Thanks for all the advise. I picked a destination based on a virtually free trip but I have to come up with stuff to do own. I will do much of what you suggested. Keep it coming if you have it.
Go see Waimea Falls Park. It is quite possibly the most beautiful place on the face of the earth.
I’ve only seen it mentioned once in the thread, but my wife and I really enjoyed the Polynesian Cultural Centre. As an aside it is owned and run by the Mormons so no alcohol, but the various displays and demonstrations are great. When we were there the main bloke at the Samoan display was fantastic.
Kualoa Ranch has been mentioned a couple of time and I definitely endorse that. After our first visit it to we signed up for a day trip with a Hummer tour company, I can dig up their details if you’re interested, who did a full TV/Movie tour around the island including Kualoa. If you’re a TV/Movie buff, it is definitely worthwhile.
I know it’s very touristy, but nevertheless we really enjoyed Germaine’s Luau. ( Germaines is only one of several companies that do a big Luau).
If you got to Pearl Harbour to visit the Arizona memorial, I would encourage you to drop by the USS Missouri. If you have even a little bit of interest in Military History I would plump for the battlestations tour.
Oh, one thing – someone mentioned sunsets but don’t forget sunrise! Arriving from the US it’s beyond easy to get up nice and early the first couple of days in Hawaii, and especially if your flight lands after dark, it’s beyond wonderful to park yourself on an east shore beach first thing that next morning and watch the sun come up.
In three trips to Kaua’i and one two Hawai’i island we haven’t had any of the problems with rental cars that others have mentioned, but it never hurts to be cautious.
(Beaches again – something that’s in all the guidebooks but no one’s actually mentioned – ALL beaches in Hawaii are public, by state law. Access is sometimes a problem, but if you can get there, you have the right to be there.)
Haven’t seen this mentioned yet, but if you’re into history, this is worth a look. We took a walking tour and the guide was excellent:
I’m not sure what Maui you visited, but it’s not the one that I’ve been to 5 times.
As far as Oahu goes, I 42nd the suggestion to visit the Arizona Memorial, snorkel, and hike Diamond Head.
I also would dissuade you from trying to island hop with less than a week. If I did island hop, it would be to Big Island (Hilo side) to visit Volcanoes National Park.
Oahu is home and I usually zero in on two things: food and attractions. Everyone’s covered the attractions, so I’ll do food.
I recommend:
Rainbow Drive-In: About a 30 minute walk from the zoo/Waikiki. They make good plate lunches (an entree with rice and macaroni salad), and I like to get them to go and then go eat on the beach.
On your way to or from Rainbow, find Leonard’s Bakery for their malasadas, which are Portuguese donuts. They come plain or with fillings; I recommend plain (all have a generous coating of sugar). Eat immediately, hot, even if it’s rude to do so. People will understand.
Eggs ‘N’ Things: There are two Waikiki locations but I like the one near Fort DeRussy better. Good breakfasts. Now that The Hungry Lion is gone, they have the best loco moco (a very filling pile of rice, hamburger patty, gravy, and eggs).
Assagio’s: Italian food. Multiple locations on the island, but the closest one will probably be Ala Moana Center, the huge shopping center west of Waikiki.
Teddy’s Bigger Burgers is tasty, they’ve become a go-to spot.
Find yourself a good shave ice shop too. Waiola Shave Ice in the McCully/University area, just outside Waikiki, is excellent. I highly recommend the rainbow flavor (strawberry, banana, blue vanilla).
Saint Germaine’s Japanese bakeries (one in Waikiki, one in Ala Moana) are the only sweets I ever seek out. They have a good pain au chocolat, and I’m fond of the weiner rolls. As I’m guessing applies to all bakeries, it’s best to go earlier in the day.
