Hawaii - May 2025

Just a note about Diamond Head. It's not an easy walk, if you want to get to the top. It's a fairly strenuous hike with a lot of stairs. Take water. We took the bus from our Waikiki hotel.

Consider a tour while in Kona or Hilo, that takes you to the active volcano. Or visit a coffee plantation.

Aloha! I would get a car and stay anywhere but Waikiki. The island is very small, and you can easily drive anywhere you want to go. We stayed in a condo at the Executive Center downtown, and we were very happy with it. We could walk to Iolani Palace and to Chinatown, and parking was included. We booked through AirBnB. There is also a hotel in the Executive Center, Aston, as well as the AC Hotel a couple blocks away.
For beach time, go to Lanikai. If you can't find parking (and it's tough to do), settle for Kailua Beach, just north of Lanikai. If you can afford to stay in Lanikai, do. It is the most beautiful beach I have ever been on. Or the North Shore, also a good place to stay. We visited the Byodo-In Temple, which was beautiful. The food trucks in Kahuku were a great place to stop for lunch on our drive up the middle of the island (with a stop at Dole--skip it) and around to the east. The temple was near the end of that drive.
Korean BBQ places were everywhere and served great food. We also enjoyed dim sum at Tai Pan Dim Sum near the Chinese Cultural Center. And be sure to try the malasadas from the Leonard's trucks.

For snorkeling, I recommend Shark's Cove on the North Shore and Hanauma Bay State Park (You need reservations). We like the walk to Kaena Point. We were just there and saw nesting albatross, not sure if they'd still be there in May, though. Both the Kaena Point hike and Diamond Head are walks with very little shade. There also is very little shade at Pearl Harbor. If you haven't, you should get on the Pearl Harbor website, you need a reservation to go to the Arizona and also for the bus ride to the other memorials. The Cemetary of the Pacific (Punchbowl) is very worthwhile. The Bishop museum outside of downtown is exceptional if you'd like to learn some history. The Iolani Palace is a must see, Queen Emma's summer palace if you have time. I typically split my time between my daughter's apartment and a hotel about 3 blocks off Waikiki. I like Waikiki and on Oahu there are very few other options. The Four Season/Disney property is in the middle of nowhere. Downtown could be fine depending on what you are looking for. I enjoy walking Waikiki from one end to the other to people watch and see the historic properties. There is a free military museum on Waikiki which I highly recommend.

I like having a car. I like to drive along the north shore and the scenic highway south and east Oahu. A wonderful drive is Tantalus, just outside downtown and goes up into the rainforest. I like the Byodo-In Temple and the drive on Pali highway to the overlook. For just the few days you could get along without a car and stay close to Honolulu, but a car is really nice to have, and rental on Oahu is typically less than the other islands.

When I stay in a hotel, I stay at Surfjack. No amenity fees, and $10/night for parking. Midcentury vibe. About 1/3 the price of the Waikiki resorts. Its ideal for folks that do a lot of sightseeing and less time on the beach.

Helicopter ride ?

If you don't mind the cost, sure. Great experience.

Staying in Waikiki and having to find parking and pay for it may be more bother than its worth. Depends on the parking situation at where you choose to stay.

If you haven't done Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial, you really should. A moving and memorable experience.

Sorry but the Oahu botanical gardens (Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden) is a complete waste of time. It’s free for a reason. The 50+ speed bumps that need to be traversed just makes it more unpleasant.

Diamond head requires a $10 reservation and is extremely crowded, not really recommended unless you feel that you have to. Although hotter it may be less crowded mid afternoon.

Kona area is really light on things to do and the beaches suck. There are 3 national park sites (native Hawaiian history) around Kona, the southern one is the most interesting, not sure how you would get there without driving.

Note that the traffic from Pearl Harbor or the airport to Waikiki can be horrendous in the afternoon, Uber rides can be $85-90 because of this.

Captain Cook is just south of Kona, and a nice area. We really liked the Historical park and the adjacent 2 step beach has amazing snorkeling. Kahaluu beach in Kona has amazing snorkeling, as well.

On Oahu, the botanical garden adjacent to the Buddhist temple is fine if you are visiting the temple. The absolute best botanical garden in Hawaii is on the Big island, north of Hilo. The zoo south of Hilo also has lovely gardens.

We were on Oahu and the Big Island a couple weeks ago, prime spring break time. We did not find the Diamond Head hike to be crowded. I've done it twice. Yes, advance reservations are needed which tends to help with crowds.

