I'll be in Hawaii for work the week of Thanksgiving. Staying in Honolulu at theWaikiki Marriott. Who has been? Definitely want to see Pearl Harbor and north shore to check out some big waves. Any must try restaurants? Best sightseeing? Personal experiences? Thanks.
OT: Visiting Hawaii
- Thread starter hullabaloodog
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I was expecting but it was ok. The museum was interesting but the grounds around it and the actual trip out to the Arizona memorial were less than I expected. You cant help but get caught up in the experience though. I guess what Im saying is don't get expectations too high and it will probably be good. I had always heard about the oil and fuel tanks in the Arizona leaking and how you could see oil slicks and tar balls floating even this long after 1941. It was true, while we stood there looking down @ the stacks of the Arizona, you could see the rainbow colored slicks on the water and globs of oil floating up.
Check out Roy's. It's sort of a chain now but the food is really good. If you like tuna, I've never had better than in Hawaii.
Snorkle at Hanauma Bay. It's like swimming in an aquarium.
Eat at Duke's. It is touristy, but a good experience.
Enjoy Waikiki but get away to the less populated side of the island. Waimanalo Beach.
I don't know what the north shore looks like in November. The surfing is seasonal.
If you have a chance to see another island. Go for it. Kauai first. Maui second. Oahu is third in my book.
Eat at Duke's. It is touristy, but a good experience.
Enjoy Waikiki but get away to the less populated side of the island. Waimanalo Beach.
I don't know what the north shore looks like in November. The surfing is seasonal.
If you have a chance to see another island. Go for it. Kauai first. Maui second. Oahu is third in my book.
If you get a chance, head over to Maui for a day. Much more laid back atmosphere. It's the best island, in my opinion. The beaches on Oahu are gorgeous though.
1. Eat a fresh Hawaiian pineapple. Eat it any chance you get. Manna from heaven.
2. Restaurants- Oahu was a while back, so I really only remember Maui. The Terrace was the best restaurant (Breakfast mainly, but all day), and Julia's up in the mountains has awesome banana bread, tarot chips, and other stuff you can take home as gifts. Both can probably be found on the interwebs.
3. Even though 5 people died last week doing it, the helicopter tours are awesome.
1. Eat a fresh Hawaiian pineapple. Eat it any chance you get. Manna from heaven.
2. Restaurants- Oahu was a while back, so I really only remember Maui. The Terrace was the best restaurant (Breakfast mainly, but all day), and Julia's up in the mountains has awesome banana bread, tarot chips, and other stuff you can take home as gifts. Both can probably be found on the interwebs.
3. Even though 5 people died last week doing it, the helicopter tours are awesome.
my Hawaii recommendations. Only stayed in Waikiki, but took a quick flight and a jump out of a plane over Maui, then a quick flight back to Honolulu.<div>
</div><div>1. If going to Pearl harbor get there early. Like 7am before the big tour buses get there or you'll be there all day.</div><div>2. If in shape, head to Diamond Head crater around 5am and climb to the top to watch the sunrise.</div><div>3. Golf - Koalau (hardest course in the world -http://www.koolaugolfclub.com/)or Luana Hills</div><div>4. Food - Keo's (http://keosthaicuisine.com/), I second the dining room at Duke's Outrigger (go with the Kona crusted filet)</div><div>5. Snorkel - Hanamau Bay (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Hanauma_Bay.JPG/360px-Hanauma_Bay.JPG)</div><div>6. Rent an ocean kayak.</div><div>7. Rent a moped</div>
</div><div>1. If going to Pearl harbor get there early. Like 7am before the big tour buses get there or you'll be there all day.</div><div>2. If in shape, head to Diamond Head crater around 5am and climb to the top to watch the sunrise.</div><div>3. Golf - Koalau (hardest course in the world -http://www.koolaugolfclub.com/)or Luana Hills</div><div>4. Food - Keo's (http://keosthaicuisine.com/), I second the dining room at Duke's Outrigger (go with the Kona crusted filet)</div><div>5. Snorkel - Hanamau Bay (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Hanauma_Bay.JPG/360px-Hanauma_Bay.JPG)</div><div>6. Rent an ocean kayak.</div><div>7. Rent a moped</div>
<span style="background-color: yellow;" wordlookup="http">http[url="http://www.twogoodkayaks.com/"][/url]</span>://www.twogoodkayaks.com/<span style="background-color: yellow;" wordlookup="http">http://www.twogoodkayaks.com/</span>
we went on a guided tour with this outfit. If you had more time, you could go solo, butif you don't have time to do a bunch of pre-planning theytake care of the hotel pickup, shuttle to the beach, lunch, and know what little sanctuary island is worthtakeing you toat that time.
Dukes is definately touristry, but well worth it. Eat the loco moco for breakfast.We were on Wiakiki on the 4th of July and watched the outrigger races and fireworks. I must admit, I really enjoyed the catered-to feeling. North shore is great for isolation, swimming with the sea turtles was great.
If you can make it to Hawaii, Volcanoes Natl Park is neat, but not enough to justify an extra flight.You need to be able to stay a few days to find the good stuff.
we went on a guided tour with this outfit. If you had more time, you could go solo, butif you don't have time to do a bunch of pre-planning theytake care of the hotel pickup, shuttle to the beach, lunch, and know what little sanctuary island is worthtakeing you toat that time.
Dukes is definately touristry, but well worth it. Eat the loco moco for breakfast.We were on Wiakiki on the 4th of July and watched the outrigger races and fireworks. I must admit, I really enjoyed the catered-to feeling. North shore is great for isolation, swimming with the sea turtles was great.
If you can make it to Hawaii, Volcanoes Natl Park is neat, but not enough to justify an extra flight.You need to be able to stay a few days to find the good stuff.
Rent a car and take a day to circle the island. Do NOT get suckered into the submarine tour. It's a waste of time. The nightlife around Wakiki is pretty cool.
I'm actually going to be in Oahu the week of Thanksgiving as well, staying at Turtle Bay on the North Shore. Keep bringing the suggestions, I think we are specifically trying to do some relaxing on several days but Pearl Harbor is a big want to for both of us.
First, the Shoebird lounge on Waikiki, it's at the Sheraton right on the beach, order up and enjoy the scenery passing by on the beach. Do the Pearl Harbor tour, it's worth it just for the history. The Dole pineapple plantation is on the north shore, check it out and eat some pineapple. Also on the north shore is Waiamai(sp?) Bay State park, nice place to go, surfing is right across the highway. Renting a car to make the circle is a good idea, make sure it's a convertable. Polynesian cultural center is also on the north shore, another good place to visit for insight into the culture. You HAVE to purchase at least one Hawaiian shirt, go to Hilo Hattie's on Nimitz Hwy. Kinda pricey but the best quality. If you need to buy Hawaiian gifts for everyone go to the flea market at Aloha stadium on Sat., you'll find your best deals there. They also operate during the week but can't remember which day, ask the hotel folks they'll know. Anything Hawaiian is for sale there.Avoid buying gifts down near Waikiki, too pricey and you can find it at the flea market. Diamond Head and the Punchbowl have been already mentioned andI recomend them as well. Avoid the booze cruise, unless you just want to get **** faced and meet unattractive tourist ladies, they'll start looking better by the end of the cruise though. Have Fun!