I usually visit the Isles of Smiles on a yearly basis to spend time with family living there, the last couple of years there's been a series of changes in my life that's interrupted that travel program so, I'm overdue.

Good choices already listed, I'll add a few more.

- Helena's Hawaiian Food (Honolulu), if you're looking for a real-deal Hawaiian plate lunch, this is the place. Lots of old school dishes to enjoy.
- The Side Street Inn (Honolulu, downtown), I make it a point to eat here every time I visit, big portions of delicious Hawaiian only type dishes, open late, where a lot of the local chefs come to eat after closing. Get the leftovers and eat for breakfast the next day.
- Town and Mud Hen Water, are two modern restaurants from restauranteur Ed Kenney, current takes on Hawaiian dishes.
- Sweet E's Cafe (Honolulu) arguably the best breakfast on the entire island.

Luaus there's three major luaus you'll hear about: Polynesian Cultural Center, Paradise Cove and Chief's Luau. Poly Cultural Center is apart of the LDS Church, their performance and overall educational experience is very good, the food is ok and keeping with Mormon rules, no alcohol. They're located at the far north of the Oahu. Paradise Cove seems to strike a pretty good balance of entertainment, kitch and educating guests about poly culture. They're located at the far West of the island on the Ko'Olina property, where Disney's resort and several other resorts are located. Chief's I've not heard anything good other than you could drop-it into a TV sit-com and it'll satisfy what screen writers think-of when the word luau comes up.

For simple, lazy beach day, there's two places that are easy with the family: Ko'Olina and Kailua. They're on the opposite sides of the island from each other. Ko'Olina is private property but all Hawaiian beaches are public, get their early to get a parking spot and you'll be able to enjoy the beach area where there's several resorts are situated. Man made lagoons in front of each of the hotels make water time easier and more approachable for parents with little ones. Not to mention the ease of going up to one of the hotel stands and buying a drink or, meal. Kailua located on the Windward side is one of my favorite areas of Oahu, long, easy beaches with a few small islands and rocks to catch your attention, also a easy spot to just chill in the water. You'll hear a lot about Hanama Bay, it was a great spot for snorkeling but, it's an sunken volcano that's been overrun with every tourist in the world which has resulted in all the nearby coral being killed. I've yet to meet anyone who's enjoyed Hanama Bay.

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:
The USS Utah memorial is overlooked by most. You;ll need a military ID to get to it as it's on the active portion of Ford Island. You can also ask at the Missouri and they can arrange an escort.

I don't have a military ID, never served. My father is part of the group and he's a Vietnam era veteran. Maybe that would help

We spent time at the Pacific Aviation Museum on Ford Island; get ticket for it at entrance to Pearl Harbor memorial site. Took the docent’s tour and thought it very worthwhile. A bus takes you from the memorial site to the aviation museum on Ford Island.
Be sure to see the Windward side—the Koolau mountains are spectacular seen from the other side.
Hike up Makapu’u near Sandy Beach on the east end.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
We spent time at the Pacific Aviation Museum on Ford Island; get ticket for it at entrance to Pearl Harbor memorial site. Took the docent’s tour and thought it very worthwhile. A bus takes you from the memorial site to the aviation museum on Ford Island.
Be sure to see the Windward side—the Koolau mountains are spectacular seen from the other side.
Hike up Makapu’u near Sandy Beach on the east end.

Cool. The plan is to make a full day of the Pearl Harbor visit. Just not sure which day yet

Aloha, I was stationed on Oahu for three years, here are some places to go:

