Honolulu Travel Advisor

When you arrive in Honolulu you’ll discover a place that gives a whole new meaning to the words ‘you’re welcome,’

Honolulu is a friendly place, but most of all Honolulu is memorable with so much to do that you have to make a list of the places you want to visit and the things that you want to see and do and then whether you staying for a short time or a long time you will have not missed some of the un-missable sights of Honolulu.

Here we have put together the top ten things to do in Honolulu and the entire island of Oahu, obviously there is much more to do and see but if you don’t miss the wonderful sights on this list at least you will be able to say that you have enjoyed this beautiful destination.

The best way to see all of Honolulu is to take a trip up to the top of the First Hawaiian Centre on King’s Street. The 134 metre (438 foot) tower is the tallest building in Honolulu and from the roof restaurant and viewing gallery you can see most of Honolulu and the dramatic volcanic mountains that are the encircling back drop to Honolulu.

If Volcano’s are your thing then just in the city of Honolulu you can find three volcanic cones, they are Koko Head, Diamond Head and Punchbowl. Koko Head is actually located in the Hanauma Bay and Diamond Head has the beautiful crystal clear Salt Lake hiding all but the edges but you can climb to the edge of Diamond head and look down into the sleeping heart of Diamond Head which has been dormant of a long time happily.

If you walk to the top of Diamond head you will be rewarded with another of the stunning views that Honolulu offers and look out over Waikiki.

If volcanoes are not your thing and you would like a gentle stroll and maybe take in some art then the Arts District Honolulu is worth a visit and as it is so close to Chinatown you can eat afterwards. The Arts District of Honolulu is a 12 block area with plenty to see especially if you are interested in the culture and history of the Hawaiian Islands from the first Polynesian migrants who settled in Honolulu in the 12th Century.

Here you will also find the homes of the Honolulu Symphony and the Hawaiian Opera Theatre close to the Centre for Hawaiian Music.

If all of that culture made you hungry that is great because you can not only eat but also see the site of the largest fire that has ever raged in Honolulu then pop down to Chinatown where you will see the results of the rebuilding.

On January 20, 1900 the mainly wooden Great Chinatown fires were started deliberately in 41 homes to get rid of the bubonic plague, but winds whipped the fire into an inferno and it burned for 17 days destroying everything in its path.

Now you can site in the beautiful Wo Fat building which is made of brick and enjoy excellent Chinese food comfortable and safely and not worry about a repeat of the blaze that was so devastating.

We all know about Hawaiian hospitality and there amazing feasts or parties, these parties of feasts have a Hawaiian name, they call them Luau. Luau’s were first conceived by King Kamehameha II of Hawaii in 1819 who wanted to stamp out the religious taboos related to eating that existed for centuries before.

Today a Luau or party can be held for any number of reasons from graduation to a wedding and in addition to the Luau’s held for islanders there are Luaus held for tourists, in fact there are a great many, but then as there are around 7.6 million tourists a year you can imagine that there would be a lot for the Hawaiian islanders to celebrate.

When you choose a Luau try to find one that promises the full Polynesian experience of dancing, music and games the experience is well worth looking for and a delight to enjoy.

Being an American colony it is easy to rent a car and when you rent a car you will find that the American influence doesn’t stop, the roads are wide, well lit at night and safe to drive on and that is good news because when you rent a car you have to take a drive over to Ohau’s northern shore.

Here the view is the picture of a tropical island on one side the large crashing rollers of the Pacific is pounding the shore and on the other side of the highway is a tropical rainforest that stretches above your head to the mountain range and then on to the clear cloudlessly blue sky that is only disturbed by the glide path of some colourful and unrecognisable tropical bird.

This is paradise and of course paradise for surfer’s who can be seen at the top of impossibily high waves speeding into the north shore.

If you come to Hawaii it is probably unlikely that you won’t be able to miss references to World War II and that is only right really history tells the story itself, but as 1.5 million people a year do you should go to see the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbour.

The USS Arizona Memorial has now been joined by the restored Battleship USS Missouri and together they are reminders of the poor souls who died in the attack.

If you have the time then a visit to the Honolulu Zoo is a colourful and rewarding one and the tea room offers wonderful tradition Hawaiian sweet cakes which are some of the best on the island.

The most popular visitor attraction in Honolulu is the Polynesian Cultural Centre and offers a marvellous insight into the Polynesian culture, the Rainbows of Paradise Canoe Pageant is shown daily and is presented in an enormous lagoon which is also the setting for the Ali Luau where you can enjoy more excellent Polynesian food.

There is so much to do in Honolulu that you will if you are not careful feel rush and that would never do so if you want to take a stroll and forget about where you are visiting next take foot path out to Makapu’u Point. It is a bit of a climb in places but the views of Waimanlo Bay and the beautiful Koko Head are just too good to miss and if you take this walk at the right time of year you may just catch sight of Blue Whales, the best times to do this are from December to around May so the local say.