I decided to go to Hawaii by myself on a whim and I am leaving in three weeks. I am going to Oahu only and staying near Waikiki beach and I will have a car. Other than that, I have nothing planned. I am a big fan of not planning vacations too carefully but I realized I may find myself on a plane over the Pacific ocean with no ideas whatsoever if I don’t ask for help.
What would you recommend someone in position should do in Oahu?
Just a tip. The cost of basic necessities, like food and gas, can be very high in Hawaii. Keep that in mind when you’re budgeting your trip.
Hanauma Bay is a go-to spot for snorkling, but get there EARLY.
Oahu Revealed is one of the better guidebooks around.
Well damn, I was going to pop in and tell you to not waste more than a couple days on Oahu.
n/m
If you go to the USS Arizona memorial (recommended), get there very early - the entire day sells out within an hour of opening or so.
Snorkeling is your best ‘bang for your buck.’ Find a place that will rent for a week and go there (most surf shops offer snorkel rental). If you wear prescription glasses, you can find places where they will put prescription glass in the snorkel mask. This is fantastic stuff, and relatively inexpensive.
Then enjoy swimming in the most awesome aquarium you’ve ever encountered.
No offence, but Hanauma Bay is not great snorkeling. You’ll see a few fish, sure, but the coral is dead. I’d look into other options.
If it rains there is a pretty good aquarium a short walk down from Waikiki beach.
Get up early and hike up Diamond Head.
Since you’ll have a car, I would definitely spend a day up around the North Shore.
I’ll second the recommendation for the Revealed guide and to get to the Arizona Memorial early. Also check the bag restrictions…you may not be able to bring anything in.
We went for the first time six years ago.
Booked two nights in Honolulu on Waikaki Beach, and 6 night in Maui.
Loved Honolulu, hated Maui.
No offense to those who like Maui, but we found it over-priced, boring, and just one crappy T-Shirt/souvenir shop after another, all selling pretty much the same 12 items. Granted, we hit the rainy season and only had a few hours to hang out on the (small) beaches, but unless you have some job like air traffic controller and want to sit in isolation on a tiny beach and pay ridiculous amounts to eat mediocre food, I wouldn’t recommend going there.
Lots to do (for a tourist) in Honolulu - competitive prices at restaurants (unlike the gouging in Maui) and some fun bars and other touristy things to do in Honolulu. I can imagine traveling on your own will be far more fun in the more populated city where you can hang out at the clubs, or simply take a surf lesson, or hang out at the beach and meet people. Try Teddy’s Bigger Burgers when you are there - it was suggested by someone on this board and it was really great! Have fun! We would go back to Honolulu in an instant!
Ok, I always tell everyone who is going that you must at least take a day trip to the Big Island for the volcanoes. It’s a long day and an extra couple hundred bucks after flight and car, but I think it’s SO worth it.
I also loved Kauai. Very rural and non-touristy feeling.
Oh Oahu, if you want a more quiet beach that’s not as touristy, try Kailua Beach. A private beach in a residntial area just a stone’s throw away was named one of the ten best beaches several years ago.
My wife and I just came back a couple of weeks ago.
We rented a place in a small town named Kailua (on the East coast about 20 minutes from the airport).
We had a great time, and were concerned about the “cost” of things in Hawaii. We were pleasantly surprised. Eating at restaurants was pretty much the same price as back home. Gas was cheaper in Hawaii than it is in our home town. Groceries were a bit more, but most of the staples we needed were on sale so they were the same if not cheaper than at home. (BTW, we live in the interior of British Columbia, Canada)
We did Diamond Head, we went early to beat the heat, it was cool. We went to Hanauma Bay at 2:00PM on a Wednesday. It wasn’t very busy at all and we had some great snorkeling. We also went snorkeling at beach at Kailua which was just as good if not better.
We did the Arizona memorial on a Monday and it wasn’t too busy at all. We still got tickets to the last boat ride out to the memorial 30 minutes before the last trip of the day.
We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, this was an all day trip and was pretty cool. We did the Luau at the end of the day. It was okay, but definitely wasn’t a real personable experience (us and 500 of our closest friends!).
We went to the International Market in Honolulu on a Saturday and the city was a gong show. The downtown core was way too busy for my tastes. The flea market around the stadium was pretty cool.
