I meticulously plan 95% of my trips. With a new destination, it’s difficult to know everything in advance, and sometimes unaccounted-for things just happen. However, you can both create a fantastic trip by planning and enjoying the trip for months before it’s actually time to hop on the plane. Roll your eyes all you want, but I love to pack and create lists and info sheets for my trip destinations. The following are tips, tricks, issues, lists, and actual details and reviews from my partner and I’s recent trip to Oahu, Hawaii.
Cost breakdown for 2 people for 10 days in Oahu, HI: $10,607
- Activities: ~$2962
- Lei Greeting: $83.03
- Honolulu Snorkel Tour: $186 +$30 tip
- Hanauma Bay tickets: $51.18
- Hanauma Bay tickets: $51.18
- Pearl Harbor and Circle Island tour: $317.53
- USS Bowfin Admission tickets: $48
- 2 Tank scuba dive for open water certified divers: $410.74 +$30 tip
- Iolani Palace audio tour: $58.22
- Byodo-Inn temple: $5
- Diamond Head Hike with parking: $21.53
- Surf Lesson for 1: $115.18+$25 tip
- Nutridge Luau with transportation from Waikiki: $418.50
- Jurassic Park adventure tour: $293.08
- Secret Island Beach Adventure: $113
- Ha Breath of life: $140
- Rainbow reef snorkeling: $52.35
- Laniwai LomiLomi couples massage: $486.36
- Lyra class for 1 at Polearity: $26.18
- Transportation with car rental, and Uber/Lyft within Waikiki and to/from airport in Austin: ~$641
- Avis rental for 10 days: $387.52
- Ubers to/from airport: $77.22
- Gas for rental: $47.39
- Ubers during trip: $128.84
- Roundtrip flights: $1378 for 2 people from Austin (includes $60 checked bag x2)
- Housing: $3600 for 2 people for 10 nights or $360/night average
- Airbnb for 7 nights: $2180
- Courtyard Marriott North Shore for 2 nights: $846.88
- Disney’s Aulani Resort for 1 night: $572.88 (after using $175 gift card)
- Food, snacks and gifts: ~$2026
Activities and Reviews (reservations include some restaurants)
Leigreeting.com $83.03 for the Makahiki honeymoon lei greeting
Includes a custom sign, one single-strand orchid lei, and one kukui nut lei
If it’s your first trip to Hawaii this is a nice touch to start your vacation but very much unnecessary if you are going to a Luau or a hotel that will greet you with a lei. We had booked an Airbnb for the first week and a Luau on day 6 of our trip so this was something special that we were willing to include in our vacation budget. I wouldn’t bother doing it again but it was special to be greeted by someone at baggage claim and to get our first taste of Hawaii. The service was easy to book and communicate with after disembarking from our plane.
Duke’s Waikiki $140 for two people including drinks
Making restaurant reservations slipped my mind until the month before our trip and all the dinnertime reservations were claimed for both Duke’s and House without a Key. We were able to snag a 9:15PM on our arrival day. I don’t recommend eating a meal at 9:30PM after traveling all day and adding 5 hours to your day. Food at Duke’s was on the pricier side but they did give us free pie, let us move from a middle table to a table overlooking the balcony and the music (which ended very shortly after we sat down), and there was live music and you can hear the ocean. The food was not my favorite, but we felt special and secluded at our balcony table after we moved. I would recommend if you can get a nice table with a view of the live entertainment or just drinks on the patio. Our favorite was the coconut mojito and we would have gone back to the patio for drinks and music, but probably not the food.
Honolulu snorkel tour
$186 basic package for 2 includes all your snorkel gear and a boat ride out to the snorkel area
https://www.hawaiitours.com/to-do/honolulu-snorkel-tour/
There are so many snorkel tours available and you will see why when you take your boat ride out with up to 35 people in your boat and find several more boats loaded up with passengers trying to see the turtles. There’s enough ocean for everyone and the turtles surface in several areas so we didn’t feel like it was too crowded in that area. Our boat was also half full, as a full boat would have felt crowded and uncomfortable. You have to wear a life jacket when in the water and you won’t mind it since the waves are a little unnerving even if the salt water helps keep you afloat. We brought our own snorkel gear so we probably didn’t get the full value out of this tour. The guides were polite, fun, and cheerful. We saw several turtles and were able to practice with our snorkel gear prior to our scuba dive. I would highly recommend a snorkel tour unless you know someone with a boat or don’t mind staying close to shore.
