Oahu, Hawaii, USA - The Gathering Place
Written: Dec 07 '02 (Updated Apr 01 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful areas, some wonderful sites and beaches.
Cons: Honolulu is busy and the shops are intimidating.
The Bottom Line: I don't think Oahu should be a day trip just to see the USS Arizona. I loved this island and could have stayed longer.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Oahu |
Oahu also called The Gathering Place was the fourth and last island we went to in June 2002 during out 3-week visit to Hawaii. It is very different than Maui, Kauai and The Big Island. Although you can and probably will be visiting the much quieter areas of the North Shore of the Windward Coast (east) you will probably spend a lot of time in busy Honolulu. Honolulu is the most remote big city on earth. It is 26 miles long with 865,000 people living here. This is where you will find Waikiki Beach, famous for many things including the home of Hawaii Five-O.
The first thing you want to do after landing at the airport is pick up brochures. There will be dozens and most of them will come in handy. We landed at the Honolulu National Airport and stayed at the Sheraton Waikiki (reviewed and recommended) which is located at 2255 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu.
Make sure you get a schedule for the bus. We didn’t rent a car until our third day on the island and found buses to be very easy to take. They cost $1.50 for adults and $.75 for children.
As I did in my Maui, Kauai and Big Island reviews, I will take you through our stay on Oahu. If what we did I would recommend I will say so and vice versa. If I have already reviewed something I will tell you and not review it again here. I can’t help but start out with a couple of comments about Honolulu. I have never been to Rodeo Drive, but I imagine that the long strip outside our hotel must resemble it. My husband had never been into Versace or Armani, for example and it was worth the look on his face when I took him in and showed him what looked like an ordinary tie or belt to both of us only to find the price tag of $295 on it! On the opposite end are the ABC stores. They are on other islands, but I truly felt that in Honolulu the goal is to be able to stand anywhere and see an ABC store, in fact in some places I could see 4 at one time. But they do come in handy and you will find yourself in them more times than you can count. I do highly recommend ABC for many items including souvenirs and snacks. A few of the biggest shopping areas in Honolulu include Ala Moana Center, is across from Ala Moana Boulevard (where Ala Moana Park is). This is a beautiful area of gardens and fountains and 250 stores including J.C. Penney, Sears, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany. Across from Kewalo Basin at Ala Moana Boulevard and Ward Avenue is another famous shopping area, Victoria Ward Center. There are 120 stores and restaurants here. It also has an amphitheater where free outdoor events are held. In Waikiki, the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center has 150 shops and restaurants. This is on Kalakaua Avenue. One of my favorite shopping area is the International Market Place at 2330 Kalakaua Avenue. You’ll find mostly open-air stalls some restaurants and nightclubs.
If you do what we did and ignore the guidebooks which say not to buy matching outfits, we found Sunshine Fashion & Gifts in this Market Place to have the best selection. Linda Chang is the manager. If you deal with her and pay in cash you will get a discount. You can buy your t-shirts at Wal-Mart where you can get 3 for $10.00 but in the Market Place we found better quality t-shirts and 7 for $20.00!
We had lunch at All Star Hawaii which was very good and I would recommend it. It is located at 2080 Kalakaua Avenue. You can eat inside or outside and it is a very popular sports bar.
In spite of it being very warm we walked about 3 miles to the downtown area of Honolulu. You’ll find The Contemporary Museum at 2411 Makiki Heights Drive where for $5.00 you can get a tour of the museum where contemporary art is held on a 3 ½ acre garden. I don’t generally go to museums so we skipped this but others have enjoyed it if this is your cup of tea.
You’ll find the State Capitol in this area as well as Iolani Palace State Monument. This will cost you $10.00 and since this isn’t really our thing either we just looked at what is the last official royal residence in the United States. It is a big deal in Honolulu so if you find the time and want to spend the money I would think it is worth it. We might have gone back to this area if we had the time.
I have to recommend Tip N Toe Nails if you want to get a manicure. It is at 1491 Kapiolani Boulevard (across the street from Tower Video). There is parking in the back, but we were just walking by so I went in and only paid $20, which is a great deal for Hawaii (I had acrylic nails at the time.) especially since I had just asked how much it would cost at my hotel and was told $50.00. You will also find a YMCA in the downtown area where Weight Watcher meetings are held if you need to attend!
We took a bus to Ala Moana Beach Park which was very nice. It is more than a mile long between downtown and Waikiki. It is a 76 acre beach park with a human made beach, its own lagoon, a music pavilion, bathhouses, picnic tables, barbecue grills, lifeguards with calm water most of the time. This is a great place to spend some time.
