When we decided to stay on O’ahu, we knew we wanted to see as much of the island as we could so we rented a car (and booked an Airbnb with free parking) to scoot around at ease.Besides hiking, we wanted to sit on a beach and listen to the waves roll in. Waikiki was easily assessable since we were staying two blocks away but we also wanted to see the North Shore and Lanikai. We put together a list of must visit beaches and while we were there, a few were added thanks to friends and local recommendations. We ended up spending time at 10 beaches! Whoa! Waikiki Beach - home base during our 8 day stay. We spent roughly one full day there. It was split between our first evening and our last day on the island. Super busy, crowded with boats and hotels but the sunsets are hard to beat from this beach. Hanauma Bay - a snorkel haven. Hanauma Bay is protected so it costs to get in but it’s such a beautiful place to visit and swim. It's only 20 minutes from Waikiki and if you rent a car, there's a huge parking lot for visitors. Halona beach cove - on our drive over to Makapu’u Beach, we saw a bunch of people pulling off the road at a lookout. We decided to join and I’m glad we did. Halona Beach is tucked away, almost like a secret beach and the main attraction, a blowhole, was around the corner and could be seen from the parking area. This beach is in the most recent Jurassic Park movie, it’s where Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard wash ashore. Makapu’u Beach - we shared this beach with one other family and a few surfers. The waves were rough but we spent the rest of our evening swimming. I’m not sure if it was the enclosed feeling or the rocks along the shore but something about this beach was magical. One of my favorite spots in O’ahu! Waimea Bay Beach Park - Our first stop in the North Shore. After 30 minutes of being there, it started raining and the weather report said it would sprinkle all day. We didn’t want the rain to ruin our day so we put our belongings under our beach umbrella and jumped in the water. The waves were huge but so fun! We also decided to jump off the boulder (20ft drop) when the crowd size got a bit smaller. Haleiwa Alii Beach Park - Not sure this is the exact spot but it’s really close. After we left Waimea beach, we followed the sun and decided Haleiwa would be the place we'd stop to watch the sunset. We walked out to the edge and found a large round rock, just before the lava rock, to sit on for the show. As we were waiting for the sun to set, we saw a double rainbow. This place was so beautiful. Lanikai Beach - Not only is the beach sprawling but the water is calm and shallow. The waves were mild which seemed to be great for families with small kids. The area around Lanikai is filled with shops and restaurants. We ended up going twice because we loved the town and the beach. Three Tables - After our Saturday morning hike, we make our way northwest to explore a couple more North Shore beaches. We were told Three Tables is a great place to spot sea turtles. We overheard some other swimmers hunting but no one found Crush or Squirt. Sunset Beach - Just a couple beaches away from Three Tables, Sunset Beach is where we finished our North Shore tour. At that hour, the waves were getting higher and there were a ton of surfers out in the water. It was a pretty sunset but honestly our favorites were on Waikiki beach. But if you’re in the area, it’s most definitely worth a stop. Hawaiian Electric Beach Park - Right next to this very small beach is the power plant’s run off. The warm water being pumped out of the pipes attract a huge variety of sea life. Turtles are notoriously spotted here. We snorkeled for close to 3 hours (not consecutively) but didn’t spot a single turtle. Blah! Hopefully you’ll have better luck than we did. It was still a beautiful place to visit and the snorkeling was awesome. Disney resort beach aka Ko Olina Lagoon - This was a bonus spot. After we watched the sunset at Electric Beach, we left to make our reservation at Roy's for a feast of baby back pork ribs but we decided to grab drinks first... the only bar that was close and not at Roy's was at the Disney resort. All beaches are public so we knew we could visit without being worried someone would spot an impostor. The sunset was still lingering so we snapped a few more photos and then got a couple beers. It was really busy and not really our vibe but it was pretty with all the palm trees circling the Lagoon. And if you’ve been to any Disney establishment, you know they don’t skimp on luxury. It was a beautiful place. A lot of people told us that if we rented a car, we’d waste way too much time in traffic. But honestly, driving around O’ahu was a breeze. Yes, there were a couple instances that we got stuck sitting on the highway (or trying to get on the highway) for 10-15 minutes but If you’ve driven in a major US city, Honolulu is no different. If you plan your day around missing rush hour (both A.M and P.M.) you’ll miss most of the traffic. We had no problem finding parking and it was totally worth having our own car to zip around, don’t let the stories scare you out of it. Or do, maybe that’s why traffic wasn’t completely terrible! Jk! We’d highly recommend a rental. We were able to see so much of O'ahu and we loved visiting all the different sides of the island.
Until Next Time, C + D
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorChase & Dani here, providing Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|