Traveling to Oahu is always an unforgettable experience and I highly recommend you put it on your list. It is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world and it’s easy to see why. The unforgettable beaches, an island filled with natural beauty, experiences that will last a lifetime, and so much more.

I’d like to first take a second to note the importance of health and safety and the importance of respecting the island. It is important to check the health and safety guidelines before visiting Hawaii, as these things can change quickly. It is also important to understand that we are visitors and should treat the island and locals with the utmost respect. I’ve always been taught when I travel to treat a new place like you’d treat your home!

Now, let’s get into this trip! Here’s where I stayed, where I went, and some of my favorite places on this island.

During this trip I stayed at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel that not only has one of the most beautiful views of Diamond Head but it also is home to one of my favorite Mai Tai’s on the island! Throughout the hotel it’s clear to see the inspiration of vintage Waikiki with its retro-chic design. It was also so eye opening to visit their Royal Art Gallery that displays original portraits of Hawaiian royalty, including the one and only Queen Kapiolani.

My favorite part about staying at the Queen Kapiolani had to be the Third Floor Terrace, I could stay here all day. This is where their restaurant Deck. is located and whether you or staying at the hotel or not, this should definitely be on your list! I had a chance to talk with their head of the beverage department, Jess, and her main focus is using local ingredients here in Hawaii and infuse them with all the natural flavors in each drink. It’s important to Jess that her cocktails are made with fresh ingredients, less added sugars, and that these cocktails leave you without a headache. Needlesss to say, whether you’re drinking a mocktail or a cocktail at deck you’re in for a treat!

After arriving in the afternoon on our first day, we had to make the first stop for a bite to eat at Rainbow Drive-in. It’s a perfect place to stop and grab a bite if you’re staying in Waikiki. You’ll want to order the plate lunch, I’ve heard a saying on the island, “If there is no Mac Salad, it’s not a real plate lunch” and Rainbow Drive-in has one of my favorite mac salads! We headed to hotel and then headed to Deck. for Happy hour and sunset. It’s really easy to have this be your first stop with that view of Diamond Head. It truly was the best way to spend the first day.

There are so many things to do on the island, I recommend renting a car and driving around the island. We always visit Lanikai, one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, and on our drive, there are so many spots to stop and take in incredible views. I highlight recommend stopping at K&K BBQ if you’re headed to Lanikai, this is personally one of my all-time favorites for Mochiko Chicken. Don’t forget to bring your snorkel gear to Lanikai beach and hike the Lanikai pillbox for stunning views.

Make sure to make a day out of visiting the North Shore. My all-time favorite place to visit is Waimea bay. I will note, only experienced swimmers should swim here. Waimea is famous for its 30-foot waves in the winter and during the summer months, the water calms down and is perfect for swimming, snorkeling, and diving. Right behind Waimea bay is Waimea falls for a fun nature hike and waterfall, I will note it is quite crowded and you have to wear a lifejacket to jump in near the waterfall. Past Waimea, you’ll want to check out the Bonzai pipeline to watch great surfing, snorkel at sharks cove, and stop by the trucks for a bite! Overall, you can spend a whole day up here and I recommend you do! (oh, and you can always stop by the Dole plantation on your way there or on the way back!)

Now Waikiki of course has some amazing places to visit too. There are amazing restaurants, cocktail bars, and plenty of fun activities. I recommend getting on a boat however you can, whether that’s a snorkel tour, a sunset cruise, etc. It’s so worth it to be on the open ocean and see the island from afar. Our snorkel tour was such a fun way to experience snorkeling at turtle canyon, shout out Living Oceans Tour. Outside of the hustle and bustle of the hotel life in Waikiki, I recommend you venture out downtown. Downtown is filled with some of my favorite cocktail bars and a secret speakeasy that to this day I still don’t know how we found. The food is downtown should not be missed either.

With all this said, you can’t go wrong with your itinerary. Oahu is such a beautiful place and there are endless things to do. But check out my list of some of my favorite places to check out.

