Driving & Discovering Oahu Guidebook, the virtual Honolulu guidebook for driving Hawaii’s Oahu Island. Our online Waikiki resource reveals the best bargain and deluxe restaurants, hotel and resort deals, best shopping, sightseeing, and Oahu’s most beautiful deserted and secret beaches.
entire website and its contents copyright 2010 by montgomery ewing publishers LLC
Our virtual Oahu guidebook presents the Hawaiian island boasting the most beaches, dining, shopping and hotel choices. This online Honolulu guidebook explores activities ranging from Pearl Harbor to golf to North Shore surfing; dramatic hiking and visiting beautiful uninhabited islands. Waikiki Tiki Bars, hot dance clubs, LOST filming locations? All revealed here.
oahu guidebook:
KCC Farmers Market
FARMERS MARKET: The Saturday KCC Farmers' Market is a must-do event because of the quality of the prepared foods, extraordinary Oahu-grown produce, and the very friendly sweet-natured crowds. Many people grab a table or sit on the grass to drink Hawaii-grown coffee, or eat the luscious baked goods or other gastronimical treats. Hawaii's best Farmers' Market takes place every Saturday at Kapiolani Community College [KCC], located on the backside of Diamond Head Crater at 4303 Diamond Head Road, 8 AM until noon. Whether or not you have access to kitchen facilities, this is the place to come for island-grown-only fresh fruits and veggies, seafood, chickens, eggs and grass-fed Haleiwa beef, as well as scrumptious take-out prepared foods for the beach or condo. Parking is easy and plentiful.
FREE OUTDOOR MOVIES ON THE BEACH: On Kapiolani Beach, adjacent to The Wall at the Diamond Head-end of Waikiki, Sunset On The Beach takes place regularly on weekends, with free outdoor movies screening after the sun sets. Before that, food and live entertainment begin about 4 p.m. There is no admission charge and all are welcome. Call 923-1094 for movie and event schedule. Episodes of LOST are screened, and a huge celebration centered around the premiere of the final season of LOST, with stars in attendance. on the last Friday in January.
THE LEEWARD SIDE of Oahu has gotten a bad rep —and not entirely undeserved— almost exclusively due to the unfriendliness of some of the locals, and lately, the homeless encampments the county has allowed to spring up in some of the parks...you’ll know just by looking whether you ‘d feel comfortable stopping at any particular one. Visit during the week when beaches are nearly deserted, and head for the northernmost beaches of Makaha, Keaau, Makua, and Yokohama. The scenery is breathtaking, and seldom pictured in any tourist promotions. Whether the grasses covering the mountains and valleys are golden or brilliant green, the effect is almost surreal. Unspoiled, unbuilt, and unpopulated, the beaches here are spectacular, with wonderful surfing waves.
oahu guidebook:
The Kaiwa Ridge Trail:
Park where it’s not prohibited, and look for this pathway that goes uphill along the chain link fence.
Right above the beautiful tony beach enclave of Lanikai, uphill on Kaelepulu St., you can skitter up a slope and in less than 5 minutes see this exact view. More than this, the vista is 360 degrees wide, and the breezes wonderful. Bring water and a camera, and visit a bunker that stood protective watch over Oahu during WWII.
oahu guidebook:
Spectacular Leeward Oahu Beaches: Kea`au
Keaau Beach Park, 83-431 Farrington Hwy, Waianae, pictured top, and Yokohama Beach, middle.
The MAKAPU`U HEAD TRAIL begins at the Makapu`u lookout parking area and winds past amazing views of the Windward Shore, Rabbit and Turtle Islands, whales, hang gliders, bodysurfers and kayakers, only to come to a rest at beautiful Makapu`u Lighthouse. The MAUNAWILI TRAIL begins at a parking area adjacent to the Pali Highway, right after the tunnels on the Kailua side. Valley views give way to Maunawili Falls and swimming hole. The KAIWA RIDGE TRAIL follows the apex of the hills that back Lanikai, and requires less than a five minute climb to reach. We feel it is Oahu’s most beautiful for its ease of access and the inspiring views of the Moku Lua Islands, Kailua Beach, and the peak of Olomana. HAUULA TRAIL winds through gorgeous Norfolk pine and Australian pine forest, with panoramic views of shoreline communities along the coast as well as deep into the beautiful valleys. The long but flat KAENA POINT TRAIL follows the old Oahu Railway track bed along shore and around Kaena Point. We feel that this is Oahu’s best hike: it is mostly level, and lovely views lie in all directions. You may see the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, or in winter, offshore waves on the north shore portion that top fifty feet in height.
