Transportation We've actually changed our minds about this. On our second trip we did rent a car and enjoyed ourselves much more. Even though alot of places charge you to park, including the hotel we were staying at, it's much easier to have your own car instead of relying on the bus, which was a real pain. It wastes too much time-you wait forever for a bus to come, and then it stops so many places that it takes at least twice as long to get anywhere as it does in a car.
If you're really not into rental cars, there's always "THE BUS". It goes everywhere, and only costs $1 each way. Your best bet is to pick up a guide which will tell you what bus number to take to get where you want to go. These guides are at all of the drug stores.
The ONLY hotel to stay at: The Royal Hawaiian, Waikiki, Oahu. If you want to be pampered, this is it. The "pink palace of the Pacific" will knock your socks off. The best rooms are in the Ocean Tower.
Restaurants
Do yourself a favor and get an Entertainment book for Hawaii before you go on your vacation. You probably have heard of them, there's one for every major city in the U.S. Chock full of buy one get one free dinners, it's the best way to save money and still eat at great places. And the best part is that for the nicer restaurants listed, they also print a menu in the book. For places in the Entertainment book, there'll be a "*" before the name. Beachside Cafe Sheraton Moana Surfrider in Waikiki. Take one of your meals at the oldest hotel on Oahu, with a view of the beach at the inside and outside seating. We tried the buffet, which for $23 per person, there is all you can eat dungeoness crab legs, prime rib, and a slew of other stuff. *Canoes at the Illikai Hotel. Do NOT eat here. We went in, sat down, looked at the menu and left. Keep in mind, this is a place in the Entertainment book, so that's why we came here. Unfortunately, the menu is nothing like the one listed in the book-most of the stuff looked kind of yukky. There was an all you can eat buffet-we took a look at it and it also looked yukky. This place has definitely seen better days. Gordon Bierscht Brewery Restaurant In Aloha Tower Marketplace. Wow! Whatever you do, come hungry. The portions are so huge that, on advice of our friends, we shared one entree. We started with the house salad and the garlic fries (try 'em-they're super garlicky good) and our entree was the Mongolian stir fry. Everything was great and we were full even with only ordering one of each thing between the two of us. Hard Rock Cafe Located in Honolulu. *Hong Kong Harbor View Seafood Restaurant At the Aloha Tower Marketplace in Honolulu. Serving gourmet Chinese food. Unfortunately, the service isn't so hot. There was a big wedding party there that evening and everyone was obviously more interested in serving them than us. It took entirely too long for the courses of our dinner to arrive, then it took too long to get the bill, even. And then they made it a point to catch us after we left the table to tell us what 15% of the check (the tip) should have been. We then explained to them that a tip isn't mandatory, a tip is based on the quality of service, and we felt that the bad service we recieved was worth much less than 15%. *Lobster and Crab House Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center in Waikiki. Japanese influenced foods, but there's something for everyone and the service is really good. April ordered the lobster tail and mahi mahi, which was good, but not great-the lobster wasn't what we're used too, kind of bland (it was a spiny lobster-that could be the reason) and the mahi mahi tasted too much like chicken, probably overdone. David had steak and mahi mahi. Again, the mahi mahi was overdone, but the steak wasn't bad. Planet Hollywood The old standby is in Waikiki. Surf Room Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki. Take another of your meals at the second oldest hotel on Oahu, whose nickname is "the Pink Palace of the Pacific". Eating a gourmet meal outside while watching the surf roll up on the shore makes for a great experience. We also tried them for lunch and it was just as nice: Cobb salad was nicely done with avocado and blue cheese dressing and Gazpacho cold soup was yummy. For another lunch, rosemary rubbed chicken was great, as was the fried chow mein with barbecue beef sticks. For you east coast folks, this is another reminder that the chow mein here is more like lo mein. *Tanaka of Tokyo Great Japanese food located in the Waikiki Shopping Plaza and also at the Illikai Hotel. Watch the chef prepare your meal right at your table on a grill. The man that manages the place saw April eating with a fork and made it a point to come over and teach her how to eat with chopsticks, which we thought was really nice. On our second trip, the teriyaki sirloin and also the shrimp and salmon were very good. It's still a fun place with good food at a great price. *Top of Waikiki In the Waikiki Business Plaza, across the street from Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. Enjoy fabulous fare at this revolving restaurant. Great prices and every seat has a good view. On our second visit, the filet neptune was scrumptious-a nice filet mignon with 2 big lumps of dungeoness crabmeat-dungeoness crab reminds us of lobster-it's kind of sweet. The pepper crusted steak was also good-very tasty and spicy.
