blog — Chloe Mehr

Things to do in Oahu:

Paddle Board in Haleiwa: Tropical Rush in Haleiwa rents out paddle boards in two hour increments. We went up and down the river and into the bay and saw a sea turtle and manta ray!

Open Water Shark Diving: Shark diving without a cage sounds way scarier than it is. Deep water terrifies me and I was totally fine. There are ropes to hold onto along the boat and the environment is very controlled with a diver on each side of the boat to make sure you stay in close range. Definitely a highlight of the trip.

Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden: Try go on clear day so you can see the mountain range! We drove through and stopped occasionally to walk the road, but we learned afterwards that you can show up before it opens and walk through. If we were to go again, I would opt for an early morning walk to have more of the grounds to ourselves.

Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay: The best snorkeling we did on Oahu! Reserve a time in advance on their website (when we booked, time slots posted at 7am Hawaii time 48 hours before, and spots filled up fast). It cost $12/person and $3 cash for parking. The beach was also a good one to sit and relax or play in the sand, so you could easily do a half day here.

Lanikai Pillbox Hike: This hike had beautiful views and was relatively easy—it’s less than 2 miles roundtrip. Finding parking was the trickiest part, since it’s not close to any public lots. We ended up finding street parking in a nearby neighborhood. After the hike we walked down to Lanikai Beach to cool off.

Crouching Lion Hike: This hike is closed to the public, but we saw a ton of people on the trail so it seemed like more of a “do at your own risk” sort of situation. It’s less than a mile round trip but really steep (there are ropes along some parts of the trail to help you climb up). I felt like the hike was most difficult coming back down: I ended up sitting down and scooting along on some parts when I felt like there was a risk of falling. Despite the challenge, this was one of my favorite activities of the trip. The view at the top was incredible!

Laniakea Beach: The prettiest beach we went to! There were also full sized sea turtles hanging out on shore every time we went—the spot is so common for turtles that they have volunteers there throughout the day to help protect them from tourists who get too curious. There’s a small bay area where we snorkeled and saw a sea turtle swimming in the water—a volunteer there told us 30 adult turtles live in the bay. For easy, accessible (and free!) snorkeling, this spot was my favorite on the island.

Waimea Bay: Great beach for swimming! There is also safe cliff jumping when the water is calm and the tide is high!

Lanikai Beach: This was one of the more beautiful beaches we went to—the water was a clear, electric blue. We did the Lanikai Pillbox Hike, then went down to the beach and hopped in the water to cool off.

What to eat in Oahu:

Kono’s Northshore: Pulled pork everything—I got the sliders, everyone else got the burritos. We all loved it enough to go back a second time. There are a couple locations throughout the island and it’s a good spot for breakfast or lunch.

Paalaa Kai Bakery: A hole-in-the-wall place close to Haleiwa with lots of baked goods and treats to choose from.

Dole Whips at Tutu’s Sweet Shop: I liked the vanilla-pineapple twist option. There are a couple places to get Dole Whips on the island (including the Dole Plantation), but I really liked this spot on the Northshore.

Duke’s Waikiki: More of a pricey option but we go towards the end of a trip whenever we’re in Hawaii for one slightly more upscale dinner. Make sure to get the Hula Pie for dessert (it’s big enough to split between four people).

Leonard’s Bakery: There are a couple of locations throughout the island—we stopped at one of their food trucks close to the airport. They make malasadas, which are Portuguese doughnuts without a hole coated in sugar. I liked the cinnamon covered malasadas the best!

Breakers Restaurant and Bar: A good breakfast option in Haleiwa if you’re there for a morning shark dive or before paddle boarding. I got the Hawaiian French Toast and added strawberries on top.

Oahu travel tips:

Double check on restaurant hours. I’m not sure if it was COVID-related or always this way, but a lot of restaurants on the North Shore had atypical hours. Most of the places we ate at either closed before dinner time, were closed completely on a random weekday, or their hours were wrong on Google, their website, or both. I’d recommend taking note of hours when looking up restaurants, and calling before you head over to make sure they are actually open.