I'm Going to Oahu!! Suggestions?

[Spot's Meow]

I get to go to Hawaii in just three weeks!! I found out about a month ago (I'm actually surprised I didn't start a thread about it here sooner, I guess I was just too busy). My dad and one of my sisters (I have three younger sisters) were supposed to go on a road trip with my grandpa to Oklahoma for a week, where my grandpa grew up and to check out our "roots" (we're part Choctaw). However, my grandpa has to have back surgery so he can't go. So my dad decided that since they had the week off the family would go to Hawaii! I have to take a week off work which will really hurt my paycheck (I don't get any benefits so no vacation/sick leave or anything nice like that). But I think that it will be worth it.

I have never been before and neither has the rest of my family. We have been wanting to go for a quite a while. This will also probably be the last big vacation we take as a family. I am in graduate school and my sister is about to graduate college next year, and we are both always very busy with work and other things. It is unlikely that we will get this much time off, all six of us at the same time. So although my family can be very irritating, I am looking forward to having a good time and very much appreciating a vacation that I don't have to pay for.

We are specifically staying on Oahu. The reservations for flight, hotel, and car rental have already been made. My dad and I have made up tentative itineraries for the week (we are both extremely organized and love planning ahead), but I thought I would ask for some input here. Like I said I have never been before so I don't know a whole lot about the place. Any tips on what to do, where to go, good restaurants to go to (not too expensive, there's 6 of us), etc. would be really appreciated!

It will be my parents, myself (23), and my three sisters who are 20, 17, and 12 years old. So no night clubs or anything like that.

Suggestions please!

 

[An Officer]

Congratulations. Sounds like a fabulous opportunity.

 

[AliciaD496]

Sounds like a great trip! My family did a similar kind of thing the summer I graduated college (it also happened to be my parent's 25th anniversary and my grandma's 75th birthday, so a big kind of celebration) but we stayed on Kauai.

I've been to Oahu about 3 times...so I know a bit about what to see, I guess. Definitely check out the Dole Plantation, Pearl Harbor Memorial, the Polynesian Cultural Center and maybe do a luau if you have time. It's also worth a drive to the north shore to get away from Honolulu if you have a car. Frankly Oahu is a bit more commercialized than the other islands so the luaus are a little less 'authentic' feeling but you still get the hula dancing and traditional roast pig. Oh and don't forget to look at the International Market downtown, you can get a good deal on knick-knacks and souvenirs there.

 

[auntiehill]

I want to go to Oahu solely to track down the Anderson Estate, aka Robin's Nest.

 

[SicOne]

Yeah, I have a suggestion...take ME!

 

[Thena]

Save a day to drive up to the North Shore. If you take the H2 freeway, it turns into the Kamehameha Highway and goes all the way to a town called Haliewa. There's a Mexican restaurant there called Rosie's Cantina that is so good, my dad rents a car just to get lunch there. The nice thing is that the Dole Plantation is along the way and you can make it into a day trip.

My dad has a time share in Waikiki and visits at least once a year, with me tagging along every two years once I have enough frequent flyer miles for a free ticket. Since it has a kitchenette, we pick up fruit, cereal and milk at an ABC store and have breakfast at the condo, and then for dinner we get take-out from any Korean barbecue restaurant since there are plenty of those. That way, we can save a some money. My favorite part of the trip is usually eating on the lanai and watching all the cute surfer boys on the beach. That is, if we're lucky enough to get the condos facing the beach. If not, the sunsets are just as enjoyable.

 

[miraclefan]

Say hi to Magnum P.I. for me!

 

[Sheep]

If you like sugary confections, go to Leonard's Bakery. There's a store location in Honolulu and a truck over on the east side of the island. Their malasadas are sweetness heaven if that's your thing.

Also make sure to see all parts of the island if you can--they all have very different character than Honolulu which is a bit too hectic and tourist-packed for my tastes. I LOVED Kailua and Kailua Beach in particular (southeast side of the island)...much more laid back.

