Our Unforgettable Journey in Oahu

Our lives have changed in many ways since 2020, one obvious change that is easily noticeable is that we now have to explore the world with a lot more restrictions. After almost a year of being creative with local sightseeing only, we finally made our way to Hawaii, the paradise on earth. Aloha!

Part I - Honolulu

Waikiki Beach

We booked our stay with Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, it is an ocean view resort on Waikiki Beach with direct beach access. Though resorts like this are not the most budget friendly choices, the convenience and easy access to Waikiki Beach is a huge plus on top of that iconic ocean view.

As one of the most popular beaches in the world, it definitely gets very busy at times. So we loved enjoying some quieter times before the crowds arrive and watched many sunrises during our stay. Definitely a view worth seeing many times with Diamond Head Crater in the backdrop, it’s simply classic and unique.

Diamond Head

As one of the most visited spots in Honolulu, it’s popular for obvious reasons: you can see the entire coastline of Waikiki Beach as well as the full shape of this crater from the top.

This out and back trail is only 1.8 miles and can be done with no or minimal breaks. We went straight up to the top during our visit and it took less than half an hour from ticketing booth. The trail started quite flat and became slightly more steep towards the top, but very much beginner friendly.

What we absolutely love about our experience here is that this easy trail will actually lead you to million dollar views, views that normally would require much more efforts to reach and see.

Kalakaua Avenue

With concentrated top-tier shops and restaurants and low sales tax, it’s easy to understand why Kalakaua Avenue is such a shopping paradise. Even if you’re not looking to buy anything, there’re still tons of things to see, from fancily built plazas to unique local plantations, as well as outdoor parks and iconic statues, no way of being bored here.

Part II - North Shore

Dole Plantation

Why not grabbing something sweet and local to eat while heading to Oahu’s North Shore, that’s exactly what did as we stopped at Dole Plantation for their famous Pineapple Whip.

There are also other fun activities to do here such as their train ride and Pineapple Garden Maze, but if your schedule is tight, a quick visit to their beautifully designed garden that requires no wait time and ticket will be quite fun as well.

And our bonus finds in the garden below, the best kind of representation of a tropical kingdom.

Green World Coffee Farm

Minutes away from Dole Plantation, you can grab a cup of Hawaiian coffee from Green World Coffee Farm and perhaps also learn a few things on how coffee beans are grown here.

Laniakea Beach

Oahu’s North Shore has many incredible beaches, but Laniakea Beach was one of the most famous ones because of its popularity among sea turtles. Chances are you will likely get to see some sea friends sunbathing during your visit, just keep appropriate distance and we can all hang out here together.

Kaaawa Beach

After stopping by at a few more renowned places such as Sunset Beach, we made our way to this less known spot. Kaaawa Beach is such a hidden gem and we were instantly drawn by it the moment we discovered its existence from social media.

The beach is definitely a lot quieter with less sand space to hang out, but there is no better way to summarize Oahu than this view - ocean, palm trees, and some serious terrains.

Part III - Windward Coast

Olomana Trail

Oahu is heaven for outdoor enthusiastic not only because of its renowned beaches, but also because of its many astonishing hiking trails. After we tackled the easy and popular trail of Diamond Head Crater, we decided to challenge a much more difficult black trail on the east side of the island with significantly fewer hikers - the Olomana Trail, also commonly known as the Three Peaks Trail.

Easy to tell from its name, this hiking trail consists of 3 peaks of some very narrow and epic looking terrains. It is an out and back trail of roughly 5 miles depending on where you start, and about 1800 ft of elevation gain. It is considered a black trail not only because of its steep climbs, but also the difficulty level of some of these climbs. The trail is pretty primitive and at times it could be close to 90 degrees of boulder climbing with help of ropes.

Since it’s an out and back trial, you can turn back anytime. We chose to hike to the first peak before making our way back, it was enough of a challenge for us and second/third peaks are said to be for more professional rock climbers. The 360 degree views of those insane mountain range and turquoise water on top are more than rewarding, though we didn’t complete all three peaks this time, the satisfaction of making to the first peak is already next level compared to all our previous hikes.

Kualoa Regional Park and Mokolii Island

Kualoa Ranch is famous for filming the movie Jurassic Park onsite, and if you want to see this incredible mountain range in its entirety, Kualoa Regional Park is probably the best spot on the windward coast.

Not far from Kualoa Regional Park, there is a small island named Mokolii, or more commonly known as Chinaman’s Hat due to its shape. This small island was privately owned upon until the 1970s, it has then become a popular kayaking destination and also part of our itinerary.

It took us about 20 minutes of kayaking to land on Mokolii, and once we secured our kayak and turned back, there was the Kualoa Ranch featuring its symbolic terrains.

If you’re up for exploring the island, make sure to bring your hiking shoes with you. With absolutely zero facility and infrastructure on the island, this is the kind of moments that will make you feel like a true adventurer.

Byodo-In Temple

Temples are by nature sacred places and mountains are usually a critical part of its location choice. Byodo-In Temple was so well hidden and protected by the Koolau Range, you literally can’t see it until you are about to step into the place.

The temple is beautifully maintained and there is a large Koi pond right in front of it. With mountains in the back, water at the front, thick and tall bamboos onsite, we could only assume this place probably has the finest Feng Shui.

Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden

Last but not least from our East Oahu adventure is Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden, the well known place for its lush rainforests and scenic road.

The moment you go pass the entry gate, it’s like entering a different world with lined up tropical plants and Koolau Mountain in the back. The clouds seemed to always be thick and low in the area, adding a bit of mystery to the scene.

Disclaimer: photo below was taken after hours when all vehicles have existed the park, however please assume the danger of this shot and attempt at your own risk.

Part IV - Tours

As always, we also like to book a few local tours in our trip to help enhance the experience, and we use TripAdvisor to search and reserve selected tours. What we like about booking tours on TripAdvisor is that it usually provides very competitive rates as well as easy and flexible cancellation policies.

Dive Oahu - Discover Scuba Diving Tour

During our initial research, we were super excited to find out that there were scuba diving tours available for first time divers who are not certified - that sounds like us! As many times as we have snorkeled, we’ve always wanted to go a little deeper into the ocean and take on some new challenges in life.

The tour included an overall training of basic scuba diving knowledge before getting into the water, an one on one training session in the water to practice everything we’ve just learned, and then an actual scuba diving experience lead by the trainer. For us, the fear and excitement were both intense, no doubt that this will be one of the most memorable experiences in our life!

Catamaran Cruise - Wildlife, Snorkeling, and Hawaiian Buffet

This was a super relaxed way to enjoy a day, and also a chance for us to see the west coast of Oahu as we boarded at Ko Olina Marina. Like many other catamaran tours, food, drinks, equipment, etc. are all provided at your convenience, the sailing is also smooth and pleasant.

On the day of our visit, we also spotted a large group of dolphins from close proximity, and what’s better than that? When a few members from the group decided to show us some dance moves above the water!

We spent 7 days in Oahu during this trip and towards the end we felt it was far from enough, it went by in a blink of an eye. There were so much more that we wanted to do and see here, so it is only fair to say we will be returning to this paradise for sure. Aloha, till next time!

Check out our amazing Oahu food tour HERE!

Hotel of Our Stay: Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort

Beautiful beach front resort at a central location on Kalakaua Avenue, direct beach access, lots of restaurants and shops nearby, great service and overall wonderful experience.