We will definitely go back (with our 6 year old daughter next time). At that time we will go to the zoo and aquarium.
MtM
You can buy tickets online now! Here
I would also highly advise visiting another island. When we arrived in Oahu last week my husband said it felt like we’d left Hawaii and arrived in Las Vegas. Waikiki is great but it’s just completely different than the rest of the islands.
If you’re going to consider other islands I’ll chime in with recommendations for either Hawaii Island or Kauai but everything I would go see on Oahu has already been mentioned.
When you go to the Arizona, you can also visit the USS Bowfin and get to tour a WWII submarine. I found it fascinating.
The USS Missouri is available for tours.
Almost across the road from the Bowfin/Arizona is the Football stadium where they have a swap meet every Wednesday and Saturday (Sunday? I’m not sure)
Breakfasts are expensive in Waikiki. A buffet at Dukes or a hotel is only a couple of buck more than Dennys. So either go for the buffet, or go out of Waikiki and go local for breakfast.
I’ll second the recommendation NOT to go to Hanauma Bay.
Get out of Honolulu as often as you can, and see the North Shore.
Stop at the Pali Overlook north of Honolulu on your way to Kailua and its very nice beach (already mentioned).
My sister lives in Kailua, and I visit that beach a lot. Snorkeling at the beach is good, and if you have the stamina, try snorkeling out to the Mokes, a pair of islands about a quarter of a mile offshore (you’re only allowed to go on one – the other one is a bird sanctuary). If you don’t want to snorkel out there, rent a kayak to get you there, and snorkel with the island as your base.
If you’re really adventurous/brave/stupid, check out the cliff diving on the backside of the Moke (it’s horseshoe shaped). You can read about it in Oahu Revealed (already mentioned).
Check out the lesser traveled and lesser developed leeward side, on the west side of the island. It’s quite a contrast to the Waikiki scene. But read about it first, as it’s not to everyone’s liking. But you will see the “real Hawaii” there, if any of that exists anymore.
Skip the Dole Plantation in the center of the island unless you have an interest in agriculture. It’s pretty touristy, but you can actually learn a bit about how to grow pineapples.
On a rainy day, go to the Bishop Museum and stay all day. The Waikiki Aquarium is also nice.
Eat lots of pulled pork from any of the many Hawaiian BBQ joints, and be prepared to get a scoop of macaroni salad on the side. It’s very good, but you might tire of it because it’s a side dish that’s served with just about every restaurant meal anywhere in Hawaii! Try poi once, just to say you tried it.
Have a blast!
It’ll still be whale season in three weeks, look into that. Besides that, find yourself a quiet beach or two and just relax. Don’t worry about whether the snorkeling is objectively “good” or not, just go – I went snorkeling at Anini Beach on Kauai under what must be atrocious conditions by local standards a few weeks ago (brief gap between two episodes of 30 foot swells, visibility was sucky, not a whole lot of fish, most of the reef is Kauai-style muddy rock) – and it was still wholly worth it and then some for seeing three green sea turtles up close.
Anyone who finds themselves on Maui with access to a car, or money to rent one for a day, should drive the Road to Hana.
I also did a glass bottom boat tour that included snorkling. Very cool, got to swim with tortoises and such. This was from Kauai, but I think there would be ones from all the other islands, too.
I’m no help for Oahu, as I basically just flew in, did a couple basic things already mentioned and left the next day for Maui, then Kauai.
Do, however, sample RIPE pineapples, as can be obtained ONLY there in Hawaii. (Not sure if they are seasonal.) You won’t find them like that in stores on the mainland.
Really ripe pineapples:
– Are substantially larger than any I have ever seen in stores elsewhere.
– Aren’t nearly as green as seen elsewhere.
– Are vastly sweeter and juicier than found elsewhere.
– . . . and NO bitter taste as is common elsewhere.
– Are TART and STRONG.
– Excess juice can probably be used as rust remover or rocket fuel.
– . . . may also remove the plaque off your teeth. 
– . . . may also remove the enamel off your teeth.
– NOT for the weak of stomach!
Notwithstanding the above suggestions to skip Hanauma Bay, it is nevertheless very beautiful (snorkeling aside, perhaps).
