Dan and I went to Hawaii for the VERY FIRST time a few weeks ago, and I cannot stop thinking about it. We went to Oahu, and it was relaxing and fun, and we ate the BEST food ever! My neighbor Jenny is headed to Oahu in a few days, and when we were talking, I couldn’t even begin to tell her about all the places to go. So, I decided to write a post about it.
We had gotten so much great advice before we went from friends and family, and everyone’s tips were so useful! Because of that, I decided to compile it all for whoever needs it in the future, and if it helps anyone that is planning a trip to Oahu, then it’s a success!
Flight to Hawaii:
We flew Hawaiin Airlines, and it was pretty good. The seats were nice, and we were fed a meal on the flights. The fight is long so prepare for that. The plane didn’t have wifi {which I knew about beforehand}, and the free entertainment was kinda terrible to be honest. Most airlines have at least SOMETHING entertaining that you can watch for free that keeps your mind busy. But, everything they had for free was terribly boring. I couldn’t even watch it! HA. I’m not trying to criticize. Let me remind you that this post is to help anyone planning a trip, so I’m going to be 100% transparent. The flight is long, so the trip over was brutal for us AND WE ARE ADULTS! So, especially if kids are involved please take my advice: be prepared with your own entertainment for the flight. Download your shows to your device before you get on the plane. Get a good book, heck buy a coloring book. Anything is better than watching a Hawaiin dude travel to India or the Hawaiian football players award ceremony. <—That was the free entertainment.
Waikiki Tips:
We stayed for three nights in Waikiki. It was awesome. We loved the city, and we loved having a taste of both the city and the country during our vacation. If you have the option of breaking up your trip to stay in the city for part, and in the country for part, do it! I think it’s a great way to experience the entire island.
If you rented a car, there’s a Costco pretty close where you can stock up on whatever you need, and the prices are pretty much the same as the mainland. I was kinda shocked at that. We heard about this delicious Coconut Cake from Costco that one of my readers told us about, but when we went to buy it, we remembered that everything from Costco is in BULK, and the cake was huge! It was by the birthday cakes. Plus if i member right it was $20. So, we passed. But, if we go back with a group, you better bet we are getting the Costco Coconut Cake.
Hotel in Waikiki:
We stayed in the Sheraton right on the beach, and it was amazing, but I have to say that I didn’t pay for this portion of our stay. Silhouette was having a conference, and invited me to come. Heck, it’s pretty sad that it takes something like this to FORCE us to go on a vacation. Plus look at the amazing view and rainbow! We saw a rainbow almost every morning during breakfast. It was a dream!
This is the view from our room. {Who makes their bed on vacation!?! NOT I.} The bed was comfy and the room was very nice. 
City TIPS:
The city is crowded. So prepare yourself for that. There are sooo many people walking around downtown. It was kinda nuts. The beaches were packed. But, the food was insanely good, and we had the best shave {not shaved} ice on our entire trip there. There is really fun shopping downtown too! Go to ABC Stores for great priced souvenirs.
Waikiki FOOD:
Three restaurants that we will DEFINITELY return back to are: Island Vintage Shave Ice, DUKE’S, and Leonards Bakery. Sidenote: We learned that authentic Hawaiian snow cones are called “shave” ice not “shaved” ice. So when you come across a shop, make sure it says “shave” instead of “shaved.” Otherwise apparently it’s a knock off and a fraud. HAHA.
Island Vintage Shave Ice is located right outside the Tori Birch store in downtown Waikiki. It’s in a kiosk that doesn’t look like it would blow your brain, but trust me, it’s to. die. for. I wish I would have known that this would surpass any other shave ice establishments that we tried on our trip. I would have gone back for another one while we were so close.
My choice was more tart, which I LOVE! I ordered the “Heavenly Lilikoi.” I promise it tastes even better than it looks! YUM.
Dan’s was more sweet, which is what he prefers. He ordered the “Tropical Island.”