Pearl Harbor and Circle Island Tour
https://www.hawaiitours.com/to-do/pearl-harbor-oahu-circle-island/ $317.53 for 2 people, includes pickup from Waikiki
Highly recommend this tour, especially earlier on in your trip. Our guide, Jordan, was a local and he was very knowledgeable. He was also a calm driver and a cheerful person. My only comment on this all-day tour was that the stop at the Dole plantation was not long enough to enjoy our dole whips, let alone look in all the nooks and crannies of the store. We had enough time to tour a submarine (extra cost of $48 to tour the USS Bowfin) at Pearl Harbor along with our included tour (with ferryboat ride) of the Arizona Memorial.
Lunch was a stop at the Kahuku Sugar Mill food truck area and we were delighted with our food choice of Da Bald Guy (recommended by our guide as well as from our research beforehand). Our tour ended closer to 3:30PM than the scheduled 5:30PM time.
Hawaiian Diving Adventures
https://hawaiiandiving.com/reef-dives-daily-dive-trips ($410.74 for two certified divers on a 2-tank dive with 1 flippers rental)
There were 5 divers on this excursion, including myself and Jon. One diver had recently bought new equipment, one had not dived since January, one had never dived before, and the two of us were recently certified. There were three dive guides on board and we felt very safe in their hands. The person who had never dived before had his own guide while the other two guides took turns accompanying the rest of us 4 on a little tour of the pip and reef at Kewalo Basin. They provided wetsuits and I was glad to wear them because it was a bit cold and necessary for me to be comfortable. Jon said he wasn’t cold without one. The other lady didn’t have one and said she was too cold to do her second dive. We saw eels, fish, turtles, and a Spanish Dancer. It was cool to get so much closer to the reef than on our snorkel tour. We were even graced by a monk seal saying hi 10 feet from our boat in between our dives. One of the guides said they were very rare and was quite surprised that the little guy came up to the boat. If you’re into scuba diving, I would recommend this company.
House Without a Key $152.88 dinner and drinks for two
We were again not able to make an earlier reservation but snagged a 7:45PM, which was good timing since we only snacked following our scuba adventure. Unfortunately, live music and hula ended at 8 p.m., so we didn’t get to see much of the live entertainment other than a single guitar singer with quiet background music. The Melted Memories 4 cheese pizza with Hawaiian honey was one of the best pizzas I’ve had in a long time and I really enjoyed my coconut martini. If you can snag a reservation closer to 7 p.m., I would highly recommend this spot for dinner, drinks, and entertainment.
Hanauma Bay Snorkeling $50
https://hanaumabaysnorkel.com/
If there is one place you should go on Oahu, it’s Hanauma Bay, but be warned that it won’t be the easiest reservation you make. Tickets sell out within minutes, especially if you need more than 1 ticket. They only have so many tickets per day and release tickets at 7AM. Our first attempt to book tickets on our phones was during our Circle Island Tour and we managed to snag an 11:30AM after the website was slow to load. Using our iPad the next day I was able to get an earlier slot. Because our tickets were near midday and they only had 300 parking spots, we decided to Uber (~$34). There was a line of cars waiting to get into the lot so we made the right decision not to drive but on the way back there were fewer ride shares and we waited 15-20 minutes for our pickup. The snorkeling at Hanauma was amazing because the reef is so close and it’s a nature preserve. There are so many fish and so many huge fish at that. It was a little disconcerting how close the reef was as we snorkeled above it. 11:30AM was hotter than 7:30AM but we felt like we got to see as much wildlife as there was to see so we didn’t go back the following day for our 7:30AM reservation. If you have a rental car, don’t use your phone to book, and try to grab one of those earlier slots so you can get parking!
