Destination: Honolulu, Oahu, Hawai'i
Time of travel: December 2014
Duration: 9 days
Travel plan: 5 days in Honolulu, 4 days on Big Island (Hawai'i), 6 days in San Francisco
Being the capital city, Honolulu offers you pretty much everything you need from a holiday. There's beach, shopping, restaurants, night life, hiking, surfing, everything! Oahu definitely has it all. It's relatively small considering all the activities you can enjoy on the island yet big enough to enjoy the beautiful scenery even in privacy.
Beach life
The famous Waikiki beach is exactly what you expect. It's a fantastic spot to enjoy some sun and beach while enjoying the view to the Diamond Head crater and watching surfers catch the waves. The water isn't the warmest and you should watch out while walking in the water as it's full of rocks but aside that, you'll have some fantastic time under the Hawaiian sun.
If, however, you prefer to lounge by the pool like we did, you can choose from one of the fabulous hotels by the beach. Hawaii is very popular any time of the year so be prepared to reserve your spot on the beach or on the sun lounger early in the morning as it really gets crowded!
Needless to say, Hawaii in general is super popular among surfers because of it's great waves.
Best beaches:
Sightseeing
Sightseeing is made very easy in Honolulu. You can either walk around the city, take the Hop On Hop off bus, take a tour, rent a bike or drive around by car. We found driving to be the best way to get around the island. You can easily drive around the whole island in one day but we recommend two or three so you have lots of time to stop and enjoy the scenery. However, pretty much all the activities are very well organized and you'll surely find your way even to more remote sights and museums even without a car.
Hawaii has an enchanting past that should definitely be explored. Walk around Honolulu and you’ll notice many examples of how the ancient customs have found their way in the lives of present day Hawaiians. We were lucky to see a funeral take place on Waikiki beach. It was a festive event with food and native music, people were calm and smiling, enjoying the day and remembering the past soul.
Restaurants, bars
You can't really go wrong with food no matter where you go on Oahu. Best picks are the Asian restaurants as well as everything North-American. Generally the quality is superb and even the Asian restaurants are constantly visited by the Asian tourists which rarely happens in many European locations. Try fresh seafood and sushi!
We knew that Barack Obama was born in Honolulu but having him visiting the island at exactly the same time as we did was a fun coincidence. Not only did we arrive at exactly the same time as he did but he also dined at one of the restaurants of our hotel! It was indeed a huge surprise to lounge on the balcony of our hotel and suddenly see several black SUV's pulling up in front of the hotel, blocking the street and escorting the president to the restaurant.
I guess we did good job choosing the hotel!
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Time of travel: December 2014
Duration: 9 days
Travel plan: 5 days in Honolulu, 4 days on Big Island (Hawai'i), 6 days in San Francisco
| Paradise! |
| Approaching Honolulu |
Honolulu is the capital city of Hawaii. It's located on the island of Oahu, on the west of the island chain. With it's long, enchanting history it will tell you stories and myths about the birth of Earth, sea and sky, Polynesians arriving on boats from the Marquesas islands (another dream destination!), WW2, all the way to current days belonging to the United States and being a popular holiday destination especially among Americans and the Japanese. We had a very practical reminder of the US impact right at the time of our expected landing when our plane had to give room to another plane landing on Honolulu airport at the same time - The Airforce One. We'll tell you more about our visit and the President later.
Being the capital city, Honolulu offers you pretty much everything you need from a holiday. There's beach, shopping, restaurants, night life, hiking, surfing, everything! Oahu definitely has it all. It's relatively small considering all the activities you can enjoy on the island yet big enough to enjoy the beautiful scenery even in privacy.
Beach life
The famous Waikiki beach is exactly what you expect. It's a fantastic spot to enjoy some sun and beach while enjoying the view to the Diamond Head crater and watching surfers catch the waves. The water isn't the warmest and you should watch out while walking in the water as it's full of rocks but aside that, you'll have some fantastic time under the Hawaiian sun.
If, however, you prefer to lounge by the pool like we did, you can choose from one of the fabulous hotels by the beach. Hawaii is very popular any time of the year so be prepared to reserve your spot on the beach or on the sun lounger early in the morning as it really gets crowded!