For the best and safest experience, contact a local hiking organization.
Hawaii Trail and Mountain Club : www.htmclub.org
The Sierra Club, 808-538-6616
The Nature Conservancy, 808-537-4508.
Hauula Trail
Don’t Miss:
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•North Shore Farms
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•Neapolitan Pizza
KAHANA BAY on Oahu’s Leeward shore is a lovely crescent bay with great snorkeling roadside, near the Crouching Lion, a terrific swimming hole in Kahana Valley, and a beautiful grove of coconut palms. The inner bay waters may be clouded with silt after a rain as a major stream empties into the southeast end of Kahana Bay.
oahu guidebook:
KAHANA BAY
![THE BEST OF HAWAII’S OAHU
Read:
Driving & Discovering Oahu, named Best Hawaii Guidebook by American Airlines and the Hawaii Visitors & Conventions Bureau. With 144 pages of eye-popping color, this book leaves no stone unturned. You haven’t seen Oahu until you’ve seen Driving & Discovering Oahu. Click the book cover to order, or buy/order it at your local mainland US or Canada bookstore. Also available all over Hawaii, and at Honolulu Airport newsstands, which you will pass on your walk to baggage claim.
The Honolulu Weekly....it’s free, and full of wise counsel and dependable recommendations as to everything Honolulu, happening right now. Click here for The Best Of Honolulu.
Hotels: Embassy Suites Waikiki Beachwalk Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Restaurants: Mix Cafe, Duke’s Canoe Club, Hau Tree Lanai, Kua Aina Sandwich, Sunday Brunch At The Prince Hotel, Aloha Aina Cafe, Jameson’s, House Without A Key at the Halekulani
Beaches: Mokuleia, Sunset, Sandy, Hanauma Bay, Kohala, Makaha.
Towns: Haleiwa, Kailua.
MIX CAFE - the rave reviews are in. How does scrumptious gourmet food that looks -and tastes- like Roy’s but is priced like McDonald’s sound? That’s what you’ll find at the amazing little Mix Cafe, located on the edge of Chinatown. Visit the galleries and the Asian shops on a walking tour of compact authentic Chinatown, then STOP and eat what we feel is some of the most superior food on Oahu, an island where signature chef eateries abound.
See that photo above? That’s our lunch before we dove into it. Warm roast turkey and leaves of parmesan cheese on a baguette, toasted perfectly, a gorgeous salad with pomegranate, carmelized onions, eggplant and beets. Gorgeous to look at, luscious of taste, and EASY on the pocketbook. The menu is highly inventive and changes daily. Mix Cafe is open only for breakfast and lunch. 35 S. Beretania St., between Bethel and Ft. Street Mall. 808-537-1191. GO! You’ll thank us :-) Oh, Free Wi-Fi too!
We are in awe of The Tasty Island Food Blog, with its exhaustive choices and highly detailed mouth-watering photos of where to eat on Oahu.
Hotel Tips:
Choosing the “best” hotel depends on your personal want-list, and needs. Are you on a tight budget or can you splurge? Will you need parking? Do you want to be right on the beach? An ocean-view room in a beach-front hotel may cost 50% more than a mountain or city view room on the same floor. Some luxe hotels, like the Halekulani, are oceanfront, yet have no beach at all, while the Hilton Hawaiian Village has an enormous beach. Do you require a view? Will you hang around the hotel a lot, or be gone for most of the day to explore the island? Hotel amenities will be more important to those who just want to kick back and unwind at the pool or on the hotel beach. It is well worth it to call the hotel directly to speak with someone on property who can answer your questions.
