Hawaii
- The Wild Voyage
- Jul 28, 2022
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 11, 2022
From tiki bars to hikes, things to do in Hawaii and helpful tips for your trip!
Where to Stay? How is the public transportation? Weather?
I stayed in Queen Kapiolani Hotel. Fair prices and good location. Staying in North Shore for a more calm experience is another option.
Queen Kapiolani hotel's rooftop, it has a pool, a restaurant and on the first floor they offer surf board rentals. They give a complementary hard plastic water bottle. It is located next to the Diamond Head State Monument.
How is the public transportation? There are buses and Uber. I rented a car for part of the week, used the bike and walked for the rest of the trip.
Weather? Very warm all the year, the rainy season is from November to March, a sudden storm shows up and an hour later the sky clears up and is sunny again.
That is a wonderful sunset in Honolulu, from Queens Beach, right down the street from the hotel.
Things to do in Hawaii
Ho 'omaluhia Botanical gardens
This is a free activity to explore the flora of Hawaii. It is located very close to what we could call the "Downtown" of the Island, where Waikiki beach is, open from 9 am to 4 pm. It offers an incredible landscape perfect for photographies. This park has some rules such as walking on the designated paths and not taking pictures in the middle of the road.There are special activities and events like painting, drawing, even fishing. There is also a camping. For more information check the website:
Diamond Head Hike
Back in 2021 was a forbidden hike due to the unsafe trail. There was even a fine of $1000. As much as I wanted to do this trail since I love the wild and risky activities, the wise option was to respect the Hawaiian local safety rules, and be respectful with their culture as well. I've seen a lot of recents post that indicate this trail it might have opened back, and checking the official website you can corroborate if its functioning:
It definitely looks amazing, and one of the best rewarding summits for hiking
Shark Diving
There are several companies that offer this tour. The best location is in North Shore, Oahu. It is not for free but is totally worth it. The prices vary between 80 and 120 dollars. Depending on the duration of the tour and the type of experience. Driving to North Shore displays a beautiful landscapes, the surroundings are breathtaking, and you will cross a beautiful, famous bridge to get there. Basically, once you get there you meet ta the location agreed with the company, hop on a boat and they take you where the sharks are. You have two options, dive with oxygen tanks or submerge in the water inside a cage with a snorkel equipment. this activity takes about 90 min. They provide you the snorkel, and for additional money they take pictures and videos for you under water.
These are two of the several companies that offer this experience:
Paddle boarding/surf/kayak
Rent a paddle board, or a surf board for a few hours here:
Cost is $20, and go to wake beach, from that point paddle towards Kanahamokju Beach. As soon as you get there you will see a lot of sea turtles swimming next to you. Usually there is a very expensive tour to see the turtles, but why pay when you can do it for free. You can also take surf lessons, which is very common in Waikiki, although it gets very crowded. The lessons are affordable and there is no need to drive far away.
North Shore
As I mentioned above, North Shore offers a spectacular vegetation and landscape, along with interesting little shops and food. Typical meals they offer includes poke, shrimp, plenty of more seafood, tacos, crepes, juices, smoothies, ice cream, açaí bowls and chicken, a lot of chicken! You can find most of them in Haleiwa, North Shore.
The shops have souvenirs, local products, Hawaiian shirts made in Oahu, fun articles, clothing and more!
Lanikai Pillbox hike
This is a very long hike, full of rocks, the first part is very steep, there are ropes to hold on tight and climb up. I wore hiking shoes but there was people wearing normal sneakers, even flip flops, which I don't recommend. After 50 min or so you reach the top, the view is absolutely stunning, then you have the option of keep walking to have other views of the beach and nature. Hawaii's nature is so rich that most of the activities there are for free, beaches, hikes, national parks!
Zoo
I am not fan of zoos since I strongly encourage to whatch wild animals in their natural habitat like safaris, although some zoos protect rescued animals, and they use the money from the ticket to keep helping all these beautiful species. The zoo is right by the beach, opens daily from 10 am to 3 pm, and the admission is 19 dollars. They also offer twilight tours during the evening.
Hilton Lagoon
Right by the Kahanamoku Beach, the Hilton Hotel has a lagoon right on the sand and next to the ocean, that reflects all the horizon and creates a wonderful landscape. The access to the lagoon is free. You can bring your paddle board or rent equipment at the hotel. Additionally, the beach is very nice, although crowded at certain times, and there are bars that sell delicious piña colada.
