The best Hawaiian Island to stay on for your vacation really depends on what type of vacation you want. There are four main islands in Hawaii, with O’ahu being the location of the capital city, Honolulu. O’ahu, therefore has the most infrastructure and a lot of tourist things to see and do. For a more relaxed holiday, the islands of Maui and Kauai offer natural beauty and Hawai’i (or Big Island to lessen the confusion) has the big drawcard of an active volcano. Why not combine a few islands on your trip and get the best of both worlds?
This trip we based ourselves on O’ahu, with a big day trip to Hawai’i or Big Island.
Our accommodation was one of the Outrigger Hotels, centrally located with views over Waikiki Beach.
Pearl Harbour
The first full day we spent at Pearl Harbour. As you can imagine, it is a very moving place, with so much history visible. I like the way they have kept some things as they were from that fateful morning. We toured the USS Missouri, where Japan signed their surrender and thus ended the US involvement in WWII.
Next, we toured the submarine USS Bowfin and the aircraft hangars – some with bullet holes from the attack still clearly visible. A touching tribute is displayed to commemorate fallen soldiers – each boot represents a soldier that has died on active duty.
We finished our visit to Pearl Harbour with a visit to the USS Arizona memorial. Even though the memorial was crowded with people, everyone was quietly respectful, understanding that the memorial marks the resting place of over 1000 sailors and marines that lost their life on the Arizona during the attack on December 7, 1941. The oil that is still leaking from the sunken vessel is a reminder of the souls that lay beneath.
Favourite swimming spots
We hired a car and had a day driving around O’ahu, swimming and snorkeling in the picturesque Hanauma Bay and a swim in Kailua Beach – sounds like Kahlua to me!
My favourite part of the day was swimming with turtles in a secret cove. When we got there, no-one was around and we had the whole place to ourselves. The turtles are a bit shy, and if there is too much noise, they won’t come in close to shore. We were nice and quiet and patient, and sure enough, in they came! An unforgettable experience!
We ended our day at a traditional Hawaiian Luau. To me it was a bit kitschy and touristy, and I would have preferred something smaller and more intimate. I will research better next time! Perhaps, the smaller islands offer a more authentic Luau experience?
Big Island
The day we spent on Big Island started early, as we had to catch a flight over. Once landed we picked up another hire car and spent the day visiting the sights such as old lava flows. Big Island has an active volcano that you can view from a safe distance, hot steam vents, lava tubes, and thermal tide pools. It felt like walking on some alien landscape, barren of plant life, except for the odd single flower that somehow managed to find a way.
The most exciting thing we did though, was go for a chopper ride over an active lava flow! During the day the red lava was hard to see through the cracks in the cooled lava on top of it, but we did see it. The lava flowed into the sea creating a thick curtain of steam, which was very cool to see. If you were planning on doing this, perhaps early morning or late afternoon with lower light, would make it easier to see the red lava flow.
A visit to Hawaii wouldn’t be complete without a visit to some outlet shops, a swim at Waikiki beach, a meal at Bubba Gumps & the Cheesecake factory, and a cocktail on the beach at the Moana Surfrider’s Beach Bar. The cocktails were overpriced as you would expect, and not made with much love…..but the view across Waikiki Beach up to Diamond Head in the distance is worth a few extra dollars.
We did a few other touristy things such as the revolving restaurant for dinner and the little white submarine that actually dives, but I thought they were over-priced and underwhelming, so I won’t go into detail on those.
One thing about Hawaii that does deliver is the sunsets…. stunning!
Hawaii is one of those destinations that I feel I need to re-do. Remember I said it is the people you travel with that make or break a holiday? Hawaii is beautiful, I have vowed to return and explore the islands of Maui and Kauai, this time with the girls! I feel like Oahu is definitely the best Hawaiian Island to stay on if it is your first visit to the State. However, I think the other islands will offer a more authentic Hawaiian experience, and I can’t wait to return and find out for sure.
