Before you read this

Make sure you check out Part I of this Guide.

Food and Drink

There is a very heavy Japanese influence in Hawaii so food tends to be lighter and fresher and the portion sizes more realistic than on the mainland. 

That’s not to say there aren’t places which serve more traditional American food and where the quantity rather than quality of the meal is paramount, for example the Cheesecake Factory but you won’t have to eat this type of food unless you want to. 

Fresh seafood abounds.  Hawaii’s most famous dish is poke (pronounced po-kay) which is sashimi tuna served with avocado and a soy and sesame based sauce.  If you like sashimi you’ll love this.  Most restaurants will serve it and have their own secret recipe for the sauce so it’s worth trying in a few different places.

I haven’t eaten a bad meal in 7 trips to Hawaii so anywhere you try is likely to be good but some favourites I’d recommend are: Roys, Bills, Tanaka of Tokyo and Morimoto Asia.

Insider tip: restaurants will include a sales tax on top of the meal price and the expected tip is 18-25%.  If you want to get an idea of what a meal is going to cost you in Aussie dollars a rule of thumb is to multiply the menu price by 2. 

General Supplies

The Hawaiian equivalent of the 7-11 store is the ABC store. You’ll find dozens of these in Waikiki, you’ll never have to walk more than about 50 metres to find one.  They sell everything from basic grocery items to sunscreen, alcohol and souvenirs.  Prices are the same in every one so it doesn’t really matter which one you go into. 

They are very handy if you’ve forgotten to pack something or underestimated just how much sunscreen you’ll need but if you want to a slightly bigger shop I’d recommend going to the Food Pantry on Kuhio which is a more traditional grocery store.  Prices won’t be hugely lower than at the ABS stores but the range is much broader. 

There is also a large supermarket at Ala Moana on the ground floor and surprisingly Target there also sells a large range of grocery items at about half the cost of ABC / Food Pantry.

Water Sports

It almost seems a crime to go to Waikiki without trying surfing at least once.  There are numerous places along the beach which rent boards of various sizes and do group or personal lessons. 

Even if you’ve never tried surfing before, you are pretty much guaranteed to be up and riding in the first hour, the waves are much less steep than in Australia and you’ll be riding a very large board (usually around 10 or 11 feet). 

The water is warm and crystal clear, the locals are friendly and forgiving of first timers and you’ll often see turtles swimming right near you, so it’s one of the best places in the world to give surfing a go especially for the first time.

Hire and lesson costs are all petty standard and all the instructors I’ve seen are good and very patient especially when dealing with kids and people less confident in the water so it doesn’t really matter which one you go to. 

If you’re feeling less adventurous they also do rides in outrigger canoes which are loads of fun. 

Insider tip: You can hire sun lounges and umbrellas from various places along the beach.  A cheaper alternative is to buy a beach umbrella from the ABC stores.  I usually do this on my first day and then leave it in the hotel room when I leave for the next guest. 

If you enjoy snorkeling a trip to Hanauma Bay is definitely worthwhile as there is an abundance of tropical fish. I also saw a sea lion the day I was there.

The tourist booklets which are in boxes on the streets all around Waikiki include discount coupons for various companies that do day trips to Hanauma Bay which include transport and snorkel hire. They drop you off there and pick you up a few hours later, leaving you to choose how you spend the time.   I was a little wary given the low cost but was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the snorkel equipment and the instructions given.

Other Activities

A walk to the top of Diamond Head gives great views of the island.  However, you need to be at least reasonably fit to do it and there isn’t a lot of shade on the walk so I’d recommend doing it first thing in the morning or late afternoon.  You can get a local bus to a few blocks from the start of the walk from Waikiki. 

Waikiki is one of my favourite places.  I’ve been there 7 times now.  This guide is tips I wish I’d known the first time I went.  If there is anything else you’d like covered please drop me an email at indulgentexperiences@mail.com or leave a comment below.  Keep an eye out over the next few days for Part II.  Happy travelling.  

Entry requirements to the USA

If you’re an Australian citizen, you’ll need to apply for a via waiver for entry into the USA before visiting Hawaii.  The visa lasts for two years and is good for multiple trips.  There are a large number of companies who charge you a fee to apply for the visa on your behalf and who’ve tried to make it look like they are the official website.  Don’t pay an unnecessary fee, it’s a very easy process to do it yourself.  Make sure you use the official US Customs website:

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

Who to fly with

This probably comes down to how well you sleep on a plane and how much shopping you want to do.  All the flights to Hawaii from Sydney tend to be overnight so if you think the extra few inches leg room will make a difference its probably worth paying extra for Qantas or Hawaiian Airlines.  The same if you are going to shop, because buying extra baggage allowance can add hundreds of dollars to the flight.

