Hawaii travel advice

#1
barknoxbrawler

barknoxbrawler

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#1
My wife and I are heading to Oahu in January (25th - 31st) . We have a placed booked off of Wakiki Beach so it's a little less crowded. I know I want to tour Pearl Harbor and climb Diamond Head but other than that, I am lost. Has anyone been there and if you could give some advice of must see type locations ( overlooks, bays, beaches, diners, etc.) it would be extremely helpful.
 
#2
#2
Try an authentic meal while there. I loved this place!

Ono Hawaiian Foods
 

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#3
#3
If you've not tried Ono (Wahoo) before, its awesome! Even folks who usually don't care for fish will eat it.

I've had Wahoo plenty of times, but for whatever reason, the ones that swim around Hawaii taste a whole lot better.
 
#4
#4
The North Shore of Oahu is famous for large waves and surfing so you should check that out. Beautiful beaches there too.
 
#5
#5
no other islands? you could do a puddle jumper to Maui for a day.

We went to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. Great place for snorkeling. Only place I've ever seen a moray eel. It was a baby but way cool to see on close up. Turtles everywhere.

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve - Honolulu - Reviews of Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve - TripAdvisor

ps start saving money now. Its expensive as s__ over there and not because they're gouging tourist. Everything is just expensive.
 
#6
#6
barknoxbrawler said:
My wife and I are heading to Oahu in January (25th - 31st) . We have a placed booked off of Wakiki Beach so it's a little less crowded. I know I want to tour Pearl Harbor and climb Diamond Head but other than that, I am lost. Has anyone been there and if you could give some advice of must see type locations ( overlooks, bays, beaches, diners, etc.) it would be extremely helpful.
Click to expand...

I'd highly recommend all of these...

-Rent a car if you haven't already, it's necessary.
-Drive to Pali Lookout and bring your camera. It's Nuuanu Pali Lookout.
-Visit the Dole plantation, do the train tour it's neat. When you are driving near the plantation and the pineapple fields roll down your window, the smell is amazing.
-On the North Shore(Haleiwa) you have to eat at The Grass Skirt Grill and Opal Thai. They are literally on the same stretch of road. Grass Skirt looks like a random hole in the wall restaurant and the inside is really small but the food is amazing and budget friendly. We ate there at least 3 times while we were there. There are tables out front.
-Do an open air bus tour of Kualoa Ranch(I think it's the movie tour). The views of the mountains as you drive through the Kualoa Valley are awesome. Great photo ops. If you're adventurous they have a 4 wheeler tour.
-Driving around the island isn't hard and typically doesn't take long. You can usually get from one side of the island to the other in an hour or less. If you do a driving tour around the entire island I think it's like 4 hours but we didn't do that.
-Free snorkeling at Sharks Cove on the North Shore. There is a grocery store(Foodland on Kamehameha Hwy) just around the corner up the hill from the Cove and you can grab a couple snorkels and mask.
 
#7
#7
I recommend renting a convertible to drive to the North Shore/around the island. Absolutely worth it even if just for a day.
 
#9
#9
We went to kuai many years ago. It was really quiet. Convertible is a good idea. Heads up for the Japanese leaving LA to fly to Hawaii. They flat out ran over my wife as the plane started boarding. Other than that, we didn't do much. Saw napoli coast, took a helicopter ride, drove around. And slept, ate and drank.
Problem for us was the time change. We were up @ 4:30-5 every morning and just couldn't sleep in. I'd consider adjusting a couple of days before you go if possible.
 
#10
#10
We have looked at doing a tour. But renting is the way to go. I think a convertible would make her happy for the day.
 
#13
#13
A friend of mine said that she knows of places for whale watching as her parents live outside of Honolulu. We are going to try to spot a few. We have taken y'all's advice and rented a wrangler for a day to travel around the island. I'm super excited as we never do anything like this, meaning that it is usually Gatlinburg, Destin, Panama City , cruise or nothing. So I am excited. Thanks for the help guys.
 
#15
#15
I've been on Waikiki for two days now and I've yet to see barknoxbrawler. Is he really here?
 