Nightlife: Lots and lots. See below for some tips. Cocktail/Dinner Shows to See: Don Ho At the Waikiki Beachcomber. A really fun guy. He comes out before and after the show to take pictures and sign autographs, which was super cool. Make sure you bring your camera because they also let you take pictures during the show. The show was great-chock full of his standards and lots of funny stories that will keep you laughing and having a great time. The showroom is really small, so everyone gets a really good view of him. Charo At the Polynesian Palace in the Outrigger Reef hotel. All we can say is "CUCHI CUCHI!!!" Wow, if you want to see a hot show, this is the one. Charo is the best. She starts out with some of her standards, then finishes up the act with what she likes to do best. She's a world acclaimed flamenco guitarist. It was a real treat to hear her powerful rendition of Ravel's "Bolero" done with the guitar instead of the oboe. Bring your camera because you can take pictures during Charo's show, too. Another small showroom, so don't worry about how far away you are seated. Frank DeLima and Glenn Medeiros Also at the Polynesian Palace in the Outrigger Reef. Their show is right after Charo's. We didn't see these guys, our friends did and said they really enjoyed the show. DeLima has a comedy act, and Medeiros sings Hawaiian tunes.
Luaus:The Royal Luau at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. If you're looking for truly authentic, this isn't it, but the food, show, drinks, and setting are all absolutely fantastic. For more authentic, including games, hula skirt weaving, and some other Hawaiian type stuff, including the pig ceremony, try the Paradise Cove luau, however, keep in mind that the food won't be as good. And they don't have open bar like the Royal Hawaiian does.
Shopping Here's where to go for all your souvenirs. Aloha Flea Market at the Aloha Stadium every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Be sure to make at least one trip here to do all of your shopping. This is the best place to get all of your souvenirs and Hawaiian clothing. It's a regular old flea market, so make sure you try to bargain with the sellers about the price. You can usually get them to give you a deal. Dole Cannery Although the cannery itself is no longer in operation, they've turned the building into a mall. There are exhibits about what they used to do at the cannery all over the place and there are a few shops as well. According to friends, even 2 years after opening, it's still pretty dead. This is one of the best places to order the pineapple and papaya you want to take home. The only other place you should do this is the Dole Pineapple Pavilion, because most other places that deliver pre-inspected pineapple to the airport have a huge markup. Dole Pineapple Pavilion A good place for souvenirs and anything having to do with the pineapple. This is the other best place to order the pineapple and papaya you want to take home. They'll have your whole order waiting for you at the airport on the day you're going home. Check out their pineapple variety garden to see all the many varieties of pineapple that exist. Also take the time to do the world's largest maze-it's really fun. It's also hard-we gave up after 45 minutes. Hilo Hatties If you couldn't find it at the flea market, it's probably here. DO NOT buy their Hawaiian clothing-it's way overpriced (there are much better deals at the Aloha Flea Market), but DO check out their wide selection of souvenir items. We found the best prices on Kona coffee here-$20 a pound for 100% pure Kona coffee. International Market Place An open air market on Kalakaua Street in Waikiki. Lots of shops and vendors with handcrafted items. Kalakaua Street The main street in Waikiki right along the beach. Lots of shops and restaurants. Most of the hotels also have lots of shops in their lobbys, too.
