Oahu: What to Do When You Get There!

Depending on where you're staying and how long you have, the island really isn't that big, and it only takes an hour to get from one side of the island to the other. So the timing should be fine on visiting the islands and you can still spend the whole day on the opposite side of the island! In every category, there are numbered things, but they aren't in order of when we did things. In Oahu, they just do things loosey goosey.

Day 1: Logistics

Your family is probably exhausted and tired from the long plane ride. Spending this day to rest and get food from the grocery and maybe stopping somewhere on the drive to your hotel or Airbnb is probably the best bet. Unless your in-laws want to do all the things once you get there—we did like tree things before we got to the hotel and I was beat. But when we got to Oahu this time we went to Walmart, got some lunch and food for the week like breakfast and stuff for lunches for most of the beach days and dinners for two nights. We wanted to eat a lot of fish... which we did. It was delicious.

Day 2: Honolulu

This will probably be the most expensive day on your trip. Really every day will be pricey, but this day will be where you spend the most money. You can do these in whatever order you want, but my husband and I did all these things in one day!

1. Pearl Harbor: This was a very heartbreaking and inspiring place. We learned about the history of Pearl Harbor. Take the free tour that shows the video and takes you to U.S.S Arizona Memorial. First, we watched a movie that shared the history and told us how many people died in the attack. I cried. It was an emotional but educating video. The memorial itself was amazing. It is on top of the ship itself and you can see the oil coming up and how the ship has become a place for fish. This is a must! And it's free unless you want to do the aviation tour.
2. Aloha Stadium: Souvenirs!!! This is the place to go for lunch and the best, more authentic souvenirs on the island. There are other shops to go too but if you're having trouble finding well-priced souvenirs this is the place to shop. The vendors are nice, but they will try to sell you stuff. They are trying to make money, obviously. This happens every Saturday/Sunday/Wednesday. It's from around 8-3 PM. The hubs and I went at around 10 and stayed for lunch! They have amazing fruit and lunches and coconut to drink from.
3. Waikiki Beach and Shops: So this place is always crowded. We only stayed here for like an hour. We don't like the crowded places. But we had to go! It was a nice beach, and there were a lot of shops, but it's just a place you need to visit in Hawaii!
4. Iolani Palace: This is the Queen's palace located on Kings Street funny enough. You can do a group tour or a self-guided tour. We didn't end up going in, but I have heard that it is beautiful. The building itself was wonderful. The architecture was phenomenal. Overall definitely a place to visit.
5. Diamond Head: This is a crater that is a must! It is seen in the picture above and the hike is only about 2 miles round trip. It has beautiful views and you are inside a crater! There are some stairs so prepare carefully. Then go left... The scenery is better and you don't have to walk up so many stairs. It's the same views either way! You'll know what I mean!

Day 3: North Shore

Shrimp, Shrimp, Shrimp!

1. Haleiwa: This is a shopping center essentially. It's a smallish town that has really good shopping for souvenirs and eateries. It has Matsumotos's Shaved Ice, which I hear is really good, but we didn't end up getting any. But be aware that the stores close at like 5... So come prepared to go a little earlier!
2. Banzai Pipeline: Surfers, Surfers, and more Surfers! The waves were at least 20 feet when we went! It was crazy! And the surfers were even more crazy. However, there were swimmers out there, so maybe they were the crazy ones. But hanging out at this beach is worth it! Stay a couple hours to enjoy the sun, surfers, and relaxation.
3. Shrimp Trucks: Near Pupukea (which is a fun place to snorkel) they have shrimp trucks and taco trucks! They are really good, but really expensive so be aware that you are going to be spending a lot of money! Also, buy a pineapple—they are freakin' delicious!
4. Sunset Beach: This is another beach to go to if you are wanting to see surfers. They hold competitions at this beach so see if you are there the times they are hosting the comps! They are mostly in Kauai, but worth going to even if you are going to tan!
5. Waimea Bay: This is where the black rock is that people cliff jump from. We went here when the waves broke on shore at 20 feet so no one was cliff jumping that day. It was incredible to see the waves and the surfers far from the shore catching them. Definitely worth the visit. When it isn't high waves, it's a great place to bring your kids to play in the water!

Day 4: Polynesian Cultural Center

So the PCC opens at 11:45 but you can go shopping in their marketplace. My hubs and I didn't do that though... We went to the Dole Plantation!

This is a must tourist attraction. It is a little pricey, but the ice cream and tours and maze is awesome! My husband loved the ice cream! It is healthy for you too! The train tour was fun because you get to see the plantation, learn about it, and ride a fun train. Then there is a maze! You get a card that has the maze and eight little stops that tell you the history of Hawaii and you can draw a little outline on your card. It was fun and perfect to do before the cultural center.

