This post was originally written in July 2017 and updated in September 2018
Aloha! Welcome to Your Ultimate Guide to Hawaii. Specifically, Waikiki, Honolulu.
My name is Kirsten and I’ll be your tour guide for today.
So please, help yourself to a refreshing beverage – we have guava juice and Mai Tais on offer – and we’ll get your Hawaiian Holiday underway.
Now as you know I’ve been to Hawaii a couple of times before. So how about we kick things off with some questions. Who would like to go first?
Yes, lady up the back holding two Mai Tais. I like your commitment to knocking back a couple of free cocktails at 10am by the way. Very impressive.
Where did you stay?
We stayed at Waikiki Shore by Outrigger.
It’s nothing flash – there’s no room service, no pool, no bar – but what it lacks in facilities in makes up for in location and price.
It’s Waikiki’s only beachfront apartment style accommodation – meaning each room has a full kitchen and a washing machine and dryer.
It also has this spectacular view from almost every apartment:
Now here’s a little insider tip for you:
All of the apartments are privately owned, so some are beautifully renovated while others are not. If you book through the official website – find it here – it’s random luck as to what you get.
We’ve had one stay in a renovated apartment and another two stays in what can only be described as ‘very tired’ apartments. But it’s Hawaii. We are always so excited and grateful to be there, we don’t care what the apartment actually looks like.
The other bonus to booking through the official website, is that you can secure an apartment that has full access to the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort next door. That includes their pool, gym, bar area etc.
If bargain hunting or price comparison is your thing, you can find the apartments online at other websites such as Airbnb etc.
Where are the best places to eat and drink? And is it expensive?
Great question and one that I’ve put a lot of time – and calories – into researching for you.
Cost wise, eating out in Hawaii is like eating out at home. It can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be.
I know that sounds vague, but everyone’s budget is different. What I might think is expensive, you might think is very reasonable, you know?
Most restaurants have a menu out the front. Have a quick scan through that and you’ll soon know if it’s the place for you.
You do have to leave a tip and most places will leave three options for you at the bottom of the bill – 10% 15% or 20%
Here, in no particular order, are the places we’ve eaten and/or enjoyed a sneaky beverage at in Waikiki.
- PF Changs, Royal Hawaiian Centre, 2301 Kalakaua Avenue. Do yourself a favour and order the Mongolian Beef – it’s delicious.
- The Cheesecake Factory Honolulu, Royal Hawaiian Centre, 2301 Kalakaua Avenue. Expect to wait up to two hours for a table at night. Late lunch is a great time to go.
- Buho Cantina, 2250 Kalakaua Avenue. A rooftop mexican restaurant and bar. Great location, service and food, although it is a little on the spicy side – the food, not the service.
- Rumfire, Sheraton Waikiki, 2255 Kalakaua Avenue. One of my favourite places to enjoy a sunset cocktail and a bite to eat. The food is delicious, the cocktails are excellent and the view is spectacular. Just be careful of the crashing waves when you’re getting your photo taken.
- Dukes Waikiki, 2335 Kalakaua Ave. A popular restaurant for tourists to visit, I give the Hula Pie 10 hardened arteries out of 10.
- Wai’Olu Ocean View Lounge, Trump International Hotel, 223 Saratoga Road. This hotel is located across the road from where we’re staying. It’s faaancy and if you pretend you can’t see the owner’s name you won’t find it visiting a problem. Jump in the lift to Level Two and order yourself a Mai Tai. It will be the BEST one you ever drink, I promise – hello floating ball of sorbet and fresh orchid garnish. You need Instagramming immediately!
- BLT Steak, Trump International Hotel. Happy hour is a thing of wonder in Hawaii. It starts early, finishes several hours later and often involves food. Happy Hour at BLT Steak – Lobby Level at Trump’s place – is all sorts of amazing. Sit yourself up at the bar between 4.30pm and 6.30pm and order an $8 cocktail. Then watch as a bowl of popcorn is gently slid your way, followed by a tasting plate of pate. Then the most delicious warm bread arrangement called a Popover will arrive and when that’s done, two little cubes of brownie will be served. If you’re STILL hungry after all of that, the bar menu is amazing.
