The amazing thing about Oʻahu, the urban capital of the Hawaiian Islands, is that on an island about 48 km broad and 71 km long, there is so much to see and experience. Oʻahu thus fits completely any holiday on Oahu type, whether your goal is to take a holiday to spend quality time with loved ones, enjoy a break from work, seek fresh and intriguing activities, or wish to investigate unusual cuisine and cultures.
Embrace aloha (love).
An aloha-filled getaway would be ideal in Hawaii. Along with families wanting to relax and hang out, Oʻahu draws couples looking to elope, get married, and honeymoon.
Going on the water with your tour group is a great way to bond. Book a private surfing, bodyboard, or paddle board class at Waikīkī Beach with Ohana Su, or choose an exciting parasail, jet ski, or flyboard activity with X-treme Parasail. Keep it intimate.
Honolulu features many elegant, date-night-approved bars for couples. For a comfortable booth at Podmore or on the mezzanine level of Bar Maze, book two. These new locations include delicious small snacks and unique beverages. For families, let Bubble Rentals Hawaii plan a dreamy sunset picnic in a Holiday on Oahu.
Volunteering is a great way for tourists to show their appreciation for a place. Should Oahu hold particular significance for you, think about returning on vacation. There are many volunteer opportunities, ranging from native tree planting to removing invading plant species to restoring a Hawaiian fishpond.
If a special occasion takes you to Oʻahu, arrange to have a local photographer record this event in your life. Along with a unique keepsake to place in your house, create memories on a private photo shoot. Book Oʻahu Photography Tours and grab your own beautiful images in Hawaiʻi if you would rather be on the other side of the camera for Holiday on Oahu.
Hoomaha (relax) into wellness
The beautiful coastlines of Hawaii are well-known for inviting exhausted visitors looking for peace and leisure. With so many wellness pursuits, a holiday on Oahu is ideal for replenishing your energy.
While on Oʻahu, visitors of all ages can profit physically, mentally, and spiritually from yoga. The finest location to decompress is the beautiful outdoors of Hawaii, particularly if you participate in an open-air yoga session along the beach at sunset, next to a waterfall on a jungle yoga hike, or while floating on a stand-up paddleboard.
World-class massage treatments are available to visitors lodging at Holiday on Oahu biggest resort, Waikīkī. Relax with a lomi hoōokipa at Moana Lani Spa, a long, kneading-style Hawaiian massage. Alternatively, try a dream massage at Shiatsu and Massage Center with two, three, or four therapists at once or a pōhaku (hot stone) massage at Abhasa.
Music heals the soul, and Hawaiian music is no exception. Evenings in Waikīkī can be spent listening to the melodic tunes of Hawaiian songs live at Kani Ka Pila Grille, House Without A Key eateries, or locations like Blue Note Hawaiʻi. Learning how to play Hawaii’s beloved ukulele at the Ukulele Store will help one spend more days exploring the local music scene.
Don’t allow the search for health and happiness to stop when you leave Oʻahu; extend your self-care regimen back home by stocking made-in-Hawaii beauty products produced utilizing healing island components. Among the popular local brands are Honua Hawaiian Skincare, Hanalei, Leahlani, and Mahalo Skin Care.
Seek Lealea’s (fun) adventures.
Hawaii’s amazing natural beauty is visible from many angles, whether from land, out to sea, or above. For an active island journey and raft of fun, skip Oʻahu’s mainstream trips.
Avoid the throngs by joining an experienced rider or guide on a small-group bike ride. To pedal around Honolulu’s historical sites, use Bike Tour Hawaiʻi or coast downhill on a Honolulu rainforest ride to pedal around the historical sites of Honolulu. Rent a bicycle or e-bike from Hawaiian Style Rentals in Waikīkī.
Adventurers find playtime in the Pacific Ocean. One Ocean Diving will enable you to experience the excitement of snorkeling with sharks (without a cage), start your path to becoming a certified scuba diver on Dive Oʻahu’s Open Water Diver course, or let the wind push you over the waves on a kiteboard with Kitesurfing Paradise Hawaiʻis.