This is what the front looks like: It’s by far the best shave ice I’ve ever had. The syrup was fruit puree not just store bought flavored syrup. It was a 10 out of 10 (maybe even an 11).
We had probably 10 people recommend Leoanard’s Bakery, and it was super yummy! Get the custard filled malasadas. We liked the regular ones too! 
DUKES was so good too. Duke’s was our first meal on the island, and it was a great place to start. We could see the ocean from our table. We had the fish, and the HULA pie was amazing.
Also, the breakfast buffet at the Sheraton was great too. I would go back to this hotel in a heartbeat.
SNORKELING:
We bought our own snorkel gear before we left home from Costco. We loved having it with us the entire time on our trip because we used it tons during our trip! We had mixed reviews from friends about which place would be the “best” to snorkel at. So, we went to both places that was recommended the most: Hanauma Bay and Shark’s Cove.
Hanauma Bay State Park:
Hanauma Bay is closer to Waikiki, so go there before you head out to the North Shore. The snorkeling at HB was amazing. We loved snorkeling here! There is a $7.50 fee per person to enter the park. We didn’t need to rent snorkel gear, so I’m not sure how much renting costs. The park is closed every Tuesday, so plan accordingly.
Be careful because a lot of people told us that cars get broken into a lot in the parking lot. So don’t leave your wallet or your luggage in your rental car in this parking lot.
You watch a short instructional video first, and then you walk down a pretty steep hill to the snorkeling. {Or you can pay a minimal fee to ride a shuttle}.
The undertow is strong as you go out further so be careful. We got caught in the undertow for a minute, and it was very strong.
Shark’s Cove:
Shark’s Cove is located on the North Shore of Oahu right in Pupukea. I’m going to show you a map because we had a hard time finding it for some reason.
The name of this cove shouldn’t be alarming, but I wondered if I was going to be eaten by a shark if we went here {just because of the name}. But, it’s called shark’s cove because of the way the cove looks. It looks like a big bite was taken out of the shore.
The snorkeling at Shark’s Cove was very good too. We thought Hanauma Bay was a little bit better, but honestly I would go back to both in a heartbeat. I think it depends on the day how many fish you will see at either spot, but I loved them both.
Dan and I are scuba certified and we planned to take a dive when we were there, but after snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and Shark’s Cove we decided that we would save a scuba excursion for another time. Plus we found out that you need more than 24 hours between scuba diving and a plane ride. So, next time we will be all over this.
Sunset Beach our VRBO on the North Shore was within walking distance of Sunset Beach. It was not crowded, and we had great snorkeling here too. Sunset Beach is where I read almost an entire book on our trip. It was beautiful and relaxing.
Waimea Beach
[see map above} was beautiful! Just take a gander at paradise. It was a little crowded when we were there, but beautiful nonetheless.
Waimea falls a few people told us to hike {more of a stroll} to Waimea Falls, but we ran out of time. If you have done this, let me know what you think!
North Shore FOOD:
If you haven’t noticed, we are foodies. We love looking for the local food spots whenever we travel. We loved Seven Brothers Burgers, Ted’s Bakery, and several delicious food trucks too.
Oh. My. Delicious. Food. Trucks. Our first stop on the North Shore was the Elephant Food Truck located right by Shark’s Cove.
We ordered Pad Thai and Panang Curry and it was a 10 out of 10. It was the best Thai Food I had ever eaten. My only complaint is that they don’t make mango sticky rice, but that’s me being picky.
The next two we actually ate at both of them TWICE, and that’s a big deal for us.
Seven Brother’s Burgers was absolutely delicious. They have two locations, and GPS is NOT correct when you try and find it. The original location is located right in Laie in the same mini mall as FoodTown {the grocery store} on Kamehameha HWY. The first time we went I ordered the SHEM burger and Dan ordered the Cowboy. This is the SHEM burger, it was as good as it looks for sure.