Shirokiya in Ala Moana has a Japanese food bazaar upstairs. Lots of litle old Japanese grandmother-types making traditional local foods. Much of the stuff might be too exotic to appeal to visitors, but try to find the table where they deep-fry andagi, pronounced on-da-gee, which are round, golden Okinawan donuts. Eat it hot for best experience. The yakitori (beef or chicken) on skewers are good too.
I also usually stop by Zippy’s for a bowl of chili with rice, and McDonald’s for their regional offerings: Portuguese sausage (think linguisa), eggs, and rice breakfast platter with a fruit punch. They also have Spam breakfast plates, but that might not be your thing.
There’s also Japanese curry, Korean BBQ, Japanese noodles and sushi, Chinese food, traditional Hawaiian food, Philly cheesesteaks, and tons of other fine choices in just the Ala Moana and Waikiki areas. Explore, and try what looks good. I make it a point to eat foods or at restaurants I can’t find on the mainland, and it might be a fun thing for you to try too.
+1
Also, while people are quick to recommend Matsumoto Shave Ice to tourists, Waiola is better (much more finely shaved), in town (Matsumoto is on the north shore), and has much shorter lines. Matsumoto has infinitely better T-shirts, though.
Oh, and if you do go, I recommend getting it with the vanilla ice cream at the bottom. 
Particularly if it’s Lapperts vanilla bean. If not I’d go for Macadamia nut ice cream.
Ive been to maui and oahu twice and if i were you i would definately do some snorkeling or scuba diving. also i would hit up the bars and try and find some hot ladies. hawaii is full of them and getting one is the best feeling. goodluck
Check out the online Trip Advisor Oahu section. Youll find a guide there of things to do, places to visit and eating spots. There’s also a forum where you can ask questions and have them answered by locals and people who have visited there.
Shagnasty, I hope you enjoyed your trip to Hawaii last year. And even though nobody spoke up to warn you that the sun in Hawaii deserves a LOT more of your respect than you probably give it at home, I hope you made it through without any debilitating sunburns.
Does not compute.
There are quite a few threads on the same topic. Do a Search for those.
All I’ll add to the already excellent suggestions here and on the other threads is that if you go to another island from Oahu, renting a car is absolutely essential. On Oahu, Honolulu has an excellent bus system, but you may still want to rent a car to travel farther afield, although the two Circle Island bus routes – one goes clockwise, the other counteclockwise – lasts about four hours and is a great little tour. And if you buy a bus pass – available at the ubiquitous ABC Stores in Waikiki (don’t worry, you’ll see them) – then you can hop on and off all day.
Also, I pretty much thought the Polynesian Cultural Center was tourist dreck. And when I lived in Honolulu, the paper kept writing exposes about the staff being students at the local branch of Brigham Young University and forced or at least pressured to work there if they wanted to keep their scholarship.
Thank you! This thread is outdated now and I am sorry I didn’t respond back to it right after I got back. I had an outstanding time. I printed out the suggestions in this thread, consolidated them and did as many as I could plus a few more things. The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor was surprisingly good and moving. I loved the shave ice on the North Shore along with Giovani’s spicy shrimp truck. I tried to learn to surf but that wasn’t happening.
My brother and I rented a large sailboat from the military and took it out. He failed to mention he doesn’t know how to sail very well at all and I don’t either. A sudden storm moved in and you came close to losing both of us but we pulled through and limped back to harbor somehow (3 hours later).
My favorite thing though was Sandy Beach Oahu (the spinal injury capital of the U.S.) I was taken there as a joke without knowing how dangerous it was but I loved it and ended up going back. That certainly isn’t a family beach however. You will never see you family again if they aren’t excellent swimmers. I considered myself lucky because I only broke two toes.
Excellent trip overall but boy is it far especially from the East Coast. The maps say it is right off the coast of California but they lie.
D’oh! :smack: I read the date in the OP as February 3 instead of March 2 – I’m too used to the damned British style over here – but I should have remembered this no longer 2012. 
Holy crap, after all that great advise you went to Sandy Beach and broke some toes? Excellent. Don’t do it again.