Oahu

Re: Oahu

• Beverly8

  

  May 2012

  I highly recommend renting a car.  Oahu is a bit more city like than some of the other islands and you will benefit from having your own transportation!

  
  

  H and I honeymooned on Maui, but we did do ziplining there and if it was amazing in Maui, I am sure you will love it in Oahu!

  
  

  Make sure you do a luau also!

  
  

  Hawaii is a great time! Enjoy it!!

  

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• jemmini6 member

  

  May 2012

  Oahu is definitely a good island for your first Hawaii experience.  You could probably get away without having a rental car, especially if you book a lot of tours that include transportation, but if you want to do a little exploring on your own, you'll need a car.  Just be warned, parking at hotels in Waikiki beach is expensive.  We were there 3 years ago and it was about $30/day for parking at our hotel.  A good option might be to just rent one for a day or two to do a little of your own exploring, and then use tour op's for everything else.
  
  We didn't do the dolphin encounter or ziplining in Oahu, but we've done both those things other places, so I'm sure they'll be fantastic.  Our favorite thing we did on Oahu was our first diving experience ever with Oahu Divers (you don't need to be certified).  We loved it so much we came home and got certified and are now working on our 3rd level of certification.
  
  The other classic places that you should see is Pearl Harbor, try to go as early as possible because the wait times to go out to the memorial get longer as the day goes on.  Check out the Dole Pineapple Plantation, they have a maze and stuff, but we just went for lunch.  You absolutely MUST try Dole Whip (pineapple flavored frozen yogurt).  You can get it at the Dole Plantation or the food court at the International Marketplace on Waikiki.  If you are interested in the Hawaiian culture/history, I recommend going to the Polynesian Cultural Center, however, don't do their luau, my in-laws did it a few years ago and they didn't like it at all.  As for luaus, which is a must for Hawaii, I've only gone to ones on Maui and Kauai, so I'm not sure which is the best on Oahu, but I think Germaine's Luau is really popular.

  
  

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• RileysMomma

  

  May 2012 edited May 2012

  Thank you guys! I really want to go to a Luau, there is one at the hotel we are looking at, and its $99 for general seating, or the closer seats are $112 a person. Is that about average? Pearl Harbor is another thing we were looking into, thanks for the tip on going early! Isn't there about 4 different tours, do you recommend any certain one?

  

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• jemmini6 member

  

  May 2012

  Ugh, TK ate my post....
  
  I'm not sure about the tour operators to Pearl Harbor, as we went on our own.  It's free admission, and walk-on tickets to the USS Arizona memorial are free too.  They run a boat out to the memorial about every 20 minutes or so, so when you do it walk-in style, the time slots fill up quickly which is why you'd need to go early.  However, if you book through a tour group, they might have time slot reservations and you may not have to wait, but again, I assume that's what you'd pay for (plus transportation if you don't have a car).  There's a few other memorials/exhibits at Pearl Harbor that charge a small admission fee though, usually people hit those up while they are waiting for their slot for the Arizona Memorial.
  
  As for the luaus, that sounds about average depending on what's included in the price (ie. alcohol, activities other than the main show, etc).
  
  For anything that you are considering booking, I'd advise that you read reviews on TripAdvisor.  Also, I highly recommend getting the Oahu Revealed book, it'll have a lot of great info about places to check out that you might not have known about otherwise.

  
  

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• Summer2011Bride member

  

  May 2012 edited May 2012

  Lots of good tips already. We stayed at the Sheraton Waikiki and really loved it but it is a bigger resort, so if you're not looking for that, there are lots of other nice hotels on Waikiki. I would definitely recommend a car, especially if you want to explore other parts of the island and not just go to attractions (there are buses and tours for things like PCC, luaus, etc).
  
  I would recommend venturing up to the North Shore--gorgeous beaches and nice surfer towns. Totally opposite Waikiki. Eat at a shrimp truck. We ate at Fumi's twice and loved it--amazing shrimp! We also got shave ice at Aioki's which was yummy and Ted's Bakery up on the North Shore has delicious cakes and haupia (sp?) pies, plus good lunch food as well.
  
  The prices you listed for luaus is about right. We did the Paradise Cove luau. We got the middle seating and I think it was $80 something per person. Honestly, it was a beautiful setting but the drinks were very watered down and I felt super crowded when sitting at our table. I'd either get the most expensive ticket and seating option so you are less crowded or do a different luau.
  
  We did the dolphin experience at Sea Life Park. A shuttle picked us up from our hotel, and took us there and back. We had a great time doing it and we got the cheapest package (was still like $120/person). Sea Life Park is in a pretty setting but there isn't a whole lot else going on there except the dolphin encounter and shows. We still had fun walking around though; just don't expect anything like a Sea World.
  
  Restaurant recs: Duke's! Amazing fresh fish, great salad bar, beautiful sunset views. It's in the Outrigger Hotel.
  Sarento's at the Ilikai Hotel for beautiful views and nice upscale-ish Italian food.
  For a nicer splurge time dinner, The Beach House at the Moana Surfrider has nice food and a beautiful setting. It was more expensive though--ran us about $130 without alcohol.
  Also, I was a fan of the outdoor restaurant/bar at our hotel called The Edge. They had wonderful mahi mahi fish tacos as well as nachos and absolutely delicious drinks. It also is a beautiful setting right on the ocean.
  
  We honestly weren't a huge fan of the Dole Plantation but I think it's just personal preference. We didn't think there was a whole lot to do there except for an overpriced tram tour. Again, just not our thing. But the Dole Whip is fabulous!
  
  ETA: I'd also recommend hiking Diamond Head. The views on top are great and it isn't really a difficult hike. The most cardio of the whole thing is the 99 stairs going up haha! And lots of photo ops all the way up and down.

  
  
  
  
  

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• jmichlik member

  

  May 2012

  PP had a lot of good advice so I only have a bit to add. My husband and I split our time in Hawaii between Oahu, Maui and the big island. Things we did on Oahu:
  
  - Pearl Harbor: we chose a tour and despite the fact that I'm not a big fan of tours I really enjoyed it. The tour guide told the story of the events leading up to the attack on the way there and after the visit he took us around the city and showed us places of interest and told stories.
  - Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve: went here to snorkle for several hours and saw so many interesting fish, definitely one of my favorite things
  - Iolani Palace: the last palace of the Hawaiian royals, we took an audio tour of the house which had you go to each room and listen to stories about the people who'd lived there
  - I second the PP's recommendation of Duke's, it was fantastic; I will say we went for the lunch buffet and thoroughly enjoyed it
  - Top of Waikiki: a revolving restaurant on the top of a 20+ story building, good food and a fantastic 360 degree view
  
  I saw several others recommended a car; our travel agent recommended we not get one due to space and cost. Everything we did was either within walking distance or provided transportation... up to you, we didn't actually investigate the cost so I'm not sure how much of an issue it would be. Enjoy!

  

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