Oahu, Hawaii
May 2021.
Some Notes
Accommodations in Oahu are expensive and get booked quickly. So as soon as you know when you’re going, book a hotel or AirBNB!
If you want to go to a luau, also book well in advance.
Recommend getting a rental car, so you can fully explore the island and not just stay in Honolulu. Perfect time to rent a jeep.
Justine actually made a vlog of our trip.
Here’s a google doc of all the information in this post, which may be easier to reference.
annotated map, correlates with [numbers] listed below in Restaurants & Activities
Restaurants
[8] 53 by the Sea (brunch vs dinner)
[9] Duke’s Waikiki (breakfast)
[7] Sweet E’s Cafe (breakfast)
[11] Doraku Sushi (lunch or dinner)
[11] Marukame (Marugame) Udon (lunch)
[11] Siam Square on Lewers St (Thai food)
[6] Giovanni’s shrimp truck (North Shore)
We honestly did not feel that this shrimp was good and definitely not worth the long wait in line.
spoiler alert: it was not worth it
Hukilau Cafe
Leonard’s
Try malasadas: Portuguese donuts
Hula Grille
Koko Head Cafe
Make reservation!
Get the cornflake french toast – DELICIOUS.
Koko Head Cafe
Coco’s Ichibana Curry House
Moana Surf Rider
Liliha Bakery (Lunch)
Cinnamon’s at the Ilikai (breakfast)
Cafe Morey’s (breakfast)
Activities
[1] Ka Moana Luau
Book as far in advance as you can! Sells out quickly.
We did not enjoy this much. A lot of it seemed corny and geared to another demographic. And our food was cold.
It was nice to see the representation of other Pacific Island cultures.
[10] Diamond Head Hike
Hike up volcano rim, takes about 1.5 hr total
[5] Koko Crater Railway Trail Hike
Moderate to difficult hike, like a never-ending stair master. Worth it for the breathtaking views at the top.
Top of Koko Head Trail, 1027 ft elevation
[15] Pearl Harbor Memorial Tour
[3] Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden
Highly recommend, the botanical garden is stunning and has nice viewpoints/outlooks.
Open 9a-4p. After 4, all cars have to exit, but you can still enter on foot.
[14] Mermaid Caves
[2] Dole Plantation
Has the world’s largest maze and a botanical garden. Try the Dole Whip
The plantation has a controversial history of imperialism and violent that we didn’t know about until after visiting. So read up on the history and decide if you wish to visit beforehand.
Lulumahu Waterfalls (difficult hike)
[12] Waimea Falls (inside botanical garden $20)
Shark’s Cove Beach (wear swim shoes)
[4] Tantalus Lookout (great for sunset, bring jacket)
[6] North Shore
Waimea Bay Beach
Hilton Hawaiian submarine tour Atlantis Waikiki
Luxury shopping at Ala Moana Center
[13] Lanikai Beach (known as “the most beautiful beach”) + Pillbox Hike (1 hr total hike)
Lanikai Beach
pillbox hike
view from pillbox
Accommodation
We stayed at the Ala Moana Hotel, with a room booked via AirBNB.
The hotel was nice and has a nice rooftop. There was nothing really special about the room and the view was only partial ocean-view.
Decent accommodations are hard to come across in Oahu and get booked quickly. There was an AirBNB listing to sleep in back of a Ford Escape for $65/night. Insane.
Itinerary
Here’s an example itinerary.
We didn’t follow this exactly. Planned dining spots on the go. And fell asleep early every night because of the time difference lol.
Monday
Land at 6:52 PM
Check-in hotel
Tuesday
Breakfast @ Sweet E’s
Pick up rental at 10:30 AM
Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden
Explore Waikiki – Kalakaua Avenue
Dinner @ Duke’s Waikiki
Wednesday
Koko Head Hike
Stop at Kokonuts for shaved ice
Waikiki Beach
Luau 5:15-7:45
Thursday
Breakfast @ Cinnamon’s at the Ilikai
Dole Plantation
Matsumoto shaved ice
North Shore
- Waimea Bay Beach
- Laniakea (Turtle) Beach
- Lunch: Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck
- Waimea Falls
Friday
Sunrise at Hanauma Bay
Pillbox Hike
Lanikai Beach
Diamond Head Hike
Brunch @ Koko head cafe
Mermaid Cave
Lanikai beach
Tantalus Lookout (sunset 7PM)
Dinner @ Roy’s (or 100 sails)
Saturday
Brunch @ Cafe Morey’s
Shopping Ala Moana Center
Grab malasadas at Leonard’s Bakery
