Oahu, Hawaii
9:54 AM
Visited Date:
- Year 2009: 02/10, 02/11, 02/12 & 02/16
- I love the Oahu Island. It's one of the best place ever that I have been to. There are so many things to do and see, especially the beach is just beautiful and people there are very friendly. Oh, and don't forget the nice weather that they have. I would love to go back again.
- I was fortunate to stay with my friend, John. His condo was close to the Waikiki Beach. I would say if you can afford a place by that beach, that would be awesome. Take a walk there during day time and there are tons of stores around. One of my favorite ones is the International Market. Stuff there are cheap. You can also go for a walk at night at the beach, it's really soothing.
(View of the city from John's condo)
- Make sure you check out the pink hotel called Royal Hawaiian. It's on the Waikiki beach. It's really cool.
(View of the pink hotel from the Diamond Head Crater) - If you like to hike up, go for the Diamond Head Crater. Keep in mind that, their parking lot is not that big. When we were there, the parking lot was full and we had to drive to a near by park and parked the car there, then walked to the Diamond Head's entrance. It was quite a walk, actually, haha... but not bad (look at the picture). I would strongly recommend you to hike up there though because it has incredible view once you get to the top. It's a long hike but well worth it. There was a table on the top that you can buy a certificate that you have hiked to the top ;)
(We walked through that tunnel to the entrance/parking lot)
- You can also go to visit the USS Arizona Memorial featuring the Pearl Harbor. When we were there, the parking was free. One thing to keep in mind though you cannot carry any bags into the Memorial, even a camera's bag. Everything was free unless you want a self-guided audio. There will be a documentary movie, and then you get on a boat to go to the Memorial. It's really neat looking.
- Love to snorkel? Hanauma Bay is about 45 minutes from Waikiki beach. You park the car, then you go down to the bay. You can rent snorkeling stuff there or rent them before hand if you can find a better deal. There will be a locker rent as well if you don't want to leave your stuff on the beach or have no one to guard them. The water was cold, but I had so much fun there. It was my first time snorkeling. It was uncomfortable a little before I got used to it. Oh, and don't forget to get an under water camera if you want to take pictures. You can get those from Walmart.
- There is this hiking spot called Makapuu. The view was amazing. Check it out if you have time. You can even hike down to a tide pool. The wave down there was WOW!
- This is one of my best favorite spots about Oahu island. The North Shore! Actually, it is not a spot, it's a shore that you drive along. You will see so many things including the Sea Turtles, and stop at so many places/beaches. I asked John to send me the word document that his friend send to him. The document lists many tourist attractions that you can stop in an order as you are driving along the shore. You can print it out here. North Shore is the best experience that I have ever done. Please read that guide to look for things that strike your interests. There's one beach that is my favorite. The water is very green and people were kayaking and wind surfing there. The name starts with a K, I will have to look it up.
(Sea Turtle at Sharks Cove)
- There are more that you can do such as surfing, kayaking, and more. If I go back there again, I will be looking for new things to do ;)
- We did not go to many fancy restaurants, and I hardly remember the names now. But we ate at Costco, an oriental place (I can't remember), Shabu-Shabu by John's condo, and finally a pretty neat looking restaurant by the University. Sorry, I know this doesn't help much, but I don't really recall the names of those places. Oh, and Cheesecake Factory by Waikiki ;)
- Shave Ice at M. Matsumoto Grocery Store at North Shore (strongly recommend).
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