Trip Report - Honolulu | Bay Area Weekend Podcast

Oahu, the island with Honolulu on it, has some beautiful beaches, delicious seafood, and great hikes, but it's expensive, loud, and crowded.

Good Surf

I surfed four days at Waikiki, the beginner beach for tourists. The waves are tiny, but very easy to catch on a longboard. It's great fun on days that aren't completely flat. Once you get up on a wave you can ride it REALLY far. I saw a lot of surfer-surfer collisions, and was included in one, but everyone was pretty chill. Renting nice longboards were surprisingly cheap, about $10 an hour.

Good Hikes and Nature

We (Belex and I) did three hikes, WiliWilinui Ridge Trail, Koko head, and a Pillbox hike near North Shore. They were all excellent, with great views at the top. There are beautful trees everywhere and outside downtown it is very green. We didn't see many animals except birds, though.

Good Food

We loved the food. Fantastic seafood, fresh produce, and amazing Japanese food.

Good People

We mostly talked to people who worked hospitality/tourism, everyone was very chill. There were a lot of families and older tourists. There were a LOT of youths on the island, probably because we were there during the annual Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade, a large display of American patriotism where they ship in marching bands and cheerleaders from all 50 states. There is a large military presence on the island.

Bad Lodging

We stayed at two hotels, Waikiki Grand Hotel, and the Mariott Courtyard. They are in a great location near Waikiki, but both hotels were very expensive for the accomodations provided.

Bad Transport

Driving is stressful. Everyone drives aggressively and there's bad traffic everywhere. Parking is hard to find, and expensive. There is road construction everywhere. We took a scooter out for a day, and bikes another day, but it felt unsafe being surrounded by all the trucks and SUVs. We took a tourist trolley, basically an open bus that went straight to the tourist spots, but it's quite expensive and you are limited by its schedule. Public transit by bus seemed comprehensive, but slow.