goin to hawaii, any advice/places to go??

going to oahu (sp?)for 4 days and was wonderin if anyone has any suggestions? i plan on pearl harbor, and hangin out at waikiki, maybe snorkling (but i cant swim all that well so that might not work out well,lol). so any ideas - and try to stay away from expensive ideas - i AM trying to get back on the track,lol.

 

I think there is a lot of Hawai info on the board. Have you tried a search?

 

Chinatown is the bomb @ss. Hit that.

Hilo Hattie is cool place to get 'cheap' swank.

Do the Arizona memorial, but go FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. Like, 7 AM. That's when the line starts. Get the audio tour, it's worth it.

And when in 'Rome'... so for dinner get a 'plate special' at a local diner. Usually mac-in-cheese or a salad, two types of fish. Truely awesome. And get a coconut anything. It's fresh and you can't beat it.

You can drive across the island to the north shore, stop at the Dole Plantation and grab some pineapple ice cream, then go to Mitsimotos for shaved ice (get it with red beans!).

Go to "The Punch Bowl', the national cemetary of the Pacific theater. Very beautiful and the lookout point gives a great view of the city.

 

nope, i am to dumb for that,lol . i will commence a search shortly, hehe.

 

Go to the library and grab the following books...

Frommers Guide to Hawaii
Lonely Planet's Guide to Hawaii

Also google Hawaii board of tourism

And go to a Luau. They are a blast.

 

So you're going to Hawaii, yet you can't make any of the east coast races...?!?!?

Wait 'till Scott and Court hear about this.

 

You have to go to Hanauma Bay. It is a beautiful coral reef...you won't have to snorkel or even go further than waist high to see the most beautiful fish. I have been out there many times (yes lucky enough to have family out there) It is definately a MUST do. The best time of course is during low tide

 

I suggest--- the beach.

 

I've been there for a total of 7 weeks over the last 3 years.

You must see Pearl Harbor. Make sure to check out the Bowfin (submarine) and the USS Missouri (battleship). You have to pay extra but, it's worth it. Go to Aloha stadium on the weekends as they have a flea market. Go early otherwise it's packed. Buy all your cheap T-shirts souvenirs there.

The Dole plantation is ok at best. Make sure to go snorkling at Haunama Bay. Check out the lagoons at the Marriott in Wai'kele (pronounced Y-kelly). The North Shore is a must. That has the best beaches to watch/go surfing. There's pipeline, sunset, etc..

Check out Macapau & turtle bay. The turtles will most likely be up on the beach or nearby in the shallow water. You can't touch them but you can get right up close to them for pictures. They don't bite. Try to avoid the real touristy stuff and explore the island. Do the stairway to heaven & also climb Diamond Head.

Walk the streets of Wai Ki Ki (sp?) at night. It's amusing to watch all the hookers. There's a few OK night clubs downtown. That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

 

LOL the GF wants to go so who am i to argue


i would still love to ride barber again someday. still waitin on the green card then hopefully will make my way back east (where i can somewhat afford to live)

 

ECUMike can help on this one.

 

Been there a bunch, got married there and everything. The in-laws live there blah blah. Depends on what you wanna do, and when you're going. I'm assuming you're not gonna surf based on your swimming comment. There are a SHIT load of things to do, see, go, etc....

As a general note, anything you do/goto/see that's outside, and 'touristy' you'll wanna goto EEEEARRRLY.. crowds and the sun are a bitch.

Goto Pearl Harbor/Arizona memorial, go early.

Walk up Diamond Head, go EARLY.

Goto Waikiki beach and enjoy the eye candy, such as...


If you're into sight-seeing stuff, goto the The Punch Bowl.

Luau's are fun but Expen$$ive (the good ones). Personally wouldn't bother with it.

Want some cheap shirts, shorts, and cool gifts & souviners for buddies, goto the Aloha Market, in the stadium parking lot. Every tues, Wed. & Sat I think. Cheap silk-screen shirts, like... $2-3 each.

Chinatown is cool. Lots of funny and weird shit, like this:


basic asian market stuff, just walk the streets.

Hanauma bay is OK for snorkling, a little clowdy, but lots of fish. Gets crowded, and parking's a bitch, go EARLY. They have floaties so you don't have to worry about the swimming part. Just float on a tube and you'll be a'ight.

The lagoons at the Marriott in Wai'kele are cool. You'll see turtles there as well, not crowded at all.

Stairway to heaven... been closed for years, unless they just recently opened it. You can still climb it, illegally, just hop through the fences, and dodge anybody that's got a uniform on. Note if you decide to do it, you better be in some awesome shape, have legs of steel, and not be afraid of heights. We're talking like 2 hours of straight up & down stair climbing.

If you go into a club in Waikiki, just a note, it's an asian-invasion in there (as expected). Fun to people watch.

North shore:
If you're going in winter, go check out the surfing. Huge waves.

Goto the Shrimp Truck. Officially called Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. AWESOME, I mean AWESOME garlic shrimp. World famous.

Goto Matsumotos for shave ice (the beans are nasty, just add the ice cream)

Dole Plantation, never been, no real desire to. I think they have some sorta maze there also, if I remeber correctly. Whatever.


I think we still have our Oahu Revealed book. It's got a password so you can view the entire thing online - http://www.wizardpub.com/oahu/oahu.html . If you want to borrow the PW, PM me.

 

i would be the only surfer out there with floaties on,lol. i can swim, i just cant do it for long - would love to surf, i skated for years and snowboarded for years so i think i could do it.

 

Just watch out for the Polar Bears and don't get stuck putting numbers into some computer in a hatch.

-steve

 

F**K Yea, the Shrimp Truck rawked. Worth the drive.

Again, Matsumotos for shave ice (get the beans!)

Dole Plantation is a Whatever, but worth a 5 minute stop.

 

Da Kine Bail Bonds

 

Man spent three years there most everyone hit all the hot spots but most missed if you get the chance they have a sort of mini seaworld out there they put on some great shows out at sealife park.. Have a great and safe trip.

 

I spent the summer working on Oahu.

Drive around the island, see the North Shore, it'll take about 4 hours. Really is a different place the farther away from Waikiki you go.

In Waikiki, have a few beers at Duke's. It's centrally located, sprinkled with locals and tourists. Great view of the ocean, sunset, etc. We usually caught the happy hour at Planet Hollywood down the street beforehand.

Have fun. :up:

 

BEWARE WAIKIKI!!!!!!!!

http://starbulletin.com/breaking/breaking.php?id=4336

BEWARE WAIKIKI!!!!!!!!

Stay from Hawaii Kai or further around to the North Shore to avoid some of this.

Big Sandy or Kailua may be a good option for beaches if you are staying at Waikiki.

Stop at Giovanni's Shrimp Truck for some good eating

If you are an early riser Chinaman's Hat is awesome at sunrise and Electric Beach is great for sunsets

The west side of Oahu is not for all tourist

If you are a diver ENJOY!!!!!1

 

Moose Magillicutty's is a usual drinking spot. If your military or federal employing go to the Hale Koa for cheap good Mai Tai's beach/poolside. That part of the beach is better away. T-Birds in the Outrigger Reef (I think its the Reef, there's like 6 different Outriggers over the island)for steak on the beach. If your up for a hike, Sacred Falls. Waimea falls is nice.