Tourist Traps: Here are a few places that are supposed recommended sightseeing , but we've tried them and we think you should avoid them like the plague. Ala Moana Shopping Center A really crummy, crowded mall with mostly the same sort of chain stores you see at home. Hanauma Bay Their signs say it's a marine preserve, but it sure doesn't seem that way. It's not a federal park-it's not even a state park-it's run by the city and county of Honolulu, jointly. And if it's a marine preserve, why do they let everyone and their mother step all over the coral and kill it? Here's why you should skip this tourist trap: It's $1 to park, $3 a person to get in, $.75 to take the shuttle down the steep hill to the beach, $1 to take the shuttle back up, then $6 for snorkels rented by a really shady outfit. You have a choice of how you want to leave a deposit for the snorkels: leave your credit card with the guy (no he won't take an imprint of it-he keeps THE CARD until you give back the snorkels), or if you complain about that he says you can give him $50 cash as a deposit. Any bets on whether you'll see it again? The final insult is that if you're uncomfortable about leaving your stuff on the beach, there's a guy who'll rent you a waterproof fanny pack for $2.50 and for more money, he'll watch your stuff for you, too. Sounds like protection money to us-he's probably the same person that will steal your stuff if you DON'T pay him. Iolani Palace It's probably really nice as far as palaces go, but we never even bothered to go in the door. Why? They charge $8 per person, and there are no coupons to be had anywhere for a discount. This might not be so bad, except they allow no photography whatsoever inside the building. If a museum doesn't let us take pictures after charging $16 for 2 people, forget it. Sea Life Park It was probably nice when it opened, but now it's kind of run down and in need of remodeling. Unless you have the Entertainment book coupon, it's not worth the price. The Waikiki Trolley Run by E Noa tours. This is or isn't a tourist trap depending on how you do it. For $18 per person there are a bunch of different places you can go all day, on 3 different lines. Unless you've got a coupon for a deep discount on the "Waikiki Trolley", it's probably not worth it. Waimea Falls Unfortunately, this place must have recently been bought by the same people that own Hanauma Bay. Before, the shuttle from the parking lot to the entrance was free. Now they charge you each way. It's still $25 to get in, but now they don't let you swim in the lake after the diving show anymore. What a gyp.
Sightseeing & Other Activities Diamond Head Not for the faint of heart. You start your hike on the inside of the extinct volcano, then go through a dark tunnel to finish your hike on the outside up to a breathtaking view of Oahu. Some suggestions: bring a flashlight because the tunnel is very dark and do NOT wear anything white. The handrails are extremely dirty and rusty, so you're bound to absentmindedly wipe your hands on yourself at least once. We found that out too late. The Kodak Hula Show Over 50 years old and still going strong, this is by far the best hula show on the island. Best of all, it's free! Nuuanu Pali Lookout Fantastic views of the island can be had here. This is where King Kamehameha and his warriors forced an intruding army over the cliff. It's extremely windy here, but the pictures you can get are well worth it. Pearl Harbor A beautiful memorial was erected in the middle of the harbor in honor of the men who died on the Arizona on December 7, 1941. Take a navy launch out to see the memorial built right on top of the remains of the Arizona. It's really interesting. Be careful of those scheisters that advertise Pearl Harbor cruises and mention that you'll see the memorial. That's all you'll do. Only official Navy vehicles are allowed to drop people off on the memorial itself, and many unsuspecting people don't find that out until their "cruise" stops a few hundred feet away from the memorial and turns around. Polynesian Cultural Center Located on the north shore, you'll either need a rental car or use one of the bus services-when you call to make reservations, the P.C.C. can help you out with that. If you've got an entertainment book, you're going to get a great deal here- with the 2 coupons, we got all this for only $47 for the 2 of us: admission to all the attractions, a buffet dinner and seats at the nighttime show "Horizons". The first part of your day will be spent exploring the 7 areas of polynesia, including Fiji, Tonga, Hawaii, Marquesas, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Samoa. Each land has exhibits and a live presentation. Also, check out the canoe pageant. If you've decided to stay for the evening show, a buffet dinner is also part of your package. Believe it or not, the cheapest package is really the best deal. The ambassador package is way overpriced. We were steered away from the Alii Luau by someone who's been there-she said it's not worth it because it's too crowded to really see the imu ceremony and show. Your best bet is the Gateway package-the food was good, including lots of choices and even though the seats for the show were in the back, we could see just fine. All in all it was really a fun day-we really learned alot about all the islands of Polynesia. "Horizons" is a great show, too. Don't miss this place-it's worth the drive. U.S.S. Bowfin Submarine Located next to the Arizona Memorial museum in Pearl Harbor, this museum celebrates the Navy's submarine program. Take a self guided tour of the submarine known as the "Pearl Harbor Avenger", then go in the museum for a look at the history of the submarine. U.S.S. Missouri In Pearl Harbor, docked at Ford Island. Park at the Bowfin museum and board a trolley that will take you across the bridge to Ford Island and the "Mighty Mo." You can take the self guided tour, but for $4 more, you get a guided tour, complete with a guide that tells all kinds of stories about the battleship and explains much of the things you're seeing, which is better than walking around yourself and not knowing what you're looking at. It's a great tour-when you're finished, you can explore more on your own. The addition of the Missouri really makes going to Pearl Harbor an all day affair.
This plaque marks the spot on the Missouri where the Japanese surrender was signed.
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