Honolulu: More Than a Beach Holiday

Honolulu is genuinely one of the most complex American cities: a Pacific capital with a majority non-white population, a strong Japanese-American cultural presence, a living indigenous Hawaiian culture that pre-dates US annexation by centuries, and a tourism industry that can obscure all of this if you stay entirely within the Waikiki corridor. The Iolani Palace downtown – the only royal palace on American soil, built by King Kalakaua in 1882 with electricity and telephones before the White House had them – was the site where Queen Liliuokalani was imprisoned after the US-backed overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893. Guided tours of the palace run daily. The context the guides provide transforms what might be a routine palace visit into something considerably more complicated and worth sitting with.

Waikiki

Waikiki Beach is 2 miles of maintained sand fronting a dense hotel district. The water is warm, the surf is gentle enough for first-time lessons (operators charge a consistent USD 50 to 70 per hour), and the beach is pleasant without being remarkable by Hawaiian standards. If you want truly undeveloped beaches, Oahu has them, but they require a rental car and willingness to leave Waikiki behind.

Diamond Head State Monument at the eastern end of Waikiki is a 0.8-mile trail into the caldera rim of an extinct volcanic tuff cone, emerging at a World War II fire-control station at the summit. The return hike involves about 500 feet of elevation gain, tunnel sections, and a spiral staircase near the top. Views extend from Waikiki to the windward coast. Arrive before 7am to avoid both the heat and the parking scrum – the lot fills by 8am on most days.

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor is 8 miles west of Waikiki. The USS Arizona Memorial is the submerged battleship struck on December 7, 1941, with 1,177 crew members entombed. The oil slick from the ship’s fuel tanks still rises to the surface more than 80 years later – a detail that stops people mid-conversation.

Book tickets at recreation.gov well in advance; the Arizona Memorial fills weeks ahead. The full complex (Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin submarine, Battleship Missouri) takes a half-day minimum. The shuttle bus from Waikiki costs around USD 25 round trip.

Chinatown and Food Worth Finding

Honolulu’s Chinatown, a short drive or long walk from Waikiki, has revitalised over the past decade into the city’s most interesting food and nightlife neighbourhood. The grid around Hotel Street has traditional herb shops, Vietnamese pho restaurants, art galleries, and small bars.

Helena’s Hawaiian Food on School Street (not in the tourist corridor) has been serving traditional Hawaiian plate lunch since 1946, winning the James Beard Award in 2000 for its kalua pig – cooked in an underground imu oven – alongside pipikaula (Hawaiian beef jerky) and oxtail soup. This is the specific food experience worth going out of your way for.

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, 11 miles east, is the best snorkelling accessible without a boat on Oahu. Entry is USD 25 per person, booked online in advance at 7am Hawaii time (released 2 and 7 days ahead). Mineral-only sunscreen is required; chemical sunscreen is banned to protect the reef.

The Windward side of Oahu via the Pali Highway gives a completely different climate zone – wetter, greener, culturally Hawaiian. Kailua Beach on the windward coast is better swimming than Waikiki and far less crowded.