Activities/restaurants in Oahu, Hawaii

[darcytribe]

Will be here for 2 weeks in a few weeks. Looking for advice on things to do/see. Pearl Harbor, surf lesson, shave ice already on the list. Would appreciate specific locations/vendors. Active wife will be with me. Thanks!

 

[kda082]

Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay (crowded), North Shore. Kauai and Maui are my favorite islands, but they're all beautiful. Have fun!

 

[danarnold]

north shore! Lei Lei's @ turtle bay is the bomb, pupukea grill is the best food truck you'll ever have, https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUse...Kai_Ocean_Adventures-Haleiwa_Oahu_Hawaii.html whale watching with my friend Kala Alexander, I got more

 

[Krieg Hetzen]

I just left there Saturday night. Dole Pineapple Plantation and Honolulu Zoo are things you can add on, we also did a Luau at Ko Olina that was a ton of fun. Pearl Harbor is definitely a full day, we got there at 11 to start with the USS Arizona and ran out of time to visit the USS Oklahoma memorial (just outside the USS Missouri) and the Aviation Museum. If you ask the tour people nicely, they will take you up inside one of the gun housings, also the command deck area is being renovated so your view at the helm of a battleship will be white plastic. Still a phenomenal ship though. Climbworks Zipline was a ton of fun and a solid 2 1/2 hour thing, Gunstock ranch does horseback rides (various lengths including a ride/lunch/ride thing, my girls loved it) and the Byodo-In temple is a cool place to visit as well. We did not make it to the Polynesian Cultural Center but I’ve been told that it is a couple day thing if you want to see and do everything and that we should have gone. Also, hit up Waimea Bay after a big blow. When we went the forecast called for 20-30ft waves, while we were there they seemed more like 15-20ft but it was cool. Have fun.

 

[jmcd22]

My fiance worked at UH for two years while getting her Master's so I spent quite a bit of time over there. For food, there are a lot of places to go...I was not keen on going to a lot of the places that I can get over here on the mainland so I tried to find local places...

Kono's is a good place for burritos (breakfast or lunch). They have a place up on North Shore as well. Sweet E's is probably the best breakfast place I found and it is close to the same area as Kono's. It's more of your traditional type breakfast than a lot of the other places you'll find. Maui Brewing is a cool spot on Waikiki but it's expensive and crowded most of the time. If you go there, go during happy hour. Duke's was our "date" restaurant when I went to see her. It's kind of cool but also expensive. Their hula pie is worth saving room for desert. If you're looking for pizza and a drink, try JJ Dolan's downtown. Has kind of an Irish pub atmosphere to it. The pizza is awesome too. If you are up on North Shore, there is a pizza truck called Impossible's which is good if you can find him. He's a one man show so he won't answer the phone if he's busy. Also up on North Shore is Romy's Shrimp Hut. It's a pretty cool place to get something to eat. Only other place I can think of at the moment is Kona Brewing.

Koko Head is a cool hike and pretty challenging. On the same side of that island is also Makapu'u Lighthouse. It's an easy walk but is a nice view. If you go further up the coast, you'll eventually hit the blow holes which can be cool. Every time we were over there is was really windy though. Keep going up that side of the island and you'll be at Lanikai Beach which was my favorite of them all. It is quiet during the week and really relaxing. You can spend time on the beach and then do the Pillbox Hike. It is a little challenging but not bad. The views are worth it. I highly suggest this one. North Shore is a cool place to visit too. We didn't spend a lot of time there but we did stop by when the waves were big and that is something to see. If you're up there, Hale'iwa is a really cool town to visit. We spent a day up there sitting on the beach and walking around all of the shops they have.

To list other things I know she did that I didn't...

Ko Olina Beach
Manoa Falls
Waimea Beach
Maunalua Bay to paddleboard

If you're feeling brave, and don't mind breaking the law, you could always do the Stairway to Heaven....I'm sure you've heard of it and if you haven't, just Google it.

Lastly, if you have some extra cash, I suggest doing a helicopter tour of the island. I had never done anything like this and it was really cool. We did the "Valleys & Waterfall" tour. Totally worth the money.

Best Oahu Helicopter Tours - Paradise Helicopters

The island is pocketed with culturally and historically significant sites, extraordinarily beautiful knife-edge mountain formations, lush jungle-covered valleys, glowing white beaches, and impressive architecture. Explore Paradise.

paradisecopters.com

I'll ask my fiance about some of the other things she did...I know there are a lot of things I am not remembering that don't show up on Google....Feel free to PM me as well...I'm sure more will come to mind as I think about it.