We also went to Kuhio Beach which is in the heart of Waikiki (Waikiki deserves a review by itself.) We were there at the right time to see hula dancers. A torch lighting ceremony and dancers are here every night at 6:30. We found ourselves here more than one night in spite of the fact that our hotel has a similar hula show between 7:00pm-8:00pm. What you will find is that once you are in the Waikiki area there is so much to see and do, for us anyway, getting back to our hotel by 7:00pm was a challenge. We only managed that one night.
We had dinner near our hotel at Royal Steak & Seafood located at Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center
2201 Kalakaua Avenue in Honolulu. The food and service was excellent and I do recommend it. The shrimp, lobster and scallop casserole was wonderful.
Honolulu is hopping! We walked the streets every night. This is the one island that doesn’t fold up at 10:00pm. Bars, clubs and any kind of nightlife are here. It is an extremely clean area in spite of the mobs of people of all ages. Of the 4 islands, however, this is the one I would recommend if a single person wanted to go to Hawaii. I know a lot of people think it is too crowded and I was intimidated by the wealth but there is an endless array of things to do. Even in the middle of this hustle and bustle you’ll find a Gap (the clothing store) where you can walk through a tube and be surrounded by fish, sharks, sting ray and angelfish. We have done this before elsewhere but children love it. It is fun to just stand outside and watch. This is a people watching area.
On the streets you’ll find benches with people made up in ways that I have never seen. For example I have a picture of me sitting next to what looks like a newspaper statue. It is a man reading a newspaper and he is entirely covered in newspaper, as is his fake dog. The man is real the dog is not. This is not shoddily done. This is his art and of course, he gets great tips for the work he puts into it. There are men made of metal and all sorts of characters.
Our second day took us to Diamond Head after my husband’s conference. This has been reviewed and is a must do. It only costs $1.00 a person. Bring a flashlight, hat, water, and sunscreen.
Dinner was at Lobster & Crab House at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center at 2201 Kalakaua Avenue. They are owned by the same people as Royal Steak & Seafood so going to these place two night in a row wasn’t the best idea but the food very good. The shrimp scampi was excellent. You will find a Baskin & Robbins in this same plaza and of course it is worth the calories.
After the conference on our third day we went to the Sheraton Princess, which is part of the Sheraton Waikiki group. We saw a show called Creations. Creations is a take off of the Polynesian Cultural Show but not as professional. There are hula dancers and fire-eaters with some interesting lighting and effects. The conference rate was $55.00 and not worth it. I do not recommend this show. The show was decent for $10.00 but you have to have the buffet, which was not good. There was very little food on the buffet and what was there was not very appetizing. Even the one alcoholic drink that came with the meal wasn’t good. Afterward a free documentary on Waikiki was shown which was very interesting. It is worth going to the hotel just to see this documentary but I wouldn’t go out of my way.
If you can get over to the Sheraton Waikiki, take a ride on the outside elevator to the 30th floor for a drink in the Esprit nightclub, with a 180-degree view of Waikiki, It is Waikiki's only beachfront nightclub.
The following day we went to the U.S.S. Arizona. I know many people who have not stayed on Oahu who fly to this island just to see this historical monument. It has been reviewed and is a must do. You cannot bring in anything except water and a camera. You can store your belongings if you do not have a car for a few dollars in a makeshift storage area, which was safe. We were told they were in the process of putting up lockers.
From here we picked up our car and went exploring. We went to the Dole Plantation and walked through the “World’s Largest Maze.” Outside the Dole store is an area of 100,000 square feet with 1.7 miles of pathways and has 11.400 local Hawaiian plants. There is a coupon in Oahu Gold, one of the free brochures that will give you a coupon so this maze will only cost you $5.00. It is worth that. I wouldn’t pay more to walk through the maze although children will like it if they aren’t scared that they are lost in the maze! The store has everything you can imagine made of pineapple and of course you won’t want to resist the pineapple split!
We continued north and found a town called Haleiwa about 28 miles from Waikiki. This town has officially been designated a historic cultural and scenic district. All “new” buildings have to conform to “old” type standards. There is a small strip and if you are heading that way it is an interesting place to roam around.
At this point we were heading back south through some very pretty scenery. We stopped at Puu o Mahuka Heiau an Hawaiian Temple or sacred area. It is the largest one on Oahu. This is a national historic landmark on a 5-acre, 300-foot bluff overlooking Waimea Bay. I remember this one clearly and have my notes that remind me as well that this area was very spooky. The Temple is down a long desolate road with trashed cars along the road. There was a sign warning of thefts and break-ins so needless to say we did not wander far from the car. There was one other couple who came while we were there but other then them, there was total solitude. It is a very peaceful beautiful place; it is too bad that people have ruined it for others.