1. Diamondhead trail......steep and taxing but worth it for the sights and camera shots.
2. Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
3. Hanauma Bay, great for snorkeling. One time me, my girlfriend and some other friends were out toward the outer reef and we ended up swimming and playing with 3 dolphins.
4. Bellows Air Force Station: if you have military family member with you, you can get a great hotel rates. When I was there, during the week the entire beach was for military only and on the weekends they opened up the first half to civilians, second half was still military only.
5. Save your money, avoid the deep sea fishing charters. A group of us went out 4 times, never caught anything. If doing a charter you have your choice of the booze cruises or what I enjoyed several times, sailboat around the whole island.
6. Lots of nature areas and hikes, the North Shore (not much wave action this time of year). Ka‘Ena Point State Park is really cool; has coast line, trails, and jungle (did some wild pig hunting there and got a couple). Watch out for marijuana grows.
7. Going to the other islands: Maui has a lot less tourists but has great beaches and scuba diving (it is where people who lived on Oahu would go for a vacation). Certain parts of the year, great for whale watching. Kauai, the "garden isle", where the really rich have their get away homes. Lots of 4 and 5 star hotels but really expensive. Hawaii, aka "The Big Island" has active volcano and rough terrain around it (when they were testing the Lunar Rover, this was the only place that it broke down) and other interesting sights.

WARNING: Watch out for a little tiny drink called either the Jellyfish or The Stinger (depends on the bar). It looks very similar to a tiny lava lamp in appearance. If you can, just watch another person consume one or two of those. As long as they are not with you, the results will be very entertaining.

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:
The USS Utah memorial is overlooked by most. You;ll need a military ID to get to it as it's on the active portion of Ford Island. You can also ask at the Missouri and they can arrange an escort.

I don't have a military ID, never served. My father is part of the group and he's a Vietnam era veteran. Maybe that would help

If he's got a retired mil ID it should be good AFAIK.

quote:

4. Bellows Air Force Station:

This was one of the nicest beaches we visited during my trip, and we had it practically to ourselves.

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
We spent time at the Pacific Aviation Museum on Ford Island; get ticket for it at entrance to Pearl Harbor memorial site. Took the docent’s tour and thought it very worthwhile. A bus takes you from the memorial site to the aviation museum on Ford Island.
Be sure to see the Windward side—the Koolau mountains are spectacular seen from the other side.
Hike up Makapu’u near Sandy Beach on the east end.

Cool. The plan is to make a full day of the Pearl Harbor visit. Just not sure which day yet

I’ve been to Oahu 3 times. Pac Air Museum is great, but suggest you look at weather and save for a rainy day. There isn’t much to do in Hawaii when it rains - boring shopping or movies.

I followed Sigforumite advice on the Missouri and did the small-group battlestations tour. People with headphones look into the 16” turrets but we got to go inside. You see so much more of the ship including the MIT designed gyroscopes for over the horizon ship to ship firing solutions.

Another huge tip is to buy the book Oahu Revealed and the app. Read the book to figure out what you want to do and use the georeferenced app to find nearby things (eg lunch or snorkeling) when you’re doing you main activity for the day. The difference between the Revealed travel guides and others is authors live undercover for 6 to 12 months and get same treatment as regular vacationers but ither guides announce who they are and get phony treatment.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
- Helena's Hawaiian Food (Honolulu), if you're looking for a real-deal Hawaiian plate lunch, this is the place. Lots of old school dishes to enjoy.
- The Side Street Inn (Honolulu, downtown), I make it a point to eat here every time I visit, big portions of delicious Hawaiian only type dishes, open late, where a lot of the local chefs come to eat after closing. Get the leftovers and eat for breakfast the next day.

I wholeheartedly agree with these two spots. Helenas is a local spot, great inexpensive Hawaiian food. The place I hit before flying home. Side Street Inn has two locations, I personally go to the original one behind the Pancake House. A hangout for the island's chefs.

Bellows is fine for a beach but close by is Waimanolo Bay beach, nicknamed "Sherwoods" by the locals. Our relatives on the island always takes us to this beach. Our go-to beach, not many tourists. Pristine sand. Just beware of jellyfish warnings.http://www.best-of-oahu.com/waimanalo-bay.html

If you go to Hanauma Bay for snorkeling, go early in the AM; less people and clearer water. Later in the day it gets crowded and the ocean floor sand kicked up to cloud the water more.

I need a vacation...

Pali lookout is a nice stop if you have a rental car. Pay for parking is only cost. Windy!

