Anonymous wrote:Polynesian Cultural Center is touristy but the kids had fun there.

I don’t recommend it. I hadn’t understood the Mormon influence before I went, and I didn’t appreciate the subtle but distinct proselytizing.

Any luau recommendations? We’ll be traveling to Oahu in August with two under 5, MIL and a few other adult family members.

The poke at Ono’s is so good. The place looks dumpy, but I crave their poke bowls. Helena’s is also a hole in the wall, but has super good Hawai’ian food without the touristy luau. Malasadas everywhere on the island are delicious especially when they’re fresh and hot. My favorite shave ice is this touristy looking cart right outside the Kate Spade store on Waikiki. It might be called Island Ice? I can’t remember. Always order your shave ice with a snow cap. There’s also a good shave ice place on the north shore called Matsumoto’s but the line can get really long. The shrimp food trucks on the north shore are all good too. I wish I could remember the name of the breakfast place in Honolulu that I love. It has really good pulled pork Benedicts and it’s around the corner from Leonard’s.

Eat Asian food. It’s reasonable and so delicious. Marugame for ramen and tempura. There are stores that sell spam masubi you can eat for lunch. Korean food is good too. Bulgogi and Kalbi are delish and potions are usually huge. Sno cones with vanilla ice cream and red beans. You can get spam and eggs at McDonald’s. Luau’s are pricey but have a nice show. You can take a bus to Diamond Head and hike to the top. You can also take a bus to USS Arizona. You can reserve tickets. Make sure you do. You can also take a bus to Aloha stadium. It’s a huge flea market kinda touristy but tons of souvenirs for a reasonable price. Go to the ABC stores and browse. Some things are reasonable and fun. Go to Waikiki Neach of course.

Polynesian Cultural Center is touristy but the kids had fun there.

Anonymous wrote:I loved Shangri La-Doris Duke's house near Diamond Head. Book ahead through the Honolulu Art Museum. We also stopped at the Dole pineapple farm on the way to the North Shore. Touristy! But fun and we had to stop for a bathroom somewhere anyway.

I would avoid the Dole pineapple farm. Haleiwa is my favorite North Shore town, Waimea Valley is pretty amazing. The Byodo-In Temple is beautiful. Mokolii Island, Makapuu Beach, Kailua is my favorite swimming beach and where Obama is building his house.

I loved Shangri La-Doris Duke's house near Diamond Head. Book ahead through the Honolulu Art Museum. We also stopped at the Dole pineapple farm on the way to the North Shore. Touristy! But fun and we had to stop for a bathroom somewhere anyway.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny I literally came here to search the forum for Oahu discussions! We're going in July (2023) and are just starting to plan our activities. We're staying on Ko Olina beach. We plan to see Pearl Harbor, go into Waikiki for the kitchy touristy stuff, Iolani Palace, maybe do a 4WD tour, snorkel trip, and just chill at the beach. We've already done a luau (Maui) so no need to do that again although we loved it when we did it. It was a lot of fun, although pricey. BTW I also don't like heights so as much as I like the idea of doing a heli tour, that's not happening!

OP where will you be staying?

We're staying at Aulani. Pearl Harbor, a Luau, snorkeling and beach exploration are already on our list. We may be able to swing a one day trip to another island.

-- OP

PP here- if you're going to island hop I would go to Kauai as it's the most different from either Oahu or Maui for example. Aulani is a nice property from what I understand. We're past the Disney stage otherwise we would have considered it!

Anonymous wrote:Funny I literally came here to search the forum for Oahu discussions! We're going in July (2023) and are just starting to plan our activities. We're staying on Ko Olina beach. We plan to see Pearl Harbor, go into Waikiki for the kitchy touristy stuff, Iolani Palace, maybe do a 4WD tour, snorkel trip, and just chill at the beach. We've already done a luau (Maui) so no need to do that again although we loved it when we did it. It was a lot of fun, although pricey. BTW I also don't like heights so as much as I like the idea of doing a heli tour, that's not happening!

OP where will you be staying?

We're staying at Aulani. Pearl Harbor, a Luau, snorkeling and beach exploration are already on our list. We may be able to swing a one day trip to another island.

-- OP

Funny I literally came here to search the forum for Oahu discussions! We're going in July (2023) and are just starting to plan our activities. We're staying on Ko Olina beach. We plan to see Pearl Harbor, go into Waikiki for the kitchy touristy stuff, Iolani Palace, maybe do a 4WD tour, snorkel trip, and just chill at the beach. We've already done a luau (Maui) so no need to do that again although we loved it when we did it. It was a lot of fun, although pricey. BTW I also don't like heights so as much as I like the idea of doing a heli tour, that's not happening!

OP where will you be staying?

Anonymous wrote:With 10 days, I'd add a second island and fly open jaw. But that ship may have already sailed for you.

I agree with the North Shore recommendations, and the hikes, which our then 12 year old daughter handled with ease.

We split our (seven day) Oahu stay between an airbnb in Waikiki and an airbnb in Kailua.

Open jaw won't work at this point but we could get a day or 2 on another island. We just wanted to take our time exploring the whole island.

-- OP

With 10 days, I'd add a second island and fly open jaw. But that ship may have already sailed for you.

I agree with the North Shore recommendations, and the hikes, which our then 12 year old daughter handled with ease.

We split our (seven day) Oahu stay between an airbnb in Waikiki and an airbnb in Kailua.

The Japanese food in Waikiki is amazing, ramen especially.

Once you get out of the touristy areas/Honolulu, you will need a car. The North Shore, in particular, is wonderful. Surfing lessons? Stand-up paddleboard? Lots of hiking. Plenty of historical sites. Impromptu seal, turtle, whale watching. Malasadas. Sushi.

We just booked 10 days in Oahu for next year! I'm starting to look into activities and places to eat. We won't have a rental car the whole time. Family of 3 (parents and 12 year old). DH and DD do not like heights (zip lining would be out). Everything else is fair game. Budget for food and activities is $5k.