Any Hawaii tips?

travelchick

Aloha

I'm off to Hawaii (Oahu) next week and wondered if anyone can recommend anything that's not the normal tourist stuff.
I'm staying in Turtle Bay on the north shore.
We have 2 teenagers.

Any tips will be great fully received

Thanks

richardw

Consider Melatonin to get over the jetlag.

bigadaj

Might be considered touristy but I found a visit to pearl harbour interesting and affecting, with the ships and remains left in situ ever since the attack 70 years ago.

nickcc

Also found Pearl Harbour one of the few monuments where most visitors show respect. Watching the oil bubbles still escaping after all these years certainly shocked many visitors. We left for our return flight about 0500hrs and the ladies of the night were still awaiting custom, just shows how different Hawaii can be. We added Hawaii onto our Titan tour but didn't expect a 51/2 hour flight, Most if not all airlines class LA to Hawaii flights as internal so don't expect any inclusive meals or refreshments.

prowla

Don't go there - I've watched 5-0 on TV and it's a dangerous place!

nickcc

prowla wrote: »

Don't go there - I've watched 5-0 on TV and it's a dangerous place!

Book him Dano, no I said book him, old joke but that's it.

Blue264

Best tip I was given was to use the local bus service. It's very cheap, reliable, and covers everywhere you might like to visit.

http://www.thebus.org/route/routes.asp

I stayed at Waikiki and really wish I'd stayed at Haleiwa instead, which is on the north west coast. Waimea valley is worth investigating if you feel like a good walk. I also enjoyed this place...

http://www.byodo-in.com/

If your teenagers are energetic, you could take them on one of the hikes into Diamond Head volcano crater.

https://www.oahunaturetours.com/index.php/tours/diamond-head-crater-adventure-detail

Hope you have a great time, and I take it you do know Turtle Bay Hotel was the setting for 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'?

DUKE

nickcc wrote: »

Book him Dano, no I said book him, old joke but that's it.

It's Book 'em Danno

Soz op I don't know, I've only ever been to Maui. You could have a look on TripAdvisor, see if there's anything you fancy.

Wizard_of_Id

Stick to the North shore and the east of the island, Honolulu is just another city, Pearl Harbour is a rip-off and Waikiki is for posers.

Diamondhead crater is a good climb and has some really good views from the top but it can get very busy and a bit slow up the path at times (very narrow)

There is really nothing on Oahu that is not touristy, for that you need to go to Big Island.

novelty-socks

Hawaii is a great destination and there's heaps to do. I've been twice, most recently in April and would definitely go back again. I had envisaged it as a bunch of resorts and nothing much else, but there's a whole load of stuff to do there.

It sounds like everything is already booked but some of the other islands are well worth visiting too, if you have time. My favourite is The Big Island — for flowing lava, coffee, otherworldy landscapes, coffee farms and an amazingly friendly, laid back vibe.

On Oahu, the obvious touristy stuff is worth doing. A few things spring to mind:

- Hanauma Bay has decent snorkelling, but I would either go early or late. It gets really busy and I think it can even be a problem to get parked sometimes.
- On the way to Hanauma Bay there's a branch of the Kona Brewing Company. Great food, good beers, a lovely setting and should be fine for teenagers.
- The buses on Oahu are good but traffic can be terrible. Try and avoid travelling in rush hour if possible!
- If you want a break from the beach, downtown Honolulu is an interesting place to wander for a couple of hours. We discovered a fantastic restaurant there called Livestock.
- The Dole Plantation is incredibly touristy but good fun.

Have a great holiday!

dickydonkin

Wizard_of_Id wrote: »

Stick to the North shore and the east of the island, Honolulu is just another city, Pearl Harbour is a rip-off and Waikiki is for posers.

Diamondhead crater is a good climb and has some really good views from the top but it can get very busy and a bit slow up the path at times (very narrow)

There is really nothing on Oahu that is not touristy, for that you need to go to Big Island.

This sums it up well, although I slightly disagree with respect to Pearl Harbor as if you are on a budget, you can do this trip quite easily on public transport and although 'touristy', the visit to the memorial is done respectfully and most visitors treat is as such.


If you are physically fit, the walk up to Diamond Head is worth doing - we walked from Waikiki to the park to burn some extra calories and you can pop into the zoo if that is your thing.

If you are going to Hawaii for your first time, then I would add Oahu to your itinerary - I would suggest three days is ample, however, I now fly directly into Maui or Kauai - the latter being my favourite island.