Daily tandem skydiving sessions are available from Skydive Hawaii if jumping out of a plane over the “World’s Most Beautiful Drop Zone” sounds exciting. Under careful instruction, you can have an amazing drop with a skydive instructor from which amazing views over Oʻahu’s northernmost beaches and mountain ranges are visible.
Though most people visit Hawaii’s gorgeous beaches to unwind on the sand, it doesn’t have to be all lazy days in the sun. Ecological coastlines Hawaiʻi organizes hands-on beach clean-ups across the island of Oʻahu. By volunteering to clean Oʻahu’s coasts of plastic waste, residents and guests can help Hawaiʻi combat this issue.
Eat Ono (Delicious)
The melting pot of cultures found in Hawaii shapes Oahu’s culinary scene. Holiday makers have the opportunity to sample hybrid local cuisine, Hawaiʻi regional cuisine, and Native Hawaiian cuisine.
Through cuisine, experience one facet of native Hawaiian culture. Helena’s and Haili’s have been serving authentic Hawaiian cuisine since the mid-1900s. Try kālua pig (slow-cooked, smoky-flavored pork), laulau (salted pork wrapped in leaves and boiled), chicken long rice (like a chicken noodle soup), and poi (a purple starch created by pounding cooked taro root).
Local cuisine in Hawaii consists of traditional dishes created from several historical and cultural inspirations. Among the most often consumed dishes are loco moco, poke, saimin, SPAM musubi, and the plate lunch. Taste them at Liliha Bakery, Hawaii’s Favorite Kitchens, Zippy’s, Musubi Cafe Iyasume, and Rainbow Drive-In (respectively). Oahu’s famous restaurants
Farm-to-table food known as Hawaiʻi Regional Cuisine (HRC) combines fresh, locally sourced foods with ethnic tastes. Roy Yamaguchi and Peter Merriman were among the first HRC champions. At one of their prestigious Oʻahu restaurants, like Eating House 1849, Roy’s Waikīkī, Merriman’s Honolulu, and Moku Kitchen, savor this outstanding genre of cuisine.
Once you’ve eaten your way around Oʻahu, challenge yourself by learning how to prepare some of Hawaiʻi’s most popular meals. Hawaiian Style Cooking Classes presents a “Hawaiʻi Local Favorites” cooking course. Create fresh poke, gourmet SPAM musubi, Kahuku prawns (coconut or garlic), or butter mochi using a set of family recipes.
Live Kamaʻāina (local) culture
The arts are among the best ways to really absorb the unique culture of Hawaiʻi. Oʻahu has the greatest chances to investigate painting, architecture, sculpture, literature, music, and performance.
Spend time at one of Oʻahu’s magnificent museums to help you better understand Hawaiʻi. At the Bishop’s Museum, get started. It has a planetarium that displays Hawaiian culture, as well as significant Polynesian natural history specimens. Continue your visit with a guided tour of Iolani Palace, the only palace on U.S. territory and the formal residence of Hawaiian monarchs.
During your holiday on Oahu, Hawaiian cultural experiences are a rewarding past time. Major retail centers run by Waikīkī provide free cultural events run under the direction of friendly practitioners. For example, at the Royal Hawaiian Center, try a kui lei (lei making) class or a lauhala weaving workshop; learn ka lei hula (the ornamented dance) at Waikīki Beach Walk Plaza.
In-person concerts are gradually making their way back to Honolulu. Consult the event calendars of Oʻahu’s performing arts venues—the Honolulu Theatre, Lēʻahi Head Theatre, Blaisdell Center, and Waikīkī Shell—to learn what is showing. Search for the Ballet Hawaiʻi and Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra events; they’re a fantastic evening on the town!
Explore Oahu’s active arts scene, which is among the island’s top art galleries. The Hawaiʻi State Art Museum rotates shows by Hawaiʻi artists and has permanent displays of Hawaiian art. Showcasing Hawaiian painters alongside artists such as Van Gogh, Monet, and Picasso, the Honolulu Museum of Art holds 50,000+ pieces of art from throughout the world.
The island of Oahu offers something for everyone, regardless of the kind of holiday on Oahu you are searching for.