Oahu by Location {Travel Guide}

Hawai`i was my home for 5.5 years. The Aloha State is abundantly gorgeous, the weather is nearly perfect, and the aloha spirit is truly unique. 

If you're missing Hawai`i or preparing for a visit you'll want to catch up with Hawai`i {What to Say}, Hawai`i {What to See}, and Hawai`i {What to Eat}.

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The main event from our recent trip to Palm Springs, Disneyland, and Oahu was our third and final destination. We spent 8 glorious days in Hawai`i on the island of Oahu. 

We spent four days in Honolulu, two days at Ko Olina, and two days on the North Shore. Here I'll outline the best of the best at each location.

​We spent our days running around outside and eating as much as we could. You'll see how we spent our time outdoors with "Stay in the Sunshine", where and what to Eat, and how to Revisit History. 

An amazing view of Honolulu and Diamond Head from the `Ualaka`a Trail

In Town in Honolulu

Honolulu is the capitol of Hawai`i. It's the biggest city in the state and the heart of the island of Oahu. There it's referred to as "in town." 

Stay in the Sunshine.

​The `Ualaka'a Trail hike winds through the green magic of nature and is easy enough for kids and dogs. The reward is an amazing view of Diamond Head through the lush green trees. I like easy hikes and this one was perfect in terms of length and scenery. 

Showing you just how much I like easy hikes!

A few minutes drive from the hike will take you to Tantalus Lookout where you can get an even better view of the city and the ocean. Hop off of the path and take some time to PLAY in the grassy perch above the world. At least that's what it feels like!

Pool and Ocean, Ocean and Pool. Do you remember that great rotation of swimming spots as a kid? I'm happy to tell you that kids "these days" still do the same. We swam in apartment pools, the Elks Lodge pool, and dipped in the ocean as much as possible. If you're going to Hawai`i you BETTER BE getting in the water!

POOL DAY!

Revisit History.

We spent a day in Pearl Harbor aboard the Mighty Mo! I used to work on the ship and it's also where we had our wedding reception!

Formally known as the Battleship Missouri Memorial this is the ship where World War II ended. On September 2, 1954 in Tokyo Bay, Japan, the Documents of Surrender were signed, restoring peace to the WHOLE WORLD. 

Visiting the Mighty Mo is a must-do for visitors to Oahu, perfectly paired with a visit to the USS Arizona Memorial, both are in Pearl Harbor.

Eat.

The most unexpected culinary delight of my whole trip to Oahu was the vegan loco moco at the Elks Lodge.

The patty was handmade, perfectly seasoned, and for sure included beets. The gravy was delicious. The whole thing was topped with an avocado half that was filled with vinaigrette. When you sliced into it the avocado the sauce spilled over the rest of the dish just like an egg yolk would. I made everyone try this amazing vegan recreation of a very meaty meal before eating every last bite. 

The vegan loco moco from the Honolulu Elks Lodge

We went to MALL for dinner! The Shirokia Japan Village Walk is a giant and very overwhelming food court and I came for one specific thing: takoyaki. 

Takoyaki are savory Japanese dumplings make with octopus (tako) and topped with fish flakes. The batter is poured into round molds before being carefully turned and flipped until perfectly cooked. These are the BEST takoyaki I've ever had and Shirokia is forever my favorite place to eat them. 

We ate Dim Sum at Happy Days, another old favorite of ours. Dim Sum are Chinese steamed dumplings and Happy Days is, again, the best place to get Dim Sum on the whole planet! 

We gathered around a huge table and ordered tons of options. One of the best parts about eating Dim Sum is how quickly you're able to start eating after arriving, just wait for a cart to roll near you and it's time to eat. 

Dim sum at Happy Days in Honolulu

Ang + Bryce at Happy Days, photo courtesy of Brendo

Leonards Malasadas are the best Portuguese donuts. Shockingly we only got our fix of them once on this visit! You can read much more about malasadas here. 

All smiles with two boxes of Leonards Malasadas

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At Ko Olina

Ko Olina is an area on the West Side of Oahu. It's rich in resorts and home to four great lagoons on the edge of the ocean. 

Stay in the Sunshine. 

We spent a ton of time in and around the Ko Olina Lagoons. We took a long morning walk around the lagoons, visited their beaches and swam in the water a few times!

Eat.

We enjoyed a bit of the Disney magic of Aulani at the Character Dinner Buffet at Makahiki. I'd recommend this spot for Disney fans of all ages! 

The buffet was plentiful! There were so, so many options including a ton of seafood. The quality of the food was across the board, some things were just OK and others were great.

The star of the show, truly, were the desserts! I took 13 and tried a bite of all of them before deciding which ones to finish. Pineapple cobbler and mango cheesecake were the stand outs! 

Mickey shaped sweets are the way to my heart

We had to stop for a Dole Whip at Aulani's Ulu Cafe. It was delightful to eat cool Dole Whip on a walk back from the beach!

If you're not staying at Aulani you can walk through the grounds and wiggle between the pools. You may even fun into some of your favorite Disney Characters! 

I wanted to stay at Aulani but it was very expensive and our friends house was just a few minutes' walk away so we didn't. NEXT TIME!

Dole Whip and sunshine, Oahu perfection

Happy Hour is called Pau Hana in Hawai`i and we spent it at Monkey Pod Kitchen.

Their Pau Hana is from 3:00 to 5:30 pm daily and the Pumpkin Patch Ravioli are forever my favorite thing at Monkey Pod. They're filled with squash that's been roasted with kiawe wood and topped with chevre cheese, spinach, and walnut sage pesto. 

The No Ka `Oi cocktail was wonderful, too! It's Ocean Vodka, Thai basil, lime, simple syrup, and honey lilikoi puree. 

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On the North Shore

The North Shore feels like Oahu's backyard. It's the country, where the BIG waves come out in the wintertime, and where the pace of life is a little bit slower than "in town."

Stay in the Sunshine.

We hiked the Ehukai Pillboxes Hike aka Paumalu Bunker for another great top-of-the-world type view! This hike was a little bit harder but still easy-medium and it was VERY muddy. Two of the four people in our group did this hike barefoot! 

The view from the bunker atop the Ehukai Pillboxes Hike

The beaches on the North Shore are so f%$#ing magical. We went to three beaches in two days and it was earthly perfection. The wide beaches, powerful waves, and big grains of sand are my favorite. 

The magic of Oahu's North Shore

Eat.

Coffee Gallery is the cutest little coffee shop with amazing baked goods. We went every day! 

The Coffee Gallery on Oahu's North Shore

Foodland is a chain of grocery stores in Hawai`i and my favorite places to stock up on reusable bags and local treats.

The Foodland store on the North Shore is the place to run into and catch up with your friends and neighbors. We spotted Earthy Andy there and bought too many things for ourselves and our people on the mainland. 

I LOVE FOODLAND BAGS. And Foodland. And Hawai`i.

Ted's Bakery makes the very best pies on the whole planet. We got our favorite, chocolate haupia (coconut) and sloppily ate bites and slices of it, straight from the container, until it was gone. 

Poke for the People was a great spot for a killer poke bowl! The fish was so fresh and the toppings were perfect. There's no poke on the mainland that compares to fresh fish in Hawai`i. 

A killer poke bowl from Poke to the People

Mahalo for touring around Oahu with me! 

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