There is a LOT to see. Focus on a general theme each day and a few main sites or you will get confused. Here are a few daily itineraries, oh my goodness this is the longest response I have ever done! (Sorry, fairly detailed to assist you):1. Driving around the island. Even if you don t rent a car for your entire stay (although I would: given your limited time, waiting for a bus with its stops will further limit what you see, and car rentals on Oahu are pretty cheap, check out Alamo and if you have a CostCo or other membership you may get other discounts) driving around the main loop of the island will be one of your highlights.From Honolulu, drive counter-clockwise around the main loop of the island along the Likelike highway to the windward side (Kaneohe). Stop at the Byodo-in Temple in back of Kaneohe under the Koolau Mountains. Continue through the wet jungle scenery to the town of Laie and the Polynesian Cultural Center. This is fairly expensive for just a short visit so if you do it, probably worth coming back later and spending an afternoon here and include their nightly luau (no alcohol served here...the center is run by the Mormon Church). Continuing around the island, you will pass the shrimp farms. There are a lot of shrimp restaurants (frequently in parked trailors) to eat the fresh shrimp, but be warned it is not that cheap. I think a BETTER alternative is to continue to Waimea Bay (you will see the famous beach) and turn left into the tropical jungle park (was a commercial park, now owned by the Audobon Society). There are some sandwich/other places back there and it is beautiful. Either before or after you eat, you can drive back to the beach to further relax. When you get too hot, continue the drive to the surfing town of Haleiwa for a Hawaiian Shaved Ice at Matsumoto s or Aoki s next door (get a LARGE size!). This is about a 5-6 hour trip, depending on how long you sit on Waimea Beach, but if you still have the energy, you can stop at the Dole Plantation for everything pineapple on the way back to rest at your resort to relax or shop. One night you should splurge and eat at a beachside restaurant (Duke s in Waikiki touristy but fun, Hau Tree Lanai is elegant).2. On one day, get up early to snorkel in Hanauma Bay to view the tropical coral reef and fish. You should go early to avoid the crowds to get a parking space close to the entrance, and who scare away the sea turtles and moray eels, and also kick up the sand and cloud the water! There is a small snorkel renting concession on the beach itself. Although most tourists will go to the RIGHT where the largest part of the beach are a tip: most of the better snorkeling places are to the LEFT, particularly in low tide. One other tip: Once a (lunar) month, the box jellyfish come close to shore to breed...these have a very painful sting, so watch the signs and look at the web sites to see when they are due...it is approx 9 days after a full moon. The operative word is approx .After you have had enough of surf sea, continue counterclockwise to the blowhole lookout and Sandy Beach (this is a dangerous area to swim with a strong riptide called the Molokai Express regardless of how many locals are in the water!). You will go up-and-over a hill, be prepared to stop at the lookout to see the windward view of the Waimanalo Coast. At the bottom of the hill is Sea Life Park if you have any energy left. Otherwise, continue on to the small take-out restaurant called Keneke s for lunch to eat their shoyu chicken plate or b bqd pork sandwich (just remember all the calories you burned from snorkeling in the AM that have to be replenished). Afterwards, drive to Kailua and if you want to sit on yet another spectacular beach, Kailua Beach and especially adjacent Lanikai Beach are considered the most beautiful on the island. There are a lot of mini-islands you can kayak around this area and Kaneohe Bay if you are interested in that sort of thing. Continue back to Honolulu along the Pali Highway. Stop at the lookout where Kamehameha The Great united the islands for the most spectacular view in Oahu. The wind which funnels through the cleft here can be ferocious, as can the number of pickpockets here so beware! Continue towards Honolulu and shortly you will see a left turn to the Old Pali Road...TAKE IT. It drives through a small natural rain forest, connects up to the main Pali Highway further up. Back to your hotel or Ala Moana Shopping Center for shopping and R R.One night, you should experience hawaiian fusion cooking at Roy s, Alan Wong s, or Alan Wong s cheaper eatery at the Ala Moana shopping center called The Pineapple Room.3. History day. Get up early and drive to Pearl Harbor to ensure getting tickets (free) to the Arizona Memorial. Afterwards, spend the $ to see the USS Bowfin WWII submarine, self guided, is absolutely amazing (and I don t like military sites that much!). Drive to downtown Honolulu to view their Chinatown, which is unlike any other in the USA. Walk down Mauna Kea St to view the florists famous for stringing beautiful tropical flower leis and crowns (start at about $5 for an orchid lei) and go into the Mauna Kea Marketplace to see the food stands. Walk to the China Cultural Center to have lunch at a dim sum (Chinese tapas/ravioli) restaurant. They go around with carts and you point to what you want and pay by the number of dishes you pick. After lunch, you can optionally (a) go to the Bishop Museum to see the famous Hawaiiana room for the