- Hard Rock Cafe Honolulu, 280 Beachwalk Ave. If you feel like a typical burger and fries meal, this is the place for you. I found it difficult to find anything remotely healthy on the menu but the service was great.
- Bills Hawaii, 280 Beachwalk Ave. Owned by Sydney chef, Bill Granger, Bills is your go-to destination for an almost Aussie breakfast. Slick service, gorgeous decor and delicious food. It’s definitely worth a visit.
- Island Vintage Shave Ice, Royal Hawaiian Centre. This little shop is located on the footpath of Kalakaua Ave, right outside Kate Spade. There’s always a line but it moves quickly. I highly recommend the Acai shave ice bowl.
- Tommy Bahama Restaurant, Bar & Store, corner of Kalakaua Avenue and Beach Walk. Another one of my absolute favourite places to visit in Waikiki. With a store on Level One, a restaurant on level two and a rooftop bar on level three, complete with a sand and fire pits, there is something for everyone.
- The Royal Hawaiian Bakery, Located in the lobby area of The Royal Hawaiian hotel, this gorgeous little bakery is the perfect spot for a pit stop. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast there and the coffee was really good!
- Shorebird Restaurant and Beach Bar, Outrigger Reef Beach Resort. Located right on the beach, Shorebird offers beautiful ocean and sunset views. Home of Waikiki’s famous grill your own dinner situation, Shorebird offers an extensive Cook Your Own BBQ menu and help yourself salad bar.
- The Steak Shack A tiny little takeaway spot located right on the beach, underneath our hotel. This places offers delicious chicken or steak plates, served with rice and salad. Cooked in only a few minutes and oh so delicious, it’s the perfect beach lunch.
- House Without A Key, Halekulani, 2199 Kalia Road. The Halekulani hotel is next level fancy. So fancy that this year they’ve starting charging $5 a head to sit in their outdoor area. Even though you’ll be ordering cocktails and food. It’s a beautiful location, the afternoon entertainment is lovely to listen to and they do a superior blended mojito. We’ve visited there twice and this time around, after being told it would cost US$30 for 6 of us just to sit down, we gave it a miss.
- Roys Waikiki, 226 Lewers St. While I haven’t dined at Roys, I have sat at the outdoor bar and sampled several of their cocktails. The service is outstanding and the cocktails are delicious. It’s the perfect way to spend an hour or so after a hard day at the beach.
- Kona Coffee Purveyors – located in the International Market Place (Kuhio Ave entrance), this stylish cafe offers great coffee, amazing sweet treats and one fabulous – and very instagram worthy – floor.
- Hideout Waikiki – A hidden gem tucked away on the lobby level of The Laylow hotel, Hideout serves delicious food morning, noon and night in a gorgeous setting.
- Maui Brewing Co – This place is located in the Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger hotel, but if you’re not staying there you’ll find it on the main strip of Waikiki. Don’t be put off by the dark looking entrance. You walk up a few flights of stairs and once you reach the top you’ll find yourself in a huge open air style restaurant overlooking Kalakaua Ave. We had breakfast there and it was delicious.
- Tanaka of Tokyo – a Japanese steakhouse where the chefs are 10/10 entertaining and the food is 11/10 delicious.
For more information, images and videos check out my Travel Highlights on Insta Stories.
Can you walk into any of the big hotels for a look around?
Yes, you can. You can also dine at most of their restaurants, enjoy a drink at their bars and/or make a booking at their day spa.
You can’t use their swimming pools or beach umbrellas but some hotels will let you hire a poolside cabana.
My personal favourites are Surf Rider, Royal Hawaiian and The Hilton.
The Hilton is a bit of a walk to get to but it’s worth it. There is so much to look at there – shops, wildlife, a lagoon (all beaches in Hawaii are free for anyone to use), a fairly impressive fountain situation at the reception area. The list goes on.
