Beach destinations are usually not our thing. At all. It’s not our style to spend 2 weeks lying on a beach, somewhere touristy, and do nothing but sunbathe; we very much prefer walking around cities or going on road trips. However, I must admit that ever since our trip to California, we’ve been nurturing a certain yearning for water, sand and sun. So, for our big annual trip, we thought long and hard about where we wanted to go. There was a lot of back and forth between several destinations, but somehow, Hawaii kept coming up. It kept coming up until it became our top destination of choice.
And if we were to go to Hawaii, then there is only one island we wanted to visit: Oahu. The decision to go to Hawaii was both exhilarating and a bit nerve wracking! As previously mentioned, we are not beach people and yet we decided to spend our vacation exactly there. There were so many things to think about and logistics to plan out for this trip that we normally don’t go through for our other vacations (like how do we change in and out of our bathing suits? We really had no idea! And I’m still not sure we nailed it…). Originally, we were supposed to leave in May, but we had a few things to sort out, so the trip was postponed until October, just before the rainy season starts.
All in all, we did not regret our decision one bit. The 2 weeks we spent there were magical.
Accommodation
We stayed at the Surfjack hotel and it was awesome. The staff was extremely welcoming and helpful and there are no complaints to be made about the room. If you are into socializing and meeting new people, the Surjack holds events almost every night around their pool area, but for those of you who are not into theses kinds of things, rest assured, you barely hear a thing from your room. Besides, the events rarely last beyond 9 pm.
What we loved best about our hotel is that it’s only a 15-minute walk away from Waikiki beach. You can simply ask for a big towel at the front desk and take a short stroll before you can rest on one of the most beautiful beaches on earth. My only complaint about the hotel concerns the food. The hotel’s restaurant offers a very limited choice of meals and they are quite overpriced.
Weather
Hot. Very hot. And humid! When sunny, the sun can be pretty strong so make sure you have a good hat on and carry sunscreen with you at all time! Also, it’s extremely important that you make sure you have an eco-friendly sunscreen, especially if you plan to go swimming in the ocean. If you forgot to pack your sunscreen, worry not because there are convenience stores on every street corners and they all sell a wide variety of eco-friendly sunscreen.
The weather changes regularly between sunny and cloudy, with occasional moments of rain, but the rain never really lasts for a long time. It can be pretty heavy, though! But, the reward afterwards is rainbows! So many beautiful rainbows!
The beach
There are numerous beaches you could visit on Oahu. Drive all around the coast and all you’ll see are beaches! It’s fantastic! Some are more crowded than others, some have stronger waves, lighter sand… but one thing’s for sure is that they are all breathtakingly beautiful. ALL of them. Just drive around and visit them all; that’s what we did!
Surprisingly, my favorite beach was Waikiki. I say surprisingly because Waikiki is by far the most touristy beach and since I don’t like crowds, I was dead certain that I would enjoy it the least. But, as it turned out, Waikiki was a dream! It had, according to me, the best sand and its waves were calm enough that we can walk in the water without being carried away. I am not a strong swimmer so that was perfect for me. Since we weren’t there during high tourist season, there were a lot of people on the beach with us but it wasn’t overwhelming. We could still sunbathe without feeling like our personal space was being invaded.
What we did was rent a car, and everyday we’d drive to one beach or two. We’d sunbathe for a while and if the wind permits it, we’d go for a swim. Then, we’d get back in the car and drive to another beach! The landscape is so beautiful that we wanted to soak in as much of it as possible!
Road trip
Even though finding parking spots if very difficult and we had to pay a daily parking fee at the hotel, we decided to rent a car for this trip because we wanted to visit as much of the island as we could. We did not regret these additional expenses. We were free to go anywhere, whenever we wanted, and that was a major plus. As mentioned previously, Oahu has a magical landscape and we wanted to see as much of it as possible. Every morning, after coffee and breakfast, we’d hit the road and explore! It was liberating.
Places to see
The beach, of course! But if sunbathing isn’t your cup of tea, rest assured that there is still plenty else to do, like visiting Pearl Harbor, the Dole pineapple plantation, Diamond Head, the Polynesian Cultural Center, just to name a few. We passed by these places but did not go for the full tours because of a time restraint. However, my two personal favorites are Ho’omaluhia botanical garden with its very instagrammable entryway and the Byodo-In Temple with its koi pond and napping “guard cats”. Access to the botanical garden only costs 10$ and 5$ for the temple.
Also, as mentioned several times already, Oahu has a beautiful landscape, so driving around and exploring it should already take up a lot of time. Of course, there’s also plenty of shopping to be done in Chinatown and downtown.