actual Hawaiian tiki dolls they make copies from and sell all over the world and other amazing relics, or (b) stop at the Hawaiian Academy of Arts to see their famous collection of japanese woodblock prints donated from famous author James Michenor or (c) Take a guided docent tour of Iolani Palace, the only true royal palace in the USA. Afterwards, back to the resort for R R.One evening, you should view the famous dance of Hawaii, the hula. If you don t go to a luau (and admittedly these can be a bit touristic) the following have dinner with top entertainment: Chai s Island Bistro at the Aloha Marketplace has the most famous entertainment, but pretty expensive. They almost always have hula dancers with their entertainers, but you should ask in advance. The House Without a Key presents Kanoe (kah-no-ay) Miller as the hula dancer, a former Miss Hawaii. A lot of resorts feature hula dancers in their bars or in the resort grounds so ask about them.I believe the above are the must see highlights. That gives you another day or two to either (a) view the Polynesian Cultural Center if other cultures are interesting to you, (b) Hike up to tropical Manoa Falls through the jungle and a bamboo forest if you like nature (wear Tevas and repellent), or hike up Diamond Head if you want the grand vista of Waikiki (this is not an easy hike by the way, very hot and a lot of stairs), (c) visit some of the famous tropical botantical gardens like Foster Gardens if you like tropical plants, (d) Go on a cruise or the Atlantis Submarine, (e) Take surfing lessons.HOTELS=======Oahu is small enough to put down your bags and settle in one place, and still drive all over the island.In terms of hotel locations, staying at North Shore (Turtle Bay Resort) is nice, but will not be convenient to do the other activities which are primarily around the eastern side of the island, you will constantly be driving back-and-forth (with bad traffic!) unless you plan to relax on the beach and environs most of the time.As much as some people complain about it, Waikiki is still the jewel in the crown, and most of the Hawaiian resorts are located here. I love the bustling atmosphere in a tropical paradise, and many people must feel this way for it to be so popular! But staying here is definitely more of an urban resort experience and not a quiet, serene getaway if that is what you are looking for. If you stay here, The Hilton Hawaiian Village (most bustling and fun, location is a bit far west from central Waikiki however), and the Royal Hawaiian (historic, best part of Waikiki Beach, central Waikiki location) are both great.http://www.hiltonhawaiianvillage.com/http://www.royal-hawaiian.com/Here are some hotel recommendations that are convenient for visiting most of the sites without being right in the middle of Waikiki if you are worried about being in too crowded of an area:1. Kahala Resort - This is about 5-10 minutes away by car from Waikiki, relatively isolated in the rich neighborhood of Kahala, east of Diamond Head, but you will still be close to a lot of the sites, shopping and restaurants. This is an elegant 5-star resort, but good discounts available right now in this recession.http://www.kahalaresort.com/2. Gold Coast - This is a 5-minute walk from Waikiki under Diamond Head, but separated from Waikiki by Kapiolani Park (where the zoo and aquarium are located). There is one quiet, low-key resort adjacent to Kapiolani Park called the New Otani Kaimana Beach Resort. Right on the beach at a decent price (rooms are very clean but small).http://kaimana.com/
Hotel, A compromise between price and location.http://www.ohanahotels.com/hotels-resort�� Ohana west HotelMust try buffet with indoor ocean tank , they dive in to feed the fish at about 6:30pm, so make your reservations for 6-6:15pm.http://www.pacificbeachhotel.com/?/Dinin��http://www.hawaiiweb.com/html/duke_kahan�� Oahu Island site views.
1) First, Waikiki does not ecompass the Hawaii experience, in no way, shape, or form. It s VERY touristy. If you have big money to spend, then stay there.Up on the North Shore there s only Turtle Bay.On the Windward side...there s Ingrids and Schrader s Windward Country Inn, which are much less expensive than if you stayed in the other two locations. The Windward side is where you can get a more relaxing vacation/experience than if you stayed in Waikiki.2) Oahu is a small enough island to cover entirely in only one day, if you weren t to do any stopovers. 4-5 days will give you more than enough time to see the island. I would get out of wherever I m staying if I had that long of a trip here.3) Yes4) I can give you a list, but in regards to what order is up in the air. But I say start off by going to the places that are closest to which side of the island you re staying on and work out from there.Waikiki/downtown: Waikiki beach, the statues, International Marketplace, Aloha Tower Marketplace, Iolani Palace, State Capitol, Kamehameha statue, Bishop Estates, ChinatownNorth Shore: Haleiwa, Pipeline, Sunset, Shark s CoveWindward: Ko olau Mountains, Pali LookoutLeeward: Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial, Waimea BayDon t take my list word for word. This is your trip.5) One big safety tip is this: Don t wonder off very far, especially if you plan to go out to the Leeward side. You re not from here, and the locals will know. Don t get lost on that side either, especially at night. It s rough out there.If you need anything else, send me a message.
