June 2021 we went to Hawaii for a much-needed vacation/Babymoon. Continue to read the post to see affordable things to do, the best beaches in Oahu, hiking trails with amazing views, and places.
My husband and I planned a trip to Oahu, Hawaii with my brother and sister-in-law back in March. We originally were planning on going in early May, but I found out I was prego and wanted to wait until I was in my second trimester. So we rescheduled for the end of June.
Our sister-in-law is half Hawaiian and grew up going to Hawaii all the time so she basically knew all the places to go and things to do. I love when other people plan trips and I just show up.
Covid Testing
This will change in a few months hopefully but when you book your flights your airline will send you places Hawaii will accept test results.
What they are looking for is the NAAT test with a negative test result within 72 hours of entering Hawaii.
We went to Walgreens and scheduled our Rapid tests and got the results emailed to us within 1 hour.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Marine Surf Waikiki and paid less than $1000 for 1 room with 2 double beds, a kitchen, a balcony, and beach stuff for 4 people for 6 days.
We didn’t have to pay to park our car, we were next to all the touristy shops and a 10-minute walk to the beach.
We also rented a car for the week which is a necessity! We booked everything in advance by about 4 months. So there was enough availability before the rust of everyone and their grandma wanted to go to Hawaii
Beaches
Waikiki Beach – This was right next to our hotel and honestly, probably my favorite beach because the location was convenient. They have the stuff to rent ie water toys, surfboards, umbrellas, but your condos should have stuff, ours did.
Lanikai Beach – We went here after our Pillbox hike since we got a nice parking spot. The beach was really pretty and you can “the boob” island aka Moka Iki. We saw turtles at this beach as well. Not sure if it’s common here but we did.
Turtle Beach – We literally swam with turtles at this beach! I was standing in some shallow water and this huge turtle just was swimming around me. Of course, I didn’t have my camera but I will always remember it.
Everyone else snorkeled with them. Definitely check out this beach. You will have to park on the side of the street.
Turtle Bay – We thought we were going to see turtles but it was good for snorkeling. It’s nice but gets crowded.
Laniloa Beach – Bryan and I hung out here while the others went to the PCC. It was really windy and there were a lot of waves. This beach is next to BYU Hawaii and seems to be utilized by locals. By the crowd that was there when we went.
Sight Seeing
Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens – If you like plants, this is cool but it was whatever in my opinion. There was a lake with a bunch of koi fish and I’ll I thought about was that Office episode where Michael falls into the Koi Pond.
Dole Plantation – This was cool because if you have never seen how a pineapple grows you can see. However, the wait for the train to show you around the Dole plantation was 2 HOURS so we didn’t want to do that.
We did go to the shop but we still had to wait for a while due to Covid they could only let a limited amount in the store at a time.
You can walk through the gardens but you still needed a ticket and the line for that was super long again. If you can’t tell, we hate lines.
But I got my Dole Pineapple from the Dole Pineapple Plantation and some pineapple candies and I was happy.
Pearl Harbor – My grandfather was in the battle of Pearl Harbor and Bryan loves learning about WWII so we definitely were planning on going no matter what.
We ended up going for two days because there was so much to see.
Note: You can’t bring ANY bags in, so leave them in your trunk or you can store them in a locker for $5.
Now, some info to know before you go.
- To get into the center, it’s free, but to go on to some of the ships costs about $20 per person
- The boat ride to the Arizona Monument is free, however, they sell tickets at 3 pm for the next day. We tried to get tickets at 3 but they were all sold out at 3:02
- The virtual tour of the Arizona is available for only $7 and my husband really enjoyed it because we didn’t have to wait in line.
- You can take the shuttle for free to see the Missouri ship (you will have to pay to go on it though) and the aviation museum.
- There are 2 little museums you can walk through on the main center and a video next to the submarine that is free.
Polynesian Cultural Center – Bryan and I didn’t go to the PCC bc honestly, we rather go to the beach (which we did) but we did go to the market which had some fun stuff and good food. But the other did and they really enjoyed it.
The next time we go to Hawaii, Bryan and I are planning on doing the whole shebang at the PCC aka the luau, and the full experience. We just were financially ready to pay for that. We have a baby to prep for.
They did the cheapest package “The Island of Polynesia” where you go to different ‘islands’ and watch a performance and can do activities. They said it was super cool, so we probably should have done it but next time!
Hukilau Market Place – We ate lunch at Pounders within the marketplace and it was good! They even had gluten-free/vegan options!! The fries were sooooo good.
I also got a Pineapple Fancy drink at one of the vendors
Aloha Stadium Swap Meet – This swap meet is on Wednesday from 8 am – 3 pm and they have like 400+ vendors. It costs $1 per person to get in.
We got some shirts and bracelets for super cheap and they also have food, fruit, shaved ice, and of course, so much more.
It was really hot so I could only last about an hour walking around but we hung out in the shade and in the car while the others were shopping around.
Waimanalo Sunflower Fields – This was probably one of my favorite things we did. It cost $10 per person with cash and we did have to make a reservation.
We took pictures in the sunflower fields, they had little piglets and goats when we went that were so cute, we also tried a grilled sunflower…yes a grilled sunflower, and at the end, we each got a free lemonade!
Hikes
Manoa Falls – this is an easy hike that’s only like a trail hike 1 mile each way. At the end, there is a little trickle of water supposed to be a full waterfall but depending on the weather will depend on the water.
When we went in June 2021 we had to pay $7 for the parking lot.
Pali Puka Trail – I would say this is a hard hike but it’s pretty shaded because you are in the trees. However, it is uphill and you have to climb up some rocks and roots.
You can go all the way to the top of the mountain or stop right before it gets like literally rock climbing. There are some ropes to help you up to parts on the side of the mountain as well as through the first part of the hike.
This trail is off to the left of the parking lot (you have to pay $8) and there is a little opening in between the trees you have to go through. There is a sign that says Don’t go beyond this point but that’s where the trail is.
Lanikai Pillbox Hike – this is a moderate hike as it’s uphill the whole way and you are climbing around some rocks and roots but there are some ropes to help on the way down. I believe this is about 1.8 miles.
There are 3 different bunkers that you can hike to. We heard that the first 2 are awesome and the third one is whatever.
This view is awesome and the breeze that comes to every few breaks feels amazing!
Parking is awful and you have to park near the beach parking lot and walk a little way to the hike to be prepared. I would get there super earlier or later at night.
That was our big Hawaii trip before the baby!
What are your favorite/memorable things to do in Oahu?
XO, Annie