Hi All, My husband and I booked a Honolulu vacation for our 10th wedding anniversary. We're leaving at the end of February. Anyone have any recommendations for place to see, activities to do and where to eat?
Much appreciated it.

Don't stay in Honolulu

Why?

Think big city, lots of traffic with a nice beach...

Its a pit of tourist fury. Head to the north coast, surf, snorkel, you can skydive on the nw coast even fly a glider

Visit haleiwa.

Honolulu is nice quiet.. clean.... friendly people ... beach is close ... walking distance.....good food .. seafood if u like...

Wakiki is over flowing with tourist but you'll see for yourself when you arrive

Depends what youre into, if you want to be in a busy city with lots of tourists Honolulu is for you. If you want a relaxing slow pace place Haleiwa on the north shore if for you. Personally I enjoyed spending most of my time out of the big city.

Go to North Shore and eat at a shrimp truck, have shaved ice for dessert and for a nice dinner, go to one of Roy's restaurants. If you want to visit Pearl Harbor, book your tickets now.

If you go to Pearl Harbor early and line up you can get free admission tickets

You can also reserve tickets in advance for $1.50 fee via the NPS website, however book it as early as possible otherwise you will be standing in line.

You will love it here

Kyoto Japan

Yard house in Waikiki. Best crispy Brussels sprouts! Download the All Trails app if you like hiking. Kuliouou ridge trail has amazing views.

Also we hired a Jeep. I think it was about $40 a day. Worth every penny. Id recommend getting a jeep or at least a convertible if you plan to hire a vehicle. you'll want to see everything as you drive around the island.

Buy a Go Oahu card from Costco online. Gives you access to all kinds of attractions and you will save $. Plus you pay here in cdn$

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Take a $50 flight out and get to the Big Island.

The big island is amazing!!! Better than Oahu in my opinion and way less tourists

I agree, there is a boutique hotel called mauni lani, it was outstanding! The turtles sunbath on the beach there

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Honolulu tends to get a bad wrap, but I actually love it! I've been three times. My third time there was part of a family vacation and my siblings and parents also loved it! I would definitely recommend heading to the North Shore as it's very scenic. There are some luaus out that way that are very nice. My family did Chief's luau and really enjoyed it. The food was great and was in a beautiful location not too far outside of Waikiki Beach. They provide transportation to and from. Also, the views from Diamond Head are wonderful if you enjoy hiking.

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Kailua is my fave spot. Not a fan of Waikiki - super touristy and expensive. Drive up the east coast to a place called Lanikea beach. It's got a lot of sea turtles that swim in that area. If the water is safe, take a dip and swim with them. You literally pull over to the side of the road when you get there.

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All my poi for Oahu

If you guys are into cars, use Turo for some cool rides. It's like airbnb but for cars
https://turo.com/referral?code=1047179rjhw9M

Do the Polynesian cultural centre with the show and buffet included. There are tours which u will make stops at other tourist spots like hanauma bay and the dole plantation. Do the drive up to north shore and stop at Waimea Valley to go swimming by the waterfall(Bring Watershoes) as well as stop at the food truck. Hit up Aloha stadium. It's a flea market, good for souvenirs but it's not open everyday. Happy Travels! If you can, fly out to Maui for a few days and do the Road to Hana!

North shore is awesome this time of year and generally really wavy so you can watch surfers. Also lots of whales that you can see breaching from shore

Anywhere in the North Shore area is unreal!

Pearl Harbour

Stay away from Honolulu. Visit pristine beaches of Waimanalo, Bellows and (less so) Lanikai. Swim in Hānola cove next to the blowhole. Visit the North Shore, Ahupuaa Park, Forest National Wildlife Refuge. Again, stay away from Honolulu and you will experience the true Hawaiian lifestyle. Car is a must.

Agreed!! Totally!!

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All of the island should be seen. I would rent a car and drive around the entire island, stopping along the way. Book a small car and upgrade to a convertible on pick up. North shore, Lanikai (my favourite beach), Valley of the Temples, Chinaman's hat, shrimp trucks Honolulu is touristy but still beautiful.

Also, we booked accommodation in Lanakai but it rained 3 days, so we drove the 1/2 hour back to Waikiki where the sun always seems to shine. Also, do Diamond Head earlier than later due to to head. The views are fantastic.

I don't understand people that keep saying dont go to honolulu, go elsewhere instead while the lady is specifically mentioning that she already booked a vacation for "honolulu" and she is looking for advice for "honolulu"! Magdalena, we loved the breathtaking view from Diamond Head. It's about an hour hike going up and half an hour coming down. And hiking up to the Moana Falls was also great. You will likely end up getting mud on your shoes, so be prepared. We took the bus all over the place but we also rented a car for one day to check out the north shore. Yes, the north shore is very nice and watching the surfers is quite fun. We found out that renting the car from the airport instead of downtown is much cheaper. If you go to a luau, you will get to taste the hawaiian food. If you don't love it there is always Subway and McDonalds all over the place in Waikiki. Some luaus take a whole day, so do your research and plan accordingly. You should also visit Pearl Harbour. It was a great experience. Go in early hours to avoid crowd. Shopping and night life is amazing in Waikiki. And, no, there is no major traffic jams, but there is 'wedding-couples-traffic'!! Too many couples getting married and getting their pictures taken on the street and in every corner!! Lol! Have a safe trip and enjoy!

