When we booked our first trip to Hawaii, my plan was to avoid Oahu as much as possible. My expectations of Oahu were very low. I always pictured it as Hawaii’s tourist-hub, over commercialised, full of high rise condos and tacky tourists attractions; and to be honest, this was also our opinion of Hawaii in general, and it stopped us from heading there for ages. But...
It’s not hard to find a good hike on any of the Hawaiian Islands, and Oahu is no exception. It has more hiking trails than you can realistically conquer during a two week holiday. If like us, you’re a hiker, you may find it tricky to choose from them all. But, on the eastern edge of Waikiki’s coastline, lies one of Hawaii’s most iconic landmarks, the Diamond Head...
You might think that Hawaii is all about lying on the beach, surfing and enjoying the spectacular scenery. But some of the best things to explore in Hawaii are found under water. Beneath the stunning blue sea is a world of tropical fish, colourful coral reefs, friendly green sea turtles, rays, dolphins and many other species of marine life. A school of Surgeonfish in...
As a first time visitor to the Hawaiian islands, it’s really hard to choose which islands to head to. When I organised our initial trip to Hawaii I did lots and lots of research but I still found it hard to decide. Each of the islands has its own unique charms and personality. Ideally you’d visit them all, but of course, for most of us, that’s not practical. Which...
After indulging ourselves a bit too much with beautiful food and cocktails during our Hawaiian vacation we decided it was time to burn some calories. So on our way down from Oahu’s north shore to Waikiki at the end of our trip, we made a pit stop at Koko Head. We’d heard that hiking up the Koko Head Trail made for some great exercise. It sounded like the perfect...
For many years we’ve considered going to Hawaii; but our images of Waikiki with buildings over-shadowing the beach, hordes of tourists, chains of shops and restaurants turned us off going. We love beach holidays but we love quiet ones. Staying in cabanas or bungalows rather than one of a thousand condos. Then after some more research we realised that Waikiki is...