Guide to visiting Oahu

So I've lived here about six years now and I thought it a good idea to make a list of things I felt were worth visiting. I won't be listing too many touristy attractions because I figure it's easy to access information on the internet about them and choose which ones interest you.

Some tips:
Take Hawaiian Airlines. They serve food that tastes like food, and it's included. The stewardesses are friendlier, and as a whole the trip is much more pleasant.

If you're visiting in winter and you don't come from a tropical destination buy sunscreen at your hotel, your skin will thank you. Also, drink your milk while you're here, the UV rays will help your body to use the calcium in the milk to build up your bones. mmmm milk and Hawaii does your body good.

Try to rent a car for at least a day. Waikiki is not all there is on this island and the rest of the Island is pretty far from Waikiki (we don't like the crowds!!!!).

Museums that I love:

Bishop, they have a huge amount of historical artifacts for the pacific region, however what I love is the science exhibits they have. And there is an area dedicated to exhibits for kids. Also, there is a volcano for the kids to play with, it's huge! It's a little pricey for a museum but definitely worth it, especially if you're trying to educate your kids. It's about 17.95 for adults


The Contemporary Museum admission is free the first Wednesday of every month. Otherwise, it's 10 bucks. I have never actually been inside this museum. I've been here twice because they often host events on their expansive lawn. They have a tiny cafe with delicious food and it's free to picnic and wander the grounds, which that alone is worth visiting.


Honolulu Academy of Art They also have free days but during normal operations it costs 10 bucks too. They have some great events, some interesting after hour tours, and some pretty awesome exhibits. However, for me it's too big and I get bored about halfway through the museum. Luckily, they also have the Doris Duke theatre which shows some interesting documentary and my primary reason for visiting...Hibiscus juice at the restaurant! Please do not leave the island without drinking some Hibiscus juice. It's somehow spicy and fruity at the same time. Like sangria without the alcohol taste.

Okay enough of the museums. Who wants to spend their whole Hawaii vacation inside?

Luau, no one on the island likes them but you have to go to at least one if you're visiting. I only know of two because I hear about friends taking their families mostly to these.

The Polynesian Cultural Center Luau, it's supposedly the thinking man's luau. You'll get food, you'll learn, and you'll have a lot of fun doing it. The way I like to look at these two Luaus is one is the formal type where the whole tribe would get together and have a very serious ceremony and the other is when you get together with your family and let off steam.

Germaine's. The luau I take my family to when they visit. There is a lot of alcohol, really good food, and some very kitschy entertainment. However, you will probably be drunk before the entertainment starts so it'll seem like a blast and you'll want to be the idiot who goes onstage to dance! Everyone is rowdy and there is a ton of eating. You won't learn a thing, much like shindigs that my family plans. We're glad we're together so let's have a party! If you want authenticity, do not come to this luau.

Also, my mom would probably want me to note that the Hawaiian guys are very hot but you cannot take them home as a souvenir. Also, you should not let my mom within arms distance of them after a few drinks because she'll try to take them home... I love my mom!

Food!!! My favorite category. nom nom nom
Lemme state that I hated most fish, and pretty much all asian fusion cuisine before I got here but this place changed my mind.

Sorry sushi lovers I have nothing for you :(  I am a sushi poser and love my tuna salad rolls.

Let's start with the most obscure since I doubt anyone visiting would even stumble onto this place and it's my favorite. It makes me giddy to eat here.
Kapiolani Community College Fancy Restaurant and their Grille
Kapiolani has a culinary school and they teach fusion cuisine. The food is 5 star restaurant quality but because it's a teaching restaurant it has Chilis/Ruby Tuesday pricing. Also, all of the waitstaff and chefs are students so they want to make you happy because their grade depends on it. Only tip is be patient, some of the students are new and may forget the specials or not know exact details about an item on the menu but trust me if they don't know they take off at a run to get you that information. And any lacking in information they have, they'll more than make up for in enthusiasm. For the more expensive/fancy restaurant (hahahaha expensive!) you'll want to go on the site and make an appointment, students and teachers fill up the spaces quickly. Also, since it is a school, they are only open for a few months during each semester, so check the site for information about operating hours.

And do not let the idea of a college Grille deceive you, this place makes my favorite salmon with miso butter sauce over local veggie coleslaw with okinawan mashed potatoes...I just had a pavlovian effect and felt my mouth fill up with saliva. It'll put a much smaller dent in your pocket book but the food is far from being a cheap quality.

Also, as for what to wear, it may be a nice idea to ditch the board shorts and wear a button up (short sleeve) shirt for the nicer of the two restaurants but you'll definitely stick out like a sore thumb on the campus.

Indigos in Honolulu's Chinatown. Goat Cheese wontons are my favorite. I crave these on a regular basis. However, everything on their dinner menu is amazing. The lunch buffet however leaves something to be desired. The endless feast isn't worth the money or even seconds. Stick with dinner, and the bar happens to have some phenomenal and interesting drinks. My two tips are to make a reservation online at their site through opentable.com and order the sampler appetizer.

