Honolulu advice, anyone?

thesuninherhead · July 2010

H and I are heading to Hawaii for seven nights in September (I'm going to a conference for three days but other than that we have no plans). Any suggestions on what we should do, places to check out, where to stay etc?

It'll be our 1 year anniversary celebration as well- exciting! A year went rather quickly!

mandapanda78 · July 2010

I love Hawaii. It's my favorite place in the whole wide world. You'll be there too early for the whales, sadly. I'd still snorkle though- tons of fish and dolphins. Also, eat lots of pineapples! Are you only going to Oahu? Maui is my favorite island.

thesuninherhead · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_honolulu-advice-anyone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:39b51a5a-262e-4899-944c-060f202cd5eePost:63e1547d-3fea-4d29-9ba6-c9103c0f35f7">Re: Honolulu advice, anyone?</a>:
[QUOTE]I love Hawaii. It's my favorite place in the whole wide world. You'll be there too early for the whales, sadly. I'd still snorkle though- tons of fish and dolphins. Also, eat lots of pineapples! Are you only going to Oahu? Maui is my favorite island.
Posted by mandapanda78[/QUOTE] Oh, snorkeling, I didn't even think of that for some reason. Are the pineapples good there? I'm gathering so! We weren't planning to go anywhere other than Oahu. I'm not sure we'll have time!

mandapanda78 · July 2010

Oh yes, the pineapples are delicious! I think if you're only able to see Oahu you'll still have a wonderful time.

dmbdbk · July 2010

You could hike Diamondhead. Its kind if a dry dusty hike but the view is worth it.

pooh8402 · July 2010

not a fan of Honolulu, it's really touristy and not in a good way. I thought the only thing worth going to Honolulu for was for Pearl Harbor, so that's a definite must-do, even for non-Americans. but that's just my opinion.

other things you could do: have to do a luau and eat some roast pig from the ground. I forgot which one we went to, I remember the food being amazing. and yes, eat some pineapples. we did go snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. I discovered my fear of fish there, but the others in my group who went snorkeling and didn't chicken out like me had fun and said it was really pretty. my stepdad recommends it too, and he lived on Oahu for several months some time ago.

notquiteblushing · July 2010

We'll be there on Thursday! We're doing a Lost tour (we're huge Losties), renting a car and driving up to the North Shore, checking out Pearl Harbor, climbing Diamondhead and DH (!) is doing a scuba dive. I'll know more soon!

thesuninherhead · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_honolulu-advice-anyone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:39b51a5a-262e-4899-944c-060f202cd5eePost:88d35c09-d729-4127-bba8-47db5c6ec5c1">Re: Honolulu advice, anyone?</a>:
[QUOTE]not a fan of Honolulu, it's really touristy and not in a good way. I thought the only thing worth going to Honolulu for was for Pearl Harbor, so that's a definite must-do, even for non-Americans. but that's just my opinion. other things you could do: have to do a luau and eat some roast pig from the ground. I forgot which one we went to, I remember the food being amazing. and yes, eat some pineapples. we did go snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. I discovered my fear of fish there, but the others in my group who went snorkeling and didn't chicken out like me had fun and said it was really pretty. my stepdad recommends it too, and he lived on Oahu for several months some time ago.
Posted by pooh8402[/QUOTE] I'm not really a fan of traditional tourist places, either- honolulu was never on my 'must see' list, but it's where the conference is located thus the trip (we're going to Osaka in Japan on our way home which is by far more our type of thing). Just to clarify, you guys do have pineapples in other places in the states, right? Are these just particularly amazing pineapples?

thesuninherhead · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_honolulu-advice-anyone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:39b51a5a-262e-4899-944c-060f202cd5eePost:9de41e33-b51b-4d4e-aaed-e1dde4ab61db">Re: Honolulu advice, anyone?</a>:
[QUOTE]We'll be there on Thursday! We're doing a Lost tour (we're huge Losties), renting a car and driving up to the North Shore, checking out Pearl Harbor, climbing Diamondhead and DH (!) is doing a scuba dive. I'll know more soon!
Posted by notquiteblushing[/QUOTE]
 I like the idea of the climb! I will have to look into this. I was saying to H that we could hire a car. I then remembered that you guys drive on the wrong side of the road (haha- ok, the opposite! but to me, the 'wrong' side), so that put me off somewhat!