 

[justin84]

• Kayak to mokes from Kailua (Kailua Beach Adventures)
• ka'ena point trail (from the west you will pass some cool beaches, from the north you can also visit Hale'iwa, a cool north shore town)
• keep an eye on swell forecast on local weather; you could probably go check out 20-30 foot waves on north shore
• manoa falls is a cool interior hike but it's a mess right now, be prepared for lots of mud. lots of other interior hiking opportunities
• waimanalo beach on a weekday - beautiful and empty

 

[Mattyq17]

Geovanni's shrimp truck
Matsumoto's shaved ice,
Pillbox hike, and Diamond head hike are the ones that I liked the most.

My wife's aunt lives there and has done the stairway to heaven hike before and said its awesome, just don't get caught.

 

[kda082]

Anyone remember the name of the submarine at PH? Blue Fin maybe? I got a real kick out of touring it. So small and cramped. Would take a special person to sign on for that duty.

 

[bedford falls]

The guard at stairway to heaven used to leave by 2 in the afternoon. Or you could go the long way: up Middle Ridge, across the top and down stairway to heaven. You would need someone to pick you up at the bottom of stairway to heaven, or hike back up and down Middle Ridge (long hike). Polynesian Cultural Center is a good thing to see, but like has already been mentioned it's a 2 day thing. LuLu's in Waikiki makes a pretty good Mai Tai and their pupu's (appetizers) are pretty good also. Friday night fireworks on Wakiki beach. Keawaula Beach on the west side is a nice beach that is not very crowded. All kinds of hiking, just google.

 

[FLAK]

Whatever you do, go get a "Kronut" .
There's a place not far from the Zoo that sells
these little pieces of heaven, still warm.

 

[jmcd22]

Whatever you do, go get a "Kronut" .
There's a place not far from the Zoo that sells
these little pieces of heaven, still warm.

Leonard's Bakery! They're called malasadas haha.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Tourist trap but Roy’s was one of the better meals I had in Hawaii. Pearl Harbor was my favorite spot on Oahu. If your time and budget allow, a side trip to Kauai is worth it. Napoli coast hike. The canyon. Spectacular. The big island lava fields and stuff are super cool. Maui is 3rd fav. Volcano is cool. Road to HaNa is a bit of a let down.

 

[Krieg Hetzen]

The sub is called the Bowfin, awesome walking through that thing!

 

[Gznokes]

The guard at stairway to heaven used to leave by 2 in the afternoon. Or you could go the long way: up Middle Ridge, across the top and down stairway to heaven. You would need someone to pick you up at the bottom of stairway to heaven, or hike back up and down Middle Ridge (long hike). Polynesian Cultural Center is a good thing to see, but like has already been mentioned it's a 2 day thing. LuLu's in Waikiki makes a pretty good Mai Tai and their pupu's (appetizers) are pretty good also. Friday night fireworks on Wakiki beach. Keawaula Beach on the west side is a nice beach that is not very crowded. All kinds of hiking, just google.

Stairway to heaven hike is a world class experience. Don't mess with the front side because it is illegal. Go up the legal backside up the middle ridge. Once you get to the top you can hike up and down the stairs for a unique, stunning world class experience

 

[FLAK]

double post

 

[FLAK]

Leonard's Bakery! They're called malasadas haha.

Thats it!!

 

[dwils233]

Someone else said to go to Kailua and that is a great little town. The snow cone place there (island snow maybe??) Is a local hot spot.
If you're driving, from Honolulu take the Pali hey over to kaneohe and Kailua then drive around the south side of the island. You can snorkel at makapu'u beach there or body surf some waves. I did 4 years in the Navy there and think the windward and southern areas are less crowded for tourist stuff.

Punchbowl national cemetery is drop dead beautiful, somber, impressive and a great slice of history. If you've got military ID go to kaneohe bay base and rent paddle boards or kayaks in the bay. Hit up a zippys for Hawaiian diner food. Polynesian cultural center is worth some time on the north side and so is a hiking tour of the kualoa ranch which is pretty famous from movies like Jurassic Park. Definitely go out after dark on the wikiki strip one night on a weekend to see that area come alive. If I think of anything else I'll drop another post. Enjoy it, Oahu is a beautiful island and really vibrant

 

[bayangler]

Diving off the rocks at Waimea Bay! Man it’s been too long since I went back there.

 

[Hill Difficulty]

Tourist perspective here:
Been ten years since last visit to Hawaii...but of all island destinations, hanging out on the North Shore beaches, restaurants, and food trucks are easily the most memorable. My wife and I still marvel over breakfast burrito experiences at Kono's. The commercial areas burned us out quick.

Have a super trip!

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Just got back. Rent snorkel and fins for $30 each and take advantage of some great, free marine viewing. Albatross should have chicks on the NW point State Park.

The stairway hike easy to see before the tunnel. Really wish I would have attempted it.