Roys and Keos. Roys is more fusion cuisine but it's a bit pricey a three course meal can run you around 50 dollars, 60 if you get wine paired with it. But if you have the extra cash in the budget it's worth trying. My tip for this restaurant is to go to the one in Ko Olina if possible, the view is gorgeous and it'll be nice to get out of the city. Keo's is a thai restaurant that a lot of celebrities flock to when they're on the island and like Roys it can be pricey but also worth the money.

Maui Mikes in Wahiawa. Nope it's not on Maui. This place serves up chicken only but it is some damn good chicken. If you go during lunch or dinner you will find the place packed with military and locals. They have only a few options on the menu but their slow roasted chicken is totally worth the time spent waiting. My tip, tip these people they deserve it and get the bbq pulled chicken if they have it. It's a special they only do once in a while and if they run out, they're out.

Kua Aina Burgers or Teddys. I personally prefer Kua Aina, they're burgers are a little less heavy and greasy. With that being said the thing is about the size of my head at either place. But these two are definitely the best burger places on the island. My tip: go to Kua Aina no one wants to chance indigestion from grease on a vacation and head to the north shore rather than Ward center. The restaurant out there is surrounded by plants and it feels like you're in the middle of the tropics. Not sure if both Kua Aina restaurants take credit cards now, so bring cash just in case!

For breakfast head to Koa pancake house. They have delicious food and it's very low key and relaxing. I love this place when I'm too lazy to make breakfast for the house. Also, I never have mac nuts in the house so I can't make mac nut pancakes ( I need to write this down somewhere so I finally remember to get some but it never happens).  My tip: smile a lot at the locals, for some reason smiling is super contagious on the islands, if you show that you're happy and can go with the flow, most locals won't care that a few tourists have wandered into their hang out. But definitely try not to act like they're on exhibit.


Dole Cannery. Ha! bet you didn't think you'd see this one. They have free pineapple tastings. So what? I've had pineapple before! Um, no sir. You are mistaken. Fresh, just picked from the field pineapple tastes like regular pineapple on crack. Also, that pineapple piece with the weird red powder on it...wolf that sucker down! It's li hing powder and it is amazing on pineapple. Makes it taste like candy. My mom still demands I send her pineapples and packets of li hing powder. It'll turn you into a crack addict too.

Mac nut farm. Don't care which, not sure how many, but there are several spread out on the islands. They have mac nut tastings and a lot of the time they have their own special glazes and free kona coffee! mmmm I love the cinnamon glazed ones because they taste like bite sized snickerdoodles but the most popular tends to be the kona coffee glazed and coconut glazed mac nuts.

Drive out past north shore headed toward Turtle Bay on the right side of the road there will be a farm with horses and a FRUIT STAND!!! Fresh coconuts???? YAY. Hang around and drink your cold coconut juice (it's not sweetened so it's kind of a unique taste, this is how you find out if you really like coconut or you have just liked sugar with a hint of coconut this whole time). After you're done take the coconut back to the stand and they'll slice it up so you can eat the meat.

Okay enough food :(

Beaches

The family beach: Ko Olina. They have 4 lagoons and each lagoon is warm calm, and is like a big wonderful bath tub. There are some fish so you can go snorkeling without the fear of something larger eating you (the neurotic in me that is deathly afraid of sharks feels safe here). If you're lagoons have floating buoys near the rocks stay away from them. The buoys mean there is a gap in the rocks where water is sucked out and shot into the lagoon. I learned about the being sucked out part first hand. My roommate got a shin full of coral as a thank you for saving me. But unless you are incredibly oblivious and accident prone like me, it's virtually impossible to get hurt here. And it's beautiful. This is my favorite beach.

For the organic/support local economy/shopaholic in you go to either North Shore or Waimanalo. North shore frequently has farmers markets (check out this website for farmers markets throughout the islands http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/add/farmers-market-in-hawaii/Oahu.pdf) and Waimanalo has independently owned food stands. My two favorite finds: North shore coconut peanut butter. It tastes like reeses peanut butter middle. I pretty much ate the jar by itself in a week. Lilikoi butter (passion fruit) in Waimanalo. It's like honey butter but more tart and fruity. It's delicious on corn bread and croissants. Again sent one jar to my family and haven't heard the end of it since.

As an added note, during the year there's canoe racing at various beaches. If you do a search for canoe racing oahu you can find a schedule. It's a blast to watch but be warned Hawaii supports its friends and families so for events like these parking is always a nightmare. If you want to see a canoe race definitely show up way before it's set to start. And buy a baked good or something to support the local racing clubs, those canoes don't come cheap!

