Visiting Honolulu next month

Don’t know your budget but Turtle Bay on the north shore is nice, but secluded. It will be about a hour drive to Waikiki area. Maybe a little longer.

Espacio is in town, but quite expensive. Can’t say the juice is worth the squeeze, but a nice place.

Halekulani is another to look at.

I have not been in the rooms at the HHV, but have been to the property many times. Not bad just OK.

Haleiwa is worth a visit. Old small town vibes and a few good places to eat.

Haleiwa beach house is not a bad spot for food and views.

Sunset beach nice and usually I find it to be less crowded.

Waimea bay waterfall and beach. It has a rock you can jump off of that’s fairly high.

 

Uber is not bad on the island, but can be a little spotty on the north shore to catch an uber. In town it is just fine and a good way to get around.

If you venture out from town more than a few days I would have a car.

I think there are a few rental car desk at some of the hotels then there is Turo as well.

You will find parking at most places, but for example a Saturday AM after 8 or so you may not find parking.

 

These are just now. Basically from the middle of island to north shore.

You can see that a ride from NS to Mililani is non existent right now. But you can get a ride there.

quite pricey as well.
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Dole Plantation is a busy tourist spot. We have never been but everyone that we know comes usually goes. No bad comments.
You will pass Green World Coffee on the way there. Good coffee. Buy some to take home. Their pastries are OK…

 

we just came back from Kauai.
we bought two small bags(7oz each. $30/bag) of 100% Kona coffee. very weak coffee. we even tripled the amount per cup. still not much flavor.

 

You'll enjoy your trip much more with the control and freedom that the rental provides, and skip the waiting for the ride.
If you go to Haleiwa during the week, hit Haleiwa Joe's for lunch and sit on the patio looking out over the marina. If you're there on the weekend, go to lunch a little further South into town for some fantastic grilled rotisserie chicken next to Malama grocery store, instead, and maybe swing by HJ's for dinner, later.
Haven't been to what is now Haleiwa Beach House, (they had just finished the remodel last time we were able to go) but we liked to go to its predecessor for brunch.
NS driving up Kam Hwy can be.... "interesting".... tour busses will stop beside the road, and tourists will literally just walk into the road to take pictures of the beach/sea, so be ready. You may also encounter a "rush hour traffic jam", with is typically "Hans & Enrique" blazing along at a blistering 15mph because they might be a little baked, but they'll turn off and flow is back to normal.
Waimea is beautiful, but often crowded, and the rock worth a jump or three. It's also just below Pupukea, so you can grab a quick snack on your way up the bluff to look out over the NS. I'd love to suggest the burial ground park at the top (beautiful - and romantic on its own, with a spectacular view along the shore towards Haleiwa) , but it's too isolated and gang-infested, unless you go with a large group for safety.
Some great food trucks in that area, also.
Can't go wrong with Sunset, but right next to it is Pipeline, and both are fantastic for watching people and surfing.
For a calmer beach experience, you can access Turtle Bay grounds for a small fee, and the beaches along their property (800 acres or so) are effectively private, with those on the West side of the hotel being more secluded/less used.
If you're heading down teh East side of the island from TB, I used to take my Dad to the Crouching Lion, about halfway down to Kaneohe for a quick break from the driving when he'd visit.
Lanikai is gorgeous, but the beaches tend to get really crowded because of that - especially on weekends.
Places to watch kite surfers and parasailers on both sides of the island, and eye-popping scenery on the drives between spots.

So much to see and do up there, and a totally different vibe from Honolulu/Waikiki.
It's still special because we haven't been able to spend much time there for the last few years.

 

Thanks for the reminder. I meant to add do not pay the extra price for the Kona. Maui and other blends they have there are good.

 

The beach at TB has a lot of rocks.

Lanakai is nice if you can find parking.

Kailua beach is easier to find parking than lanakai and a close second.

 

^ is this a timeshare package deal where you go to a presentation?

 

I forgot that the TB beaches to the West are kinda rocky, I'm guessing because we found the area past the golf course and stables that was very secluded, almost to Kawela bay, which is even more idyllic but a walk.
You can also access Kawela Bay more directly through the new(ish) park entrance off of Kam.

I've had mixed luck with Lanikai. It's been heaven, and it's been chaos, depending upon the day - just as I'd love to live there, and hate to work around the streets packed with visitors' cars. I pretty much stick with the NS leeward area, rather than make the drive.

Waimea is best in the middle of the week, particularly in the morning. Fishing is pretty popular early in the morning (Dad liked this), so you have to be mindful of the lines if there are very many, but the water is a bit chilly that early, and few lines are out near the rock.

Haven't done the Palace since the early 80s, so no idea about that. The Polynesian Culture Center is very touristy, if you're looking for a bit of kitsch.

While I'm thinking about it - DON'T rent the car at the airport (and back, when you return it). There is an additional tax (tourism is the biggest economic driver).
Take a taxi or shuttle to an off-site rental location (reserve the car well in advance). Majors like Hertz and Advantage provide shuttles.

 

Get a car for sure. Dole is worth a pit stop. 20 mins.

 

If you want a ball buster of a hike hike up to Tantalus Lookout from your hotel. There are some fantastic hiking trails up in the mountains. You can join the Manoa trail and go far enough you can see Kailua Bay. If you do that from your hotel it’s about 14 miles round trip. You can skip the walking thru town part by driving to and parking at the Hawaii Nature Center. I’m not sure of the vertical gain but you definitely will appreciate the view when you get up there. On my Honolulu layovers we’d get in from one of the Japanese cities around 0900 in the morning. I’d go to the room at the Ala Moana hotel and sleep for a few hours and then go on these long hikes up in the mountains. Pretty incredible experience.

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