Oh, and wear sunscreen. I've only been sunburned 2-3 times in my life, but got pretty badly sunburned just 2 days into a weeklong trip hiking up Diamond Head (and then getting soaked to the bone that same day doing Manoa Falls).

Enjoy!

 

[Scout101]

Been there enough to be a tour guide, and pretty much was for my fiance's family last time. So, let's see:

Obviously Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial. Get there early, i.e. 8ish in the morning. They give out tickets with a specific time on them, and when they're out, they're out. If you get there early, you get on an early tour and are done with it for the day, rather than waiting forever or not getting in.

Snorkeling at Hanauama Bay is nice, and a gorgeous beach. Same deal, get there early. They've got gear for rent if you don't bring any.

Drive to the North Shore for the day. Stop at the Dole Plantation for a bit, neat to see. Several excellent beaches up there, cool beach town, etc. Sea turtles on some of the beaches sometimes, good surfing.

If you're up for a hike, Diamond Head is cool, and an excellent view of Waikiki.

Polynesian Cultural Center is cool, all kinds of shit there, big luaus, etc.

Personally, I always do a booze cruise off of Waikiki every trip. Catamarans leave from the beach every couple hours, and it's like $25 all you can drink as they cruise around for 1.5 hours. I like the one with the red and yellow sail, and if you lie and tell them you're a repeat, it's $20 instead of $25.

Could hunt around on the North Shore for the sites they film Lost, that's kinda neat.

For crazier stuff, there are powered gliders and skydiving, etc on the airstrip on the North Shore. Skydiving there is amazing, you get high enough to look down and see the entire island! Saw whales, could see planes landing in Honolulu, whole thing.

Punchbowl National Cemetary is a cool thing to see, and also has cool views of Diamond head, Waikiki, and Honolulu.

And yeah, sunscreen at all times. That sun will destroy you in moments, and wreck the next few days.

That should keep you out of trouble, have fun!

 

[Kira's Mom]

It's been almost 19 years () since I went, but definitely check out the U.S.S. Arizona memorial, Polynesian Culture Center, and Diamond Head.

I want to go back. I really didn't have enough time to do everything I wanted to. I want to go to Maui, too.

 

[Bears Discover Fire]

I would highly recommend this book if you want to avoid some of the more touristy stuff. http://www.amazon.com/Hawaii-Off-Be...r_1_20?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242875825&sr=1-20

I visited Oahu when I was 8, so my memory of it is a bit hazy. However, the Pearl Harbor Memorial is a must-see.

Oahu is a crowded island, so if you are in or near Waikiki be prepared to deal with a lot of traffic! Waikiki reminded me of LA with cleaner air.

 

[Spot's Meow]

Personally, I always do a booze cruise off of Waikiki every trip. Catamarans leave from the beach every couple hours, and it's like $25 all you can drink as they cruise around for 1.5 hours. I like the one with the red and yellow sail, and if you lie and tell them you're a repeat, it's $20 instead of $25.

I would love to do something like that but no one else in my family drinks. My sisters are too young and my parents are Mormon.


I really love all the suggestions, keep them coming! A lot of these things we had already planned to do, so it is nice to have some affirmation that we chose the best activities.

 

[Hunter X]

I've been with the extended side of my Dad's family a few times over Christmas (with 11 of us minimum, more when my cousins got themselves wives), and I was 12 when I went the first time.

As others have said, check out Pearl Harbour and spend at least a little while checking out downtown Honolulu. It's great to walk around the Waikiki area in the evenings, as it's so warm and there still lots going on. The Polynesian Cultural Centre will take at least a day, and Diamond Head is a fairly long hike, so don't worry about it too much if you miss either one of those. My family opted out on Diamond Head the last couple times we were there, but if it's your first time, it could be worth it.