Iolani Palace audio tour $58.22 for audio devices for two
https://www.iolanipalace.org/visit/tours-admission/guided-tours/
The only reservation that was booked up in advance was the docent tour, but there was daily availability during open hours for the audio tour. I’m not sure you can just walk around the palace without booking an audio tour. There were a lot of museum employees to make sure you stayed in the public areas and to point you to the next stop on your ‘tour,’ which felt a little pushy. Don’t forget to walk across the street to view the King Kamehameha statue.
Fireworks over the ocean
https://www.gohawaii.com/islands/events/hilton-hawaiian-village-fireworks
This is where our 33rd-floor view came in handy since we didn’t have to try to find a viewing spot from the beach. The fireworks lasted all of 3-5 minutes and were about as grand as the nightly fireworks at Disney. Fun but not worth stressing to see.
Byodo-Inn Temple
$5 for the two of us
Parking is minimal and the temple is small – easy quick pit stop. The Koi Pond has so many Koi!
Aloha Stadium Swap Meet $4 total for two people
https://alohastadium.hawaii.gov/aloha-stadium-swap-meet-marketplace/
So much of the same stuff, mostly made outside of Hawaii. If you go here at the beginning of your trip you can probably snag a good deal on a Hawaiian shirt but otherwise, the hype was not worth the trip. I had some of the worst bubble tea I’ve ever had in my life here.
Diamond Head Hike
$21.53 for one car parking and two people admittance with a 4pm-6pm time slot
We chose to arrive between 4pm-4:30PM and had to be out before 6PM. It’s a 30-40 minute hike with uneven smoothed rocks and dirt. There are stairs and a tunnel. It’s not the easiest or the most difficult of hikes but it’s in the sun and if you’re not used to hiking up elevation, this may be tough for you.
The view is completely worth the hike, even if there are 20 other people trying to take the same picture as you.
Surf lesson with Surfer Girl Academy
$115.18 with one other stranger but a private lesson costs more.
I called the day before to ask for a lesson and they told me I could show up to the 10AM lesson and said to pay onsite. This was the day our elevator broke and we had to walk down 33 flights of stairs. The surf lesson was both amazing and scary. We were given a 2-minute safety and tips speech before both of us in the lesson were shown how to get up on the board. We each had one attempt to get up while the instructor held the board steady near the beach. Then we paddled out to the waves. We had to paddle far and it wasn’t my hands/arms that were tired but my shoulders and neck because you have to keep your chin up to stay out of the surf on your way out. I was able to stand up on almost every wave except the one that was too small and the one I tried to do myself. I can imagine it being unsafe and not fun to try to just surf yourself without any prior experience because the one time I tried to judge when to get up myself, I immediately fell hard into the water and swallowed salt water. Highly recommend if you are at all athletically inclined. Surfer Girl Academy was very laid back and I liked the instructor John.
Nutridge Luau $418.50 for two people includes transportation from Waikiki
https://experiencenutridge.com/
75 person max -More personable experience
Bring bug spray and don’t come too hungry – dinner is hours after arrival
I chose this Luau because it was one of two that were ‘local’ and it was supposed to be smaller, more intimate, and with a fantastic view of downtown Honolulu to the Waianae mountain range. In reality, the 75 people were 84 and it felt more crowded than we would have liked. Our seats had a large mango tree blocking any sort of view outside of the property while eating. There were 4 activities and they were not that interesting and could only accommodate a few people at a time. The entertainment and storytelling were the best parts, especially since we lucked out and happened to be seated in the front row. I would definitely have enjoyed this experience more if it was at the beginning of our trip and our seats during dinner and sundown had a better view. The food was okay. They don’t have poi and though it is ‘buffet’ style you don’t get to serve yourself. It is also a catered meal so you miss out on the reveal of the pig from the imu pit. I wanted more leafy greens and they only put a few on my plate and ran out before we could try for ‘seconds.’
IMHO not worth the price. You can drive up and park on the lookout for the same views at sunset or during the day. Choose a different luau or skip this type of experience and opt for a local restaurant like Highway Inn instead.