Needless to say, Hawaii in general is super popular among surfers because of it's great waves.
| Toes in the sand! |
Best beaches:
Waikiki Beach
Bellows Field Beach Park
Papailoa Beach (a little windy)
Sightseeing
Sightseeing is made very easy in Honolulu. You can either walk around the city, take the Hop On Hop off bus, take a tour, rent a bike or drive around by car. We found driving to be the best way to get around the island. You can easily drive around the whole island in one day but we recommend two or three so you have lots of time to stop and enjoy the scenery. However, pretty much all the activities are very well organized and you'll surely find your way even to more remote sights and museums even without a car.
| USS Bowfin at Pearl Harbor |
Hawaii has an enchanting past that should definitely be explored. Walk around Honolulu and you’ll notice many examples of how the ancient customs have found their way in the lives of present day Hawaiians. We were lucky to see a funeral take place on Waikiki beach. It was a festive event with food and native music, people were calm and smiling, enjoying the day and remembering the past soul.
| Waikiki beach ahead |
Restaurants, bars
You can't really go wrong with food no matter where you go on Oahu. Best picks are the Asian restaurants as well as everything North-American. Generally the quality is superb and even the Asian restaurants are constantly visited by the Asian tourists which rarely happens in many European locations. Try fresh seafood and sushi!
A restaurant to visit:
Mikawon, a fantastic Korean restaurant
2345 Kuhio Avenue, Honolulu, Oahu
We knew that Barack Obama was born in Honolulu but having him visiting the island at exactly the same time as we did was a fun coincidence. Not only did we arrive at exactly the same time as he did but he also dined at one of the restaurants of our hotel! It was indeed a huge surprise to lounge on the balcony of our hotel and suddenly see several black SUV's pulling up in front of the hotel, blocking the street and escorting the president to the restaurant.
I guess we did good job choosing the hotel!
Shopping
Shopping in USA is always fun but we had our doubts on Hawaii as it is more expensive than other U.S locations especially when it comes to hotels and restaurants. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the high prices don't really apply to shopping and we made lots of fantastic purchases, especially as we were there during the Christmas holidays and the sale had just begun! You have several shopping centers on Oahu as well as a designer outlet. Again, you can reach the shopping centers by public transportation, taxi's or a shuttle bus but driving is always an option also. Just don't leave your belongings in the car (now even in the trunk!). Breaking in rental cars is very common on Hawaii!
Shopping centers:
Shopping in USA is always fun but we had our doubts on Hawaii as it is more expensive than other U.S locations especially when it comes to hotels and restaurants. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the high prices don't really apply to shopping and we made lots of fantastic purchases, especially as we were there during the Christmas holidays and the sale had just begun! You have several shopping centers on Oahu as well as a designer outlet. Again, you can reach the shopping centers by public transportation, taxi's or a shuttle bus but driving is always an option also. Just don't leave your belongings in the car (now even in the trunk!). Breaking in rental cars is very common on Hawaii!
Shopping centers:
Ala Moana Center
1450 Ala Moana Bulevard
T Galleria Hawaii (Duty Free shopping for tourists)
330 Royal Hawaiian Avenue
Kalakaua Avenue
Royal Hawaiian Centre
2201 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu
Waikele Premium Outlets
94-790 Lumina Street, Waipahu
Hiking & adventure
Although we didn't go hiking on Oahu, we were aware of several fantastic hiking trails. An easy one, where you really don't need any equipment for would be to walk to the top of Diamond Head. We walked up in our flipflops so don't worry about it being a difficult hike. It does have lots of stairs but it's still relatively easy. However, you do have a huge selection of hiking paths all over the island so you can easily select one to suit your level. It does rain relatively often on Hawai'i which might affect your trip. We were initially planning to hike one day on Oahu also but due to stormy weather decided to skip it.
US is not the ideal location to drive around and explore, which is what we constantly do in Europe. This was also something that we didn't love on Oahu. When ever we picked a road that looked like an adventure, it didn't take long to be stopped by fences, gates and Private Property signs. Luckily, there's plenty to see and experience despite of all the fences.