Wearing Scarlet Wrap Dress – Pink Mojito (how perfect is the name of the print!) Size S/M from Renee Loves Frances (gifted) Photo taken by one very patient Insta Husband at The Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
What’s the shopping like?
If shopping is your cardio, get ready. By the end of a week or two in Hawaii, you will be in the best shopping shape of your life!
When it comes to shopping, there is something for everyone in Waikiki. From high-end stores such as Chanel through to a two-story chemist (drug store) that sells everything from actual prescriptions to bottles of wine, Waikiki has your shopping needs covered.
Kalakaua Ave runs through central Waikiki is great to go for a wander. All the shops are open until 10 or 11pm, so you’ve got plenty of time to beach it up in the day and hit the shops at night.
It’s always busy and it does get hot. Wear a hat and plenty of sunscreen as you will be doing a lot of footpath walking.
My favourites to visit in central Waikiki are:
- International Market Place – 2330 Kalakaua Ave, opposite Moana Surf Rider. Conveniently located on the main strip of Waikiki, this beautiful open air style mall has some gorgeous stores to wander through – hello Anthroplogie and Sugarfina!
- Ross Dress For Less, 333 Seaside Ave (just off Kalakaua Ave) A bargain hunters paradise, this two-floor store stocks everything from homewares to designer labels at crazy low prices.
- Nordstrom Rack Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach – 2255 Kuhio Avenue, conveniently located a very short walk from Ross Dress For Less. Again, it’s fairly newly opened and is a Nordstrom outlet store. If you’re on the look out for high-end labels at massively reduced prices, it’s worth a visit.
- Kate Spade – no need to give the location for this one. If you love Kate Spade, it will find you. I promise. Featuring two levels of colourful goodness, it’s a gorgeous store to visit.
- Tiffany & Co – a beautiful two level building filled with gorgeous jewels.
- ABC Stores – while they’re not exactly a favourite to visit, you should know about them. There’s one on pretty much every corner in Waikiki. You’ll find your standard Hawaiian tourist gifts at the front of the store. Head down the back and you’ll find tubs of fresh fruit, salads, sushi and salad. They’re kind of jammed in between all the processed things and bags of chips bigger than your head. Insider tip: save your receipts, spend enough there and you’ll be rewarded with a coffee cup or calendar at the end of your holiday.
- Longs Drug Store -2155 Kalakaua Ave (link not available outside of USA, sorry). Look, this is a bit strange, but I love a good chemist situation. When Scott found this one, he knew I’d love it so much that he took me there after dinner one night. The romance people! The romance! Located across from Bills, it is two floors of “OMG they literally have everything here.”
Need a new eyeliner? Longs will have it.
How about an A5 chevron printed padded envelope? Aisle 5.
Feel like a drink? Duck upstairs and grab yourself a bottle of Moet. The 6 packs of beer are in the fridge behind you.
And not to get personal, but are you getting enough fibre in your diet? The fresh fruit is downstairs just near the check out area.
Oh and don’t forget the kids! They’ll need a bowl of cereal in the morning. Better grab a packet of that and some milk while you’re there.
But enough about Longs. Let’s move onto my favourite gym, Ala Moana Center.
Don’t panic! It’s not an actual gym. Although you will need to wear very comfortable shoes and your fit bit – if you have one – because you will clock up the steps at this amazing mall.
Ala Moana Center – where is it?
It’s an easy 10 minute bus or taxi ride from central Waikiki.
I like to catch the bus down there – there’s a stop conveniently located across the road from where we stayed – and catch a taxi home.
Catching the bus from Waikiki to Ala Moana is really easy. You want to jump on bus 8, 19, 20, 23, 24 or 42. Look out for the number and jump on. Ask the driver if he’s going to Ala Moana if you’re not sure – he’ll soon tell you.
It will cost you US$2.75 one way and you need the correct change.
A taxi will cost anywhere from US$9 – $15 (plus a tip) depending on the traffic.
what’s there?
Pretty much everything.
It’s the largest shopping centre in Hawaii, the seventh largest mall in the United States and the largest open air shopping centre in the world. It is MASSIVE.
