10 things you must know before you travel to Oahu in Hawaii. Oahu is the 3rd largest among the Hawaiian Islands, but the most populated with about 1 million residents. Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii is located in the island of Oahu. Oahu is sometimes known as the “Manhattan of the Pacific.” While Oahu is lined with sandy stunning Beaches, Impressive Mountains, make no mistake, this is a buzzing metropolis, a tropical city. You can drive around the Island in a day, but there’s easily a weeks worth of stuff to do.
2 – Major areas of Oahu
Waikiki
North Shore
Windward Coast
Leeward Coast
3 – Weather
4 – When to go
5 – Beaches
ocean temperature in Oahu ranges from a cool 72 degrees to a warm 81 degrees Fahrenheit (22 – 27 °C)
My favorite is Hanauma Bay and Ko Olina.
Waikiki is packed — tough to get any sand there. If a beach has “beach park” in the name, it’s usually good for few crowds. I do like to swim in the protected swimming area.
Be careful of coral, and sharp rocks. Stay 6 feet away from turtles
Watch my video on the best beaches in Oahu.
6 – Shopping
Ala Moana
Waikiki main street
Waikiki Royal Hawaiian Center has 150 shops
ABC Stores
Costco
Don Quixote
7- Transportation
Oahu Traffic is Epic — worse from 3pm-6pm
And even when there isn’t any traffic, it’s slow. 35 MPH Speed limits are common. Be patient. Merging traffic, one car from the left, one car from the right. Flash a shaka to say thanks.
Renting a car? Rent it at the airport for the Cheapest Rates. And use Costco Travel!
Staying in Waikiki? Maybe you don’t need a rental car. Parking is expensive.
Oahu has a pretty good bus system
Uber and Taxis are plentiful
Waikiki trolley, bring your JCB card!
8 – Hotels
Most hotels are in Waikiki
Ko Olina (Aulani)
North Shore (Turtle Bay and a Courtyard)
But they aren’t cheap… decent hotels are around $200 a night, plus high taxes, and resort fees… and parking.
If you’re military…active, retired, or reservist, you can stay on base for next to nothing.
9 – Food
Local restaurant chain that I recommend you check out called zippys. They’re fairly cheap, pretty tasty, and it’s local Hawaiian food. There are locations all over the island but the one that I recommend is in pearl city on kamahmaha highway. It will look like it’s a take out only place but there are stairs on the side for you to talk up to the seating area.
Alo Moana Food Court is one of the largest in the US and has seating for 1500.
10 – I’ve got more videos
