Travel
Flight
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Honolulu, Oahu
Travel Note
Recommended Lodging- Honolulu/ Waikiki
We are so excited for you to join us! We recommend staying in Honolulu/ Waikiki area for convenience of great restaurants, shopping, and beach walkability. General locations we recommend staying: 1. Honolulu or the greater Waikiki Area Overall this is our top recommendation especially for first time visitors. The access to restaurants, activities, walkable beaches, and night life is ideal. We lived off Kapahulu and Date street overlooking the golf course and loved taking Biki bikes around town, running to the beach, weekend KCC or Kaka’ako farmers market, eating at Marugame udon or Paia Fish Market and pau hana in Kaka’ako. There are a variety of hotel options for different budgets, we’ve listed some options below. Affordable/ Small hotels: Vive Hotel Waikiki, Luana Waikiki Hotel & Suites, The Surfjack Hotel & Swim club Accessible: The Laylow (Marriott Bonvoy), Queen Kapiolani Hotel, Kaimana Beach Hotel, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Outrigger Waikiki Beach, Sheraton Waikiki Beach (family rooms) Splurge: Moana Surfrider, Prince Waikiki, Halekulani, and The Royal Hawaiian
Travel Note
Other Favorite Areas
2. Ko Olina We recommend Ko Olina for “the resorter” or families looking for a more relaxed upscale vibe. Ko Olina has 4 lagoons that are great for swimming and safe for kids and resorts range from the Four Seasons to Aulani Disney. It has more limited restaurant options but is only a quick drive to Kapolei for Costco, Target, other restaurants and shopping. Some excellent snorkeling for strong swimmers is just up the way at Electric Beach and the beautiful pink pillbox hike is a quick and rewarding trek close by. 3. Kailua We love spending time in Kailua but there aren’t many rental options or hotels though you can try your luck! If you are looking for laid back beach town vibes (think Encinitas/ Laguna Beach) this is a great option though you will still need to spend time driving to other parts of the island. We love going to (read winning) trivia at Kailua Town Pub on Thursday night and there’s another great farmers market here on Thursday evenings. 4. North Shore We recommend north shore for the adventurer or beach bum with access to some of Oahus famous surfing shores, summer snorkeling, and tropical hiking. In general getting to/ from the north shore is a trek with one lane road driving that can cause a lot of traffic so it makes the rest of the island less accessible. There are limited accommodation options but Alex and friends stayed at a yurt airbnb in Haleiwa and had a great time. There are some VRBO and airbnb rentals in the area. For elevated luxury, Turtle Bay Resort in Kawela Bay is a gorgeous and recently updated escape.