If you plan to return to Oahu again and again – think about buying a timeshare here. Cheaper than a vacation home, timeshares allow you the convenience of never having to worry about the going rates for accommodations - and you'll enjoy grand amenities. From the Hilton Grand vacations Club at Hilton Hawaiian Village to the Royal Hawaiian Adventure Club at the Royal Kuhio, you are sure to find a great deal.
Parking
If you plan on renting a car, and you certainly should, parking fees at your chosen hotel are a major consider-ation. Most of the nicer hotels charge $25 or more a day to park. Ask the front desk about alternative parking choices in the general area.
Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk
Located in the heart of Waikiki the Embassy Suites Waikiki is close to everything, including an on-site Roy’s, and the popular Yard House. Flat screen TV in all major rooms within your suite; food prep area, on site business center with free computers to use, a nice fitness center, and breakfast buffet [made-to-order omlette station included] and free afternoon drinks and pupus included. We love this place; it’s new and fresh, we don’t have to walk far for some of Waikiki’s finest food and shopping, there’s a Starbucks AND a Coffee Bean right across the unbusy Lewers Street.
Hilton Hawaiian Village
The HHV is the only real resort in Waikiki, with its huge property and wide lengthy crescent beach, protected salt water lagoon, multiple hotel buildings, great restaurants and lots of shopping choices. For those who just want to get away, kick back and decompress, rather than run around Oahu exploring and touring, this is an ideal choice. You never have to leave the property, but Waikiki’s too much fun not to. HHV is not cheap, but internet specials can take away some of the pain. The Ali`i Tower offers the HHV’s premiere accommodations: the fitness center is just okay, and The Tower has its own separate private pool overlooking the beach that is closed to guests staying in the other towers. Bali By The Sea is the HHV’s exquisite eatery, worth a visit for the bread basket alone.
The North Shore
Haleiwa, on Oahu’s North Shore, has to be at the top of your list for places to visit on Oahu. We do love Waikiki, but are amazed how many people actually come all the way to Hawaii without ever leaving Waikiki proper. Haleiwa is a world-class surfing town; it has a lovely beach, some very special little restaurants, and a great summer-holiday atmosphere. If you can time your visit to coincide with a surf contest, all the better.
Kua Aina Sandwich almost always has a line out the door waiting for the great burgers and sandwiches, but the tables turn over fast. Jameson’s is across the bridge and across the Highway from the beach, but nevertheless has been a favorite sunset/pau hana haunt for decades. It’s over-priced, and mobbed at sunset, so we like to go around four-pee-emmish, and have chowder, a salad and a beer, and kick back and watch self-satisfied as the place fills up. We still have dreams about the Coffee Gallery at the North Shore Marketplace [66-250 Kam Highway] where we had a chocolate cake with ultra-chocolate fudge frosting topped with the sweetest most pungent local mangoes we’ve ever tasted...and that was 4 or 5 years ago. Stop in the North Shore Marketplace for a cup and some great shopping at its unique local-flavored stores, as well as Patagonia and Quicksilver Board Rider’s Club. Then swing by Raging Isle for very cool surf clothes as well as skate and bicycle supplies...and if you’re in the market for a new board, Raging Isle has an in-house surfboard shaper. For cool take-home Hawaii souvenirs that you won’t feel like tossing out the month after, step into Global Creations and Interiors at 66-079 Kam Highway. Then, if you hunger for a great meal, walk a few steps into Haleiwa Eats Thai at the same address for traditional Thai in a non-trad setting. “The food is beautiful and the staff delicious”. Just remember: hot means hot. Cool off with a shave ice at Matsumoto or Aoki’s. Go local and add azuki beans and vanilla ice cream.
Drive west from Haleiwa along the North Shore a few miles to wonderful Mokuleia It’s not a town; more a series of enclaves and a string of marvelous white beaches lapped by crystalline azure waters. The surfing is marvelous here and there [keep an eye out for surfers’ parked cars], slipper lobsters hide in the reefs and are free for the taking, and in summer the waters are calm as a bathtub and gorgeous of hue. And, at the end of Farrington Hwy. one of Hawaii’s best hikes begins: an almost flat seaside adventure 2.5 miles to sublime Kaena Point, with its IMAX views in all directions.
