Destination
Waikiki, Oahu Plus Hawaiian Islands Cruise
Hawaii
Introduction
Most of the information I’m about to provide about Hawaii, other than a few exceptions here and there, is focused on waikiki and the surrounding areas on the island of Oahu because we’ve stayed primarily on this island.
Places To Stay
About Hotel & Resorts Options
There are a LOT of hotel and resort options in Hawaii, so regarding places to stay, it really depends on your budget. For us we’d rather spend less on hotels and travel more than to spend a lot of money on hotels and spend less. Below is a short list of places we’ve stayed when we’ve visited Hawaii. Everywhere we’ve stayed has been on the island of Oahu. If you’re looking at a specific island, there are plenty of online reviews about the best places that fit your budget and style. The examples below are organized in lowest price order first.
Aston Waikiki Circle
There are two Aston Waikiki hotels in Waikiki that are literally across the street from the beach. We’ve stayed at the Circle one, which served our purposes well. It’s an old hotel that has been restored so it’s got a great retro feel. We’ve gotten an upgraded room that has a beach-side balcony. The rooms are modest in size but are nice, there is a small fridge near the coffeemaker, and in the small “lobby” area is Eggs ‘n’ Things, a great restaurant that gives you a 10% discount if you show them your room key when ordering. Parking here is also very limited; we always take a cab from the airport so it’s never an issue for us. The location is perfect; everything from shopping to restaurants to public transport is a short walk away.
Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger
When we stayed here it was owned by Holiday Inn. The Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger is in an excellent location, with the beaches right there across the street, and as with the Aston hotel, everything we really need is within walking distance of the hotel. I would advise to try to get one of the higher floors and to consider splurging for an ocean view. There’s a pool and fitness center, and Outrigger also happens to own Maui Brewing Company, which is an amazing restaurant that serves really good craft beer and live entertainment, and is located right next door.
Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club
This is an absolutely beautiful resort. We stayed here as part of a birthday trip. The grounds are amazing. The rooms and villas are top notch. It’s family-friendly, and it’s within an exclusive gated community. It’s away from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu/Waikiki Beach, so keep that in mind.
Cruise Ship Stateroom
One option is to get on a cruise ship and choose a room with a balcony. Norwegian Cruise Line’s ship Pride of America offers a 7-day cruise to four Hawaiian islands (Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island) with two overnight stays (port locations are apt to vary due to volcanic activity on the Big Island). We’ve done this cruise at least twice and love it. The port is in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. Though the cruise is the most expensive for hotel stay,, it is still by far the least expensive option overall since the costs are all inclusive.
If you choose to cruise, this is a great way to spend a day or two on each island in the itinerary, so if you’d like to return in the future, you have an idea of the island or islands you like best. You may still want a few days in Waikiki either before or after the cruise to complete your Hawaii experience.
Something to keep in mind about this particular cruise: It’s more expensive than the average Caribbean cruise, in part because the staff are mostly American so wages are higher, and the fact that there is no casino on this ship due to state laws.
Things To Do
There are so many things to do in Hawaii that it can easily get overwhelming, particularly if you don’t have deep pockets or weeks of vacation time. The internet is full of websites, blogs, and Pinterest pins with lists of things to do on various Hawaiian islands, so instead of trying to compete with all that, I’m sticking to things we’ve done when in Hawaii.
Featured Honolulu Activity - Chief's Luau
Chief’s Luau is one of the highest rated luaus on TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Google. Many vacationers have actually been to this one multiple times and of the 4 or 5 luaus experienced, this one appears to be the favorite. It’s very well-organized, guests arrive in buses (which picked us up and dropped us off at the same location in Waikiki) so there’s no worry about where to park, the food is really good, and the entertainment is amazing. There are three “experiences” you can have, based on budget. The higher priced tier groups sit closer to the entertainment and have some other perks. Guests in all tiers get the all-you-can-eat buffet and all get to see the show. It’s not cheap (prices start at $95 for an adult ticket) but for us it was well worth the admission. What’s interesting is that this luau is on the same property as Wet ‘n Wild water park. Since the luaus are held in the evenings, there is no conflict with the water park activities.
If you’re looking for an amazing luau and you aren’t going to be on the island of Oahu, I suggest you head to TripAdvisor
Featured Waikiki Activity - Surf Waikiki
Yellow Cap Mike has provided the best surf training experience on Waikiki Beach Hawaii for over 25 years as well as outrigger canoe rides, stand up paddle, burials at sea, and island tours. We offer customized excursions to meet all your expectations. Our passion is to provide high-quality services using state-of-the-art equipment that matches your skill level. We are very dedicated to providing our clients with great memories that will last a lifetime.