I recommend the Revealed guidebooks for Hawaii. Oahu Revealed and The Big island Revealed offer lots of wonderful things to do. I have traveled to Oahu twice a year for the last 5 or so years, because my daughter is a grad student at UHManoa. My daughter and I have come to the conclusion that Oahu is really underrated. We do like the Big Island best, but Oahu has a lot of places to visit and many beautiful spots.

Adding the snorkeling around Kona including 2 step beach have dodgy water entries from rocks. AFAIK there are no sand beach snorkeling entries on the Big Island.

susanmusson14
You will have a terrific time in Honolulu. We went for five nights in Jan. 2024. Here's a brief rundown:
HOLO card is good for the bus system which we found very efficient and inexpensive. You buy a card at various locations and load with a certain # of days. If I remember right, it was any number of rides in a day. We stayed at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel 1/2 block from Waikiki Beach and across the street from the zoo, and the bus stop was one long block walk from there. To and from the airport we used a van service (about $35-40 per person round trip...a good price). A few times (later night restaurant dinners) we used Lyft. One day we walked about 2 blocks to another hotel where there was a rental car agency (Enterprise, I think) and rented a car for the day to drive on Kamehameha Hwy to the north shore...beautiful drive with lots of stops at different beaches and a stop for shave ice at Haleiwa.
Our hotel was nice, and a good price. (I booked through Booking.com and monitored the site. Later the same room was about $700.00 less, so I booked that and cancelled the first reservation.) Same room parameters. We were at the end of Waikiki closest to Diamond Head so the crush on the beach wasn't like it was closer to downtown and the fancier hotels.
We walked from the hotel to the Barefoot Beach Cafe on Friday, watching the sun set over the ocean, and had dinner there listening to the musicians there and watching the fireworks from the Hilton. Very casual, walk-up to order, cash only (I think), simple menu, and very laid back. Perfect for island ambience.
Things we saw and did.....Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin (submarine, right by the Arizona Memorial departure), Punchbowl military cemetery and memorial, Bishop Museum (Five stars!), Iolani Palace noon concert on Friday (Hawaiian music and dancing...free!), one day drive to Haleiwa (see above).
Good meals at Barefoot Beach Cafe, Duke's (Thursday night all-you can eat prime ribeye dinner), The House Without a Key (pricey but was a birthday dinner), Nico's at Pier 38, the Highway Inn cafe at the Bishop Museum.

Hilo....I loved Hilo! Rainier but lush and beautiful and really more "old Hawaii" than Kona. To me Kona has become too "disneyfied". (Sorry Kona). Akaka Falls, Lili'uokalani Gardens, Hawaii Volcanoes Natl. Park (day trip),.....gorgeousness all around just a drive drive out of town.
Have a wonderful time!

I'm almost 65, with bad knees and I snorkel without my glasses (vision is magnified thru a mask underwater), I had no problem getting in at 2 step. I would have been fine at Kahaluu Beach with water shoes, without them and with less than 20/20 vision, I needed to hold my daughter's hand to enter. Somehow without glasses, my balance is poor.

There were many children under 10 at both places that managed the entry at both places.

I forgot to mention, on the Hilo side (agree with previous poster, this side is more "old Hawaii" and lush) Carlsmith beach had wonderful snorkeling and there is a ladder entry by the lifeguard. A turtle swam right up to me.

Was just in Honolulu in late January. I disagree with the advice to rent a car. Traffic on Oahu is horrible. Take the bus - even if you want to go to the north shore.

Big Island-- If you have the opportunity to see the volcano eruption at night, don't pass it up.

Sounding negative I know but really thought the Big Island was a big step down from either Oahu and Maui, despite seeing the volcano begin to erupt at sunset before our eyes, a lifetime bucket list item. I found Maui snorkeling superior to Big Island: better sea life, clearer water, sandy beach water entry.

Hilo is the second largest city in Hawaii and pretty dumpy, homeless issue downtown, didn’t feel safe walking midday. The cruise dock in Hilo is about 2 miles of weedy asphalt storage yards from anything— Don’t Walk It! On the other hand Hilo has a feel almost like an old South Pacific city like Suva in Fiji, and the first downtown block from the ocean is safe and charming.

Waterfalls are great north of Hilo. National park is also good.

Calling Kona Disneyfied is too complimentary for a dull and partially vacant lot town.

A good half day with dinner is:

Visit Honolulu Museum of Art and take the 3pm Shangri La tour (pre-book). Upon return walk 2 blocks south to the MW Restaurant, reservation req. Uber both ways.

The first block off Waikiki is very upscale shopping, staying on Kuhio Ave seemed the perfect separation distance from that nonsense.

Also recommend Paia Fish Market Restaurant in Waikiki, and Umekes Fish Market Bar & Grill in Kona.

