Oahu, Hawaii

louannholzer · July 2012

We are going to Oahu next August for our honeymoon! Any must do activities? I've never been so I'd love some input!

jemmini6 · July 2012

Go see Pearl Harbor, eat some Dole Whip (pineapple flavored soft serve, they have it at the Dole Plantation and in the food court of the International Marketplace on Waikiki).

If you are interested in diving, go with Oahu Divers. You don't need to be certified (they give you a crash course and stick close during the dive). They take lots of pictures and send them to you for free, which was awesome. It was H and I's first dive experience ever and it prompted us to get certified becuase it was so much fun. We've done several dives since then and that was still one of the most memorable.

Also, but the Oahu Revealed book!!

Summer2011Bride · July 2012

That's where we went on our HM. I'm so jealous-I want to go back! What hotel are you staying at/what part of the island?

What type of HM did you want? Mostly relaxation, lots of activities, etc?

Activities we did and enjoyed:
-Pearl Harbor. H loves history and I went along and found it surprisingly very fascinating as well. Get there early and if you have a rental car, I'd drive yourself (parking is free). I think we got there around 730 and our tickets for the Arizona weren't until 930 so it was already really busy. We did the submarine and went through the museum while we waited (those cost money but the Arizona is free).

-Drive to the North Shore. If you have a rental car and are staying in Waikiki, I would plan a day trip (or two) up north. It's only about an hour's drive and it's a totally different world up there. We hung out at Sunset Beach twice and loved it; we were one of about 3 people there the entire time. Drive through Hale'iwa, stop at Ted's for some haupia pie or lunch, grab some shave ice at Aoiki's (there is usually a line, but I think it's the best there). You could also go to Waimea Bay Beach which is a nice one but a lot busier than Sunset. It was fun to watch the Cliff Divers though.

-Diamond head. It's a pretty easy hike if you are in fairly good shape and the views at the top are really neat. We drove (I think it was maybe $8 to park?) and it took us about 1.5 hours to go up to the top and back, stopping for photo ops along the way.

-We aren't into snorkeling, but I have heard numerous raves about going snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. Hopefully if you're interested in that, someone else will post here with an experience about that. I will say we drove past it to go to our dolphin excursion and that entire side of the island was beautiful.

-Walk around Waikiki whether you stay there or not. A lot of people don't like Oahu because Honolulu is a big city and it is busy (and traffic SUCKS!) But I still think you should see Waikiki on your visit (we stayed right on Waikiki). There are some good restaurants along that strip and we had fun going into the different hotels. Also, at night around 7 or later, Waikiki really died down and we had fun walking along the beach or just sitting, listening to the waves with not a lot of people around.

-Luau: We did Paradise Cove and I would half recommend it. The drinks were watered down and the food was so so, but it was on a beautiful stretch of beach and the entertainment was pretty good. If you go, I'd probably splurge for the highest package so you get table service and have more room when you are eating.

-Dole Plantation: We did this and I could take it or leave it. The Pineapple Express train was kind of a waste, not a lot to see, and we didn't do the maze, though that would be something else you could do. The Dole Whip was fabulous though!

-Polynesian cultural Center. If we went back we'd skip this. Some of the exhibits/attractions are interesting but we got bored after a few hours. We did this on our own and was so glad we did because all the tours we saw were very strict and structured and didn't really let you do what you wanted to do. They do have a dinner and show there that I have heard is good, so you might check that out.

Food recs:
Duke's in the Outrigger Waikiki. Delicious! Make reservations or get a table at the bar (separate menus).

Shrimp trucks on the North Shore. We ate at Fumi's twice and it was amazing! If you drive past the Turtle Bay Resort, you will start seeing them pop up on the side of the road. They don't look like much but the shrimp is wonderful!

If you have any more questions, let me know! I hope you have a wonderful trip

ETA: Forgot we also did a catamaran cruise which we loved. There are about three different companies that just pull right up on Waikiki Beach. We called ahead for reservations but they do take walk-ups if there's room. We went with the Na Hoku II. I don't remember the cost but it included drinks and they have a cruise every night at sunset, which is the most popular one.

louannholzer · July 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_oahu-hawaii?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:06ad97ad-36d7-48a9-9647-15fd015fe25aPost:e470945d-7292-4f8c-a6e2-e2ac9478139b">Re: Oahu, Hawaii</a>:
[QUOTE]Go see Pearl Harbor, eat some Dole Whip (<strong>pineapple flavored soft serve</strong>, they have it at the Dole Plantation and in the food court of the International Marketplace on Waikiki). If you are <strong>interested in diving</strong>, go with Oahu Divers. You don't need to be certified (they give you a crash course and stick close during the dive). They take lots of pictures and send them to you for free, which was awesome. It was H and I's first dive experience ever and it prompted us to get certified becuase it was so much fun. We've done several dives since then and that was still one of the most memorable. Also, but the Oahu Revealed book!!
Posted by jemmini6[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>
</div><div>That sounds AMAZING! I've had the soft serve in disney world it is wonderful! Also diving is something my fiance is very interested in. I think we also want to go zip lining and swim with dolphins but have to find a good place to do it! Thanks for the advice!

</div>

Summer2011Bride · July 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_oahu-hawaii?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:06ad97ad-36d7-48a9-9647-15fd015fe25aPost:d5b199b1-bf79-4226-ab4c-c6b5c46ba396">Re: Oahu, Hawaii</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Oahu, Hawaii : That sounds AMAZING! I've had the soft serve in disney world it is wonderful! Also diving is something my fiance is very interested in.<strong> I think we also want to go zip lining and swim with dolphins but have to find a good place to do it! Thanks for the advice! </strong>
Posted by louannholzer[/QUOTE]

We did swimming with dolphins at Sea Life Park. Think of it as a mini Sea World but don't expect the same size/quality of Sea World. We did the cheapest package which was in the water with them for about 45 min, and each person got three pics: you kissing the dolphin, them kissing you, and you "dancing" with them. There was about twenty people in our group. They had two more extensive/expensive packages where they can pull you/push you, twirl with them, etc. We had a lot of fun and were happy with our package, but you might want to do something more extensive.

There was a bus that picked up at our hotel and drove us there and back. It was really organize and well-managed. The people at Sea Life Park were knowledgeable and the facilities were clean.

louannholzer · July 2012

All of these wonderful ideas are making me so exited! I am not sure on any of the basic details as my mom is doing most of it as a surprise but could tell her what we wanted to do activity wise. I know my fiance will want to go to Pearl Harbor as he is a Navy Vet and served on submarines for 3 years.

Thank you so much for you ladies advice!

Can't wait to message my mom all of these ideas!

pinkprincess1952 · July 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_oahu-hawaii?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:06ad97ad-36d7-48a9-9647-15fd015fe25aPost:86da7e65-e2a1-462c-a73e-22908577850e">Oahu, Hawaii</a>:
[QUOTE]We are going to Oahu next August for our honeymoon! Any must do activities? I've never been so I'd love some input!
Posted by louannholzer[/QUOTE]

I am going to Hawaii for my honeymoon as well...

Oahu, Hawaii

Re: Oahu, Hawaii

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