Then the cultural center. It was amazing! I recommend getting the Ali'i Luau package. You get to go to a buffet and watch a luau! It is amazing and the food is really good. But each Polynesian culture you get to see is amazing! It will make you want to go to all the places you see! The people presenting their countries are also pretty funny! I really loved them all and watching their cultures dances during the canoe pageant was inspiring and made me want to learn to shake my hips like them! It was awesome. This is something you must go too. It is pricey but so worth it! Also, if you get the package mentioned earlier or any above that you can visit more than once in three days.

Day 5: East Side

1. Lanikai Beach: This was our favorite beach! It is known for having the softest sand! And it was. The snorkeling was really fun and if you are a good swimmer you can dive down easily to the bottom and see the fish better! This is a popular beach, but we got here at like 1 PM and were able to find a spot to park at.
2. Kailua Beach: This is literally the same as Lanikai, but it has better access to a little island you can kayak too or learn how to surf.
3. Halona Blowhole: This is a little beach and has a lookout area to view the blowhole, but you can also go out to see it. It honestly wasn't that awesome, but being on the black rocks was fun and an activity you can do with the whole family and it has a great view of the ocean.
4. Hanauma Bay: So you have to pay to get in and watch an educational video, but the snorkeling is amazing! Just make sure you are there when the jellyfish aren't. But the fish are great and you can get up close and personal with them. They are probably used to people coming up to them. The coral heads are pretty close to the surface and I got a little claustrophobic so just be aware of that and the crowded beach. It was created from a volcano, so it's a crater and there is limited space, but this is a must when you go here for the first time or your 100th time.
5. Pali Lookout: This is the windiest place on the island! It's a lookout off the freeway before or after the tunnels (depending on which way you are coming). It cost money to park, but we came at around 6 and we didn't get charged, so don't know if that means anything, but it wasn't the best weather nor was it the windiest day they've had. It's beautiful though because you get to see the whole east side of the island. #Panorama

Day 6: West Side

1. Kaena Point: This was a hike to the point of the island, and it is not strenuous at all. It is very simple and something easy for the family. You could even go onto the black rock in the little tide pools! We did that and it was so fun, especially to cool off from the hot sun! There are some drop-offs though so be careful with littles!
2. Keawaula Beach: This is the beach that is right next to Kaena Point. It has fun snorkeling, but was pretty windy when we went. But it is a great spot for lunch! There are also grass areas to have easy-ups and chairs. You probably want to get there early though because parking is limited.
3. Ma'ili Beach: Deep fried Oreo's. Some locals were selling deep fried Oreo's here and they were to die for. We got them on Sunday and couldn't find them again so we felt blessed and now it's our new favorite treat! But this beach is nice because it has tables and grass to have more of a meal and relaxation time. Then the beach is couple yards ahead and there is a lot of beach to go around! It is a very family friendly beach!
4. Any other beaches: There are so many beaches on the west side! Literally go to any other beach and you'll be happy!

Day 7: Kualoa Ranch

1. Jurassic Park: The attraction to go see where movies are filmed is called Kualoa Ranch. Depending on what you want to do there and which package you want, you could stay there between an hour to three hours! It seemed really fun and I love movies, but I didn't want to spend the money. The rest of the island is just as beautiful and I can see it myself without spending the money.
2. Chinaman's hat: So during low tide you can walk to this island that looks like a Chinaman's hat. You can also kayak, which I hear is recommended. I am irrationally scared of sharks so I didn't want to go, but if you are in a big group you will be fine! My in-laws and family did it before and they were all fine!
3. Crouching Lion Hike: This was probably the worst, best hike. It was very hard because the way up was steep and muddy. I heard that it is always muddy from our Airbnb hosts. So you can't really wait it out unfortunately. But I am very clumsy and only fell twice and that was on the way down, so you shouldn't be worried. We did the shorter version and just did the ridge hike to the two points. It was really beautiful to see all the views. We took a lot of pictures. Definitely worth it!

Day 7: Catch-up Day

There is a lot to do on this small, big island. There are things that you probably want to do that you haven't done yet or what to do something just real quick before the trip is over. I recommend doing this the day before you leave. If you do it the day of, you might not get everything you want to fit in the schedule before your flight leaves.

Some of those things may be different beaches, a specific place (the aquarium or the zoo), or go shopping on a different part of the island.

Day 8: You're probably going home.

Favorite Spots: We loved Lanikai Beach, but we decided to go to the west side of the island because it was raining on the east side. So we went to:

1. Electric Beach: This beach is pretty close to the airport and the snorkeling is great! It is a very small beach though.
2. Makaha Beach: This is more up North than Electric, so you might want to do this first if you are pressed for time, but this beach has really close wave breaks. So that means kids who are learning how to surf come here. We watched the surfers for hours and then played in the waves ourselves where it was a little less severe and out of the way of the surfers.

**Never go to Hawaii in May! My husband and I stayed at an Airbnb (which we highly recommend) and the guys we stayed with said their grandparents, who have lived there for 60 years, say that May is the weirdest, most unpredictable month in Hawaii when it comes to weather.

Have fun!