Thanks!

Restaurants : in Haleiwa, Haleiwa Joes. Ocean front. Very beautiful and good food. Cute very scenic town to walk around and enjoy also.
In Waikiki ; Roy's is extremely good. Pricey but good. Duke's is also very good and beautiful ocean front. They also have live entertainment in the lounge area. Hula Grill is upstairs and also very good.
At the Halekulani hotel they have the most wonderful brunch and the best mai tai. Right on the main strip.
Go on a sunset catamaran for a tour. So pretty.
Rent a car and tour but most of Waikiki is easy to see on foot or trolley. Personally we love it,
We enjoy the hustle and bustle. When we feel we want to relax we rent a car and tour. Perfect holiday ! You can do as much or as little as you want. We go every year.
The newly opened International Marketplace also offers free nightly entertainment that was really well done and not too busy.
Of course as mentioned : pearl harbour, diamond head, dole plantation. Kailua is also a really nice town. We found a great breakfast spot there. Beautiful beach. It's where Obama stays every year.
Happy anniversary and have a lovely time !!

Oh and I forgot about Hanauma Bay !!

And go to aloha stadium it's mega flea market. It's fun to go and watch people.
and souvenirs are cheaper too. They also have a crazy shirts outlet stores so you can bring back some funny t shirts typically Hawaiian. You can also visit the lion's café factory. If you're interested there's a visit of the pinnaple fields. Ala moana is also the biggest mall in o'ahu. You can also visit the artisans in Kailua across the mountain via pâli hwy. There's a beautiful lookout over Pali hwy too.
queen Emma palace is also beautiful. I put in some recommendations

During Fall 2015, we've spent 18 days on the island. We stayed in Kapolei (Aulani, a Disney resort which is beautiful but also expensive).
At this hotel, the onsite Fine dining restaurant Ama Ama is really, really good. We celebrated our 25th anniversary there. Food and service were excellent. We went twice. The view on the ocean is beautiful.
Close by the hotel, there are Monkeypod Ko Olina (5 minute walk - casual and daily happy hour. There's also a live band playing on the terrace) and Roy's Ko Olina (located at the Kapolei Golf Course - 2 minute drive) are really, really good. We tried 3 different Roy's and the one in Kapolei was our favorite. Our best breakfast place ever is at My Cafe. There is a lineup to get in so don't wait to be too hungry to go
There is also a Costco there. If you go, the macademia nuts are cheap compared to here. Don't miss the Kona coffee if you're a coffee lover. The 100% Kona, not a Kona blend. 20$/lb compare to 60-80$ for the same coffee brand/qty on Amazon...
We spent ~ 4 days in Honolulu/Waikiki. The traffic to get there is insane even at 5h30AM... Personally, I think it's worth the time. Not the most beautiful beach (long but narrow) though and it's crowded
There's public parking almost on the corner of Koa Ave and Kaiulani Ave (15$ for the day, if I remember well) - 2430 Koa Avenue close by the Kings Village Shopping Mart Shopping Center. The cheapest in the area and very central. No In and Out privilege though
Duke's Waikiki is one of our favorite spot there. The terrace is more for casual food and have drinks while you can get fine dining for dinner (usually need to have a reservation. It's very popular. The view on the ocean is beautiful. During the sunset, you can leave your table and have pictures.)
You can also have good time on Kalakaua ave – This is the 5th Avenue but in Hawaii. The shave ice (Island Vintage Shave Ice is the best - small balls of juice!) is a must try. The best on the island!
Don't miss Leonard's Bakery (with the malasadas fresh to order). Like fresh beignet. Really good and gigantic... especially when you expect a Timbit size... The basic one was my favorite (we've also ordered some with a kind of Boston cream in it)
Hanauma Bay is a must do. It has been voted the best beach in the US in 2016. Bring your snorkling equipment and enjoy! Tons of fishes in about 3-4 feet deep. One of our best memories still…
If you like hiking, don’t miss Diamond Head (easier) and Koko crater trail (much harder). The views there worth the effort. Go early to avoid the crowd and the heat...
On the North shore, we tried a few shrimp trucks - Giovanni's in Kahuku was our favourite among the ones we’ve tried
We also really enjoyed the surf lessons. We went with the North Shore Surf Girls Surf School. Very professional. We had the chance to meet with the turtles there
We also went to Kualoa Ranch which has been the site of many television shows and Hollywood movies. When we visited, they were working on King Kong
If you have free time, you can also go to the Dole Plantation. Not expensive. Around 13$. Check for the coupons in the Ads booklets.. Manoa falls is beautiful. A small walk to get there. And Valley of the Temples.
That’s about it. Yes, the other islands are beautiful but you booked a stay in Honolulu on Oahu and I’m sure you will really enjoy it. It’s a beautiful island and there’s so much to do. You won’t have time to be bored
And congrats for your 10th anniversary

I forgot about the Luau... We went to Chief's Luau. Enjoyed it but not more. Food is so-so...

Kyle Pineau

rent a car and see the island, the parks and shoreline are breathtaking. If possible go to Mauna kea and see the volcanoes

Magdalen climb the stairway to heaven at sunrise
. Enjoy the most romantic view on your 10th anniversary

Honolulu Brew Works

http://www.abcstores.com/