Jurassic Park Adventure Tour $293.08 for two
https://www.kualoa.com/jurassic-adventure-tour/#
After trying to decide which tour to go with we decided on the Adventure Tour. After visiting the ranch, I think we would have preferred the UTV tour but it sells out the fastest so you have to book that in advance.
The Kualoa Ranch feels like it’s all about making the most money out of tourists, as you don’t even get to see all the Jurassic Park stops during this tour. You have to book the UTV tour to see some more sites and the Hollywood Tour to see the rest.
The ranch has also attempted to preserve the natural aesthetic of the location so even though you are stopping at movie sites, sometimes it’s just a hill with a log or a piece of cement with a roof. You are also made to arrive early to check in which feels like a gimmick to get you to buy something from their gift shop.
Secret Island Beach Adventure at Kualoa Ranch $113 for two
After waiting the required 45 minutes after checking in, we were told that the bus that transports everyone to the canoes that take you to the island was full. Even though some people didn’t check in early, they were let on the bus first. We arrived at the island around 12:30PM after checking in at 11:10AM. The canoe back to the bus that takes you to the ranch leaves at 2:45PM (and the last canoe is at 3PM). We were told that this tour was ~3 hours but in reality, we only had 2.5 hours and all the activities and boats are ‘first come first served’ so there was nothing available for water activities when we arrived (kayaks and SUPS). There were too many people on the island in my opinion but we still had a great time. We took the 3PM canoe back and the line for the bus looked like 3 busloads long but we managed to get onto the first bus. I don’t think I’d book with Kualoa again because of the way they treat their customers’ time, but if you do book this adventure, be prepared to wait.
Polynesian Cultural Center Ha Breath of Life at the Pacific Theatre $140 for two
Our hotel had a deal for tickets and we walked over to the show. The parking lot is huge but it gets full so if you drive come early or be prepared to walk from the far corners. The show is about 75 minutes long and it’s a visual show. Worth the $70/ticket price and walking around their little shopping area beforehand is fun. If you have extra time on your trip, it may be worth checking out the Polynesian Cultural Center when they’re open and adding on this show at the end of your day.
Rainbow Reef Snorkeling at Aulani $25/person
I think it would be amazing to do a Discover Scuba in this little man-made aquarium-reef. There are no waves. There are so many fish. It’s clear and beautiful and there is a viewing area. This reef may seem small but it’s big enough to have a really nice time snorkeling (though the water was colder than the open ocean). This will take less of your day than a snorkeling or scuba tour and it costs less. Even your kids can do it! Highly recommend.
LomiLomi couples massage at Laniwai spa at Aulani $486.36 for two
With the price of a massage, you get access to their spa area for a few hours. The Disney resort was the busiest place we went during our vacation and it was nice to be able to spend time at the spa where access is very limited and there were no kids yelling and running around. The massage was nice but not outstanding. If you have the money and the time to spend, this is a nice activity, but not special to Hawaii per se.
Hotels and Airbnb
Disney’s Aulani Resort
This was the most expensive per-night hotel that we booked and the last night of our trip. Even though we paid for one night, we were able to check in early and use the amenities before our room was assigned. We would have been able to use the resort amenities after checking out but we had a plane to catch. The pools were crowded and the lazy river and slides were busy, but we had fun for a few hours. We also visited one of the lagoons (#1) for swimming and tried snorkeling but it was sandy-bottomed and murky even away from all the swimmers so we stayed near shore. The resort feels humongous but the level of crowds made it immediately recognizable as a Disney property. The hotel staff were accommodating and courteous. If you don’t mind kids running around inside and outside of the hotel and you want to check out Moana, Stitch, Mickey, and friends then I would recommend this hotel if you can afford it (even for 1 night). However, there are several other resort hotels and high-end hotels to check out. After spending a night here, I would rather spend a night at a different high-end hotel next time.