Drive east from Haleiwa, and beach after beach will tempt you with world-renowned surfing, giant sea turtles laying their eggs in the sand [keep well back so as not to interfere], great snorkeling at Pupukea, and marvelous swimming and deep comfortable sand at Waimea Beach and Sunset Beach during the summer. Surf is very dangerous in the winter, though. If you see banners announcing a surf contest that day, you’ll want to stop and have a look. If you’re in the mood for a one mile hike along an asphalt path through a lovely botanical garden, ending in a swim under tumbling Waimea Falls, turn inland across the highway from Waimea Beach Park. If you’re hungry, have some decent clothes and a healthy budget, Ola at the Turtle Bay Resort serves award-winning cuisine.](Hawaii_Photo_Guide_to_Honolulu_%26_Waikiki_Oahu_Restaurants,_Beaches,_Hotels_%26_Sightseeing_files/shapeimage_18.png)
Makapu`u Head Trail
Makapu`u Head Trail
![THE BEST OF HAWAII’S OAHU
Read:
Driving & Discovering Oahu, named Best Hawaii Guidebook by American Airlines and the Hawaii Visitors & Conventions Bureau. With 144 pages of eye-popping color, this book leaves no stone unturned. You haven’t seen Oahu until you’ve seen Driving & Discovering Oahu. Click the book cover to order, or buy/order it at your local mainland US or Canada bookstore. Also available all over Hawaii, and at Honolulu Airport newsstands, which you will pass on your walk to baggage claim.
The Honolulu Weekly....it’s free, and full of wise counsel and dependable recommendations as to everything Honolulu, happening right now. Click here for The Best Of Honolulu.
Hotels: Embassy Suites Waikiki Beachwalk Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Restaurants: Mix Cafe, Duke’s Canoe Club, Hau Tree Lanai, Kua Aina Sandwich, Sunday Brunch At The Prince Hotel, Aloha Aina Cafe, Jameson’s, House Without A Key at the Halekulani
Beaches: Mokuleia, Sunset, Sandy, Hanauma Bay, Kohala, Makaha.
Towns: Haleiwa, Kailua.
MIX CAFE - the rave reviews are in. How does scrumptious gourmet food that looks -and tastes- like Roy’s but is priced like McDonald’s sound? That’s what you’ll find at the amazing little Mix Cafe, located on the edge of Chinatown. Visit the galleries and the Asian shops on a walking tour of compact authentic Chinatown, then STOP and eat what we feel is some of the most superior food on Oahu, an island where signature chef eateries abound.
See that photo above? That’s our lunch before we dove into it. Warm roast turkey and leaves of parmesan cheese on a baguette, toasted perfectly, a gorgeous salad with pomegranate, carmelized onions, eggplant and beets. Gorgeous to look at, luscious of taste, and EASY on the pocketbook. The menu is highly inventive and changes daily. Mix Cafe is open only for breakfast and lunch. 35 S. Beretania St., between Bethel and Ft. Street Mall. 808-537-1191. GO! You’ll thank us :-) Oh, Free Wi-Fi too!
We are in awe of The Tasty Island Food Blog, with its exhaustive choices and highly detailed mouth-watering photos of where to eat on Oahu.
Hotel Tips:
Choosing the “best” hotel depends on your personal want-list, and needs. Are you on a tight budget or can you splurge? Will you need parking? Do you want to be right on the beach? An ocean-view room in a beach-front hotel may cost 50% more than a mountain or city view room on the same floor. Some luxe hotels, like the Halekulani, are oceanfront, yet have no beach at all, while the Hilton Hawaiian Village has an enormous beach. Do you require a view? Will you hang around the hotel a lot, or be gone for most of the day to explore the island? Hotel amenities will be more important to those who just want to kick back and unwind at the pool or on the hotel beach. It is well worth it to call the hotel directly to speak with someone on property who can answer your questions.
