thanks again to the folks who helped me on my trip.

should be getting the pics on dvd soon, will try to get some up here.

thanks. where did you guys stay?

is it better to stay in honolulu or waikiki?
so where is the strip? i am looking at the map right now and wondering which street is it?
can you please point me where to rent the escalade? thats a really good deal. so it is the alamo rent a car eh? thanks manh

what about Waikele Premium Outlets?

we stayed at aqua aloha surf & spa, @ 444 kanekapolei & ala wai. the other end of the blcok is kanekapolei & kuhio

kalakaua is the main strip that runs along waikiki beach with all the shops on it. kuhio runs parallel to it and has lots of stuff too, but more along the bars/club/food then shopping. ala moana is another big street but there's construction there right now so you want to always avoid it when you can, especially during rush hour. my sister stayed at a aqua aloha palms on ala moana and it was just annoying to have construction and uber traffic. (ala moana IS the main entrance to waikiki so it will always be busy)

i'd recommend staying in waikiki just because it's stupid nice to be 5 mins from the beach. it may be busy, but we never had a problem finding a spot on the beach. we were half a block from kings village/ohana east. all the buses go on kuhio which is 2 way. the main strip isn't. we were right beside a 24 hr jack in the box, midnight kfc/burger king, beard papa in a grocery store. it's not like all we had was fast food but it's convenient when you just want to get something in you. the abc store across from our hotel also was opened to 12:30 so that was a nice bonus. last call for alcohol is 11:50pm at stores.

waikele premium outlets is the mall we went too. gas is 4.3x/gallon

i can't stress this enough. the sun is fucking insane. from 9-3 it's directly over your head. like you're under a magnifying glass sometimes. if you get in the water don't stay in too long or you will burn. we did. and reapplication is a goddamn must. be liberal with it. we kinda lucked out, we did get burned early but we just did other stuff for a day or two. and we started living on that aloe burn gel stuff. but we had 11 days. so be careful, getting a hardcore burn day 1 would be brutal. they have big lawn chairs and umbrellas to rent on the beach. there are a few spots near the street or back of beach that have some shade from the palms.

don't forget, tourism is down in hawaii. that's what so many locals kept talking about. so it shouldn't be hard to find deals on everything. folks want your business and want you to be happy about it. that was my impression anyways. the entire freaking town is based on making the tourist happy. and they do a good job of it.

thanks for the really, really good info.

I am having a hard time finding a suite or condo right now....
:(

I hope Hanauma Bay is not full and the tourism is down especially it is at the very end of summer. It is rainy season too.

did you end up parasailing? how was it? which company did you end up going with? trying to plan my trip to honolulu coming up

I'm going to bump and subscribe to this thread cuz this was the most useful information I found regarding Hawaii here ;)

Which hotel on Oahu is recommended? Not super expensive but not ghetto either.
Any experiences here?

Also anything in particular to try and eat, specialty or popular restaurants? I'm a food lover and would really enjoy eating good food!

Wyland is a pretty good hotel, on Kuhio Ave, still close to everything.

Food/Restaurant I'd recommend: gotta try authentic hawaiian food, Ono Hawaiian Food (on Kapahulu Ave - towards the zoo) or Young's Fish Market (Kalani St). Or if you can't around to it, still worth trying Poi Bowl, the food court version @ Ala Moana Mall.

A very unique japanese restaurant also on Kapahulu is Zen Shu. Opened not too long ago, not your typical cali roll + salmon sashimi type of japanese restaurant.

I know a lot of people recommend Matsumoto for shaved ice, but theres a place in Aiea thats even better, Ice Garden. The pudding with mochi balls gets my vote.

Hey brian !!

I didn't get to try ono hawaiian.. but i saw the restaurant everywhere.. even at costco !!!! and argh.. i didn't get a chance to try Young's market either.. will definately do it next time.. i was so time crunched !!!

I thought the shaved ice in the waikiki strip was really good already.. we were rushing to turtle bay resort so i didn't get a chance to try matsumoto's either.. though i heard its legendary !!! harder to try cool thigns with family and one car !!

edit.. we should have an ebisu night.. would love to see more of your wedding pics !?!?

http://www.roysrestaurant.com/

you have to try this. it is sooo good!!!

and duke's is overrated !!!

I think theres a few different restaurants called Ono, but the one on Kapahulu is a family owned nad operated type, so that one isnt a franchise. You can always go try next time, there'll always be a next time! lol

I dont have any pics printed yet, we still havnt finish the thank you cards yet lol


Obsideon: Leonard's is a great place to try malasadas, and Bubbies for mochi & dessert

I liked Dukes.

Just booked to stay at Hilton's hawaiian Village in early August for about 1200 Canadian for a week. Has anyone stayed there before? What are your recommendations on getting a car? Is it needed? Transfer from the airport?

I haven't stayed at the Hilton before. As for getting a car, it depends on whether you plan to get away from the Waikiki area. If you're going to be there for a week, you'd probably want to get away from there for a bit to see the rest of Oahu. If you do decide not to get a car, there's a bus that goes from the airport to Waikiki area. It takes roughly 30-45 minutes though. Just check with your hotel to find out what the parking rates are. The last time I stayed at the Marriott on Waikiki beach, it was roughly $20/day for the self park lot.

Food at the Side Street Inn was pretty dope. There are two locations now - original near Ala Moana Mall and new one new Waikiki.

There's also a Cheesecake Factory just behind Waikiki beach that never disappoints.

If you're going to buy tourist type souvenirs and tshirts and whatnot, ask the concierge about the weekly flea market. I think it's mid-island and there are a bunch of food stands there too. Supposedly, everything there is half or less than what you'd pay at the International Market.

have to try the shaved ice at Matsumoto's.
The first time we went, we took the big circle island tour and that was pretty good. It took up a whole day.
If you want authentic food check Ohno's. Small family restaurant that serves traditional Hawaiian food.
Rainbow drive in is pretty good. We hit them for a quick meal on the drive from the airport to our hotel.
Beaches on the North Shore are much nicer than Waikiki.
Diner's, drive in's and dive's did a show there as well if you want to check out some of them for places to eat.

Parking rates are $20-$25 a night for parkng your car at the hotel.

Hilton Hawaiian village is nice.

THe Polynesian cultural centre is pretty cool. Just do not waste your money on the Luau. We found it overpriced for what you get. If you want the experience you can do it once.