As for beaches, we went to Waimanalo the most. It's a little ways up the east side of the island, not too far. The waves are fairly tame, it stays shallow for a decent distance from the shore, and it's a good beach to just hang out on and do beach-y things. It's also not very crowded. Makapu'u is also decent, but the waves get a lot bigger and it gets deep a lot faster. If you want to challenge yourself with boogie boarding or body surfing, try it out, as it's no where near as challenging as the North Shore. Speaking of which, it's completely worth it to spend a day to drive out there, just to see it. As others have said, you can do other things on your stops along the way, such as go to the Dole Plantation. Lastly, Hanauma Bay is worth checking out for the snorkling, but as someone else said, get there early and be prepared for a crowded beach.

The only restaurant that I can really remember going to was the Cheeseburger in Paradise, but while that place isn't here in Canada, I think it has other locations in the States so perhaps it wouldn't be such a novelty. For fancier dinners, there are some good restaurants along Waikiki. There's one place where you order your meat and cook it yourself, which is silly to me, but my uncle was just fascinated by it.

Overall, have fun, don't worry if you don't get to see everything, just do the stuff you think you'll enjoy. And pick up some macadamea nuts for me.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Most of the big sites have been mentioned, but just to repeat a few and add some more:

- If you're into history, the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum, the Battleship USS Missouri Memorial, the USS Oklahoma Memorial, and the Pacific Aviation Museum are all within relatively close proximity in Pearl Harbor, split between the mainland and Ford Island. You buy tickets for the Missouri from the USS Bowfin museum, because Ford Island is within the naval station grounds, so you have to take a visitor's shuttle to get there. You definitely have to see the Arizona Memorial no matter what. No visit to Oahu is complete without it.



- The Punchbowl Crater houses the National Memorial Cemetary of the Pacific, which is a powerful experience.

- Iolani Palace is beautiful, and a great glimpse in Hawaii's past.
http://www.iolanipalace.org/

- Sea Life Park lets you swim with dolphins, sea lions, and other animals.

- Senator Fong's Plantation & Gardens has a great walking tour of the grounds, and some beautiful flowers and other plants.

- Diamond Head is a great hike and an amazing view.

- Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve (awesome snorkling).

- Halona Beach Cove (where they filmed the famous love scene on the beach in 'From Here to Eternity') & "The Blowhole," which is a geyser of water created when waves crash into a lava tube.

Enjoy your trip, and as mentioned, get to the big tourist places early in the day, because it's going to be crowded.

 

[Scout101]

Oh, and for the touristy souveniers bit, gotta do the flea market. Open Wednesdays and weekends, and held at the Aloha Stadium (near Pearl Harbor). Something like 50 cents a person to get in. Basically all the same stuff you'll see in the shops, the international marketplace, etc, just a little better price. Better off hitting that place once, and then you'll be good and have it out of your system.

If that doesn't work out, there's an ABC store about every 15 feet (like safety lights at college, there must be a rule that you have to be able to see at least one other one from any store!) that'll have most of that stuff as well. Flea Market is your best bet, though.

 

[Mallory]

Never been to Oahu other than just making a connection in Honolulu to another island, so I can't offer any specific recommendations. But bring lots of money, every time I've gone to Hawaii I've been awed by how expensive everything is.

 

[Spot's Meow]

Here is another question. My dad is absolutely set on going to a luau and can't decide between the one at the Polynesian Cultural Center and Germaine's Luau. Has anyone been to either of those and can you offer any recommendations?

 

[Scout101]

The one at the PCC is pretty good. You make like half a day of it, and it's like Hawaiian Disney world, you wander around and see things about the different island chains. Then food, and a pretty long dancing thing. Run by the Mormons, so no booze there...

Can't speak to the other one, never been.

Most of the Hotels set something up themselves as well. If you're just looking for some roast Pig, some dancing, fire twirling, etc, any of those would work.

 

[Spot's Meow]

We plan on going to the PCC for the day either way, just debating whether buying the luau package is worth it. My family, besides me and one of my sisters, is Mormon and they are looking forward to visiting the temple and PCC.

I think that we should skip the luau at the PCC because we get Germaine's Luau for free through a deal we have, and I don't see any need to do two of them.

 

[sidious618]

Take a book for the plane ride. I suggest a thick Stephen King novel.