If you plan to return to Oahu again and again – think about buying a timeshare here. Cheaper than a vacation home, timeshares allow you the convenience of never having to worry about the going rates for accommodations - and you'll enjoy grand amenities. From the Hilton Grand vacations Club at Hilton Hawaiian Village to the Royal Hawaiian Adventure Club at the Royal Kuhio, you are sure to find a great deal.
Parking
If you plan on renting a car, and you certainly should, parking fees at your chosen hotel are a major consider-ation. Most of the nicer hotels charge $25 or more a day to park. Ask the front desk about alternative parking choices in the general area.
Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk
Located in the heart of Waikiki the Embassy Suites Waikiki is close to everything, including an on-site Roy’s, and the popular Yard House. Flat screen TV in all major rooms within your suite; food prep area, on site business center with free computers to use, a nice fitness center, and breakfast buffet [made-to-order omlette station included] and free afternoon drinks and pupus included. We love this place; it’s new and fresh, we don’t have to walk far for some of Waikiki’s finest food and shopping, there’s a Starbucks AND a Coffee Bean right across the unbusy Lewers Street.
Hilton Hawaiian Village
The HHV is the only real resort in Waikiki, with its huge property and wide lengthy crescent beach, protected salt water lagoon, multiple hotel buildings, great restaurants and lots of shopping choices. For those who just want to get away, kick back and decompress, rather than run around Oahu exploring and touring, this is an ideal choice. You never have to leave the property, but Waikiki’s too much fun not to. HHV is not cheap, but internet specials can take away some of the pain. The Ali`i Tower offers the HHV’s premiere accommodations: the fitness center is just okay, and The Tower has its own separate private pool overlooking the beach that is closed to guests staying in the other towers. Bali By The Sea is the HHV’s exquisite eatery, worth a visit for the bread basket alone.
The North Shore
Haleiwa, on Oahu’s North Shore, has to be at the top of your list for places to visit on Oahu. We do love Waikiki, but are amazed how many people actually come all the way to Hawaii without ever leaving Waikiki proper. Haleiwa is a world-class surfing town; it has a lovely beach, some very special little restaurants, and a great summer-holiday atmosphere. If you can time your visit to coincide with a surf contest, all the better.
Kua Aina Sandwich almost always has a line out the door waiting for the great burgers and sandwiches, but the tables turn over fast. Jameson’s is across the bridge and across the Highway from the beach, but nevertheless has been a favorite sunset/pau hana haunt for decades. It’s over-priced, and mobbed at sunset, so we like to go around four-pee-emmish, and have chowder, a salad and a beer, and kick back and watch self-satisfied as the place fills up. We still have dreams about the Coffee Gallery at the North Shore Marketplace [66-250 Kam Highway] where we had a chocolate cake with ultra-chocolate fudge frosting topped with the sweetest most pungent local mangoes we’ve ever tasted...and that was 4 or 5 years ago. Stop in the North Shore Marketplace for a cup and some great shopping at its unique local-flavored stores, as well as Patagonia and Quicksilver Board Rider’s Club. Then swing by Raging Isle for very cool surf clothes as well as skate and bicycle supplies...and if you’re in the market for a new board, Raging Isle has an in-house surfboard shaper. For cool take-home Hawaii souvenirs that you won’t feel like tossing out the month after, step into Global Creations and Interiors at 66-079 Kam Highway. Then, if you hunger for a great meal, walk a few steps into Haleiwa Eats Thai at the same address for traditional Thai in a non-trad setting. “The food is beautiful and the staff delicious”. Just remember: hot means hot. Cool off with a shave ice at Matsumoto or Aoki’s. Go local and add azuki beans and vanilla ice cream.
Drive west from Haleiwa along the North Shore a few miles to wonderful Mokuleia It’s not a town; more a series of enclaves and a string of marvelous white beaches lapped by crystalline azure waters. The surfing is marvelous here and there [keep an eye out for surfers’ parked cars], slipper lobsters hide in the reefs and are free for the taking, and in summer the waters are calm as a bathtub and gorgeous of hue. And, at the end of Farrington Hwy. one of Hawaii’s best hikes begins: an almost flat seaside adventure 2.5 miles to sublime Kaena Point, with its IMAX views in all directions.