Courtyard Marriott North Shore Oahu
Options for hotels are limited outside of Waikiki and Honolulu and some have a minimum night stay. We wanted to spend time on the other side of the island and this hotel is located between Kualoa Ranch and the North Shore. I wouldn’t have minded spending more time at this hotel since we were not able to take advantage of all their activities and amenities. They were very accommodating and helpful at the front desk. The live music in the evenings felt intimate. There weren’t crowds of people when we were there (unlike the Polynesian Cultural Center shopping and show next door) and it felt like a much more relaxed environment. Highly recommend it, especially since the per night cost is lower than many hotels on Waikiki – but you’re going to need a rental car if you spend time outside of Waikiki.
AirBnB Waikiki
Pricing for a partial or full ocean view at hotels in Waikiki was out of my budget comfort zone. We were able to spend 10 days on Oahu vs. 7 because we opted to spend the majority of our time in an AirBnB that came with a free parking spot. I chose this particular room because of its theming, the view, the location, and the swing chair. The room came with one caveat – only 1 elevator would be working. We would be on the 33rd floor out of 40 floors. After much discussion over price savings and the terrific view, we decided to be on Hawaii time waiting for the elevator, however; the situation with the elevator was worse than we realized. The elevators were not made to be outdoor elevators and they were on the outside of the building, hugging the wall. The AC was constantly dripping onto passengers, the floor, or a towel and it smelled like dirty feet most of the time. Out of our 7 days, one morning the one working elevator was not working at all. If you tried to get on the elevator from any floor but the lobby, it may already be too full for more passengers and you’d have to wait for the next trip. Only the lobby floor would indicate which floor the elevator was on, so you would never know if the elevator was coming or not, causing some mild anxiety. Having a free parking space was amazing since hotels will charge a nightly fee that can get as high as $70 to park a car, but the parking lot curving around the central area of the building was not wide enough for two cars to pass safely and oftentimes people would have cars too large to fit in their spaces or too many vehicles in one space making it difficult to navigate around them.
The elevator situation and the parking situation made us less inclined to want to take a spontaneous trip outside of our condo. The fact that you are a short walk to the beach doesn’t matter as much if it takes you 5-10 minutes to wait for the elevator (if it’s even working) and you get to spend 2-3 long minutes with a terrible smell as it slowly descends. This particular unit was well stocked and there were so many details that made our stay so much better, like a beach bag, snorkel gear, all sorts of sunscreens, binoculars, and beach towels. The AC worked well and kept us cool. Ultimately we wouldn’t book in this building again because of the elevator but finding a room with a view that came with a parking spot that was more budget-friendly than many hotels was very helpful in elevating parts of our vacation without breaking our budget.
Food and restaurants
My favorite drink: Coconut mojito from Duke’s Waikiki or Da Kine latte from Coffee Gallery
My favorite snack: Spam musubi from ABC or fresh passion fruit from the fruit stand
My favorite entrée: Fried poke from Da Bald Guy or salmon and ahi poke bowl from Morning Catch
My favorite dessert: Dole Whip from Kono’s Northshore, the Haupia pie from McDonald’s, or even the tiny haupia square from Highway Inn’s tasting plate
Honorable mentions:
- The Big Pig Quesadilla from Kono’s Northshore was delicious and stuffed with slow-roasted pork!
- Poi donut from Liliah Bakery
- Spicy ahi hand roll from ABC
- Li hing pineapple from Costco
- Boneless Kalbi from Da Bald Guy
- Salmon and fish from Da Bald Guy
- Melted Memories 4 cheese pizza with Hawaiian honey from House without a Key
- Lili Coco drink from Highway Inn
- Loco Moco from Highway Inn
- Li hing malasada from Leonard’s Bakery
- Pistachio ice cream from Black Sheep
More food and my hot takes
Acai bowls – overpriced and overhyped.
Poke bowls – so good when it’s fresh! Worth paying more for better quality.
Shave ice – save it for the kids or on a hot day when you need a sugar pick-me-up that will also cool you off.
Malasadas – they didn’t impress me (especially the filled ones). My favorite was the li hing malasada which was noticeably fresher than all the others.
Ube donuts and mochi donuts – my favorite kind of donut!