Consider visiting Sea Life Park for the dolphin shows, if you’re into that.
Visit Dillingham Field on the far north shore and have a glider ride
My personal attitude would be to stay pretty much away from Waikiki, unless you’re waaay into the “touristy” and “night life”. Or surfing for first-time beginners, maybe.
If you’re interested in history at all, you might visit Iolani Palace, near downtown Honolulu, where the Hawaiian royal family lived. There’s also a major botanical garden very near there, if you’re into things like that.
(Note, I was last there about 28 years ago, so things might have changed since then.)
Oh… And check out and watch a video of “Blue Hawaii” with Elvis before you go.
And beware of the rental cars!
They will rent you a car, with the tools missing from the trunk, then bill you for the missing tools!
Or scam you one way or another.
Count on it.
Day 1: Pack a lunch and some drinks, drive until you find a beach that suits your needs. Drop anchor for the day.
Rinse and repeat.
Doing ‘nothing’ on a vacation is sometimes better than running yourself ragged, the tourist sites mentioned above not withstanding.
Surf School. I surf, so I enrolled the rest of the crew in Hawaiian Fire surf school, which works out of Barber’s Point. They were great with the kids, as well as Ms. Attack. They’re centered in Honolulu (http://www.hawaiianfire.com)
We’ve found Hanauma Bay to be full of people with limited snorkeling value. I’d consider Pokai Bay instead.
I highly recommend Kualoa Ranch, (where they filmed Lost). It is gorgeous, and a horseback ride around the ranch is great fun. While on the windward side, visit Uncle Bobo’s barbeque, in Ka’a’awa, home of the world’s largest apostrophe mine*
On the North Shore, stop in at Matsumoto’s Shave Ice in Halewa. I recommend the shave ice with ice cream and adzuki bean.
Bishop Museum. Note the cup decorated with human teeth. My favorite thing. That and the interactive volcano lab.
-These are my top picks. My whole side of the family lives on Oahu, and I go there pretty frequently. These are the things we do most times we visit.
I used to live on Oahu, so I might have some good advice for you. First, my advice is generally to get out of Waikiki, unless you like shopping and being around a lot of tourists.
-Definitely go to Diamondhead
-If you enjoy hiking, I recommend getting this book. A lot of the day hikes are easy and low key
-If you are not an experienced snorkeler, I actually recommend Hanauma Bay. It’s an extremely easy, fun place to snorkel, and much safer if you are going solo. Be sure to get there around 8am before it gets too crowded
-Take some surf lessons from the beach boys down in Waikiki- get there early for the best experience (like 7-9am should be fine)
-Whale watching (as others have mentioned)
-I love Lanakai/Kailua area- it’s great for being around a beautiful beach and do the kayaking that people have mentioned out to the bird sanctuary (if you are not an experienced kayaker just be careful- sea kayaking can be tiring)
-Go to the Pali lookout
-Go to the North Shore- waves are probably too big for much surfing to be going on, but it’s beautiful. Also, be sure to get some shrimp plate lunch from the shrimp trucks-- yummm garlic & shrimp.
-For a change of pace, head to Manoa Valley and visit the Japanese Koi Pond & Garden behind the East-West Center (where Obama’s parents met, and right off the University of Hawai’i campus).
-Try to be on the beach at every sunset- try all sides of the island.
-Go to Kualoa Ranch and ride the zipline (probably have to arrange ahead of time). Even if you don’t want to ride the zipline, it’s a great trip to the most beautiful scenery on the island (and where tons of movies have been shot)
-How adventurous are you? Would you BREAK THE LAW? Well, if you would, you can get up in the wee hours of the morning, sneak past guards and hike this to see the incredible view (seriously, I am extremely well-traveled and this is one of the most beautiful hikes in the world).
-Hawai’i is also a state capital, so there is a lot of interesting historical stuff in the downtown area, if you are interested.
A word of advice- do not at any time leave anything of value in your rental car or leave it locked. This especially applies at any touristy place. Rental cars are targeted and a huge percent of my friends who rented them when they came to visit me while I was there had their cars broken into. In general, people on Oahu are warm and welcoming, but there are a few groups of people who like to break into cars and go through your center console (even if it’s locked).