Let’s Talk Favorite Spots on Oahu

Breakfast & Coffee:

• Deck. Waikiki

  • Located in the Queen Kapiolani hotel, Deck should be known not only for it’s amazing view of Diamond head but also for their delicious fresh cocktails! Their brunch here too is fantastic. P.S. plenty of mocktail options!

• Chadlou’s coffee shop

  • In Kailua, a great spot to stop for a coffee on our way to Lanikai. It’s a casual coffeehouse that even has some sweet ice cream sandwiches and of course, specialty beverages!

• Arvo Cafe

  • If you need a hip yet delicious coffee shop, this is it! With multiple locations, you can see why. Charcoal & Lavender lattes, what more could you want!

• Koko Head Cafe

  • Don’t take this LIGHTLY – THIS is the best breakfast we had by far! It was one of those places that you dream about. Everything, I mean everything we ordered was out of the world 10/10 recommend.

• The Curb coffee shop

  • Cute little coffee shop in Honolulu and other locations. Serving locally roasted coffee!

• Sunrise shack and a great place for coffee & acai

  • Sunrise Shack is coveted here and will always be a sunshine showstopper with it’s instagrammable locations. It’s a great place for a trendy cup of coffee and acai bowl.

• ARS Cafe

  • Now, this is how you do coffee. It’s a hip spot that doesn’t mess around with their coffee and the coffee they use. 

• Beet Box Cafe

  • The Beet Box Cafe is a vegetarian/vegan cafe that serves breakfast and lunch and Is perfect for after the Lanikai Pillbox hike or after a day at the beach.

Where to drink:

• Maui Brewing Company

  • MBC’s Waikiki location is an impressive 20,000 square foot venue with award-winning clean, industrial design. The happy hour deals are point with half off apps, $2 off beers, and $3 off cocktails! Needless to say, a great way to kick off the trip.

• Bevy Bar

  • We stumbled into Bevy Bar and were treated to an excellent experience by the bartender Nick.

• Rumfire for sunset

  • A great sunset happy hour at Rumfire, a Sheraton beachfront bar in Waikiki. (the drinks are just ok but the view is worth it)

• The Manifest

  • The Manifest was a busier but solid spot for craft cocktails. We had to order at the bar and be seated so unfortunately missed any banter with the bartenders who seemed to do a great job. But, the cocktails were so worth stopping by for.

• Encore Saloon

  • A casual Mexican-themed bar. Andrew Woodley treated us to an unforgettable tasting experience. His dealer’s choice beverages were the perfect mix of simple yet creative. A hand-picked reposado tequila and orgeat made from avocado pits were some of the many highlights.

• Laylow

  • Inside the Marriott in Honolulu, this was such a fun spot at the end of the day to grab a drink and listen to live music. The ambiance was great and the cocktails were even better. 

• Skyy Bar 

  • Do note, you NEED reservation days in advance. But the view was unbelievable and the happy hour cocktails we welcomed.

• Mai Tai’s

  • Now, this was a fun place to watch the sunset in Honolulu. Inside the beautiful Pink Royal Hawaiian. It was such a great place to listen to live music, drink a mai tai, and watch the sunset. 

• Secret Bar in Downtown

  • This secret bar is literally called secret bar and it’s a speakeasy that is so well hidden you can only find it by word of mouth. Goodluck! (hint: it’s near the Other Side Diner)

Lunch & Dinner:

• Rainbow Drive-in

  • A must stop for plate lunches. We got the mixed plate (beef, chicken, fried fish with rice and mac salad) and the loco moco. The food was great and the quick service is always much appreciated post-flight. The beef was definitely the highlight and would probably just go with the beef plate if we went back.

• Ono Seafood 

  • Known to be the best poke on the island. The Ahi was so good here we made a point to stop for another bowl to eat at the airport on our way home!

• Waiahole Poi Factory

  • A stop off on our way to Kualoa Ranch. Here we got the mini Kalua pig plate and to ease my sweet tooth, the “Sweet Lady” (highly recommended).