Poi and other local Hawaiian foods – I didn’t love any of these dishes very much but absolutely loved the haupia square they added to this plate at Highway Inn
Loco moco – quite salty but otherwise delicious. Best shared.
Any drinks with pineapple or coconut flavors are worth trying. The ones with the whipped pineapple or coconut on top were the best
What I would have planned differently now that we’ve taken our trip:
Our time change from Austin to Hawaii was 5 hours and I didn’t quite realize that we wouldn’t be sleeping in all week. We could have planned more of our activities earlier in the day without worrying about being tired in the morning because our bodies were 5 hours ahead!
More time at the Disney resort since we checked out before 8AM and could have taken advantage of the resort that day had we not been on the plane already.
Spending more time outside of Waikiki. Most of the food I wanted to try was in the Waikiki and surrounding area but there were so many more hikes and beaches that we didn’t get to experience because we only budgeted 2 days in the North Shore area and spent most of that time during the day at Kualoa ranch.
Though the view from our AirBnB was spectacular, we were able to snag views from most of our excursions. I don’t think it’s worth it to pay more for a view from your hotel. Save your money and stay at a lower-end hotel in the location that is most convenient for you!
Spend more time outside of Waikiki. We drove through interesting places but didn’t stop because we had all our luggage in the car and it’s not recommended to leave it unattended in the vehicle. We would have liked to enjoy more of the hikes and beaches outside of Waikiki but didn’t have enough time.
Rent a smaller car. We got a midsize car and it would have made driving and parking easier if we had booked a compact car.
Choose a different Luau and spend more time researching what Luau to book. We weren’t overly pleased with Nutridge Luau but we don’t have anything to compare it to, so perhaps any Luau isn’t worth the price. We should have also booked the luau for earlier in the trip because it felt touristy and cheesy and that would have been better at the beginning of our trip.
Final thoughts. Planning a trip makes for a better trip. Planning a trip allows you to experience the trip longer than the actual vacation. Not every detail will be perfect but with some Aloha spirit, you can have an amazing time.
Trip planning checklist:
- Watch videos to get a sense of location, pricing, food, activities, etc.
- Decide Island
- Decide Dates
- Decide Budget
- Decide Activities
- Book Flights
- Book hotels/Airbnb
- Check back in with activities – links to actual purchase sites and all questions to ask – final budget
- Create Packing list
- Book Rental car
- Book activities that require reservations: scuba, Jurassic Park adventure Tour, Nutridge Luau w/ transport, Pearl Harbor and Circle Island tour, Turtle canyon snorkel, Iolani Palace Tour, Secret island beach adventure or snorkeling North Shore, Lei greeting
- Book restaurant reservations if applicable: Duke’s Waikiki, House Without a Key, anything on Disney property
- Travel Purchases: $1 and $5s for parking and tips
- Decide must eats and book restaurant reservations
- Learn Lei etiquette, surf etiquette, and Hawaiian phrases
- Verify travel restrictions; airport info at destination; refresh on scams/issues to avoid
- Pack; charge electronics; download music and movies for plane flight; arrange transportation to the airport, download apps, and login
Helpful apps you can use while on your trip:
Tips I noted before our trip:
- Tip* Avoid the sun between 11A.M. and 2 P.M.
- Tip* Surf report call 808-973-4383
- Tip* shark attacks occur in murky water at dawn or dusk and if you see man of war on the beaches don’t go in the water. 9-10 days after the full moon the box jellyfish come ashore and don’t touch!