jemmini6 · July 2010

if you want pineapple, check out the Dole Plantation (and dole whip...YUM). Pearl Harbor is always interesting, especially if it's your first time to Hawaii. Snorkeling is obvious...Hanauma Bay can get kind of crowded though and I'd suggest renting gear at a local dive shop instead of at the bay, its generally better quality and less expensive. if you are really into adventure, i'd HIGHLY recommend Oahu Diving (they are #1 on tripadvisor for a reason). you don't have to be certified to dive with them and it is not one of the hotel-version discovery dives. it is essentially a full-out dive with a crash course. BF and i did it last year and we loved it so much we got our OW (open water) certification and are working our way up to AOW (advanced open water). as for hotels, we stayed at the aston waikiki. it was nice, and they even have complimentary breakfast. there is also a restaurant right next to it (next building over, 2nd floor) called Lulu's and we ate there like 4 times. They have delicious fish and it wasn't too pricey.

ahh...talking about this makes me want to go back soon. LOL. HAVE FUN!!!

thesuninherhead · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_honolulu-advice-anyone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:39b51a5a-262e-4899-944c-060f202cd5eePost:2ddaae60-eacc-4d57-91a8-5aceda489f7b">Re: Honolulu advice, anyone?</a>:
[QUOTE]if you want pineapple, check out the Dole Plantation (and dole whip...YUM). Pearl Harbor is always interesting, especially if it's your first time to Hawaii. Snorkeling is obvious...Hanauma Bay can get kind of crowded though and I'd suggest renting gear at a local dive shop instead of at the bay, its generally better quality and less expensive. if you are really into adventure, i'd HIGHLY recommend Oahu Diving (they are #1 on tripadvisor for a reason). you don't have to be certified to dive with them and it is not one of the hotel-version discovery dives. it is essentially a full-out dive with a crash course. BF and i did it last year and we loved it so much we got our OW (open water) certification and are working our way up to AOW (advanced open water). as for hotels, we stayed at the aston waikiki. it was nice, and they even have complimentary breakfast. there is also a restaurant right next to it (next building over, 2nd floor) called Lulu's and we ate there like 4 times. They have delicious fish and it wasn't too pricey. ahh...talking about this makes me want to go back soon. LOL. HAVE FUN!!!
Posted by jemmini6[/QUOTE] Thanks for all the advice. That dive sounds really awesome... I've never been diving before. I will have to look into it! As for the pineapple references, could you clarify: you guys do have pineapple freely available on mainland US, right?

mocha beans · July 2010

I'm starting to dig into what to do for when we're there this week, so I'll let ya know what I find. I think we're gonna hit up that scuba diving place mentioned above, do the snorkeling (probably at Hanauma), possibly rent some motorcycles (if we have licenses) and tour around the island or drive cars, do a Lost tour, Pearl Harbor. Apparently there's some awesome malsadas (like a donut I guess) at a bakery somewhere, Leonard's maybe? Puka dogs are supposedly awesome too, they're at the International Marketplace I think.

I'd hit up TripAdvisor's forums too, they're pretty good.

aMrsin09 · July 2010

Sun, we do have pineapple on the mainland, but it comes from Hawaii, Costa Rica, PR etc.
If it is grown at all on the mainland it would be in FL.

mocha beans · July 2010

And I'm sure what we get on the mainland is no where near as good as really fresh pineapple. It is better than canned, so there's that at least.

thesuninherhead · July 2010

Oh right. I was wondering why everyone seemed very enthusiastic about pineapples.

I grew up about 40 minutes from this: http://www.bigpineapple.com.au/

so I was a little perplexed! haha. There's lots of fresh pineapple available here.

Mocha, you left one thing off your list of things to do: catching up with me for a drink! We will have to book that in, too! ;P

The scuba looks like fun. There's some great lookouts on the tourism site that I want to see, too, but not sure if I am game enough to drive there!

aMrsin09 · July 2010

Oh come on. Take it from someone who had to learn to drive on the "wrong side". It's not that hard, you just have to concentrate instead of going on instinct. The Japanese go to HI all the time and they are wrong side drivers too!

carrieoz_76 · July 2010

You might ask on the Hawaii board - there's quite a few locals on there or girls who know lots about the different islands.

The only travel guide you need is Oahu Revealed, released by Wizard Publications - http://www.wizardpub.com/oahu/oahu.html . The author lives on the islands, is totally independent, and secretly visits all the places and locations that he recommends. He didn't lead us astray once in Maui Revealed.

carrieoz_76 · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_honolulu-advice-anyone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:39b51a5a-262e-4899-944c-060f202cd5eePost:88d35c09-d729-4127-bba8-47db5c6ec5c1">Re: Honolulu advice, anyone?</a>:
[QUOTE]not a fan of Honolulu, it's really touristy and not in a good way.
Posted by pooh8402[/QUOTE]
I haven't been there, so I can't speak from personal experience, but I talked about this issue with friends who go regularly to their family's condo, and they really enjoy Honolulu. They're city people - they love the museums, shopping, restaurants, and the different ethnic influences (Chinatown, for example).

