Jamal & Jayson
Things To Do
Waikīkī Beach
If you are staying in Waikiki, you'll notice the beautiful two-mile stretch of sand and ocean just a block or two away from you. Grab your swimwear, some towels, and sunscreen, and enjoy the world famous Waikiki beach!
Duke's Waikiki and Kalakaua Avenue
One of our favorite Waikiki restaurants is Duke’s, which is right by the beach. In the late afternoon, they open up the patio area that’s basically on the beach. The patio menu is somewhat more limited, but still has good options and we think it's worth the view. By the way, Duke's is on Kalakaua Avenue, which is the main street that goes from one side of Waikiki to the other. Kalakaua Avenue can be fun to walk down. Take in the amazing view of Waikiki beach while exploring fun shops and restaurants!
International Market Place
The recently renovated International Marketplace is a fun place to check out, with a number of restaurants and shops.
Ala Moana Center
The Ala Moana Center is a relatively upscale mall with lots of restaurants that’s on the far end (ewa/west side) of Waikiki.
Diamond Head Crater Hike
At the opposite (east) end of Waikiki is the famous crater known as Diamond Head, which has a popular hike - the Diamond Head Crater Hike. The crater is dry (so this isn't a lush/jungle-y hike), but the view at the top is beautiful. Getting to this hike would involve a short drive or uber ride from Waikiki.
Manoa Falls Hike
A lush (and muddy) hike is Manoa Falls, which is about a 10-15 minute drive from Waikiki (also feasible to do an uber trip here). You can find this hike by driving up Manoa Road all the way until the road ends. I'd recommend bringing hiking or running shoes that you don't mind getting muddy and dirty. The Manoa Falls hike doesn't take too long (an hour or less each way), and you get a nice view of the waterfall at the end. Given this hike's closer proximity to Waikiki, it can be a bit more populated (like Diamond Head Crater).
Iolani Palace and Chinatown
Iolani Palace is in downtown Honolulu (also known as Chinatown), and is the only palace in the USA. Iolani Palace offers audio and walking tours for those of you who are interested. We also enjoy spending time in Chinatown. The bars and clubs in downtown Honolulu/Chinatown have a more local O'ahu resident crowd, while the Waikiki bars and clubs tend to be more popular with tourists. Iolani Palace and downtown Honolulu/Chinatown is about a 10 - 15 minute drive or uber ride from Waikiki.
Side Street Inn and Other Favorite Restaurants
We both share a love for the food in Hawai'i! Side Street Inn is one of our favorite restaurants. We also love picking up poke from one of the Foodland grocery stores on the island. Here's a (probably overwhelming) list of some of our other favorite restaurants on O'ahu: WITHIN A FEW MILES OF WAIKIKI: Teddy's Bigger Burgers, Marukame Udon, Real Gastropub, Sweet E's Café, Phuket Thai (BYOB), Uncle Bo's, Shokudo, Leonard's Bakery, Bogart's Café DOWNTOWN/CHINATOWN: JJ Dolan's, Livestock Tavern, Pig and the Lady, Nico's Pier 38, Gordon Biersch KAIMUKI (a neighborhood not too far from Waikiki): Koko Head Café, Mud Hen Water, Brew'd, Town, Fresh Catch (seafood store with take out and casual dine-in food options, great poke) ELSEWHERE ON ISLAND: Kona Brewing Co., Helena's, Dagon, Pint and Jigger, Sweet Home Café, Cinnamon's
Bishop Museum
The Bishop museum is close to downtown Honolulu, and provides some Hawai'i-related history and artifacts. The Bishop Museum is about a 10 - 15 minute drive or uber ride from Waikiki.
Tantalus Drive and Punchbowl Cemetery
Our wedding venue is up Tantalus Drive, a scenic and lush drive in the hills above Waikiki. You can drive the full Tantalus Drive loop, and also make a detour to Punchbowl Cemetery, a place to honor those who served in the United States Armed Forces. The Punchbowl Cemetery and Tantalus drive are best viewed using a rental car.
Hanauma Bay
The most popular place to snorkel on O'ahu is Hanauma Bay, a protected reef with lots of fish, and sometimes sea turtles! It can be busier than other snorkel spots on the island, but this is probably the best easy-to-access great snorkeling opportunity on the island. Hanauma Bay is about a 15 - 20 minute drive or uber ride from Waikiki.