My go-to stores are:
- Macys – visit their customer service desk, flash your ID and they’ll give you a Visitors Discount card with 10% off, valid for 30 days.
- Brookstone – a tech nerds idea of heaven
- Sephora – sign up for a Sephora card and you can score yourself some freebies
- Anthropologie – gorgeous homewares and beautiful clothes
- Old Navy – a brilliant store for clothing at bargain prices
- Target – nothing like the Target we have here in Australia. Think superior homewares and clothing downstairs, kidswear, stationery, fresh fruit and veg upstairs. Yes, you can do your groceries while shopping for a new dairy. GENIUS.
- Nordstroms – a beautiful store to browse. They also have a gorgeous bar in the womenswear section. Yes, you order a cocktail and a bite to eat in between shopping for shoes. I may have participated. For reasearch purposes, of course!
Ok, let’s take a minute to discuss the outlet shopping in Hawaii.
Waikele Premium Outlets
The Waikele Premium Outlets are a bit of a mission to get to. They’re about 1/2 an hour from central Waikiki, but there are a few transport options available for you.
You can hire a car, catch a bus or check if your hotel offers a shuttle service to the outlets.
Once there, expect to see all the big brands with offers for you. Kate Spade, Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas, Old Navy, The Gap, Banana Republic, Clarins, the list goes on.
Ok, so that’s the shopping, eating and drinking done.
It’s probably time to have a bit of a chat about what Hawaii is really known for, the beach.
Waikiki Beach – what can you do there?
You can do as much or as little as you like at Waikiki Beach. There really is something for everyone.
Because I love a good list, here’s a list of the things you can do and see:
- Swim. Sounds obvious, but not many people actually swim. Most prefer to bob around in the beautiful warm water.
- Bob around in the water. Inflatable rings are a thing at the beach in Hawaii. You’ll find them at your local ABC shop for US$3.99 For another US$1 they’ll inflate it for you using an air pump. Insider tip: don’t be tempted to buy one of those massive inflatable swans. We saw two get swept out so far, the people on them required rescuing.
- Snorkel. BYO snorkel set from home or buy a cheap one from an ABC shop. Scott and Sophie snorkeled for hours on end and saw something new every day.
- SUP. Stand up paddle boards are available to hire at various points along the beach.
- Water Bike Ride. Also available for hire. Insider tip: these are fun for approximately 2.5 minutes then they’re just really hard work!
- Hire an umbrella and sun lounge. There are several places dotted along the beach where you can hire umbrellas and sun loungers from. Staff will set it up for you and you can enjoy a day of shade and comfort at the beach.
- Surf. Probably only a good idea if you’re a reasonably experienced surfer as it’s a long way to paddle out to the waves and you’ll be falling off into coral. Surf lessons are available.
- Turtle Watch. The turtles visit the rock wall outside our hotel – Waikiki Shore – every afternoon. It’s amazing to see these beautiful creatures up close.
- Book a tour. There’s several catamarans that leave from the beach several times a day. Book a tour with any one of those and you’ll be able to snorkel with turtles out on the reef.
- Visit Duke. Duke’s statue is located in the main part of Waikiki beach. He was an Olympic swim star, movie star and man responsible for bringing surfing to the rest of the world.
- Watch the sunset. The most incredible sunset you will ever see happens on the beach from around 7.30pm. You will not want to miss it.
- Watch the fireworks. The Hilton Hawaiian Village puts on a spectacular fireworks show every Friday night at 7.45pm Head to the rock wall outside our hotel for a fabulous view.
We’re almost done. How’s everyone going? Lady up the back with the Mai Tais, do you need a toilet break?
No, but you’d like another cocktail? Sure! Help yourself. I think we might also book you an Uber while we’re at it.
Ok, well let’s wrap things up with a bit of sightseeing. Hawaii is beautiful and the scenery is stunning.
If you get the chance, hire a car and go for a drive around the island. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Here’s another quick list of the places we’ve visited around the island that I know you’ll love:
And we’re done!
I’m fairly sure I’ve covered everything. If you’ve got any tips you’d like to add or questions to ask, please do.
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