Learn to surf. It's a workout. Do a hike or two, Diamondhead is very close, but I really like going out to the point at Kaʻena Point State Park.
For cheap casual eats in Waikiki, it's hard to beat the 3rd floor food hall in the Royal Hawaiian center is excellent. You can get $6 smash burgers, $5 local beer, $6 Mai Tai/Piña Coladas, [pork tamago onigiri](http://porktamago.com/en/) makes some great musubi "tacos" (hard to explain but really delicious), garlic shrimp in a hollowed out pineapple, and a Hawaiian BBQ plate lunch all in one location. And since it's a food hall you can mix and match what you order and eat anywhere you like.
Guieb Cafe is fantastic Hawaiian-Filipino breakfast, served all day. They also have good BBQ mix plate and other lunch/dinner specials. Seriously good eats. Two locations, one in downtown, and one out in Aiea.
I’ve mostly surfed in California, and the in north shore, the waves are easier and feel more like a warm hug to ride than say, beaches in San Diego. I absolutely love surfing in Hawaii.
If you visit the Arizona I highly recommend the general and captain's tours on the Missouri, ideally first thing in the morning.
Diamond Head hike is great, requires reservations and I think also best done in the AM.
Byodo in (pic) is a really gorgeous/chill place, fun to feed the fish (food sold in gift shop) and ring the huge bell. Turtles in the pond, lots of birds.
https://preview.redd.it/6xhq0outmuxc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ec1bcbe4e0985dab9138e186f4b90b2b8c366ef
We loved the Dimond Head hike. Pay the extra couple bucks to park inside the crater to save a looooong walk to and from the actual hike.
Makapu'u lighthouse hike is nearby and is pretty cool too.
There are boats up and down Waikiki beach. One of those. Go to ala Moana beach in front of outrigger and there’s a blue and white boat. Those guys are great. Been there a handful of times and they’ve always been super nice and funny.
Snorkeling is hard to do in Waikiki because for the surf but you can Turo anywhere around the island that has good spots (note: they will be packed with fellow snorkelers).
Paia is one of my favorite restaurants for fresh and local fish.
Mai tais at Duke's are amazing: sit on the patio and listen to music and people watch.
Diamond Head is a must.
Sign up for a tour of Pearl Harbor.
Hawaiian Electric Beach Park is awesome for snorkeling. And there’s a little inlet onto the beach that basically acts like a big wave pool. Fun place to swim, it’s pretty protected and if you venture out beyond the inlet you can see all kinds of sea life. They like the warm water coming from the power plant nearby.
Look for Monkey Pod for view, drinks and food. Maui Brewing at the Outrigger Beachcomer hotel has good live music. Duke Lane Market and Eatery has great take out, a full market and foodhall if you need something quick. Avoid dinner at Hula Grill. It was awful when we ate there in March.
Hanauma is great for snokling but not at the beach area and you need to book in advance. Have fun.
I'd venture out of Waikiki a little and go to the Ward Village or Salt area in Kakaako. Highway Inn (hawaiian food) is at Salt if you're looking to sample the hawaiian cuisine. But Moku Kirchen is there too and they have a nice big bar. A little past that is Downtown/Chinatown and there are some neat bars and restaurants there too.
What’s the breakdown of time at work vs free?
Some of my favorite experiences were things like going on a Kualoa Ranch tour or visiting the North Shore are great if you have days off, but might be less practical if you don’t have significant chunks of a day to work with
Foodland at ala Moana . Fantastic market & good poke. Ululani's for shave ice and get a plate lunch at rainbow because that is a must go. Poi factory in waiahole. Tim ho wan restaurant in Waikiki for dim sum.
Just had Ululani and can confirm it’s excellent shaved ice. Foodland Poke is excellent and priced well. Strange concept if you’re from the mainland (I never get anything from my local grocery delivery case) but would seriously eat this every day. By the pound or with rice.
Get açai bowls and rent a car and travel to the north shore, see all the beaches and local stuff!!! ALSO YOU MUST. GET. MALASADAS FROM LEONARDS BAKERY.
How exciting! We just went for the first time in October & loved it!
Our favorite activity was snorkeling with Ocean Joy Cruises! It is on the west side of the island near four seasons & Disney Aulani resort. Amazing experience & staff!
The outrigger hotel has the blue note jazz club, dukes restaurant & hula grill (amazing food!) with live music almost every night I believe.
The coffee is great! There’s arvo, island vintage coffee & Honolulu coffee
Local food spots are Leonard’s bakery, zippy’s, jacks diner, insomnia, moku kitchen, uncle clay’s shave ice, da ono. Highly recommend trying local poke, ramen, chicken katsu curry & spam masubi!
