Hawaii from a friends perspective

A friend recently shared his knowledge of Hawaii with me.  I thought I'd share it with you!  Note that some of the information may be outdated.  I would appreciate any updates &/or comments.

The State of Hawaii consists of a group of islands-Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai and The Big Island of Hawaii. The capital of the state of Hawaii is Honolulu (HNL) which is located on the island of Oahu, together with the International Airport.

Honolulu is pretty well always sunny and warm! In September the overnight temperature is about 25°C and during the day about 31°C with not a drop of rain! Sometimes you may strike a bit of rain or drizzle, but it is always warm. If you go in August expect it to be hot & busy (as it is the USA school and summer holidays).

Hotels

The following hotels are situated on Kalakaua Ave., the main thoroughfare of Waikiki, located one block back from the beach:

Sheraton Princess Kaiulani (in the tower) - buffet breakfast included in the daily room rate. Good location, has it own pool.

The Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach, a lovely hotel, breakfast was not included. I had a city view room, ocean view rooms are expensive.

The Moana Surfrider, a beautifully restored "old" hotel, charming and sophisticated, a huge courtyard with pool and a huge banyan tree whose branches bring shade for outside drinks etc.

Both of these hotels are about 7 minutes or less walk to the beach:

Ohana Waikiki West - can request a room with a kitchenette-in case you want to cook and eat in. It is located in Kuhio St, 2 streets back from the beach.  (Authors note: This property is no longer managed by Outrigger. I believe it has been refurbished & is now called the Hilton Garden Inn Waikiki Beach).

The Ohana East is also a bit cheaper and is behind the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani.

When booking accommodation pay also for shuttle bus service to and from your hotel to the airport.

Shopping & Eating

There is a big supermarket on Kuhio St called the "Food Pantry" and next door there is Perry Smorgasbord restaurant. It's good value but single travellers may experience problems with their table being given away whilst at the buffet counter.

There are hundreds of restaurants (also the dining rooms in some hotels are fabulous).

All over Waikiki you will find ABC shops, part fresh food, part supermarket and tourist shop. Some are better than others, but they are everywhere, also for beers and drinks etc.

There is an interesting history behind the islands, because this state was the only place in the USA to have royalty. e.g Kalakaua Ave is named after a King, Princess Kaiulani the last in line to the throne who died young and the hotel is built on her land etc. There is also Iolani Palace to visit.

Ala Moana shopping centre is huge, if you like books go to Barnes & Noble there. A good book to read is Called "Hawaii" by James A. Michener". A story of Hawaii thru the ages with ficticious people from the time the island was settled to modern times. Fantastic book.

Things to do

You can travel locally on "The Bus" for $2.50 (last time I was there), but you need the exact money as they do NOT give change. You feed the money into a slot or some sort.

See Pearl Harbour-a must.

There are lots of places to see around the island. The locals are beautiful people-a mixture of races. You will hear lots of Hawaiian music piped thru into hotels,shops etc.

Learn to say "Aloha", meaning hello, hi etc., and "Mahalo", meaning thank you. You must pronounce the H in both words. They are used by locals all the time.

Go to Sea Life Park, if you can, not a huge place but entertaining.

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