To sum it all up..
Ever since our trip many people have asked if it's really as expensive as it seems? And more importantly, if it's worth it? To tell you the truth, it is expensive! But it's also 100% worth it. You will need to spend big bucks on a decent hotel, on the car as well as restaurants but it's Hawaii after all! Good thing is that generally you also get good value for money. Going for cheaper hotels is always an option but the budget hotels are far from decent and probably won't give you the fantastic Hawaii experience. You won't be disappointed!
We stayed at The Modern Honolulu, a great hotel in Waikiki. Great location, good service, spacious and modern rooms, great toiletries (so good that I've been trying to find them online!). Two pools one of which was adults only. Good cocktails and decent restaurants.
Don't limit your trip to Oahu only! Make sure you get to visit one of the other islands as well. They're all quite different, some are better for adventure activities and sports, others are popular for parties but I doubt you could go wrong no matter which island you pick. For us, the other island was the island of Hawai'i. This is where it gets confusing for those who haven't familiarized themselves with the Hawaiian islands. Basically the island chain is called Hawaii with islands (starting from the left/west) Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, Hawaii. The main island with the capital Honolulu is Oahu yet the biggest island in size on Hawaii, which is often referred to as The Big Island because it's the biggest of the islands. The Big Island also keeps on growing because of it's constantly erupting volcano Kilauea. Now how cool is that? It is also the number 1 attraction in the area. Traveling from island to island is made very easy and there are several flights departing every day and the distances are short.
How much did we actually spend then? We got a good deal on flights which was around 850€ per person with a departure from Amsterdam (with two stop overs, first in London, second one in L.A).This was a fantastic price and we also got to include San Francisco, where we stayed for five days on the way back. Average price is usually around 1200€, anything below that is a good price. Hotels were from 125 - 260€ per night. Considering we traveled during the peak season, Christmas holidays, these prices were absolutely great.
| Exploring Oahu! Ka'a'awa Valley |
Hiking & adventure
Although we didn't go hiking on Oahu, we were aware of several fantastic hiking trails. An easy one, where you really don't need any equipment for would be to walk to the top of Diamond Head. We walked up in our flipflops so don't worry about it being a difficult hike. It does have lots of stairs but it's still relatively easy. However, you do have a huge selection of hiking paths all over the island so you can easily select one to suit your level. It does rain relatively often on Hawai'i which might affect your trip. We were initially planning to hike one day on Oahu also but due to stormy weather decided to skip it.
| Ka'a'awa Valley |
| One of the Lost series filming locations, old Walaiua Sugar Mill (Mr. Eko's Nigerian Village) |
| Hawaiian style |
To sum it all up..
Ever since our trip many people have asked if it's really as expensive as it seems? And more importantly, if it's worth it? To tell you the truth, it is expensive! But it's also 100% worth it. You will need to spend big bucks on a decent hotel, on the car as well as restaurants but it's Hawaii after all! Good thing is that generally you also get good value for money. Going for cheaper hotels is always an option but the budget hotels are far from decent and probably won't give you the fantastic Hawaii experience. You won't be disappointed!
We stayed at The Modern Honolulu, a great hotel in Waikiki. Great location, good service, spacious and modern rooms, great toiletries (so good that I've been trying to find them online!). Two pools one of which was adults only. Good cocktails and decent restaurants.
| We can almost hear Jack, Kate and Sawyer! This is Papailoa Beach (aka. Police Beach), one of the filming locations of Lost. |
| Diamond Head crater |
How much did we actually spend then? We got a good deal on flights which was around 850€ per person with a departure from Amsterdam (with two stop overs, first in London, second one in L.A).This was a fantastic price and we also got to include San Francisco, where we stayed for five days on the way back. Average price is usually around 1200€, anything below that is a good price. Hotels were from 125 - 260€ per night. Considering we traveled during the peak season, Christmas holidays, these prices were absolutely great.
| Spam Musubi on the go while driving around Oahu. It tasted strange and nice yet addictive. |
