O’ahu overall is not our favorite type of travel destination but it does have a ton to offer. Especially if you have a good way to get around the island and see different areas. We were mostly just in Honolulu, but this is a good destination for larger groups and for groups with varied interests. So, here is what we did.

Hostel to Hotel

We first went to stay at a hostel in Honolulu near Waikiki. However, it was not a nice place. The kitchen was tiny and dirty. People were not friendly. The room had no air. We didn’t feel comfortable at all, so we spent some time and found a hotel in the area. It was a budget hotel, so it was old and we had a noisy family in the next room. However, the front desk was super helpful and we felt much more comfortable staying there.

Waikiki Beach

Waikiki is the famous stretch in Honolulu. It is full of tourist shops and restaurants. There are many locals and tourists in the area. You can see teens jumping from the pier and many people trying out different water sports. We spent a lot of our time just people watching, walking along the beach, and getting discount foods when they were marked down each night at the ABC stores.

SALT

SALT is an area in Honolulu that is visited more by locals than tourists. It has a completely different vibe than Waikiki. There is a ton of amazing street art, great restaurants and bars, and its definitely worth checking out.

Diamond Head

Diamond Head is a great hike. It is fairly easy for beginners. The hardest part is dealing with crowds. There is a beautiful view at the top. It is a famous hike on O’ahu because it is close to the city and easy for beginners, plus the great view of city and ocean.

Food

There is some delicious food in O’ahu. We will have a blog post dedicated to just that. However, do not miss Leonard’s for the malasadas, Marukame Udon for the noodles, or Foodland for a poke bowl.

Circle Island Tour

A circle island tour is available on multiple Hawaiian islands. You “circle” the island in a tour bus and stop off at popular sights. Since we did not have our own car, we took advantage of this. Our driver was great and some of the sights were pretty cool, but it wasn’t as much of a highlight as we were hoping.

KCC Farmer’s Market

We always visit farmer’s markets on trips. It is such a good look into local culture and specialties. The market was pretty large and had some interesting things that we had never seen before. The vendors were kind and it was a very popular market. Check out KCC Farmer’s Market.