Restaurants:
Duke's Waikiki
It has a vast list of signature cocktails and a very fine menu. It's a very fancy restaurant therefore is not very affordable! Book far in advance, especially if you plan to go for holidays. It is right by the beach, they have live music and shows, during the night the torches make it feel very chill and relaxed.
Hawaiian Inn
In Kakaako District
Try some local food here, the poke is pretty good!
Mai Tai Bar
Part of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, right by the beach, I didn't need reservations but are strongly encouraged. It was the first night in Honolulu after landing, I was very hungry after a long flight, and this place just saved me very late in the night with food and drinks, plus a beautiful walk on the beach under the moonlight!
Tiki's Grill and Bar
Delicious tropical drinks, an extensive menu and the best view of the beach from their rooftop
Kakaako District
Is the art district of Honolulu, just walking around the blocks you can appreciate the creativity on the walls, there are a few breweries around to visit and a lot of local restaurants to try authentic dishes!
Shopping
On Kalakaua Ave and Lewers St, you can find the Royal Hawaiian Center and the Waikiki Beach walk, there are fancy stores, food, and is very nice to walk around.
Visit the other Islands; Maui and Kailua Kona
Kailua Kona
A flight of 40 min will take you to another island where you can keep exploring the beautiful Hawaii. I went to Kailua Kona, back in 2021 I had to get Covid tested, check for Covid restrictions to travel inter-island. I stayed in an apartment rented through Vrbo, close to the main entertaining area on on ALI' I Drive, recommend to do this in advance to get better offers.
View from the apartment rented through Vrbo
What to do in Kailua- Kona?
The Pololu Trail
There is a hike with access to a volcanic sand beach; The Pololu Trail. I drove from my hotel to the parking lot, which can get packed, is good to be in line and be patient until a new space opens. Once the car is parked, the hike takes 20 min or so. The sand is very dark, almost black, and I didn't get in the ocean since the waves were very strong. Is simply something different to appreciate if you are interested in Black Sand Beaches.
Chocolate factory tour
There is a tour through the cacao plantations and a chocolate shop that sells chocolate, coffee, soup, chocolate fudge, and wrapped boxes for gifts.
Tickets are $25 and tours are offered only Wednesdays and Fridays at 9 AM and 10 AM
to book a ticket go to the official website https://www.ohcf.us
Zip Lines
There are different experiences you can book, different levels and durations. The company used for this experience was Koloa Zipline https://koloazipline.com It was very exciting and the personal is nice and attentive. Prices were lower at the time I visited, currently it is around $150. This one is the most affordable company and it feels extremely safe. The activity takes in between 3 and 4 hours. A truck picks the group up from the company's location and takes you to the point where the zippiness begin. After completing the circuit of zip lines the same truck takes everyone back. They provide a complementary snack and water, they instructors know a lot about the regions and were able to explain facts about vegetation, animals, and region.
Bars
I have a list of my top favorite bars in Kailua-Kona, there are plenty of them with affordable tropical cocktails, the selection is great and is cheaper than Oahu. The environment is more relax than Oahu, is not that crowded and they all concentrate in between Kalaoa and Holualoa, on ALI' I Drive.
On The Rocks
This was one of the few places that had Pina coladas -believe it or not-. there is live music and is perfect to watch the sunset. Didn't need reservations since we went during the afternoon, strongly encourage some if is for sunset hours.
Humpy's Big Island Alehouse
Next to a beach volleyball court, very tasty painkillers and a nice view of the games.
Island Lava Java
Sat down on the bar with no reservations. Had delicious drinks and an incredible view the sunset, right by the beach. They have live music, which generates a great ambience.
Fish Hopper
Walking on the same road, almost reaching the end, there is this amazing restaurant-bar with the most crazy crafted cocktails. I had a very long day, and they got a table for me very late in the night.
Cocktail-food? Try their Ultimate Seafood Bloody Mary!
There are volcanoes and National Parks! One of the volcanos had erupted a few days before my visit so I decided that It wasn't a good occasion to live this experience since it was impossible to get close enough to have a decent view of it. Remember to check that before getting any tickets with the tour companies. There are so many experiences like sunset cruises, four wheels excursions, jet skies, an more!!
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