I always pushed off going to Hawaii because I thought people defaulted to Hawaii to celebrate their honeymoons, anniversaries, and family reunions and everywhere was a tourist trap. That it was the safe, boring, vanilla option for vacationing. Now that I’ve visited Oahu, Maui and Big Island, I would say it’s more like Rocky Road ice cream with a ton of cherries on top.
Honestly, we tried our best to avoid all family-friendly and honeymooning activity. Although we had our fair share of tourist attractions, we did try our best to enjoy things “off the beaten path”.
Here. We. Go.
STOP 1: The usual suspects in OAHU
Diamond Head ($1 entrance fee, $5 parking fee (lot), easy hike)
I suggest going really early to avoid the crowds. This was a very rewarding hike once you got up to the top, and ignore the “Do Not Pass” signs to catch a sick view. The bad part was having to hike a 1 mile hike in 45 minutes because you had to walk up leisurely in a single file line. There is a tunnel in the middle of the hike, and steep stairs at the end of the hike to make it a little more exciting, but overall a very easy hike. Again, get there early (they open at 6am) to avoid the crowd and hike the trail at your own pace.
There seemed to always be a line out the door, even at 9am when I went. Luckily, the line moves pretty quickly. I suggest studying up on the menu before you get there, so you’re not that guy holding up the line in front of a mob of hangry people. This is a cafeteria-style restaurant where you first pick your soup base, and then your toppings a la carte. I got the Niku udon and adding a bunch of toppings (egg, tempura shrimp and vegetables) and got a side of kirage fried chicken. Definitely cheap eats- everything was less than $12 for the hearty amount of food. Nom.
Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck / North Shore
Personally, I wouldn’t travel all the way north for this unless you were already headed to North Shore. The line is insane! Every minute in line makes food taste less appealing to me.
Pillboxes Hike (No entrance fee, street parking, moderate difficulty)
This hike was much more enjoyable and views just as sick. Moderate difficulty level, and we only encountered roughly 8-12 people during the hike.
Try and check out the Honolulu Night Market for local vendors, food, and live music. It doesn’t happen very often, and unfortunately, wasn’t open when I tried to visit!
ATV Tours / Zip-lining at Jurassic Park
We thought about going in and doing the zip line, but it looked too boring. It was definitely cool checking out one of the places they filmed Jurassic Park though!
OK, let’s head to Maui…click here!
