Duke's in Waikiki is famous spot. Go grab a pina colada and people watch if its busy out. Inter-island flights are mad cheap. Last time I went to HI I wasn't even planning it, but when I got there I decided I wanted to check out Maui for a day or two. Went online booked a complete package (air,hotel,rental car) for a few hundy and the next day I was driving down the Road to Hana
Hike Diamond Head. If you didn't already get passes to the Arizona, go the first day and see if they have any available while you are there. Polynesian Cultural Center is pretty cool.
Diamond head hike (and view) is #1. Aloha Da Bus! It goes all the way around and you can get transfers that allow you to TOUR the island on the bus. Hanauma Bay is a nice snorkel place, protected, but with rocky reefs and lot's to see. Hammerheads breed in Kaneohe Bay. The area around Waimea Bay (Sunset, Three Tables etc) is awesome when the swell is from the north. Kincaids on Ala Moana is very nice if you want to impress your date. People watching (Foreign tourists!) can be very amusing in Waikiki in the evening. Magic Island park is a wonderful place to stretch your legs after an airplane ride. Reef protected beaches make it a Kiki happy place.
Honolulu is like any other big city (large homeless population, dirty, etc.). It was a major disappointment after starting the trip on Maui. We tried to spend most of our time on Oahu away from the city.
1. Hawaiian Shaved Ice (best snow cone ever) 2. Check out the inter-island thing (going to more than one island). I wish I had.
Punchbowl Cemetery of the pacific. Pearl Harbor and the Arizona. Tons of hikes and diamond head is decent. If youre into bicycling try climbing and descending tantalus. There's literally so much to do that seven days won't be enough.
Another vote for Pearl Harbor, North Shore and side trip to Maui Road to Hana. Scuba or discovery Scuba if not certified. Also, Tiger Shark cage experience even if only snorkeling.
+1 for Pearl Harbor. It's a very emotional thing though, very sobering. When I went in 2002, my oldest stepson didn't want to go......I told him it WASN'T an option. It is one of the defining battles in American History and a must see. Also, when I was there, I rented a motorcycle for a day and rode around most of the perimeter of the island.
+ 2 for Pearl Harbor. The two places I've been in my life that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up were Pearl Harbor and the Alamo.
I get where you're coming from, but for me, it's not quite the same. I've been to Gettysburg. Antietam too. The sheer number of casualties at both places was overwhelming, but the fighting was relatively even on a battlefield in a war. Pearl Harbor on the other hand was, in todays way of thinking, a terrorist attack. Almost 1,200 men were killed on the Arizona who were not at war. And I had seen the Arizona memorial in pics before I ever went there, but what I didn't know was that the Arizona was underneath it. When you're standing there, and little bubbles of oil float to the surface from it, and with the thought of the 1200 men/corpses right there below you, it blew me away. As for the Alamo, you take 200 defenders taking on 2000 - 4000 attackers, and when given the choice to surrender or die, the defenders chose death. I'm giving myself the willies just typing (and remembering) this stuff.
Grab some prime rib from Chuck's cellar in Waikiki. It was delicious! Duke's was nice and relaxing for brunch every morning. I did Diamond Head and tried doing the Arizona but it was too windy the days I tried. Get there early (like 6-6:30am). Get tickets for the first 2 boats and you're guaranteed to get on. Tour busses show up later so you should be good to go. Also no backpacks allowed so remember that before going in. When I go again I'd like to check out Kualoa Ranch (where Jurassic park was filmed) and do an atv tour. Next time I'd also like to check out the other islands. I got bored on Oahu as there seemed to only be a couple legal hikes on the island.
There's all kinds of stuff to do at Kualoa. I did the ATV tour, my brother-in-law did a Zipline tour, wife and kids did a jungle bus tour, and there was plenty more to do. Something we found and enjoyed was the Go Oahu card. It ended up giving us several options with discounts on some neat stuff that we wouldn't have thought of.