thesuninherhead · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_honolulu-advice-anyone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:39b51a5a-262e-4899-944c-060f202cd5eePost:f4203d15-c334-4f7c-942d-72c8f753256f">Re: Honolulu advice, anyone?</a>:
[QUOTE]Oh come on. Take it from someone who had to learn to drive on the "wrong side". It's not that hard, you just have to concentrate instead of going on instinct. The Japanese go to HI all the time and they are wrong side drivers too!
Posted by aMrsin09[/QUOTE] Haha yes, but I had a hard enough time remembering to look the right way whilst crossing the road in the US last year. I don't want to risk the safety of my fellow road users!

aMrsin09 · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_honolulu-advice-anyone?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:39b51a5a-262e-4899-944c-060f202cd5eePost:36fd0d0d-fc0d-4ec4-a335-cb5435fea19d">Re: Honolulu advice, anyone?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Honolulu advice, anyone? : Haha yes, but I had a hard enough time remembering to look the right way whilst crossing the road in the US last year. I don't want to risk the safety of my fellow road users!
Posted by thesuninherhead[/QUOTE]

hehehe, I still do that too. I always look left right left and after H lived in France for so long, he does too. Now we just both look both ways twice.

mica178 · July 2010

Snorkeling on the north shore with turtles.
Eating at roadside shrimp trucks (on the way to the north shore)
Boots and Kimos for breakfast

kimheartsscott · July 2010

The main things I remember from my trip are the Dole Plantation (hot pink pineapples!) and Pearl Harbor.

lapcan · July 2010

This is really touristy but my H and I had a great time there. Go check out the Polynesian Cultural Center. It's like the Disney of Luaus. Also, go on a catamaran ride. We did the Outrigger Catamaran at sunset. It's basically a booze cruise that sails around Waikiki Beach as the sun sets. Very pretty and very memorable. Both of these can be pretty expensive but they are worth the money. Especially the Polynesian Cultural Center. I think we spent like $90 a person but it was an all day thing.

Have Fun!

cbvcru67 · July 2010

we visited honolulu/waikiki beach in may and had a great time! We loved the snorkeling at hanuama bay! it's fairly close to downtown and most of the hotels and we were able to see a lot of different fish and even some sea turtles! I think shark beach on the north shore is also know for their great snorkeling, but thats quite a drive away... and in september, the water may be too rough on that side of the island anyways.

Two hotels to look into: the Trump and the Moana Surfrider. We stayed at the Trump and it was wonderful! We found a great deal on expedia I think, and it ended up being pretty reasonable -especially for an ocean/sunset view. Everything was new and gorgeous and the staff were some of the absolute most hospitable I have ever encountered. It blew our minds. We also looved the BLT steakhouse on the groundfloor. The Moana was just one we saw right in the middle of the hotel area that just looked so beautiful I wanted to go in it. We never got the chance, but a couple we met on holiday from Austrailia were staying there and said they liked it very much.

Something else to try: yelp.com We use that alot as we travel to try to find good local restaurants. We found a pretty good hole-in-the wall steak house and a great burger place, and about a thousand awesome sushi or seafood places. And you can search by pricepoint which is nice when you dont always want to spend big bucks on just lunch.

missy68 · July 2010

I'm not sure I'd call PCC the Disney of Luaus, but it is definitely worth a visit. You can "visit" different areas representing the native cultures represented by the islanders - Samoa, etc. Most of the workers there are students at BYU-H. The Luau they put on IS amazing. The Dole plantation is a neat place; you'll pass the mountain range where the Japanese flew in to go down to Pearl Harbor.
Get some pineapple syrup to try on waffles - that's a neat treat. The North Shore is worth a visit, but the giant waves are earlier in the year. The Punch Bowl is the large cemetery, and is quite amazing to see. Waimea Falls is really nice as well. All of these are outside of Honolulu (restaurant below and Punch Bowl are closest in). But definitely don't miss Pearl Harbor.

There's a nice restaurant on Waikiki beach - I can't think of the name of it. I'll find out and let you know.

snoangel79 · July 2010

Eat at Dukes!! Delicious Mahi Mahi!, Maybe try surfing?? We went to a Luau (Paradise Cove, I think it was called) A lot of fun, the dancers got me out of the audience and I had to go up on stage and dance with the fire guys!! You will have a lot of fun!!
Also you could fly to one of the other islands (inter island flight is not too expensive) We went to Hawaii and went to see the volcanoes.
http://www.dukeswaikiki.com/
http://paradisecovehawaii.com/LuauPackages/luaupackages.htm

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