The food
My favorite topic! Food was AMAZING!!!! It ranges from super fresh to hyper decadent, but always delicious. The cuisine in Hawaii incorporates diverse styles of food which stems from its diverse history and the many different cultures that live there. This is where I ate the best noodles, bibimbap or poke in a long while! So here are my favorite places to eat:
For coffee and/or breakfast pastries: Kona Coffee Purveyors. Hawaii is known for its amazing coffee, so where ever you go, chances are that the coffee will be pretty great. We personally enjoyed going to Kona Coffee Purveyors. This place is great. Not only is it a short 5 minutes walk away from our hotel, it also offers a great selection of pastries and excellent coffee. Don’t worry about the long line. The employees run things pretty smoothly and you won’t be waiting for too long. Take advantage of that time in line to study their wide selection of baked goods. Trust me, you’ll have a hard time choosing and will end up like me, ordering more than needed! Whatever you’ll order will taste great but my heart goes for their lilikoi bostock (see picture bellow). Life changing is how I would describe it. Or addictive. I like to pair it with a flat white for a full euphoric effect. Before leaving the place, I also order Liam’s punch, which is a refreshing blend of pressed pineapple and grapefruit juice, with passion fruit puree. It is by far the best juice I’ve had in my life and it gives me a much needed energy boost for the busy day ahead. It’s also ice cold, which helps in the heat!
Breakfast meals: Duke’s Waikiki. OK, it’s a pretty touristy area but it doesn’t matter. The food was amazing and the view was even better. There are 2 floors in the place. The first floor is a buffet while the second floor is a restaurant. We went to the second floor because buffets are not our thing. The restaurant is almost always full so it’s better to reserve a table ahead. We were lucky to just show up and have a table ready for us within minutes, but that’s just what it was: luck. I ordered eggs on fried rice and it tasted exactly like the rice my mom made when we were little! Doesn’t sound or look like much but it was delicious! The simplest things always are the hardest to make. And the view we had from our table was the cherry on top. We were right on the beach! Could not have asked for a better way to start the day!
Loco Moco: Loco moco is a typical Hawaiian meal consisting of white rice, burger patties, fried eggs, gravy. It is hearty, extremely filling but oh so comforting! It’s like eating the best hug in the world. That meal should exist worldwide. You can pretty much find it everywhere but the best place to eat it is Ethel’s Grill. This incredible little hole in the wall is a staple in Oahu. That being said, it is not located in a touristy area, quite the opposite: it’s in an industrial neighborhood, pretty much surrounded by nothing. The restaurant is quite small, so then again, you must be lucky to have a table. Or else, you must wait in line for there is no reservations to make ahead. You can get a variety of Asian meals there like ahi tataki, furikake saba or saba katsu, but their loco moco is out of this world. The meals are really not expensive, considering that they come with a soup, salad and ice tea! It is important to note that it is a cash only restaurant and that it’s open for breakfast and lunch only.
Plate lunch: Rainbow Drive-In. So what is a plate lunch? It’s also a typical Hawaiian meal that consists of 2 scoops of white rice, a large portion of meat and macaroni salad. There are variations where gravy is poured on top, or others that also serve noodles. Like the Loco Moco, the plate lunch is sinfully good. And like the Loco Moco, it is extremely decadent, hearty and filling. At the Rainbow Drive-In, I chose the boneless chicken and gravy. Little did I know, it came with 2 huge deep-fried chicken breasts! It was to die for (and I almost did, trying to finish it!).
Best noodles: MurakameUDON. That restaurant is only 10 minutes away from our hotel and it is fabulous! It serves udon noodles, which are thick wheat flour noodles. I love them because they have a bite. There is always a long waiting line outside but worry not because everything is run so fluidly inside! The menu is outside, so make up your mind while waiting. Once inside, pick a tray and a small plate and give your order to the first man behind the counter. Slide the tray along the rails a bit and your bowl will be handed to you. Yes, already! The staff behind the counter works in chain, so the first guy takes your order, then puts the prepared cold udon noodles in a bowl and hands it over to his colleague who ads the broth and/ or other condiments like boiled egg, fried onions and whatnot. Once you have your bowl, slide the tray some more to reach the side dishes. The hardest part for me was to make a quick decision and chose among the wide variety of options they offer! There are a lot of people waiting behind me and I don’t want to be that person who makes everyone wait, so snap decisions are in order! But there are so many possibilities to pick from! Most of them are deep fried (tempura), by the way. So, when in doubt, go for tempura shrimp. Slide the tray again and pay. Then, find a place to sit, eat, enjoy your meal and leave. Out of respect for all the hungry people waiting outside, do no linger and clean out your eating area, and by that I mean bring back the tray and your bowl so that the next client can just come and sit. Their udon noodles are by far the best I’ve ever had in my life! And I think that’s why we came back here so often during our stay. So warm and comforting (and somehow not clashing with the hot weather), full of textures and incredibly flavorful, these udon noodles are probably the favorite meals I had in Hawaii!