Koko Head Crater Hike and Kona Brewing Company
Near Hanauma Bay is Koko Head Crater, the hike where Jay said "I do!" Like Diamond Head, it's a dry (rather than lush) hike, and you pretty much just walk up steep steps to the top. You can probably get to the top in under 45 minutes. It's a good work out, and the views from the top are amazing. We personally love it, but other people we know dislike how strenuous this hike is. The trail gets gradually steeper as you approach the top, and can be hard on your knees on the way down. We do not recommend this hike for anyone who has a fear of heights. Near Koko Head is a local restaurant that Jamal loves - Kona Brewing Company.
Whale Watching
December is the start of humpback whale season in Hawai'i! There are several what watching tours that you can book, which we'd recommend doing so in advance. Good spots to see humpback whales for free from land include the Makapu'u Lighthouse, Lanai Lookout, and Halona Blowhole Lookout.
Lanai Lookout and Halona Blowhole Lookout
Right after Koko Head Crater and Hanauma Bay are two lookout spots: Lanai Lookout (where you can see the Hawaiian island of Lanai) and the Halona Blowhole Lookout (where you can see a natural water spout or "blowhole"). These are also great spots to see Humpback Whales!
Pearl Harbor National Memorial
One of the more popular tourist attractions on O'ahu is Pearl Harbor. We are often shocked at how much tour groups charge for Pearl Harbor trips. It’s actually free to park and visit the area, which includes free museums. They also give out free tickets to take a short boat ride to the Pearl Harbor Memorial, but those are given out on a first come, first serve basis, so if you don’t get there in the morning there’s a chance that you might not be able to make it to the actual memorial. We personally think you get a lot out of the Pearl Harbor area even without making it to the memorial that’s on the water. We recommend driving or taking an uber here (about a 30 minute drive from Waikiki) early in the morning and hope to get a (free) ticket to the memorial and walk around the (mostly free) museums here, rather than paying a lot of money for a coordinated bus tour.
Nu‘uanu Pali Lookout
The Nu'uanu Pali Lookout is an easy-to-access lookout spot that offers amazing views of the island. You have to pay a couple dollars for parking, which we think is worth the great views. This is a fantastic place to take photos.
Kailua, Lanikai Beach, and Pillboxes Hike
Kailua is a pretty town on the windward (eastern) side of the island about 30 minutes from Waikiki. Many people think that Lanikai beach, located in Kailua, is the most beautiful beach on O’ahu. We definitely recommend checking it out. You have to park in a residential area and walk to the beach. Keep an eye out for "no parking" signs to avoid tickets. Try visiting Lanikai on a weekday, rather than a weekend, as parking is worse on the weekends (this is an easy thing to forget when you are on vacation - beaches will be busier on the weekends). You’ll notice two small islands – known as the Mokulua islands – offshore Lanikai beach. You can kayak to these islands, which can be a fund adventure. Look into booking kayaks in advance if this interests you. Close to Lanikai beach is the "Pillboxes hike" (you should be able to get directions using Google). It's a pretty short hike with great views of Lanikai beach and surrounding regions.
Maunawili Falls Hike
One of our favorite tropical hikes on O’ahu is the Maunawili Falls hike, which is in the Kailua area. It takes about 90 minutes each way to do this lush, jungle-like hike. There is a great waterfall at the end of the hike. Some people actually climb to the top of the waterfall and jump off (you might see people doing this), but we’ve never made this potentially dangerous jump ourselves. This hike can get muddy and slippery, so bring shoes and clothes that you are fine with ruining, and be careful not to slip and hurt yourself.
Waimanalo Bay Beach Park (Sherwood Forest)
Another one of our favorite beaches is Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, also known as Sherwood Forest (note that this is a different beach than Waimanalo Beach Park). There is usually ample parking here. Waimanalo is a lush, smaller town with a larger Native Hawaiian population. Waimanalo is about 10 minutes from Kailua, and 30 minutes from Waikiki.
Byodo-In Temple
Further up on the windward (east) side of O'ahu is the residential town of Kaneohe, about a 40 minute drive from Waikiki. It's in Kaneohe that you'll find the Byodo-In Temple, which is a beautiful replica of a 900-year-old Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. When visiting, we usually spend about 45 minutes here. It's worth checking out!