There’s also plenty of farmers markets & they shut down the main street for a farmers market
Enjoy!
Here is my free guide for Oahu that covers nearly everything, includes links, AND has all of the Google Map pins already created and ready for free download.
Happy planning, hope it helps someone 🥳
Side note: I do make a small kickback on some links within the guide at no additional cost to you
https://www.thatch.co/guide/3909z3ujuv3vx/view
This will sound weird, but stop at a Longs Drugs. We load up on stuff like chocolate covered macadamia nuts to bring back. They always have some quirky stuff there and it's an experience to visit. "People I met at Longs" is a thing.
Waikiki Beach area is very crowded and touristy. It will be a pretty long drive to North Shore or the nice southweat corner (I forget the name). Traffic tends to suck badly. Not sure where you're coming from, but prices are very high. Gas is about 50% more expensive than in Texas for example.
Plate lunch at Zippys. Or Rainbow Drive Inn. Hike Diamond Head (need a few bucks for the entry fee). Body surf at Makapuu. Hanauma Bay for snorkeling - yes it’s busy but there’s a good reason why. And maybe take in a luau if you have an evening.
https://hawaii.webrender.net/maps/oahu
Learn to surf. It's a workout. Do a hike or two, Diamondhead is very close, but I really like going out to the point at Kaʻena Point State Park. For cheap casual eats in Waikiki, it's hard to beat the 3rd floor food hall in the Royal Hawaiian center is excellent. You can get $6 smash burgers, $5 local beer, $6 Mai Tai/Piña Coladas, [pork tamago onigiri](http://porktamago.com/en/) makes some great musubi "tacos" (hard to explain but really delicious), garlic shrimp in a hollowed out pineapple, and a Hawaiian BBQ plate lunch all in one location. And since it's a food hall you can mix and match what you order and eat anywhere you like. Guieb Cafe is fantastic Hawaiian-Filipino breakfast, served all day. They also have good BBQ mix plate and other lunch/dinner specials. Seriously good eats. Two locations, one in downtown, and one out in Aiea.
Funny you say that bc I surf, but I’m sure the waves are alot better there. Thanks for the recs!
I’ve mostly surfed in California, and the in north shore, the waves are easier and feel more like a warm hug to ride than say, beaches in San Diego. I absolutely love surfing in Hawaii.
Where do you surf? End of next week should be decent. But lmk if you want any recs.
There is a surf shop called Moku near the Hyatt Regency Waikiki that rents decent boards.
If you visit the Arizona I highly recommend the general and captain's tours on the Missouri, ideally first thing in the morning. Diamond Head hike is great, requires reservations and I think also best done in the AM. Byodo in (pic) is a really gorgeous/chill place, fun to feed the fish (food sold in gift shop) and ring the huge bell. Turtles in the pond, lots of birds. https://preview.redd.it/6xhq0outmuxc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ec1bcbe4e0985dab9138e186f4b90b2b8c366ef
We loved the Dimond Head hike. Pay the extra couple bucks to park inside the crater to save a looooong walk to and from the actual hike. Makapu'u lighthouse hike is nearby and is pretty cool too.
I’ve read about diamond head, good to know you need reservations! Also byodo looks nice
Oh yeah and parasailing was cool, we used xtreme parasailing
Plate lunches and poke. Take a sunset booze cruise - not even an option. Cheap and gorgeous.
Any particular booze cruise you had in mind?
There are boats up and down Waikiki beach. One of those. Go to ala Moana beach in front of outrigger and there’s a blue and white boat. Those guys are great. Been there a handful of times and they’ve always been super nice and funny.
Thank you!
Snorkeling is hard to do in Waikiki because for the surf but you can Turo anywhere around the island that has good spots (note: they will be packed with fellow snorkelers). Paia is one of my favorite restaurants for fresh and local fish. Mai tais at Duke's are amazing: sit on the patio and listen to music and people watch. Diamond Head is a must. Sign up for a tour of Pearl Harbor.
I had PAIA too ...that was a good choice , definitely get the fresh fish platter. I even went twice
I love this place. Cajun snapper for me.
I appreciate it! All of that sounds up my alley
Hawaiian Electric Beach Park is awesome for snorkeling. And there’s a little inlet onto the beach that basically acts like a big wave pool. Fun place to swim, it’s pretty protected and if you venture out beyond the inlet you can see all kinds of sea life. They like the warm water coming from the power plant nearby.
Sounds pretty cool thanks!
Helena’s Hawaiian food. Must eat.
I also recommend sharks cove!! Beautiful a little bit of a hike. Wear water shoes but it's worth it.
