Kapahula Street. They are famous for their malasadas, a fried pastry covered in sugar or cinnamon. However, we liked their pecan coffee cake even better. You can pick one up for $9 and have breakfast for a couple days. If you want a decent pizza head to JJ Dolan's in downtown Honolulu but be aware that it is a small (and sometimes quite popular) place where it can be hard to get a seat. The kalua pig at Ono's on Kapahula is good and the place itself is an institution. If you are looking for cheap eats also consider Teddy’s Bigger Burgers or Like Like Drive Inn. Unfortunately, the shave ice on Oahu just isn’t the same as Ululani’s in Maui or Jo Jo’s in Kauai. The original
place, Matsumoto’s on the north shore was not good at all when we had it. Aoki’s just across the lot from it is an upgrade but still not in the categories of these other two I have mentioned. We also tried it at the Waiola Store in Honolulu and it was not bad but doesn’t match up either. Maybe these taste much better when you haven’t had Ululani’s or Jo Jo’s.
If the congestion is getting to you I would recommend driving up in the highlands above the city for a hike—the Monoa Cliff Trail is a good one—and you will get good views of the city on the hike and on the drive up and down. We did the hike to Manoa Falls this past trip and we were disappointed. The huge trees on the way to the falls though are very nice. And we explored the connecting trail that goes off to the left near the falls but didn’t take it quite to the end. Another first this past trip was finally getting to Pearl Harbor. I was very impressed with the ease of parking and the layout of the site. If you haven’t
been before it may be useful to know that it is free to watch a video about the events of Pearl Harbor and then to take a boat out into the bay to see the USS Arizona memorial. You simply need to get a ticket with a time stamp that tells what time your tour will be. It was quite busy the day we went so we got our tickets and then went for some lunch before returning for the video and trip out to the Arizona. Other tours are offered for a charge so look into those before you go if interested. On a beautiful sunny day (which is everyday in Hawaii) it’s hard to imagine that this was once the site of such devastation.
It's a must to rent a car to get outside the Honolulu/Waikiki area and drive around the island. Or, even better stay up on the North Shore for a night or two if you get the chance. The east/southeast coast is beautiful (see pics). Not far out of Honolulu is Hanauma Bay, the most popular snorkeling spot in Hawaii. After having snorkeled in some of the best locations in Kauai and
Maui I was worried that this would just be a big tourist nightmare but on the contrary the reef was a great place to snorkel. The water was very calm and clear and the fish were amazing. Also, we were face to face with a large sea turtle just going about its business and I was also able to follow a large eel through the water. Yes, there are a lot of people that go there but I would recommend going early and staying for a few hours and leaving when as it gets more packed. After all that snorkeling you might be hungry so make sure to stop at a shrimp truck . . . and if you can hold out for two hours you will have your pick of trucks. We would recommend Giovanni’s and we made sure to return there on this past trip. However, I would also like to try some of the others in the future for comparison’s sake. Just past Giovanni’s though is another place called the Kahuku Grill on the location of an old sugar mill. They have great coconut shrimp there and their burgers looked good and were very affordable. Another decent
burger can be had at Kua Aina in Haleiwa. Our favorite beach (so far) and one that locals also prefer is Kailua Beach Park. The water is that beautiful translucent blue and the setting is very peaceful. The Pipeline beach is a fun place to stop and sit in the sand and take in the big waves and great surfing.
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