Hey Subbies,
This was my first trip to Hawaii and I don't know why my mom thought I have ever stepped foot on one of islands is beyond me lol. We went in late October for a week and the weather was great extension to the SoCal beach weather. We had to booked a flight with United which actually cracked and broke my suitcase wheel and it was freezing going and coming. We walked for the most part to go eat but my mom was upset to find out that where we were staying is literal steps away from the Zoo and Aquarium (I did ask her at the begining of the trip but she wasn't having it). Anyways, I learned a lot about the economy which is mainly tourism, logisitics (pinneaple farming has halfed and has been outsourced to the mainland due to the climate) and the Universities students.
Things to know...
- O'ahu translates to "The Gathering Place"
- The island has two distinct sides: the dry western (Leeward) side and the lush, tropical eastern (Windward) side.
- Summer (April–November) is warmer and drier, while winter (December–March) is cooler with large surf on the North Shore.
- Iolani Palace (the former royal residence)
- And the Pearl Harbor National Memorial
- Make sure to pack Reef Safe Sunscreen/SPF
Visiting
https://www.gohawaii.com/islands/oahu/travel-info
Airport
You'll arrive at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).
Transportation
You can book a Rideshare or private transfer to and from the Airport which is what we did beause it so hard to find information about their public transportation.
You can buy a Holo card from Foodland or 7-Eleven or ABC Stores (preloaded Adult pass) to use on TheBus but it's daily cap is $7.50.
Beause we are US citizens I didn't book a car rental or bought travel insurance but I recommend you buy a insurance plan or supplment if you are international tourists if needed when you do decide to vacation here.
Data & Wifi
For international travelers, local SIM cards or eSIMs from providers like Airalo are common for reliable 4G/5G data.
Stay Accommodations/AirB&B
I'm not going lie about Coastal/Tropical destinations like Hawaii and Yucatan/Caribbean see's a lot of rain thus you can see a lot water damage to buildings so just be aware that your hotel maybe in construcation all year round. Waikiki/Honolulu is reccomended place to stay on the island on the beachfront resorts of which we stayed at Twin Fin Hotel but if I were to do it again I would have stayed at Hyatt Regency which is more closer the International Market Place. The other is the North Shore which is more relaxed and unique. Airbnb's are another option if you've been to island multiple times and are usally slightly cheaper than the Hotels. Budget stays like hostels or economy rooms can range from $40 to $150 per night. Standard hotels average around $350 per night.
Get Your Guide/Third-party sight-seeing
You can book activites really easily on the island at different kisoks or you book through TripAdvisor or Get Your Guide. We did go to Pearl Harbor Memorial with the City Tour (National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbow, Hawaii State Capitol Grounds, Iolani Palace, King Kamehameha Statue, Ali’iolani Hale and Honolulu City Hall, and Kawaiahao Church) towards the end of the trip and it's etched into my brain due to linger crude oil smell from the attacked. The day before we did go to Polynesia Cultural Center because it was heavily being advertised which FYI is owned by LDS church (North Shore is dominated by the churches presence) and the staff are local BYU students and choose to do the Alii Luau package and to make the trip to the North shores worth wild we did the Cirlce Island Tour add-on. We started the tour by passing by the Diamond Head/Kahala the Beverly Hills of O'ahu, Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, Pass by Koko Crater Stairs (Summit), Halona Blowhole and you can see Maui in the distance, Nuuanu Pali Lookout - Oʻahu, Waimānalo Pit Stop for local Fruit Stands, Pass by the Aloha Stadium and ended our tour at the Dole Plantation before heading the the Center. We didn't do any of well know hikes to Diamond Head State Monument but where we were staying we got great views of it.
Shopping & Dining
We did go Foodland for poke which is in Ala Moana Center is the world's largest open-air shopping mall and they even had a Dior cafe using the Waikiki Trolley Pink line. We mostly picked up food from the ABC Stores but we did treck down to the International Market Place Lanai food court but my favorite meal was from the famous Liliha Bakery and we even got a massage from Shiatsu & Massage Center and we have walked over to Marugame Udon and right next door is Soft serve shop called KONO's that has Pinneaple Cool Whip.
Maui
Posts