Re our car rental. Our hotel was situated away from the busy downtown streets (at the end of the Waikiki area), so we had a short drive to get out of town, and avoided the very terrible traffic closer in. We also avoided the very expensive parking fees by returning it the same day. It was a 2 block walk back to our hotel.
To answer about going to the Arizona, the city bus (we had an early reservation for the Arizona) took almost an hour, but it was a tour of the city. On the way back, we got off the bus by Pier 38 for a meal at Nico's, then got on it again to go to our hotel. All in all, a good day and a free city tour!
(An aside. This was 3 weeks before my second knee replacement, so I didn't go on any long walks or hikes. Still saw a lot and had a great time on Oahu.)

Our Big Island trip was some time ago, so my info isn't current. However, the beauty of the island stays, and Hilo is very special!

p.s.

Dinner at Dukes was all you can eat prime rib, not ribeye. Just fyi.

My daughter lives in Honolulu and is so aggravated by the bus that she bikes or walks to most places, to Waikiki, to Chinatown, to campus, etc. I guess it depends on time of day and where you are driving. Yes, H1 during afternoon rush hour is a pain. The place I often stay is a few blocks off of Waikiki, hence away from a lot of the traffic. They have a ramp were parking is $10/night, and where it is an easy out of the Waikiki area. I do agree with the person that was staying on the edge of Waikiki, by the zoo, I would guess, where it is very easy to hop on a major road and drive out of town. I have driven to the north shore many times. Sometimes there is some traffic on H1 but to go to the north shore, you are pretty quickly off H1.

You are only on Oahu for 4 days. I bet you could find enough to do that you wouldn't need to rent a car. You could go to the military museum, take a bus to walk up Diamond head, take a bus to go downtown for the palace. If you want to see rainforest type foliage, you could hike to Manoa Falls, which is very close to the UH Manoa campus, a few miles from Waikiki. It sounds like Pearl Harbor is a priority. I believe a bus goes there from Waikiki. Make sure to go to the website to understand when the reservation windows are. We saw people sitting for a few hours waiting for standby admission to go to the Arizona. We drove from the Waikiki area and it took about 30 minutes. We left at about 9am.

Super surprised with the negative impression of the Big Island. We've been to Kauai, Oahu, many times, Maui and the Big Island twice. All our visits are within the last five years. The Big Island is definitely our favorite. The first time we stayed in Hilo and then a resort by Waikoloa. We definitely did not like the resort scene. We were so much happier this time in the south part of Kona. I feel you get a more authentic experience in Kona/Captain Cook and on the Hilo side. I did do a lot of reading/research and have a friend whose parents lived on the Big Island for a long time so it really helps to have someone as a resourse. As a family, we love national parks, and Hawaii Volcanoes is a great one. We also love all the historic park sites.

Careful on the snorkeling. Often best in the morning before the winds pick up. Maui has a snorkel shop that does morning snorkel reports which is so helpful. Wish the other islands had that. Right now, people are struggling to find snorkeling places on Maui because of water quality. The large beaches by Kihei have cloudy water, yesterday, I heard a bit about brown water. People were heading to Kaanapali and finding it difficult to find parking. So, my point is, snorkeling can depend on the location, time of day, weather, etc., whether there is good snorkeling at a particular place. We were super lucky this time on the Big Island, every place we went had fabulous snorkeling. On Oahu, I often like Shark's Cove. The last time we were there the surf was too rough. Hanauma Bay is quite well protected and we really like the snorkeling there, but you need to be on that website at 7am to get a reservation for 2 days later.

A tip for visiting the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor...as the website says, NO bags! I had to check my purse. Bring nothing to carry on the tour. Phones were okay, and a wallet in a pocket. The only bag I saw allowed was a clear plastic bag someone had where her id and keys were visible. Allow time for the slight detour to check any bags.

Things we missed and wish we hadn't...the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, the Cathedral of St. Andrew. We didn't want to spend the high price for a luau, as we had been to one on Kauai in the past. If you haven't been to one, I think it is worth the splurge.

I think I have finally remembered everything. Besy wishes and happy travels!

The large beaches by Kihei have cloudy water, yesterday

These were crystal clear in January, so I guess it’s all luck of the draw.

It’s all subjective but the lack of a swimable beach on the Big Island (not a single one unless there’s one on a private resort somewhere) was a big letdown, occasional ugliness of the landscape particularly from Kona north for an hour’s worth of driving, and not much to do and scads of traffic anyway at least in Kona.