• Piggy Smalls 

  • After a long day, we sat down for dinner and were not disappointed. We started with the family recipe appetizer, “BANCHAN’S CRISPY CHEESE DUMPLINGS”. Of course the fried cheese appealed to the Minnesota roots from my dad’s side, but the flavors were amazing and the pork & scallion filling delicious. Somehow that dish was topped by one of the Saturday Soup specials, a yellow curry dish 

• Shark’s cove food trucks 

  • Right across from sharks cove and there’s some great spots to choose from to eat whether you want acai, coffee or a plate lunch.

• Ted’s bakery

  • This is another great spot for plate lunches. Some of Ted’s most popular items are garlic shrimp, loco moco, fried rice special, chocolate-haupia pie and pineapple macadamia nut cheesecake. Ted’s Bakery offers breakfast, lunch and dinner.

• K & K BBQ Inn

  • Don’t be fooled, this Low-key, quick-serve outpost offers Hawaiian & Asian BBQ fare that is to die for. If you’re in Kailua this is a great place to grab lunch. 

• The Pig and the Lady

  • Sister restaurant of Piggy Smalls with its modern Vietnamese fare. I’ll leave this here: the pho is carefully made with brisket that’s been braised for 12 hours. It’s a no brainer, you’ll want to make a reservation and try it for yourself.

Things to do:

• Lanikai Pillbox Hike

  • Such an amazing, easy hike with unbelievable views of Lanikai beach. There’s a couple of pillboxes you can hike to, but this is such an easy hike, everyone should do it especially before heading to Lanikai beach.

• Lanikai Beach (one of the most beautiful beaches on the island)

  • We went back to this beach TWICE we loved it so much. Calm ocean, blue sea, and absolutely stunning views. I would recommend looking into renting kayaks to venture out to the neighboring little islands. But this beach lived up to its reputation.

• Makapuu Tidepools

  • Beware of the rocks, they aren’t forgiving. But this was such a beautiful stop off as well. Perfect place to sit on the beach, jump in the water, or just stop to have lunch.

• Kualoa Ranch – Jurassic Park tour

  • I know, I know.. But, it was pretty cool to rent ATVs and drive around the Kualoa Ranch. It is only guided tours, which aren’t my favorite, but there are so many stunning views here it was worth it just to put my headphones in and drive through.

• Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay

  • We didn’t have the chance to visit (you need to arrive extremely early to get in) but from the looks of it, it is worth it if you love to snorkel.

• Waimea Bay – North Shore

  • Now this was by FAR our favorite swim spot. This was where we went underwater and heard whales singing. I would absolutely recommend taking a swim here and body surf.

• Sharks cove – North Shore

  • Not an avid snorkeler? This is a great snorkeling spot to just swim around and snorkel.

• Banzai Pipeline – North Shore

  • You won’t find yourself swimming here, but it really is a fun and not to mention beautiful place to watch huge surf and pro surfers.

• Dole Plantation

  • After our day in North Shore, we stopped into the Dole Plantation on our way back to Honolulu. The ice cream was well worth it. Here’s a tip; If you can, save your ice cream, let it melt, and add some rum!

• Halona Beach cove & blowhole

  • If you want to venture down, there’s a hidden beach down below and a spot where you can even jump in the ocean, weather permitting.

• Hike Koko head for sunrise

  • Trust me when I tell you, this hike was STEEP. But, if you get up before the sunrise, there’s less traffic and the sunrise view is absolutely unforgettable.

• Hike Diamond head

  • Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to hike Diamond Head ourselves, but we drove around it many times and you can’t beat any Hawaiian hike in my book.

• Living Oceans Snorkeling

  • This was by far one of the best two hours spent during our trip. It is worth it to be with a local company and snorkeling with sea turtles.

The Queen Kapiolani Hotel invited me to stay at their property during this trip, I was not compensated in any way. A big thank you to the Queen Kapiolani and their amazing team. Cheers to all those that help make Join Jules possible!