Waikiki - Honolulu Hawaii

Waikiki is perhaps the most famous (and busiest) spot in the Hawaiian Islands. It’s a beach that you find on the Island Oahu in the city of Honolulu and its host to lots of different tourist facilities and activities. 

If you’re looking for a vacation with some action, fun and nightlife, and you don’t mind staying at a beach that’s filled with loads of other sunbathing tourists, Waikiki is definitely the place for you.

It’s a great place to have as a base if you want to rent a car and drive around the island to see more secluded areas, or you might just get so caught up in the fun here that you don’t want to leave even for a few hours.

The beach here is about 2 miles long and has fine, white sand. It’s the pefect place to learn surfing! You can rent a board and get a lesson for quite cheap and the waves are perfect for beginners. I was able to get up on my third try (styrofoam boards are way easier than fiberglass to learn on). It’s a bit crowded but you get perfect little waves for a good part of the day.

It’s also the perfect beach for people-watching and socializing and there are many stylish bars and restaurants nearby.

All the way along the beach you can find hotels and tourist facilities. If you’re going here in the tourist season e.g. the summer months, you might want to book ahead to make sure you get a nice room. The hotels here are in general a bit more pricy but it’s possible to find something for all budgets if you’re doing some research.

You might want to spend the days on the beach and then do a bit of shopping at Ala Moana Center, which is a large open air market.  A great place to get your souvenirs.

Waikiki also offers some cultural aspects to your holiday. You can visit the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium at the beach, close to Kapiolani Park. It’s a 20-foot-tall memorial archway and is topped by four stone eagles. It was built in 1927 as a reminder of those that was killed in World War I.

You can also visit Saint Augustine Church, built in 1854. A magnificent building that really stands out among the modern buildings in Waikiki.

If you’re visiting Waikiki with kids, or if you simply love animals, you definitely want to go to Waikiki Aquarium. It’s located close to the beach and you find over 400 different species here. The coral reef exhibit offers opportunities to get close to sharks, jellyfishes and sea turtles.

At night, Waikiki turns into a huge scene for nightlife, it’s a great place to watch the sunset and then you can find bars and nightclubs all around the area  with live music, cultural performances and all sorts of entertainment that you can wish for, seven days a week.

This, and so much more adds up to make Waikiki the most sought after spot of Hawaii. A paradise playground just waiting for you.

 

Kauai Activities - Things To Do

Kauai in my opinion is the most beautiful among the Hawaiian Islands. Here the pace is slower, more relaxed and there’s a lot of different ways to enjoy this gorgeous island. Along the northern part of the west-side there is 18 miles of deserted beach for you to discover.

Kauai offers some of the best spots for snorkeling and diving. Here you can find crystal clear water and reefs with turtles and fishes in all colors swimming all around you.  Poipu Beach, Anini Beach, Lydgate Beach, and Ninini Beach are probably some of the best beaches you can find anywhere in the world for snorkeling. Koloa Landing and Sheraton Caves are two magnificent spots for diving.

You can find many different agencies that offers opportunities to go on daily cruises to have some close encounters with  whales, dolphins and turtles. A lot of tours are also including snorkeling or even scuba diving as well as opportunities to see the beautiful nature that’s surrounding Kauai. If you’re into sailing, you can rent a boat at some of the bay cities and explore the surrounding area in your own pace. You also find a lot of kayak and canoe rentals around the island.

Kauai also offers many opportunities to do hiking, horse-back riding and mountain biking. This is a great way to get to know the island and to explore some of the more secluded parts of it. Imagine finding your way to a beautiful waterfall; cascading into a pool of clear blue water in the middle of the lush rain forest. Sometimes it’s well worth the effort to take a path less travelled by the average tourist.

You can also find ways to explore Kauai from the air; one of the greatest ways to see the island from a completely new perspective is to go on a helicopter tour. For 60 to 90 minutes you hover around the island Kaui and get to see a lot of things that you would never be able to get to in any other way. A great experience!

Kauai offers some of the best golfing courses in the whole state of Hawaii. The Prince Course, Poipu Bay Golf Course, Kiele Course, and Mokihana Course are a few of the most popular ones and can give you a golfing experience out of the ordinary, with surrounding nature that might take your breath away for a moment.

For shopping, the cities in the north; Princeville and Hanalei are your best choices. Here you find a great deal of open markets and shops along the roads. You can also try out Poipu shopping village, Coconut marketplace, and Kinipopo shopping village which are all offering you great opportunities to buy clothes and souvenirs.

These are just some of the things that this beautiful island offers as activities. It’s an island where you won’t find yourself bored and it’s easy to mix up your relaxed beach time with some more adventurous moments.

Volcanoes on the Big Island

The Big Island in the state of Hawaii hosts no less than 5 volcanoes out of which two are still active. The whole state of Hawaii was actually formed out of volcanic activity, and as the Big Island is still experiencing this, it is still growing. If you are visiting Hawaii you surely want to spend some time to visit those extraordinary masterpieces of geological formation.