#16
#16
The Ron Mexico said:
I've been on Waikiki for two days now and I've yet to see barknoxbrawler. Is he really here?
Click to expand...

Sadly....no. I am sitting in Green Hills at one of my projects. I am traveling to Hawaii in January. Let me know what is a must see and do while I am there since you are experiencing it all .
 
#17
#17
barknoxbrawler said:
A friend of mine said that she knows of places for whale watching as her parents live outside of Honolulu. We are going to try to spot a few. We have taken y'all's advice and rented a wrangler for a day to travel around the island. I'm super excited as we never do anything like this, meaning that it is usually Gatlinburg, Destin, Panama City , cruise or nothing. So I am excited. Thanks for the help guys.
Click to expand...

Sorry to say, but cancel the Wrangler and get a different convertible like a Mustang. January weather can be iffy as it is in the rainy season and a jeep will be colder than you might want. With a car based convertible you can put the top up and be comfortable if it is rainy, or put it down when the sun comes back out.

Pick up a copy of the Driving Tour of Oahu on CD. It comes with a map and the CD will give historical lessons as you drive between sites. You can get these at the ABC stores in Waikiki for about $20 bucks.

Whale watching is good from the Makapu'u Light House near Kaneohe. It is a short hike to the light house and you get a great view. If you go early in the morning you stand a good chance of seeing the whales.

Kua ‘Aina Sandwich shop in Haleiwa is a must.

Absolutely agree on doing an overnighter to another island if you have the time. Inter-island air fare is dirt cheap. You could easily get over to the Big Island and see the volcanoes.
 
#18
#18
barknoxbrawler said:
Sadly....no. I am sitting in Green Hills at one of my projects. I am traveling to Hawaii in January. Let me know what is a must see and do while I am there since you are experiencing it all .
Click to expand...
I enjoy the North Shore much more than Honolulu. There's not as many tourists wandering around taking pictures of every damn tree. Stop and eat at one of those side of the road places. They look unsanitary, but the food is usually good.
 
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#19
#19
The Ron Mexico said:
I enjoy the North Shore much more than Honolulu. There's not as many tourists wandering around taking pictures of every damn tree. Stop and eat at one of those side of the road places. They look unsanitary, but the food is usually good.
Click to expand...

This. If you go through Haleiwa there is a small parking lot just before you get to the traffic circle and go up Kam Highway where a number of food trucks gather. There used to be a Thai family that served the best shrimp in the Islands.

Also in Haleiwa, stop by North Shore Christian Fellowship for service on Sunday and say "hi" to Pastor Mike.
 
#20
#20
YorkVol said:
This. If you go through Haleiwa there is a small parking lot just before you get to the traffic circle and go up Kam Highway where a number of food trucks gather. There used to be a Thai family that served the best shrimp in the Islands.

Also in Haleiwa, stop by North Shore Christian Fellowship for service on Sunday and say "hi" to Pastor Mike.
Click to expand...

We stopped at Giovanni's shrimp truck, the shrimp were fantastic.
 
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#21
#21
barknoxbrawler said:
Sadly....no. I am sitting in Green Hills at one of my projects. I am traveling to Hawaii in January. Let me know what is a must see and do while I am there since you are experiencing it all .
Click to expand...

That's when we went. We experienced several rain showers but the majority were passing ones. Maybe one day we had sustained rain for half of the day. I'd highly recommend staying somewhere that has air conditioning. A lot of travel agencies will try and tell you "you don't need air conditioning where you are staying the weather is always nice". We rented a house on the north shore that didn't have air and we wish we would have had it especially sleeping at night when it was 76 degrees inside.
 
#23
#23
Who should we fly with? When it comes down to it, I believe all the reputable airlines have the same amenities. But what does a person who has travelled to Hawaii before, reccomend?
 
#24
#24
Hawaii is really beautiful. You'll have fun. Just google some different things to do. We did the swimming with the manta rays thing which was fun. We also went scuba diving. As others have said, you need to rent a car. There are some beautiful places to go snorkeling if you bring your own snorkel gear.

Also just research some good restaurants near where you will be staying on google. Concierge will be a big help.
 
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