Learn to surf in one of the best surfing spots in the world! We provide surfing lessons for all ages, both private and group instruction. From paddling out to riding your first wave, your instructor is there every step of the way to ensure you have a great experience. Boards are provided in lessons, and board rental is also available. Call Mike directly at 808-753-6082. Please leave him a message he does not answer the phone as he is on the beach all day most days.
Guided Tours
One of the best ways to see Hawaii is to do it via a tour company. Many tour companies will pick you up and drop you off at or close to your hotel. TripAdvisor has reviews of various tour companies and specific tours, and again, it depends on your budget here. If you choose to cruise, it’s easy to book excursions through the cruise line, but keep in mind that there is almost always an upcharge, so we booked directly with the tour company we used.
Roberts Hawaii
We’ve had good experiences with Roberts Hawaii tours, which has tour options all over the islands.. One tour that we enjoyed was Rainbow Falls in Hilo on The Big Island. We also did a Lava Tube / Hawaii Volcanoes National Park tour. Due to the volcano activity on the Big Island, though, these tours may not be available.
Tom's Barefoot Tours
This tour company also has tour options all over the islands. They’ve got pretty good reviews, and we’ve had good experiences with them. We did a waterfall hike/tour on the island of Oahu that was a lot of fun for an afternoon.
Beaches
There are over 100 amazing beaches on the main islands that make up Hawaii. Our experiences are limited to the Waikiki beaches in Oahu and Big Beach/Little Beach in Maui
Waikiki
Waikiki itself has NINE beaches. We go to the beach right in front of the Aston Circle Hotel. It’s perfect for our needs (surfing and chillin’ under an umbrella). There are outdoor places to shower the sand off, public restrooms, and the police station is literally right there too. Head to this blog about some great general info about the beaches of Waikiki.
You’ll find a lot of paddle boarders in addition to surfers in Waikiki. Surfing locations and conditions vary depending on where you’re staying. We’ve only surfed at Waikiki, but there are a lot of other options depending on your ability. Surf lessons and surfboard rentals are abundant. (If you’re in Waikiki, check out Big Wave Dave Surf Company.)
Maui
We went to Big Beach and Little Beach when we were in Maui. Since it was a day stop for our cruise, we took a shuttle from the ship to the Maui Mall to Makena Beach State Park, which is home to Big Beach and Little Beach. Just so you know, Little Beach is a nude beach. It’s also pretty small, so it can get crowded. Big Beach is beautiful and huge. You can find reviews of both beaches all over the internet.
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is a must-see because of the history. The monument is amazing, and guests are taken there in groups by ferry. Admission is free, but there are time slots so you may have to wait for an hour or more depending on how busy it is that day. The park has buildings with historic remnants, artifacts, and facts about WWII and Pearl Harbor, a bookstore and gift shops, and food/beverages are available for purchase on site. We’ve taken The Bus there twice and it’s about a 45-minute bus ride from Waikiki Beach.
Diamond Head State Monument
Hawaii is home to a lot of state parks, and Diamond Head is one of them. It’s pretty amazing. We walked there from our hotel (Aston Circle Hotel at Waikiki Beach), which is about a 4.5-mile walk. Then we decided to go on the hiking trail, which is basically a LOT of steps (A. LOT.) to the top, which rewarded us with some breathtaking views of the coastline. You can drive there (parking is $5) or you can get there by bus. Admission is $1 per person and they take cash only. If you don’t want to hike to the top, there are other options because the park is inside a giant crater. The whole thing is pretty cool.
Honolulu Zoo
The Honolulu Zoo is in Waikiki, a few blocks from where we usually stay (Aston Circle). It’s open every day except Christmas Day. General admission is $19 for adults. It’s actually located in a big park, Queen Kapi‘olani Park.
Queen Kapi‘olani Park
This park is the largest public park in Hawaii and is located in downtown Waikiki. It has 130 acres of land with tennis and basketball courts, soccer and rugby fields, a running/walking course, and more.
Dole Plantation
If you can’t get enough of pineapples, this should go on your must-do list. The Dole Plantation is in Honolulu County, which is about 25 miles from Waikiki. It’s often on the itinerary on tours, but plenty of people go here on their own and take tours of the plantation (the train tour is fun for kids to do). You can find plenty of reviews online, so you can decide if it’s worth the trip.
Shopping
Shopping districts and malls
There are so many shopping options in Hawaii that we could make a whole website dedicated just to that. In Waikiki, the streets are loaded with stores and outdoor shopping areas. You’ll see everything from H&M and Urban Outfitters to Louis Vuitton and Prada stores. There is also a huge mall in Honolulu, Ala Moana Center, that has hundreds of stores, in case you really want to get your shop on. There’s also a HUGE Ross store in Waikiki, and I found an amazing pair of UGG boots in a Marshall’s, also in Waikiki.