The second time we went, we went to their new location Seven Brothers at the Mill, which is also on Kamehameha HWY, but it’s a few minutes away from the other location and they have a different variety of items at this location. Dan ordered the coconut Shrimp, and I had the garlic shrimp. Both meals were very very good. I liked the coconut shrimp better than the garlic FYI.
Shrimp Trucks: There are shrimp trucks all along the North Shore, and they were recommended to us by TONS of people. If you love shrimp, you must stop and try them!
Ted’s Bakery: Our VRBO on the North Shore was less than 5 minutes from Ted’s. The food was delicious. We ate breakfast there two days in a row, and even orders some yummy donuts and pastry’s too. I would recommend this place with flying colors.
Haleiwa:
Surfing capital of the North Shore, if you want to see some awesome surfing, this is the place to go. There are really cute shops and the famous Matsimotos Shave Ice is located here.
To be 100% honest, I didn’t see what all the hype was about. Island Vintage Shave Ice was 100 times better. Sorry Matsimotos. The line went out the door and was crazy long too. I didn’t even finish mine. {That was probably because I got the beans in the bottom of mine, and I thought that was extra gross}.
On a positive note, the store next door {Whalers General Store} had the most amazing blue paint color on the exterior of their building. I knew I would regret it if I didn’t pursue it further so I asked the owner if I could look at the paint can. He was so so nice, and showed me the can! It’s called Sherwin Williams Regatta. I painted my boys’ dressers that color and they look AMAZING! Check out their room and their dressers here.
Entertainment/Sightseeing:
Pali Lookout {short drive from Waikiki} This was very cool. The view was amazing, and the Hawaiian history was cool to learn about too.
Pearl Harbor {in Honolulu}. Visiting Pearl Harbor was amazing, but we were so bummed because the boats to the Arizona Memorial were closed when we got there at 11. We wish we would have known that this is very common and to come earlier in the day. If the wind picks up, they close the boats. So if you go earlier in the morning, you will have a better chance of them being open.
The feeling at Pearl Harbor is very respectful, peaceful, and patriotic. I loved it.
Dinner Cruise {in Waikiki Bay} We loved going on a dinner cruise and the skyline was incredible. The Polynesian dancers were awesome too!
Swap Meet at Stadium {in Honolulu}
The Swap meet was really fun. It’s open on Sundays and Wednesdays and is very close in proximity to Pearl Harbor. {So if you plan ahead, you can do them both on the same day.
Laie Point {in Laie}
Polynesian Culture Center {in Laie}
Turtles!
Paddle Boarding on the Haleiwa River {in Haleiwa}
Laie Temple {in Laie}
Dole Plantation {in between Waikiki and the North Shore}
We didn’t take an official tour because they told us that there weren’t any pineapples in their fields this time of year. So, we just walked around and got Dole Whips, of course they did not disappoint.
GENERAL Hawaii Traveling TIPS:
Go alone your first time. I’m not saying that traveling in groups is bad by any means, but we didn’t have anybody else’s agenda to worry about. I think if you are going for the first time, going alone with your spouse is a wonderful idea.
Stay in a VRBO. We LOVED the one we stayed in and it was very affordable.
Break up your trip to stay in the city and the North Shore. That way you can experience both!
Awwwww…. Some lovely memories there Ulrich. Beloved and I were married on Oahu almost 25 years ago. We returned in 2008 and so much had changed, but we fell in love with the islands again. We’re planning to return next year for our 25th and I suspect things will be different again, so your guide will come in handy! Thanks for sharing 🙂 Sue ~ The World of Suzy Homemaker
My apologies… Brooke!
When we took our padi dive courses for certifications they updated the rule on diving/flying. They told us 18 hours before a flight..haha we always try to get as many dives in whenever we go somewhere tropical. We dive a lot in Hawaii, but now we only do boat dives and no shore dives.. too many shark attacks off shores that we never hear about so they can keep tourism up! 😉 Glad you had a great time!
oh man, what an amazing trip. the food looks just as great as the scenery! we’ve been to maui and kauai but i’d loooove to go back to the big island and to spend a few days on oahu.
b