Things to do for fun:
Okay top of my list for my family when they visit is Sea Life park. The park itself is from 50 first dates and a lot of the aquatic actors from the film live there, so if you've seen the movie you'll recognize a lot of the park. That being said, it's itty bitty. Not really worth just coming to see, but they have encounters with animals. I love these!!!! With the exception of sharks and stupid eels that stalk me I turn into a giddy seven year old when I get to touch marine life. They have dolphin swims, you can feed sea turtles, you can do an underwater walk through a gigantic aquarium, you can touch sting rays, and most important of all you can play with sea lions!!!! My family was a little suspicious of the idea of me and my big sis playing with Sea Lions but you can ask her they're like giant underwater dogs, except they could tear you to shreds if they wanted to. Luckily, their trainers keep them content and happy so there's no chance one will go rogue and steal a limb. But! they may stop listening to their trainer and wander up to you because you're holding a fish and they'd really really really like it if you'd just give it to them now instead of waiting for the trainer to tell you to. Fun fact...they have little nub tails like a puppy dog. Can you tell I really wanted to take one home? And if you're military they have the sea lions salute you. I've never really cared for saluting, I think it's archaic and a hassle at times but I'm willing to keep this practice going if I get to have a sea lion salute me!

Try something like snorkeling, surfing, scuba diving, or stand up paddle board. If you're military the ITT places have lessons and equipment for dirt cheap. If you aren't it's still fairly reasonable. My tip if you aren't military, check groupon/living social/tippr/playhawaii/hotdealshawaii for Honolulu area a few months leading up your trip to see if they have a special for one of these activities. You won't regret trying even if you make a complete fool of yourself.

You are here to relax so why not get a massage or a facial? But please don't spend an arm and a leg. Again any of the daily deal sites will have tons of spa deals but if you have a streak of bad luck just head to Relax, it's just massage. They're good and affordable.

Hikes are a necessity but after 2 ankles surgeries I'm not the person to go to for advice. If possible I'll make my favorite buddies who love to hike post some comments about hiking. But you need to jump off a waterfall!

Oahu has local events all the time and  most are pretty interesting to say the least. One of the major ones is Eat the Street (info on yelp) where all the food trucks get together in one location and have a themed party that helps benefit a food charity. I can't remember if it's meals on wheels or food bank Hawaii. The lines are insanely long but the food is delicious and you'll get to feel like one of us. This happens once a month. For other local events try Yelp or http://www.gohawaii.com/event

Wants some quirky photos that'll guarantee a laugh from your friends and family when you get back and an odd yet enjoyable experience? Look no further than purikura!  If you go to the site you'll note that they are Japanese influenced and most are of teeny boppers. That's because they are!!! The photo booths are predominately in Japanese and the shots are taken one after the other without a whole lot of warning. My cousin dragged me and while it enraged her how "uncultured" I was in the etiquette of purikura, we were laughing so hard we could barely breath at the results of my inability to assimilate.

Souvenirs:

Honey!!! Hawaii has some of the best honey I've had. big island bees is my favorite. You can order it online but if you pick it up here you save in shipping and about 7 bucks in mark up for the sampler set. The sampler set (which I'm running out of) consists of mac nut honey, Ohia-lehua, and Wilelaiki. The mac nut honey has a hint of nuttiness (surprise!), the ohia-lehua is more of a thicker cream and has a buttery taste, and the Wilelaiki (my favorite) has a mild sweetness without any of the normal bitter after taste that goes with honey. I love cooking with the Wilelaiki; it gives my foods and sauces a mild delicious sweetness without any of that distinct bitter honey aftertaste. So you taste how amazing my food is but you can't quite put your finger on my secret ingredient.

Go to walmart (I know I know, this place is "evil") and buy some candy leis. They're a really cute cheap souvenir for family and friends. Then take them home and crack jokes about getting "leid".

Avoid: the swap meet, it's huge, it's hot, it's crowded, and this is cheap touristy crap that you'll end up chucking in the garbage eventually.

If you love your family get them a pinneapple and li hing powder. Dole and the airport have ones ready to go with you on the plane.

Buy sugar cane as a treat, I'm not even sure it is farmed here anymore but it's delicious, it's fun to eat, and it's historically significant to Hawaii.

Mac nuts!!

If you can find them and afford it get something Hawaiian quilted, again this is one of those items that's unique to the island, has historical value, and is useful! While the quilts themselves are exorbitant because they're handmade, pot holders and place mats will be more affordable and still very pretty.

Go to 808tattoo in Kaneohe and get a tattoo. These artists are excellent and if you want a more permanent reminder of Hawaii this is a sure fire way to do it. Make sure to book way before you get here. You'll need the time to coordinate what you want and convince them to take you.

Other than food items, a lot of the things you'll encounter outside of a farmer's market are going to be very kitschy and will probably break about a week after you give them to your family members or will sit somewhere collecting dust until the end of time.

So that's about all I could think of for now. If I think of something more I'll come back and edit so if you liked this list, check back before you vacation because I may have updated it.