Oahu

Waikiki at the height of summer is expensive, crowded, and exactly what it is: a resort strip optimised for decades to deliver a specific experience. The beach is genuinely beautiful, the water is calm and warm, and the experience of swimming in the Pacific in front of Diamond Head is specific enough to be worth doing. It is also not all of Oahu, and visitors who treat it as the whole island miss most of what makes the place interesting.

Waikiki and Honolulu

Waikiki Beach runs about 1.5 miles of calm, protected water: ideal for beginner surfing and outrigger canoeing (board rentals USD 50 to 80 per hour). The waves are gentle here; experienced surfers go to the North Shore.

Diamond Head, the volcanic tuff cone at the east end of Waikiki, has a 1.6-mile round-trip trail to the summit. Entry USD 5 per person; book online as walk-ups are restricted. Views back over Waikiki and Honolulu are the reason everyone does it.

Chinatown in downtown Honolulu is the most honest neighbourhood for food: lunch restaurants around the Kekaulike Market serve saimin (Hawaiian noodle soup) and plate lunches at prices aimed at local workers. Pig and Lady on North King Street does Vietnamese-influenced cooking that locals line up for.

Pearl Harbor

The USS Arizona Memorial, directly above the sunken battleship where 1,177 sailors are still entombed, is free and managed by the National Park Service. Ferry tickets are USD 7.50; book in advance. The USS Missouri nearby (separate admission) is where Japan’s surrender was signed in 1945. Allow a full morning.

North Shore and Hanauma Bay

The North Shore in November through February is one of the premier big-wave surf destinations in the world. In summer the water calms and Waimea Bay is swimmable. Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck near Kahuku has been serving garlic shrimp since 1993 for about USD 16 per plate.

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve has some of the best accessible snorkelling in Hawaii in a sheltered volcanic bay. Daily visitor numbers are strictly capped; reserve 48 hours ahead at USD 25 per person. The 10-minute mandatory video before entry is genuinely informative.

Getting Around

Traffic on Oahu rivals any American city. TheBus system covers most of the island (USD 3 per ride, USD 7.50 day pass). For the North Shore, a rental car is practical. Uber and Lyft operate throughout.