We had a wonderful hotel a couple blocks north of downtown Hilo but we prefer to walk which was a mistake. The streetlights are so dim a person can hardly see the pavement (dim because of nearby observatories) but we had our phones, anyway walking over a bridge inches from where homeless were setting up camp between the trusses. Then the next day walked downtown for bread and that was a trip, first past an abandoned, smashed and graffitied over car down to the river and through crowds of homeless, got shouted at. Upon return to hotel asked if Hilo was safe to walk in, got “That’s an interesting question,” heard a bunch of stories confirming it is not, and that the abandoned car had been there over a month.

Since you'll be doing an overnight at Kailua Kona, you should check out snorkeling with the manta rays at night. It was one of our favorite experiences visiting the islands.

Ah, Toby, I've realized you are talking about Kailua-Kona. I agree, very busy and touristy. We only got into that area when we went to the historic Hulihe‘e Palace and the historic church. We stuck to Magic Sands beach and south. If you look at a map, there is the Hawaii Belt Road (Hwy 11) that bypasses the congestion of Kailia-Kona. There are a whole string of lovely sandy beaches north of the Kona airport and up to Waimea, but you have to drive off the highway and park. Since the Big Island has active volcanoes, there are large swaths of lava rock from previous eruptions and add that to the dry weather on that side of the island (which is what many tourists want) and you do get areas that look very desolate.

I've taken a lot of pictures at Carlsmith beach in Hilo. It depends on what someone is looking for, but I feel its one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen, and I've been to a lot in our travels. Also, on the south part of the Big Island is Black Sand Beach. Its different and striking in its own way and there are lots of turtles.

The University of Hawaii Hilo has the astronomy program. Its in town but the observatories are on top of a mountain. Thus all the lights point down to avoid sending light up into the sky. The first time we were in Hilo, we went to a McDonalds at 9pm, as we had just driven from the Kona airport. It was a little eye opening. But, as we've gotten to know Hilo, there are places that are quite charming. We've traveled a lot so the issue of unhoused people is familar to us. I spend a lot of time in Minneapolis and Seattle and there are certainly more homeless in those cities. Also, I've spent so much time in the last five years in Honolulu and there are many unhoused people there and many pockets of Honolulu are less than charming. Hawaii is a state with significant economic issues.

there is the Hawaii Belt Road (Hwy 11) that bypasses the congestion of Kailia-Kona.

In January this is where the congestion was. It was stopped miles south of Kona and all the way through Kona, all day, we drove through town to avoid the congestion on this highway. I suspect January is busier than spring break.

Hanauma Bay can be fantastic for snorkeling. Just be aware that it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays to let the reef and fish rest and recover from all the tourists. Accordingly, Wednesday is when the water is the clearest. The water can get quite murky from all the tourists on the other days. You need to get a reservation.
The Polynesian Cultural Center is a very touristy thing to do with an option for the luau dinner.
Peal Harbour is a "must see".
We always found a condo to be more affordable than a hotel. Many condos contain beach stuff, e.g. sun umbrellas, mats, beach chairs, boogie boards which you would have to buy or rent if you stay in a hotel. Condo parking is usually cheaper than hotel parking.
We usually rent a car when we are staying in Oahu. Check out discounthawaiicarrental.com or costco for the best prices.

Thank you everyone for your ideas and recommendations, I have some homework to do :)
The Rick Steve's forum has some very well travelled members and I appreciate you taking the time to help me with my travel plans.

Has Maui (Lahaina) recovered from the fires? Can it support tourists? I haven't been to Hawaii in 20 years, enjoyed Maui a lot, but simply have not kept up with the post fire recovery...anyone been recently, a quick report would be appreciated. I am looking for an alternative to Europe this year, and thought why not Hawaii?

I’ve toyed with writing a trip report, anyway Lahaina in January was cleared and a sea of concrete slabs where homes stood, but virtually nothing has been or is being rebuilt. Of course this is a corner of the island, the rest of Maui is just fine.

I’ve toyed with writing a trip report, anyway Lahaina in January was cleared and a sea of concrete slabs, but virtually nothing has been or is being rebuilt.

Wow, I had no idea. Oh well, other islands beckon, we loved Kauai, too.

And of course there is more to Maui than Lahaina, but still, that is disappointing,

Thanks.

We were in Maui in January, 2025 and the people of Maui were thrilled to have tourists there and begged us to come back to help their economy.

The Kaanapali area and Honokowai area and Wailea area are all beautiful and accessible. Though many hotels list their address at Lahaina, the area of the fire was only in a small area which has not been rebuilt. So a hotel with a Lahaina address may actually be in Kaanapali when you look on the map.

Maui is beautiful and a worthwhile destination.

Re-reading my rather negative comments, wanted to say that Honolulu is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve seen, lush everywhere and very well kept public spaces, unexpected.