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Oahu |
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Oahu
Remember when the Brady Bunch went to Hawaii? Don’t let that image keep you away from Oahu a second longer. Oahu has much to offer the upscale traveler, including cultural and historic sites, hiking, surfing, three dozen golf courses, and some of the best beaches in the world.
Activities and Attractions:
Honolulu should not be overlooked. You can learn about Hawaiian culture at the Bishop Museum, and explore the city’s thriving Chinatown. Honolulu has an excellent aquarium that kids will love. In addition, the city’s many performance venues are a great place to hear Hawaiian slack-key guitar music and experience other aspects of Hawaii’s resurgent culture.
Honolulu is a high-rise city, but the skyline is dwarfed by the 750-foot Diamond Head volcanic cone overlooking the urban area. A moderate 90-minute hike will get you to the top of Diamond Head, where you can take in the breathtaking sight of the ancient Punchbowl Crater and a panoramic island vista.
The historic site that attracts the most visitors to Oahu is the eerie, moving USS Arizona Memorial. The museum, shaped like a bridge, spans the clearly visible wreck of the warship, which entombed 1,102 sailors when it sank to the bottom of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Also at Pearl Harbor is the USS Missouri, upon whose decks the Japanese surrendered at the end of WWII. This decommissioned ship is now a floating museum.
Honolulu is also home to Waikiki beach. With its easy access, perfectly groomed sand, surf schools, and water-sport rental spots everywhere, it’s easy to see why this iconic beach attracts sun-lovers from all over the world. But step off the beaten path and you can have all this and more, with far thinner crowds. Hanauma Bay, east of Honolulu, is an underwater paradise where fish cavort for snorkelers in 10 feet of warm, crystal-clear water. Further out, a slot in the colorful reef provides scuba divers access to deeper waters populated by turtles and sharks.
Lanikai Beach, on the eastern side of Oahu, is one of the very best swimming areas on Oahu. Northern Malaekahana Beach is a classic secluded, romantic spot. During the calm summer season, you can find many such places on the North Shore, a place dotted with coves so isolated and uncrowded that they play the role of the mysterious uncharted island on TV’s Lost.
Come winter, the area becomes one of the world’s top surfing sites. The epicenter of Oahu surfing is a pair of adjacent North Shore beaches known as Banzai and Pipeline. Banzai attracts monster waves and advanced surfers all winter. Pipeline features the steep, curling tubes you see in surfing movies, and is where boarders go to test their mettle. Nearby Ehukai Beach Park sees slightly mellower action, and is a better place for non-experts.
Oahu is a rare destination that can be enjoyed on land, by sea, and also by air. Take a helicopter tour or soar silently around Diamond Head in a tandem hang glider or conventional glider plane. No experience is necessary, just a brave heart and a desire to see Oahu’s amazing landmarks from above.
Insider Tip:
You don’t need any specialized apparel to make the trek to the top of Diamond Head. Sneakers and a hat will do it. But bring a flashlight, because the trail cuts through some dark tunnels. You can find flashlights for sale at the trailhead, but you’ll probably be happier with a quality piece of equipment brought from home or purchased in Hawaii at a real store.
-Exclusively for Perfect Escapes by Nicole Clausing |
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