We had dinner at Eastern Garden which has 3 locations one of which is 3008 Waialae Avenue in Honolulu. The food was delicious. The restaurant was simple but nice. The waiter wasn’t very friendly. It was good though and very reasonably priced so I will recommend it.
We went to a must do snorkeling area the following day and got up early to go. It gets very crowded at Hanauma Bay. This is Oahu’s most popular snorkeling spot. It is a volcanic crater and a conservation district, which means you, can’t take anything away. The parking is at the top and looking down on this body of water is spectacular. If you can’t do the walk down there is a tram that will take you down for $.50 and up for $1.00. Unless you are carrying a 50 pound cooler and several children or have trouble walking this is a paved road, although steep, is not difficult. You can actually see the fish from this steep hill. There are facilities at the top – restrooms and food- but at the bottom you will only find porta-toilets. This was the coolest water I had found on the Hawaiian Islands. Even if you don’t snorkel or the water is too cold just walk in and look down. You’ll see Tang and other fish!
Make use of the several volunteers who have a table set up. If you have experience snorkeling they will tell you to go to the left after the caution sign. (Obviously if you are not experienced you will probably be hesitant to pass a caution sign.) We found the water murkier the farther out we went and some snorkeling is very, very difficult because of the lava and coral that is so close to the top. This is a great time to take your snorkeling gloves if you own them and if you don’t, buying them for your trip to Hawaii is a good idea. There were several times I wish I had them.
We didn’t stay long because this was the day we had planned on visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center so after about 1 1/2 hours we left. This Center has been reviewed and given 4 stars. It isn’t a must see but if you have time and children with you, they will enjoy it. You will pass Molokai Island also known as Chinaman’s Hat because of its shape. The area and beaches were beautiful.
Our last day took us to Sam Choy, a very popular and busy restaurant for breakfast. You will find Sam Choy Diamond Head Restaurant at 449 Kapahulu Avenue in Honolulu. We waited only 15 minutes and I recommend the macadamia nut pancakes. (I wasn’t sick of these nuts.) The restaurant is between Hilo Hatties, a popular store on every island, and K-Mart so we did a bit of shopping and headed over to Chinatown where we did a walking tour of that area.
Parking is difficult in this city but we found a parking lot for $.50 per half-hour. (This is getting way too long. I may review this area separately.) We also went to some of the shopping areas I mentioned above. My favorite was Ward Warehouse, which I thought had great vintage clothes and some cute boutiques. There is also a Dairy Queen that we couldn’t pass, of course.
Our last beach on this island was Kailua Beach. This is a great place to spend the day and I also may review this area separately. It is on Oahu’s Windward side. In fact we just got the pictures back from this beach and remembered the unusual kite surfing, which we had never seen. It isn’t known for its snorkeling but if we had another day I would have gone back to this beach.
On our way back, we stopped at Morning Brew for coffee at 572 Kailua Road in Kailua. This is a cute town. I could live here. Our last dinner on Oahu we splurged at Nick’s Fish Market at 2070 Kalakaua Avenue in Honolulu. This was one of the more elegant restaurants we went to with prices to match but it was a nice way to end our vacation.
My final thoughts:
I know some people don’t like Oahu. They may think Honolulu is too crowded and it is certainly different than the other 3 islands. I loved Oahu. I would have liked more time here. If I had to do it again, I would have stayed at The Big Island for 3 days and add 2 more days in Oahu.
If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave one or if you are going to Hawaii and want to e-mail me, feel free to.
Other Hawaii reviews you may be interested in:
Traveling to Hawaii on a Budget
The Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel
Aloha Airlines
Garden Gate Bed and Breakfast in Maui
Maui
LahainaTown Maui
Hana Highway in Maui
Haleakala National Park in Maui
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaiian Airlines
Puff the Magic Dragon Lived in Kauai
Waimea Canyon on Kauai
Poipou Beach Area, Kauai
Na Pali Coast, Kauai
Hideaway Cove Villa, Kauai
Royal Kona Resort,The Big Island
The Island of Hawaii - The Big Island
Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park on the Big Island
Oahu
USS Arizona Memorial on Oahu
DiamondHead State Monument on Oahu
Polynesian Cultural Center,Oahu
Wailua River State Park in Kauai, Hawaii
© Jo L, 2002
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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