Qantas and Hawaiian Airlines both have pretty generous luggage allowances (Hawaiian allows you 2 suitcases of up to 30kg each on flights to and from Australia), they both tend to use older planes on these flights and the food and beverage offerings are pretty similar so it probably comes down to which frequent flyer program you’re in (Hawaiian is aligned to Virgin).

Insider tip: If you go with Qantas check your flight details carefully – Qantas only flies some days of the week and so you can end up finding yourself on Jetstar if you pick the wrong day even though you’ve paid Qantas prices.

Insider tip: most flights land in the morning and so you may not be able to get into your hotel room straight away and you want to avoid having to rummage through your suitcase in a hotel foyer so pack some lightweight clothes and a swimming costume in your carry on, then you can head straight down the beach for a refreshing swim while waiting for your room to be ready.

Where to stay

Which hotel you should pick depends on whether you are happy to walk / get taxis from the hotel to eat out or would rather be in the heart of things and how well you sleep (there is a theme here). 

If you stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village or the Modern it’s a good 20-25 minute walk along the beach (longer by the road) to get to the Duke Statue.

Most of the hotels on Kalakaua Avenue (the main street) face the road unless you’ve paid for a full ocean view so you will usually hear traffic noise and sometimes delivery trucks during the night.

Insider tip: Stay on Kuhio Avenue which is one block back from the beach and choose a mountain view room.  These are at the back of the hotel and so away from the road.  It means you miss out on the ocean view and have a (very short) walk to the beach but it’s worth it for for a good night’s sleep.  I’ve stayed at the Vibe and the Hilton Waikiki Beach.  The Vibe is good but it doesn’t have a pool and the Hilton Waikiki beach does so it gets my vote.

Getting from the airport

There are shuttle buses which will take you to your hotel pretty cheaply but these can take up to an hour to get you there so it’s worth taking a taxi as it will only take 15-20 minutes.

Insider tip: Charleys taxis (https://charleystaxi.com/) has a US$33 fixed fare from the airport to almost all of the Waikiki hotels provided you book in advance.  You can do this via their website and then call them when you are through customs.  If you take a normal metered taxi the fare is likely to be around US$45-55.

Do I need a car?

If you’re a first timer to Waikiki, probably not as there is plenty to do in and around Waikiki.  If you want to go to Pearl Harbour you can easily do that with a tour.  If you want to check out the north shore then you’ll probably want a car, but I’d suggest hiring one just for the day as the only parking at hotels is valet which will set you back about US$20 per day plus tips.

Insider tip: if you want to hire a car don’t worry about doing it in advance as there are plenty of hire car places in the streets leading from the beach. Treat yourself and hire a Mustang or other American muscle car. 

Where’s the best shopping?

Even with the Aussie dollar trading around US$0.65 shopping in Hawaii can still be good value, particularly for the American brands.  Keep in mind that the price you see on tag won’t be the final price you pay as state sales tax will be added on. 

There are quite a few shops along  Kalakaua Avenue including a small Macy’s, Sephora and Victoria’s Secret and there a Nordstrom Rack on Kuhio.  But if you want to shop the best shopping is at Ala Moana a massive mall located about 10 minutes out of Waikiki.  It has all the major American department and chain stores.  Local buses travel regularly to the centre from Kuhio avenue for US$3 or you can get a trolley / shuttle service at marked stops along Kuhio for US$2.

Insider tip: you can buy an all day ticket on local buses for US$7.50.  Make sure you have the correct change as drivers don’t give change.  Put your money in the clear plastic box near the driver.

There is also an outlet centre (Waikiki Premium Outlets) about 45 minutes outside Waikiki.  Personally, I don’t rate it but I know plenty of people who do.  A variety of tour companies run trips out there each day.  However, be aware that you have to nominate on the way out there which bus you intend to get back to Waikiki. 

There are only a couple of return trips each day which can be up to 2 hours apart which means if you overestimate how long you are going to spend shopping you’ll be stuck there for a while. There isn’t anything else to do near there and the food options are quite limited so it can be a pretty tedious wait. 

Given this if you are keen to go I’d suggest hiring a car for the day.  If there are a few of you it probably won’t work out that much more expensive than the shuttle companies and you’ll have the convenience of arriving and leaving when you want.

Insider tip: some of the handbag stores have “diffusion lines” which they create specifically for the outlet stores and are never sold in mainstream retail stores.  The “original price” marked on these bags is the amount they estimate it would have sold for if it had been released to retail stores.  So buy the bag if you think the price you are paying is good value, don’t be swayed by thinking you are getting a massive discount because you may not be.

More information

For more information about Waikiki visit Part II of this Guide.