The huge volcano Mauna Loa is found in the middle of the island. Mauna Loa had its last eruption in 1984 and is considered the largest active volcano in the whole world, taking up almost half of the whole island of Hawaii. At the moment she is resting but is still considered an active volcano.

At the south of the Big Island you find Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and it is the number one tourist attraction. Here you find Kilauea which is an active volcano. In the park you can come really close to this amazing creation, with possibility to view the lava flowing down the mountainside almost every day. The eruption of Kilauea began in 1983 and since then this volcano has been adding about 550 acres of coastal land to the island and more is being added each year.

The Volcanoes National Park covers a huge area of Hawaii, all the way from the foot of Mauna Loa to the shoreline in the south. Here you find 150 miles of hiking trails that lets you explore the contrast of Big Island; it takes you to volcanic craters, deserts and rainforests. You’ll be amazed by the diversity in the landscape of the Big Island. At this one island you can actually find 11 different climate zones!

If you are not into hiking, you can easily access the main attraction in this park by car. You can drive around at the slope of Kilauea, the so called Crater Rim Drive, and in this way you can get to the volcano Thomas A Jaggar Museum; you’ll get to see this active volcano as well as having the opportunity to visit the Nahuku lava tube, which is a cave that was formed by lava 500 years ago.

The volcanoes of Hawaii are something that gives you an experience out of the ordinary for sure and you don’t want to miss out on that while you are here. Give yourself one or even two days to explore Kilauea and spend another day driving or hiking near some of the others. To be able to get so close to the glowing lava streams is something you’ll remember long after you’ve left this mystical paradise.

Maui Beaches

Maui is a gorgeous island with lots to do and is very popular for surfing. Here in this tropical paradise you will find gorgeous sandy beaches with activities for all tastebuds.

Big Beach at the south west shore, also called Makena Beach is often referred to as THE beach on Maui. It’s a lovely sandy beach, almost 2/3 of a mile long and the width is often over 100 yards wide. It’s popular and a lot of people go there, especially on weekends. The water is good for swimming, snorkelling and bodyboarding.

On the north coast of Maui you find Ho’okipa Beach Park. This is a beach that’s known to be one of the best places for surfing in the whole world. Two major world-class surfing competitions are being held here. It has a strong surf that is suitable for the more experienced surfer.

Ka’anapali is a beach that’s situated on the north west of Maui. This is one of the most popular beaches and it fronts a lot of hotels and other tourist facilities. It’s great for swimming when the water is calm and you can enjoy beautiful sunsets here. At the Black Rock part of the beach you can also experience excellent snorkelling.

If you are looking for a more secluded beach, Po’olenalena Beach at the south west shore might be the beach for you. It’s a beatiful and often deserted long sandy beach. The shoreline slopes gently into the ocean which makes it ideal for swimming. At the end of the beach you find lava rocks where you can enjoy snorkelling. It’s a beach without service facilities so bring your own picnic with you.

At Maui you can also find black sand beaches which is a result of lava eroding and washing into the ocean. Hana Bay at the east tip of Maui has a large beach and is well protected which makes it a perfect place to swim. This area is popular as a family gathering place for local residents and it offers water activities such as outrigger canoing. You also find some smaller restaurants here which makes it the perfect place for a full relaxing day at the beach.

These are a pick of some of the best beaches on Maui which provides you with opportunities to enjoy either a relaxing, calm time or a more adventurous one. Have fun exploring the beauty of this wonderful island.

Diamond Head Crater

At Oahu you’ll find one of the most famous landmarks in the whole state of Hawaii. This is Diamond Head Crater which is an extinct volcano. It’s situated near Honolulu and offers a great view of Waikiki and downtown Honolulu. It’s definitely a must see attraction and something you will remember long after you’ve visited it.
It’s easy to get there and you can do the hike to the top either on your own or with a guided tour. It does require some effort since it’s a hike that’s pretty steep here and there, but it’s well worth it. You walk for about half an hour to your first stop. At the half-way stop you get an amazing view of the west side of Oahu. Then you continue upward…
Finally you enter a tunnel that brings you into the mountainside. It’s a bit more than 200 feet of stairs and steep at moments. Your next set of stairs is outside the mountains and takes you all the way up to the top of the Crater. At the top you have a stunning view to look at!
From this point you can watch a great part of the island in all directions. Stay here for a while and refresh yourself with some drinks and a snack. And take loads of pictures of course.
The hike to the top takes all together about an hour and the hike down are about 40 minutes. The Diamond Head Park is open from 6am to 6pm so make sure you have time to arrive to the gates before they close. It’s popular for tourists and if you wish to avoid the biggest tour groups it’s a good idea to either go in the morning or late afternoon.
If you’re in Oahu this is definitely one of the places you don’t want to miss. Prepare yourself with a lot of sunscreen and comfortable hiking shoes and some refreshments and you’re up for an amazing experience.