Tropical Farms Macadamia Nuts
If you are traveling north on the windward (east) side of the island, you'll notice the Tropical Farms Macadamia Nuts, a macadamia nut farm. While not a must-see attraction, this farm is cute place to stop on your drive to or from O'ahu's north shore.
Kualoa Regional Park and Chinaman's Hat
Offshore Kualoa Regional Park is a small islet shaped like a Chinaman's hat. This is another potential quick sightseeing stop on your way up to the north shore from the windward side of the island. Drive into and park at the Kualoa Regional Park to see "Chinaman's Hat", then turn around and take in the pretty views of the Kualoa mountain range.
Kualoa Ranch
A minute drive past the Kualoa Regional Park and Chinaman's Hat is Kualoa Ranch. This is another nice place to stop on your drive up to the north shore. The valley within Kualoa Ranch is stunning, and the setting for many films (including Jamal's favorite - Jurassic Park!). You can walk around the ranch for free and get a sense of what it looks like, or you can pay money to do one of various excursions there (e.g., zip lining, riding RTVs through the valley, taking a "movie" tour).
Turtle Bay Resort
Turtle Bay is the upscale resort that's up on the north shore. Turtle Bay Resort is located in Kahuku, which we consider to be the eastern side of O'ahu's north shore. You can visit this resort, including its beach, for free (all beaches in Hawaii are public, and can not be owned by hotels). Jamal had lunch at one of their beach-side restaurants here, which was nice. FYI, Turtle Bay Resort is where the movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" was filmed.
Giovanni's Shrimp Truck
There are a few different shrimp trucks on the north shore (that's because there are several shrimp farms up there). They are all pretty good (if you like shrimp that is), but Giovanni's Shrimp Truck in Kahuku is probably the most famous one.
Waimea Bay and Waimea Valley Tropical Gardens
One of our favorite beaches on the north shore is Waimea Bay Beach Park. Although a beautiful beach to visit, the waves on the north shore during the winter months are large and strong, and it likely won't be safe to go swimming here. Parking can be challenging on the weekends, but shouldn't be too bad on the weekdays. Sometimes I've parked across the road at the Waimea Valley Tropical Gardens, or on the street up the road from Waimea Bay. If you like botanical gardens, you can also check out Waimea Valley Tropical Gardens.
Sunset Beach
Winter means big surf on the north shore. Sunset Beach is a great spot to sit in the sand and watch talented surfers in action.
Hale'iwa Town
Hale'iwa is a fun town with the most restaurants on the north shore. This is a fun place to walk around with several cute shops. Shave ice, which is a softer version of a snow cone, are popular up here and worth trying. We usually get go to Matsumoto Shave Ice. We highly recommend checking out Hale'iwa if you are on the north shore.
Dole Plantation
The Dole Plantation is another fun place to stop at and walk around. Most of the Dole pineapples are grown in other countries, but this smaller pineapple farm still stands. There's a maze you can pay to walk through, as well as other small attractions like a train ride that drives around the plantation. The Dole Plantation is in Wahiawa, about 10 minutes from Hale'iwa on the north shore. It's a convenient place to stop at if you are taking the H3 highway up to or down from the north shore.
Ko Olina
On the leeward (west) side of the island (you need to take a different route than the way up to the north shore, and it's about an hour drive west from Waikiki) is the town of Ko'olina, where the Aulani Disney resort and other hotels are located. You can access the Ko'olina Lagoons (nice beaches) for free, but parking can be a little tricky. We've parked at Aulani before, ate at their restaurant near the ocean which has a great view, and then got the parking ticket validated for a few hours, which allowed some time at the beach without having to pay for parking. There are a few fun restaurants and shops that you can check out in Ko'olina. Monkeypod Kitchen is one of our favorites. FYI, the leeward side of O'ahu gets the least amount of rain, so sometimes people will make a trip to the more reliably sunny West shore beach when it's raining in other parts of the island.
Kaʻena Point Hike
Ka'ena Point is the most western part of the island, and you can hike this trail from either the north shore or leeward (west) part of the island. We've only done this trail from the leeward (Waianae) side of O'ahu. Take Farrington Highway up the leeward coast all the way to where the road ends.