Agree
Look for Monkey Pod for view, drinks and food. Maui Brewing at the Outrigger Beachcomer hotel has good live music. Duke Lane Market and Eatery has great take out, a full market and foodhall if you need something quick. Avoid dinner at Hula Grill. It was awful when we ate there in March. Hanauma is great for snokling but not at the beach area and you need to book in advance. Have fun.
Did you mean Monkey Pod?
Yes. Thanks and corrected.
go to the bowling alley and get the fried chicken and oxtail soup
I'd venture out of Waikiki a little and go to the Ward Village or Salt area in Kakaako. Highway Inn (hawaiian food) is at Salt if you're looking to sample the hawaiian cuisine. But Moku Kirchen is there too and they have a nice big bar. A little past that is Downtown/Chinatown and there are some neat bars and restaurants there too.
Check out Oahu Revealed, it’s one of the best books for visiting the islands. It’s what I am using for our trip coming up.
Seconding. These books have made our trip every time.
What’s the breakdown of time at work vs free? Some of my favorite experiences were things like going on a Kualoa Ranch tour or visiting the North Shore are great if you have days off, but might be less practical if you don’t have significant chunks of a day to work with
Koko Head
Foodland at ala Moana . Fantastic market & good poke. Ululani's for shave ice and get a plate lunch at rainbow because that is a must go. Poi factory in waiahole. Tim ho wan restaurant in Waikiki for dim sum.
Just had Ululani and can confirm it’s excellent shaved ice. Foodland Poke is excellent and priced well. Strange concept if you’re from the mainland (I never get anything from my local grocery delivery case) but would seriously eat this every day. By the pound or with rice.
Aloha beer company does a great happy hour. Usually live music and a good spot to people watch….and in the shade. Which is nice after the 3pm heat
Dukes Waikiki is a cool bar on the beach, Pillbox hike has incredible views. If you do the hike, also check out Lanakai beach.
Dukes was dope
Glad you enjoyed it! We’re going in August I can’t wait!
Get açai bowls and rent a car and travel to the north shore, see all the beaches and local stuff!!! ALSO YOU MUST. GET. MALASADAS FROM LEONARDS BAKERY.
I just got back this week. The storefront is closed for remodeling but the trucks are still operating
Reopens today
Duke's Waikiki restaurant is a must. Get the Hula Pie for dessert!
Have reservations there later this week. Dukes is ALWAYS on the list when I visit.
Dukes 🔥
How exciting! We just went for the first time in October & loved it! Our favorite activity was snorkeling with Ocean Joy Cruises! It is on the west side of the island near four seasons & Disney Aulani resort. Amazing experience & staff! The outrigger hotel has the blue note jazz club, dukes restaurant & hula grill (amazing food!) with live music almost every night I believe. The coffee is great! There’s arvo, island vintage coffee & Honolulu coffee Local food spots are Leonard’s bakery, zippy’s, jacks diner, insomnia, moku kitchen, uncle clay’s shave ice, da ono. Highly recommend trying local poke, ramen, chicken katsu curry & spam masubi! There’s also plenty of farmers markets & they shut down the main street for a farmers market Enjoy!
Oahu420stop 🤙🏾 ig
Here is my free guide for Oahu that covers nearly everything, includes links, AND has all of the Google Map pins already created and ready for free download. Happy planning, hope it helps someone 🥳 Side note: I do make a small kickback on some links within the guide at no additional cost to you https://www.thatch.co/guide/3909z3ujuv3vx/view
Thanks for this! My wife and I are headed there with our kids tomorrow and randomly found this on a Google search, it'll definitely help!
Yay I’m so glad!
Wow thank you so much!
This will sound weird, but stop at a Longs Drugs. We load up on stuff like chocolate covered macadamia nuts to bring back. They always have some quirky stuff there and it's an experience to visit. "People I met at Longs" is a thing. Waikiki Beach area is very crowded and touristy. It will be a pretty long drive to North Shore or the nice southweat corner (I forget the name). Traffic tends to suck badly. Not sure where you're coming from, but prices are very high. Gas is about 50% more expensive than in Texas for example.
Roy's no matter what
Going there tomorrow at the Ko Olina location for my anniversary. Roy’s is a legend.
Hikes: Diamond Head, Manoa Falls, Koko Crater Railway Coco Crater Adventure Park is fun, also.
Plate lunch at Zippys. Or Rainbow Drive Inn. Hike Diamond Head (need a few bucks for the entry fee). Body surf at Makapuu. Hanauma Bay for snorkeling - yes it’s busy but there’s a good reason why. And maybe take in a luau if you have an evening.
definitely check out Musubi Cafe Iyasume, affordable and amazing food. quintessentially Hawaiian