Ko Olina Lagoons This was our absolute favorite beach, and we didn’t even mind traveling over a half an hour to get there, so worth it (Ko Olina exit off of Farrington Highway). The weather leeward was usually better than all other places on the island, so that was another […]
Oahu
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Fort DeRussy The beach that was the most direct walk from our hotel was Fort DeRussy, we went to it once and didn’t go back. The water was a beautiful turquoise color, but a little murky. The sand was powerdy pale yellow and a bit hard to lie on. We […]
Papa’iloa Beach This beach was really awesome, and pretty much deserted. It is down a quiet residential dead end road with beautiful houses, there is a small parking lot right across from the entrance (Papailoa Rd Haleiwa, HI 96712). Take the dark passageway out to the bright beach and there […]
Waimanalo Beach This was the first beach we visited and certainly one of the most attractive (41-741 Kalanianaole Hwy Huli Street Waimanalo, HI 96795 a lot of the beach signage is hard to see, but if you find a beach parking lot in the town where the beach is located […]
Aloha Tower (Scenic Lookout, Honolulu) This tower used to be the tallest building on the island, but with the influx of skyscrapers that come with an international tag, it feels so small (1 Aloha Tower Drive, Honolulu, HI 96813). We went on a rainy day and scurried from our metered […]
Honolulu Zoo (Educational, Honolulu) The weather wasn’t perfect for the beach one day so we decided to go to the zoo (151 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu). This was our biggest ‘splurge’ attraction on the whole trip at $14 a ticket, but it was worth it because we ended up having a […]
Iolani Palace & King Kamehameha Statue (History, Honolulu) The only royal palace on American soil is in Oahu, smack in the middle of Honolulu (364 South King Street, Honolulu, HI 96813). There is metered parked all around the palace, we popped a couple of quarters in and went to observe. […]
Dole Plantation (Koi Pond, Northshore) Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits and I buy dole products all the time so I decided to stop by the plantation when heading to the northshore. We visited the close-by Wahiawa Botanical Garden on the way before they opened (at 930) and were […]
Top Picks: Haleiwa (Cultural, Northshore) One of my favorite things is getting the feel for a new town. Haleiwa is just small enough and kitschy enough to be a perfect place to explore in one day. There is one shopping main strip that runs through the town, you can park […]
Top Picks: Mount Tantalus Round Top Drive (Scenic Lookout, Honolulu) One of our most special evenings were spent star gazing and looking at the city lights atop Mount Tantalus after the Round Top Drive. It is so romantic and the views are breathtaking here, it is the perfect place to […]
Top Picks: Pearl Harbor Memorial (Historical, Leeward) If you ask me, no trip to Oahu is complete without a visit to the Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial site (1 Arizona Memorial Place Honolulu, HI 96818). The National Park Service has done a beautiful job on this memorial; it […]
The Arch (Natural Attraction, Windward) If you park at the Halona Blowhole parking lot (Kalanianaole Highway heading east in Honolulu) and walk across the highway, head west past where the rail ends, you’ll be heading in the right direction. You can pick a comfortable spot to scale the rocks and […]
Spitting Caves (Natural Attraction, Windward) This was a little tricky to find, but I love a good natural attraction (Intersection of Popipu and Lumahai in Honolulu. Take Lumahai down to the end and park, nice residential area). We followed the directions, found the block, parked the car, and I started […]
Pu’u O’Mahuka Heiau (History, Northshore) This is a tiny park full of history is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the northshore on a great hill overlooking the ocean (Pupukea Homestead Road from Kamehameha Highway [across from Pupukea fire station]). After turning in you find a small lot […]
Makua Cave (Natural Attraction, Leeward) A quick stop on the way to or from Ka’ena Point you can find the entrance to this cave at Farrington Highway mile marker 17. There is a dirt parking lot directly across the street on the ocean side. I was actively searching for it […]