Best poke: Maguro Brothers. You cannot be in Hawaii and not eat fresh fish! Poke is a typical Hawaiian dish consisting of diced raw fish, and the best place to get it from is the Maguro Brothers. Thankfully for us, they have a small and discreet take out counter in Waikiki, not that far from our hotel. We’d go out for a late evening stroll and stop at their place to order 2 portions of poke to bring back to out hotel room and enjoy in peace. Their fish looks and tastes like it was freshly caught and it probably was! Poke has become hype lately and restaurants serve them with lots of stuff on top, like corn, salad, avocados, etc, which is fine and super delicious, but the Maguro Brothers serve the diced fish straight up on a bed of white rice. That’s it, with nothing else, except 2 packets of soy sauce. And it tastes amazing! The fish should be the star of the plate and the Maguro Brothers make it so! Quite frankly, the experience is indescribable.
Best bibimbap: The Lucky Belly. We were in Chinatown for some shopping and to meet a friend, and since it was past noon already, we started looking for a place to eat. The Lucky Belly’s pretty sign stood out and we decided to give it a try. I just love it when we just stumble on a gem, without having made any research beforehand! The ambiance was great and though their ramen menu looked out of this world, I was drawn to their bibimbap. It’s made with Kochujang brisket, pickled radish, kimchee, bean sprouts and of course, rice and a fried egg. That bowl was packed with flavor! The portions were also pretty generous so I had a bit of a hard time finishing it… I paired my lunch with a beautifully refreshing pink lemonade.
Malasadas: Leonard’s Bakery. Malasadas are Portugese donuts without holes. Some are plain, coated with white sugar or with cinnamon sugar, while other are filled with either custard or chocolate, sometimes other flavors. I am obsessed with donuts and so Leonard’s Bakery was on my must-go list. Unfortunately, it was never on our way and I was beginning to think I would not have an opportunity to get my hands on these beautiful fried balls of dough! Thankfully enough, they also have MalasadaMobile and we did happen to run into it! We chose the plain ones with white sugar coating. They looked and smelled amazing, tasted even better! Fluffy, sweet, not too greasy and everything I expected them to be!
Shave ice: Waiola Shave Ice. Saving best for last! Shave ice is the best remedy to stay cool in the heat! Waiola Shave Ice is an institution and one of the oldest shave ice places in Hawaii, for a reason. There are numerous places to purchase this refreshing frozen treat but we always came back to Waiola. They have a wide selection of flavors, and you can chose more than one on a single serving. My personal favorite flavor is lilikoi and I usually pair it with other flavors like strawberry, grape, pineapple or mango. This is not to be confused with snow cones. Absolutely not. A snow cones is made with chunks of crushed ice whereas shave ice is as light as a cloud. You have no idea how monumental a difference that is taste-wise until you’ve tasted a shave ice! A lot of people and articles talk about Matsumoto’s Shave Ice. We tried to go there but ended up not going in because it was in such a touristy location. The crowd was overwhelming. Waiola is in a quiet neighborhood, almost residential, so you can hang out and enjoy your frozen cone in peace. It is important to note that this is a cash only counter, so make sure you have a few bills on you.
Video summary
This is a super cool video my boyfriend made, recapping our trip. It encapsulates way more effectively everything I’ve tried to tell in this post! Enjoy!
Other note-worthy details about Hawaii
There are no billboards. And what a game changer that is! Free of distraction and no huge eye-sore in sight, we can enjoy the beautiful landscape at will.
Hawaii is an amazing melting pot of several different ethnic communities, so technically, everyone is a minority. It’s actually one of the most racially diverse places in the world.
Never have we been in a more welcoming, friendly and chill place! Everyone is kind, helpful and happy to help.
Make the effort of saying “aloha” and “mahalo”; such attention is appreciated. The shaka sign also is welcomed.
Although I did say that Waikiki beach was my favorite, do not spend all your vacation there. Do explore the other beaches the island has to offer; they’re all public!
Do not honk your car horn. It’s considered to be extremely rude to do so.
Do not forget to tip. A lot of people’s livelihood depends on tips, so show your appreciation.
This goes without saying, but keep your hands off wildlife!
And lastly, relax and enjoy your time there! Take things slow, savor the moment. You’ll go home with a whole new perspective on everything.
Now I want to go back there. And I probably will in a foreseeable future! And why shouldn’t I? It’s paradise!