Farmers Markets
I really love going to the outdoor farmers’ markets in Waikiki (we’ve also been to one in Kona that is amazing). The Waikiki Farmer’s Market is just one of them (located on 2424 Kalakaua Avenue) and has fresh fruit and vegetables, breads, to-go smoothies and parfaits and fruit cups, and other fresh items that we don’t normally see at home. This particular market isn’t open every day, but you can Google it to see when it’s open.
ABC Stores
There are over 50 ABC convenience stores in the state of Hawaii, and I swear every one of them is in Honolulu because it seems like there is one on every corner. These are really great. You can get all kinds of souvenirs there, as well as hot and cold to-go food (I’ve actually had sushi from an ABC store and it wasn’t bad!), sunscreen and beach supplies, alcohol, and Japanese skin care items that I always wonder about but am scared to get because I can’t read Japanese.
North Shore village
North Shore village, also known as Haleiwa, is the definitive surfers paradise. If you rent a car while in Oahu, take a drive to the North Shore and you’ll not only see some great scenery (and the surfing is amazing if you’re rather advanced), there’s a wonderful area that has fun little shops.
Transportation
My advice on transportation in Hawaii is limited, because we don’t rent a car when we go to Hawaii. We stay in places that have everything possible within walking distance or are a relatively short bus ride away.
Take The Bus
Hawaii has great bus systems in our experience (and a lot of online reviews agree). We’ve taken buses in Maui (to Big Beach/Little Beach) and Oahu. Day passes are very reasonable. The main downside is that it can take a while to get to your destination (for example, if a place is 20 minutes away by car, it could take an hour by bus).
Use a car-sharing service
There is a “car sharing” option called Turo, where you basically rent a local’s car for a specified duration, and the fees are based in part on make/model/year. It can be a better option than using a rental company, but reading reviews are helpful.
Car rentals
I was told by a local that Hertz had the best rates in Waikiki, but you may want to research rental companies and see if you really need one during your stay. Parking can be very limited and quite expensive. We purposely stay in areas that are pedestrian-friendly to avoid needing a vehicle.
There's always Taxis and Uber
I will admit that we haven’t used Uber in Hawaii and only used Taxis to get to and from the airport. We checked out the prices and decided that for our purposes it was better to bus it when needed.
Good Eats
A lot of tourists will go to a bar, like Margaritaville, during an afternoon off-resort, down a bunch of margaritas or Red Stripes, and then decide to go shopping because they don’t have a care in the world. First of all, if you’re staying at an all-inclusive resort, you can limit the alcohol when you’re off the resort, since drinks almost always add up to a big tab at the end (by the way, you need to be somewhat sober to make sure that the tab is correct, because even bartenders at home can add an extra drink or two to your bill and figure you won’t notice). Then, if you’re sloshed and make the brilliant decision to look in a few stores, you’ll likely end up either buying a lot of crap you don’t need, you’ll pay full price for items that you may have been able to negotiate for a lower price had you been sober, and, worst case, you could get pickpocketed or mugged by someone who decided to take advantage of your inebriation.
Banan
If you love bananas, and you love ice cream, and you’re anywhere close to Waikiki, you have to go to Banan. They make dairy free, straight up banana ice cream (I make it at home with a food processor and frozen bananas and it’s amazing) and you can pick assorted toppings and the like. There are 2 locations, one of which is basically on the beach between hotels. It’s not cheap (prepare to spend around $9 per bowl on average) but it is SO worth it.
Duke’s
If you want a lovely sunset dinner, or just dinner in general at a great beachfront restaurant, head over to Duke’s in Waikiki. If you want to sit outside so you can get a view of the sunset (check the time of when sunset should be during the time you’ll be in Hawaii), make reservations well in advance. You should be able to make reservations up to about 3 months in advance. Duke’s has an AMAZING huge salad bar that you can have as a one-trip visit or have it as your meal. The seafood and presentation are outstanding. Prices are what you’d expect at a beachfront restaurant in Hawaii but if you’re going to Hawaii you know you’ll be dropping some decent dough. This place is worth it. (Hint: if you’re a guy and want to impress your significant other, bring some extra cash for a freshly made lei that you can usually find just outside the main dining room. They are gorgeous and smell wonderful). Also, GET THE HULA PIE for dessert. It’s huge and freaking awesome.