Ted's pies is a nice stop on drive to north shore. I like Chocolate macadamia nut.

If you real adventurous check out Stairway to Heaven. You can see the stairs driving on H3. Serious climb. I have not but relatives have.
https://www.to-hawaii.com/oahu...stairwaytoheaven.php

Temple in Kaneohe Windward side.
https://imgur.com/yMY2OgF

Kailua Beach
https://imgur.com/Z8IL28v

North Shore Shrimp truck.
https://imgur.com/OSiFAlG

Flea market at Aloha Stadium is a couple hundred vendors all selling about the same thing. Mostly T-Shirts.

Ala Moana Center is a large shopping mall in Honolulu. It's a mall, your better half may like a stop there.

Enjoy your visit. The hardest part of a HI visit is the flight back. Time change and all.

Oahu revealed is the book we used and it was well worth it.

Took the battlestation tour and it was great. We were in a group of around 8 and got to see a lot of the ship that unescorted self tours are not allowed to see.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
We spent time at the Pacific Aviation Museum on Ford Island; get ticket for it at entrance to Pearl Harbor memorial site. Took the docent’s tour and thought it very worthwhile. A bus takes you from the memorial site to the aviation museum on Ford Island.
Be sure to see the Windward side—the Koolau mountains are spectacular seen from the other side.
Hike up Makapu’u near Sandy Beach on the east end.

Cool. The plan is to make a full day of the Pearl Harbor visit. Just not sure which day yet

I’ve been to Oahu 3 times. Pac Air Museum is great, but suggest you look at weather and save for a rainy day. There isn’t much to do in Hawaii when it rains - boring shopping or movies.

I followed Sigforumite advice on the Missouri and did the small-group battlestations tour. People with headphones look into the 16” turrets but we got to go inside. You see so much more of the ship including the MIT designed gyroscopes for over the horizon ship to ship firing solutions.

Another huge tip is to buy the book Oahu Revealed and the app. Read the book to figure out what you want to do and use the georeferenced app to find nearby things (eg lunch or snorkeling) when you’re doing you main activity for the day. The difference between the Revealed travel guides and others is authors live undercover for 6 to 12 months and get same treatment as regular vacationers but ither guides announce who they are and get phony treatment.

I took a surfing lesson with this outfit:

http://tygurneysurfschool.com/

Tons of fun. I'd do it again. They had me up riding a wave very quickly.

quote:

Originally posted by jprebb:
While you are there, please visit Ono Seafood for the best poke.

Ono Seafood

JP

I thought you were referring him to a house of ill repute!

Bah. Autocorrected. Pfft.

It's been previously recommended. DO NOT fail to tour the U.S.S. Bowfin submarine durning the Arizona tour. It's worth the ticket, and then some.

quote:

Originally posted by Warhorse:

quote:

Originally posted by jprebb:
While you are there, please visit Ono Seafood for the best poke.

Ono Seafood

JP

I thought you were referring him to a house of ill repute!

Poke (poh-kee) referring to the food kind, not the happy ending kind.

quote:

Originally posted by Veeper:
There's always the Magnum PI house on the West (MEANT EAST /sigh) side of the island, but seeing it from up on the road was enough for us. Heh.

Interesting though, in the series whenever they gave directions to Robin's Nest, they invariably described the west side of the island, when everyone knew the Anderson Estate was on the east end, in Waimānalo.

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:
...Missouri and Arizona...

Make reservations. The tours fill up early, from what my girlfriend tells me. She was there last year and had to put off her visit as it was already booked full.

I was just there at the beginning of the year. I think they start giving out tickets for the Arizona at the beginning of the day and they go quickly. But don't worry if they are all filled up for the day. I showed up later in the day and the guide told me that a lot of people never show up and there is always a stand-by line. My group of seven waited only about fifteen minutes in the stand-by line before getting our spots.

Ko' Olina

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:
Ko' Olina

Marriott Vacation Club?

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:

quote:

Originally posted by Rightwire:
Ko' Olina

Marriott Vacation Club?

Winner... Aunt owns a time share condo here