Drive east from Haleiwa, and beach after beach will tempt you with world-renowned surfing, giant sea turtles laying their eggs in the sand [keep well back so as not to interfere], great snorkeling at Pupukea, and marvelous swimming and deep comfortable sand at Waimea Beach and Sunset Beach during the summer. Surf is very dangerous in the winter, though. If you see banners announcing a surf contest that day, you’ll want to stop and have a look. If you’re in the mood for a one mile hike along an asphalt path through a lovely botanical garden, ending in a swim under tumbling Waimea Falls, turn inland across the highway from Waimea Beach Park. If you’re hungry, have some decent clothes and a healthy budget, Ola at the Turtle Bay Resort serves award-winning cuisine.](Hawaii_Photo_Guide_to_Honolulu_%26_Waikiki_Oahu_Restaurants,_Beaches,_Hotels_%26_Sightseeing_files/shapeimage_19.png)
KOKONUTS, OR ISLAND SNOW? The First Family’s vacation favorites are many —they often visit Sea Life Park, eat at Lucy’s Grill in Kailua, take the entire crew for shave ice at Island Snow in Kailua or Kokonuts in Hawaii Kai. Places the First family has been spotted previously are numbered in the blue circles on the map above.
oahu guidebook:
FIRST FAMILY FAVORITES
oahu guidebook
EAST-TO-MISS WINDWARD WONDERS
IN YOUR HASTE TO MAKE TIME as you drive around the island, you can overlook a lot of wonderful scenery and swimming opportunities, so keep an eye out. Clockwise: At Waiahole, pull over to enjoy this gorgeous view of the pali and Chinaman’s Hat isle. After passing Chinaman’s Hat at Kualoa, look to the left for the sugar mill ruins...but keep off, they’re collapsing. At Ka`a`awa, right next to the highway, hop out and have a quick swim. At Punaluu, stop and enjoy the shaded picnic tables at sand’s edge. After passing Laie, pull into Malaekahana State Recreation Area and head to the beach. Look seaward to see close-by Goat Island, with it;s wonderful sheltered crescent bay and white sand. Paddle over on a boogie board.
oahu guidebook:
SURF’S UP!
OAHU’S NORTH SHORE is a mecca each winter for surfers from all over the world as swells up to 50 feet high bulldoze through gridlocked wave warriors competing for top honors, or just bragging rights. Contests are held from Haleiwa on the west to Sunset Beach on the east and multiple venues betwixt and between. Keep your eye on the surf reports and an ear to the media for upcoming events all season long.
Surf the web for the latest @ surfnewsnetwork.com or surfcontestinfo.com
oahu guidebook:
QUEEN EMMA’S SUMMER PALACE
Historic Queen Emma’s Summer Palace 808-595-3167 is located at 2913 Pali Hwy. The Palace was used by Queen Emma to escape the heat and bustle of Honolulu, and the Daughters of Hawaii have furnished the house with beautiful pieces belonging to the Queen and her family. Especially poignant is the cradle and bedroom of little Prince Albert, whose guilt-ridden father King Kamehameha IV had drenched with water in anger a few short days before Albert developed a fever and died. Britain’s Queen Victoria, Albert’s godmother, had sent a bishop of the Church of England to Hawaii to preside over the child’s christening, but young Albert passed away before the bishop’s arrival. It is said that the king drank himself to death trying to drown his grief. The Palace has some outstanding examples of antique Hawaiian quilts on display, and the gift shop has some very nice handmade things available nowhere else. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call first to reconfirm their hours and prices.
The Summer Palace Entrance; Queen Emma pictured in an 1965 Paris newspaper; Sunny will guide you through the treasures at Queen Emma’s Summer Palace.
oahu guidebook:
Lanikai: The Kaiwa Ridge Trail