- Tip* Avoid driving into Honolulu 7-8:30AM and 3-7PM on weekdays and into Honolulu after 7PM on weekends
- Tip* Sugarloaf Pineapples are the best
Movies we watched or wanted to watch that were set/filmed in Oahu or Hawaii
| Movie |
Date |
Location notes |
| Jurassic Park |
1993 |
Manawaiopuna Falls, Hanapepe Valley, Kauai Island (chopter arrival), Kualoa Ranch, Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, Oahu Island, Waikoko Forest, Kauai Island (Jurassic Park gate), Allerton Garden, National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kauai Island (discover eggs) |
| The Lost World: Jurassic Park |
1997 |
LA and Kauai |
| Jurassic Park III |
2001 |
|
| Pearl Harbor |
2001 |
Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Byodo-In Temple – 47-200 Kahekili Hwy |
| Lilo & Stitch |
2002 |
Kauai |
| Blue Crush |
2002 |
Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club Oahu, Hawaii Film Studio |
| 50 First Dates |
2004 |
Kaneohe Bay, Sea Life Park, Waimanalo, Halona Blowhole, Hanauma Bay, Dillingham Ranch, Waialua, Kualoa Ranch, Kaʻaʻawa Valley, He’eia Kea Boat Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii |
| Forgetting Sarah Marshall |
2008 |
Honolulu, Laie point, oahu, Turtle Bay Resort |
| Princess Kaiulani |
2009 |
Iolani Palace |
| Soul Surfer |
2011 |
Oahu, Kauai, Hawaii |
| The Descendants |
2011 |
3849 Old Pali Road, Honolulu, 155 Dowsett Avenue, Honolulu, St. Francis Medical Center, 2933 Kalakaua Avenue, 4328 Papu Circle, Honolulu, 4420 Aukai Avenue, Honolulu, 55-190 Kamehameha Hwy, Laie, Waikiki, |
| Jurassic World |
2015 |
Makai Research Pier, Oahu Island (where the protagonists arrive) |
| Point Break |
2015 |
Surf scenes at Waimea Bay Beach Park |
| Aloha |
2015 |
Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, The Breakers Hotel – Waikiki |
| Moana |
2016 |
|
| Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates |
2016 |
Turtle Bay Resort, Kualoa Ranch, Kahuku, Kamehameha Highway, Waimea Bay, Honolulu, Laie |
| Snatched |
2017 |
Honolulu, Waianae |
| Jurassic World Fallen kingdom |
2018 |
Halona Beach, Oahu Island (dinosaur chase beach refuge) |
| The Wrong Missy |
2020 |
The Four Seasons in Ko Olina |
| Finding ’Ohana |
2021 |
Honolulu, Kaneohe, Kualoa Ranch, Leonard’s Bakery |
| Jurassic world dominion |
2022 |
|
Books I read (I didn’t finish reading through my list and didn’t get to Honolulu or Shark Dialogues but I read all the other books)
| Books |
Description |
| Oahu Revealed |
Guidebook on all things Oahu. |
| The Descendants – Kaui Hart Hemmings |
A dysfunctional family that has to pull itself together as their wife/mother lies dying in the hospital. |
| Juniors by Kaui Hart Hemmings |
Seventeen-year-old Lea Lane must navigate a complex web of friendships and relationships after she and her mother move into the guest cottage of the fabulously wealthy West family in Honolulu. |
| Summer Bird Blue – Bowman, Akemi |
Rumi goes to live with her aunt in Hawaii, in order to give her mom the space and time she needs to process the death of Rumi’s younger sister, Lea. |
| Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn |
When supernatural events revisit the Flores family in Hawaii – with tragic consequences – they are all forced to reckon with the bonds of family, the meaning of heritage, and the cost of survival. |
| Calvin Coconut: Hero of Hawaii by Graham Salisbury |
Hawaii boy Calvin Coconut has come up with the best idea ever for his sister Darci’s birthday party. But a huge tropical storm hits the islands and threatens everything. It rains and rains. And rains. |
| Paddling My Own Canoe by Audrey Sutherland |
This is the story of fulfilling her dream, of planning then implementing, of launching and advancing, of retreating and reconnoitering, of challenge and success exploring Molokai. |
| Radar Girls by Sarah Ackerman |
The story of new recruits and unsung heroes. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Daisy, a gifted horse trainer, enlists in a top-secret program that recruits women to replace men who have joined the war. |
| Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury (1994) |
Tomikazu Nakaji’s biggest concerns are baseball, homework, and a local bully until life with his immigrant Japanese family in Hawaii changes drastically after the Pearl Harbor bombing 12/1941. |
| To Wake the Giant by Jeff Shaara |
An exciting war story that will provide a better understanding of Pearl Harbor |
| Honolulu by Brennert, Alan |
Instead of the prosperous young husband and the chance at an education she has been promised, Jin is quickly married off to a poor, embittered laborer who takes his disappointments out on his new wife, forcing her to make her own way in a strange land. |
| Shark Dialogues by Kiana Davenport |
An epic saga of seven generations as a Hawaiian woman gathers her four granddaughters together in an erotic tale of villains and dreamers, queens and revolutionaries, lepers and healers |
| Between the Deep Blue Sea and Me by Lurline Wailana McGregor |
Moana’s struggles to understand her ancestral responsibilities, mend relationships, and find her identity as a Hawaiian in today’s world. |
| Kaiulani: The People’s Princess, Hawaii, 1889 by Ellen Emerson White |
After being forcibly annexed by the U.S., the Hawaiian people turned to the young Princess Kaiulani in the hopes that their toppled monarchy could be restored. |
And my packing list for the 10-night trip:
- Plane outfit Outgoing and Plane outfit Returning
- Bright yellow water shoes, Socks, Comfy pants, Comfy shirt, Sweater, underclothes
- Seat Bag Folding backpackSeat Bag Folding backpack
- Travel Pouch for electronics, Ipad charger, Phone, Phone charger brick (2), Phone charger cord (2), Carplay cord, Watch charger, Watch, Airpods, Airtag, Battery
- Ipad, Reusable water bottle, Coffee mug with hidden compartment for cash, Sunglasses, Sunglasses case, Carabiner (when swimming), Wallet, Driver’s License, Credit Card(s), Quarters, Dollars/$5 dollars/$20 dollars, Ziplocs, Toiletries bag, Seat Bag Folding backpack Change of clothes: Underclothes, Shorts, Bathing suit, Shirt, Folding hat, Rash guard, Cover-up
- Toiletries bag
- Toothbrush, Toothbrush cover, Toothpaste, Floss, mouthwash, Deodorant, Travel mirror, Eye drops, Clippers, Tweezers, q-tips, Chapstick, Sunscreen, Hairbrush, First aid, Tylenol, Zzzquil, Face lotion, Hand sanitizer, Bidet
- Plane Carry On
- Airtag, GoPro, GoPro bag, GoPro accessories, Laundry bag, Rain jacket, Sandals-walking sandals, Cheap water shoes, bathing suit, rash guard, 9 pairs underwear, cover-up, 2 pairs of socks, 2 bras, 1 pair of leggings, 1 pole outfit, 9 shirts, Packing cubes, suitcase lock, Checked Bag Airtag, Sandcloud towel, Bug spray/bug repellant, Snorkel gear, Snorkel bag, Waterproof phone pouch, PADI scuba certification, Dry bag, dive slate
- What I didn’t need to bring:
- Underwear for every day (because of swimsuits!)
- Shirts for every day (because I wore my swimsuit and cover-up for several outings
- A fun Luau outfit – if it’s not too early in your trip you can find something nice and local to wear, which we did!
- Towel to set on the sand – not needed because we just left our stuff in our bags
- Quarters for parking – we always used ride shares in Waikiki because parking is difficult and then we could both drink!
- Rain jacket
- Suitcase locks – we never left our luggage unattended except in our hotel/AirBnB room
- Dive slate and dive flashlight
- More than 1 type of sunscreen
- What I could have used if we brought
- Towels – we bought some thin souvenir Hawaii ones from ABC which I really like
- More immunity-boosting vitamins and first aid supplies (Neosporin and after-sun care)
- Bug spray and anti-itch lotion that works (I got natural wristbands that didn’t work)
- What I was super glad we brought:
- Snorkel gear that we liked (I didn’t bring my fins and was able to use the activity fins or pay a little to use fins)
- Our snorkel gear bag
- A beach bag that zips closed and fits all our dry beach items
- A dry waist pouch to keep our phones and cash on us at all times
- Portable bidet
- swimwear with zippered pockets
Rachel Author Barnard 