Eggs ‘N’ Things
This place is outstanding. There are 2 locations (website here) and the last time we were in Waikiki we went there for breakfast literally every morning. Our Aston Circle Hotel room key got us 10% off our bill. The one on the beach usually has VERY long queues but the restaurant knows what it’s doing so you don’t wait for terribly long and I’m telling you IT’S WORTH THE WAIT. They hand out menus in English and Japanese to everyone, and you place your order when you get to the front and pay before you get seated. We always got there early – around 7 or so – which was easy because of the time change. If nothing else, order the macadamia nut pancakes. If you feel adventurous, order the Spam and eggs, which is a Hawaii tradition (it also comes with a side of rice, which may be weird to Americans, but I love trying new things and really liked it)
Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck
Located on the North Shore, this whole area is actually amazing. Google it to find exactly how to get there. This is not easy to get to if you are staying in Waikiki as we do, so we planned a day trip to the north shore. You’ll find other food stands and food trucks and everything we had there, particularly this place and grilled corn, was AMAZING.
Hard Rock Cafe
The Hard Rock Cafe in Honolulu is right there in Waikiki. It’s in a great location – we like to go shopping before and after eating here – and the dining area is big and breezy. The food is always good and service is fine. It’s a typical Hard Rock franchise-y atmosphere, which turns some people off, so you may want to check out reviews online before you make plans to go.
Jamba Juice
We don’t have a Jamba Juice near us in Florida, but there’s one a block away from our hotel. They have great smoothies and if you like chewy oatmeal cookies, try their Oaties. Not many Jamba Juices have those and I love them.
Maui Brewing Company
Maui Brewing Company has locations on Oahu and Maui. The one we went to is in the heart of Waikiki, by the Beachcomber Resort on the main strip (Kalakaua Avenue). It’s also huge. HUGE. We were very impressed when we went. They have a giant selection of craft beers, and the menu has a lot of options without overwhelming you with choices. We really liked the ambiance and personality of the staff. The food is great too. It’s a casual atmosphere that often has live music, so it’s pretty much a guaranteed good time.
Rock Island Cafe
If you’re into a retro diner feel, THIS is the place to go. The Rock Island Cafe is just a block or two from the main drag in Waikiki and is just adorable. The place is decorated with vintage dining tables and booths and has all kinds of pop culture memorabilia, as well as a jukebox and TVs playing old commercials and sitcom reruns. The food is great, but keep in mind that if you’re looking for healthy stuff, you won’t really find it. They have loads of different burgers and hot dogs, and you HAVE to order one of their milkshakes, which are made and served the old fashioned way. The staff are dressed in vintage-style diner uniforms, which add to the totally retro feel. There are also really cool and unique vintage things for sale (some of it is really expensive but it’s all fun to look at). We go at least once every time we stay in Waikiki. Bonus: there is a farmer’s market right in front of the cafe on some days, so you can grab some fruit or something to take back to the hotel room.
Hawaii On A Budget
We spend money where we feel it counts, but we don’t splurge on every single thing possible. It’s not all-or-nothing; we just choose wisely when it comes to a few things that we know can easily add up. Here are a few tips:
Pick a hotel that has a fridge in rooms
Look on the hotel website or ask the staff when booking your hotel reservation. Not every hotel offers this. We find it totally necessary because we get a lot of fruit and other perishables at farmers markets and grocery stores, which saves us money because we aren’t constantly eating out.
Pack your favorite snacks in your luggage
I pack boxes of my favorite crackers, raw almonds, and other lightweight non-perishables because if I wanted to buy the same things once I got to Hawaii I’d pay a good bit more. Everything in Hawaii is more expensive since most everything is imported and because it’s so touristy. If you love Chips Ahoy and can’t live without them, consider packing a box in your luggage instead of buying them locally, and then you’ll later have that room in your suitcase for souvenirs.
Get sunscreen before you go to Hawaii
We always pack at least 5 spray cans of high-SPF sport sunscreen because, again, everything in Hawaii is so expensive. I also take a jar of clear zinc for when we are at the beach, particularly surfing. I swear by the stuff. And it’s way cheaper to bring it from home.
Find a grocery store or food market within walking distance
We go to the Food Pantry to grab bottled water and snacks. It’s a small grocery store (the one we go to is in Waikiki, a few blocks from our hotel) that also has takeout and a coffee place. We’d rather get stuff there than at a pricier convenience store.
Go to Ross before you hit the surf shops
You might be surprised at the brands you’ll find there. The enormous Ross in Waikiki has a lot of the same brands as the myriad of surf shops – Billabong, Hurley, RVCA, etc – and you can pick up less pricey souvenirs here as well. We’ve also gotten cheap sunglasses (that had UV protection) to wear when surfing so our Oakleys wouldn’t be in danger (I lost a pair of Oakleys a few years ago while bodysurfing). It’s a very good option when you have kids. If anyone needs a rashguard, try Ross first unless you plan on paying full price at one of the surf shops.
Hawaii Photo Gallery