The more important question is what interests do you and your wife have and what kind of experience do you want? Are you the type who wants to enjoy first class dining and how do you define relaxation? Is it golfing, hiking, shopping, finding hole in the wall great food spots, experiencing art/theater and local entertainment? 1) Waikiki if you like to people watch and want to be within walking distance to the beach, your hotel, shopping. Waikiki is crowded, noisy and the beach there is NOT at all what the locals consider the beach . You be jam packed with other tourists. However, be warned that nothing else in Hawai i is like Waikiki. It s like going to Paris and only seeing the Eiffel Tower.North Shore only if you have been there before and enjoy the country side. You ll see tons of beach bums out there, people camping on the beach, riding their bikes. You ve got to be pretty savvy tourists to stay out there though, it can be dangerous if you re naive and too trusting. Windward side is mellow. The best beaches are on the Windward side, decent restaurants. If you want to be immersed in the locals and truly get a feel for the culture then stay on the Windward side.2) 4-5 days is plenty time to drive around the entire island or ride The Bus around the island and see plenty of things. Again, it is best if you highlight the things that are important to you (dining, shopping, local music/concerts,culture/museums etc) You should look online at the Honolulu Advertiser (Hawaii s official news paper) check out the Island Life section online and you can get an idea of concerts/restaurant reviews etc. If you like theater I recommend you check out Manoa Valley Theater it is local community theater however their shows are original, many mainstream plays/fairy tales are re-written and performed in pidgin (the local vernacular). Their cast is always comprised of A list local TV, Film and Stage professionals.3) I definitely would recommend renting a car but that s only because I like to be in control of when/where I m going somewhere. I have no patience to wait on public transportation, in addition, I am a spontaneous person who likes to get up go. Take note that traffic on O ahu is HORRIBLE in the city. There are millions of cars in a fixed area of land. Parking in Waikiki is also very expensive. So weight out your options. You can ride The Bus around the island, it s perfectly safe as long as you re not on the Leeward side at night (Waianae, Waipahu and Nanakuli) 4) I can t recommend an itinerary for you because again, I don t know your travel preferences. Do you want to be going non-stop with 8am start until 9pm? Or do you plan to sleep in every day til 10am, have a full blown breakfast each day then mosey on out to see the sights? I can only recommend things that I take first time visitors to.**Breakfast at Liliha Bakery. Its a small coffee shop in Nuuanu that has THE BEST home made jelly for their sweet bread toast. Also they are known for their pancakes, waffles and Coco puffs (Chocolate cream puffs with chantilly) DEFINITELY A LOCAL S FAVORITE! There is ONLY counter dining here, think old school coffee shop. **Pearl Harbor Memorial**Swap meet at Aloha Stadium. You will find GREAT deals here!!!!! Bring cash and negotiate!**Polynesian Culture Center (touristy) but a great introduction to the various cultures of the pacific.** Lanikai or Kailua Beach for the day (Best 2 O ahu beaches) Pick up a Zip Pack bento lunch from Zippy s restaurant and hit the beach!**Drive up to Tantalus Drive - the views are amazing. Also go to Punchbowl the national cemetary. Beautiful memorial up there and a perfect view of Daimond Head and downtown Honolulu from here. You can pay respects to our men and women who have served our country.** Shopping at Ala Moana Mall (high end shopping - Neiman Marcus, Gucci, Prada, Dior)**Hiking up to Daimond Head (Free) and beautiful view**Walk through Waikiki, visit shops, walk along the beach. Be sure to walk towards the end of the beach. I say visit the Honolulu Zoo and the Aquarium there in Waikiki. It s not anything major but it is an experience and I believe in supporting the local economy.**Catch a show at Manoa Valley Theater**Bishop Estate Museum (Learn about the history of Hawaii and its indigenous people) Honolulu Academy of Arts (Check for free Sundays, usually every 3rd Sunday)**Places to eat: -Matsumoto s Shaved Ice (North Shore) It s a legendary spot for shaved ice. Order something with vanilla ice cream and azuki bean. -Zippys Restaurant (they re ALL over the island) Make sure you eat the chili rice. Again legendary. It s so famous that people across the mainland have been trying to crack the recipe for over 20 years! It is REALLY that good! - Alan Wong s A FIVE STAR experience, make reservations and you will be delighted with Alan s gourmet concoctions.- Genki Sushi (Fast food s