North Shore Oahu trip report
Sep 10th, 2001, 03:42 PM
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North Shore Oahu trip report
Just back from 10 days North Shore Oahu (hubby and mine's first trip to Hawaii). Was truly (for us anyway) the perfect vacation. Did a "cottage/casual" kind of vacation - and LOVED it. More affordable (and comfortable) than a resort vacation too.....
Met at airport by lei greeter; beautiful leis, very friendly and helpful greeter; beachfront duplex cottage rustic but large, clean, and equipped w/all that anyone could need; absolutely georgous grounds; lanai 6 steps to beach (we had a REAL hard time leaving that lanai); friendly people.
Most days our schedule was: get up; put swimsuit on; fix breakfast and eat on lanai; go for morning swim/beachcombing; sit on lanai some more; reluctantly decide must leave lanai or we'll never see ANY of the island; pack ice chest w/beverages and head out; stop at any/all pretty/interesting-looking beaches; stop for fast-food picnic food somewhere (L&L Drive Ins and Kahuku shrimp trucks - oh my!); picnic at next great (and all were practically deserted) beach; more beaching and sightseeing; head back to cottage, stopping for take-out supper or something to grill on lanai; celebrate sunset on lanai; eat and go to bed. It was awesome.
Highlights: Mokuleia Beach Park - kitesurfers incredible to watch; all of windward shore - georgous, just like I dreamed Tahiti must look like (we made it as far as Kaneohe Bay); Kualoa Beach Park w/views of Chinaman's Hat - just beautiful; Pounders Beach - awesome surf; Haleiwa town - casual and friendly (including the must-dos of Matsumoto shave ice, Kua Aina hamburgers, Haleiwa Cafe, and Jameson's porch); afternoon people-watching and hotel-browsing in Wakiki - 'nuff said; Aloha Tower harbor area - cruise ships to marvel over; memorable meals at Chart House Ilikai Hotel and Don Ho's Grill Aloha Tower area; North Shore Catamaran Trips - wonderful sail and picnic, but if you've never snorkeled before DON'T GET OFF THE BOAT - their snorkeling is for people who know what they're doing and we didn't - really shook us up; and Waimea Falls Park - beautiful botanical garden - got to swim in the waterfall, see small hula show, etc.
It was the best and most relaxing vacation we've ever been on. We didn't feel a need to do and see absolutely everything - but still feel like we experienced plenty of the island. Thank you, Oahu and her people, for such a memorable trip.....planning next one for winter so we can see the big surf.....
Met at airport by lei greeter; beautiful leis, very friendly and helpful greeter; beachfront duplex cottage rustic but large, clean, and equipped w/all that anyone could need; absolutely georgous grounds; lanai 6 steps to beach (we had a REAL hard time leaving that lanai); friendly people.
Most days our schedule was: get up; put swimsuit on; fix breakfast and eat on lanai; go for morning swim/beachcombing; sit on lanai some more; reluctantly decide must leave lanai or we'll never see ANY of the island; pack ice chest w/beverages and head out; stop at any/all pretty/interesting-looking beaches; stop for fast-food picnic food somewhere (L&L Drive Ins and Kahuku shrimp trucks - oh my!); picnic at next great (and all were practically deserted) beach; more beaching and sightseeing; head back to cottage, stopping for take-out supper or something to grill on lanai; celebrate sunset on lanai; eat and go to bed. It was awesome.
Highlights: Mokuleia Beach Park - kitesurfers incredible to watch; all of windward shore - georgous, just like I dreamed Tahiti must look like (we made it as far as Kaneohe Bay); Kualoa Beach Park w/views of Chinaman's Hat - just beautiful; Pounders Beach - awesome surf; Haleiwa town - casual and friendly (including the must-dos of Matsumoto shave ice, Kua Aina hamburgers, Haleiwa Cafe, and Jameson's porch); afternoon people-watching and hotel-browsing in Wakiki - 'nuff said; Aloha Tower harbor area - cruise ships to marvel over; memorable meals at Chart House Ilikai Hotel and Don Ho's Grill Aloha Tower area; North Shore Catamaran Trips - wonderful sail and picnic, but if you've never snorkeled before DON'T GET OFF THE BOAT - their snorkeling is for people who know what they're doing and we didn't - really shook us up; and Waimea Falls Park - beautiful botanical garden - got to swim in the waterfall, see small hula show, etc.
It was the best and most relaxing vacation we've ever been on. We didn't feel a need to do and see absolutely everything - but still feel like we experienced plenty of the island. Thank you, Oahu and her people, for such a memorable trip.....planning next one for winter so we can see the big surf.....
Sep 14th, 2001, 05:24 PM
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Hi Linda,
Was waiting for your trip report. So glad to hear you had a wonderful time. We have rented a house on the beach at Mokuleia for a week in January. We will staying three nights at Waikiki pre-Christmas, then will fly to the Big Island for a couple of weeks and will do our Mokuleia trip at the end. Have been a little tentative about the Northshore because we have met so few people who have actually stayed up there. It appealed to us because we like the quieter areas of Hawaii and have never spent any time on Oahu. (Plus my husband wants to see the BIG surf.) We are travelling with our kids- fairly young ones- and understand that there is a reef protecting the beach in front of our house. So, a little more info about this part of the northshore? Good beach walking? Peaceful? Scenic?
Also, having done the northshore, would you go back there or stay somewhere along the windward coast or at Kualoa or Punalu'u? Thought we'd do our touristy stuff in Honolulu at the beginning of the trip and then kick back and enjoy the more rural parts of Oahu after the Big Island. Any advice would be great. (On top of the great trip report already here.)
Thanks
Was waiting for your trip report. So glad to hear you had a wonderful time. We have rented a house on the beach at Mokuleia for a week in January. We will staying three nights at Waikiki pre-Christmas, then will fly to the Big Island for a couple of weeks and will do our Mokuleia trip at the end. Have been a little tentative about the Northshore because we have met so few people who have actually stayed up there. It appealed to us because we like the quieter areas of Hawaii and have never spent any time on Oahu. (Plus my husband wants to see the BIG surf.) We are travelling with our kids- fairly young ones- and understand that there is a reef protecting the beach in front of our house. So, a little more info about this part of the northshore? Good beach walking? Peaceful? Scenic?
Also, having done the northshore, would you go back there or stay somewhere along the windward coast or at Kualoa or Punalu'u? Thought we'd do our touristy stuff in Honolulu at the beginning of the trip and then kick back and enjoy the more rural parts of Oahu after the Big Island. Any advice would be great. (On top of the great trip report already here.)
Thanks
Sep 16th, 2001, 03:48 PM
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mj: will help any I can. Re: beach walking: it was great. Deserted beaches all along Mokuleia (at least in Aug/Sep)- we saw 3 older women swimming weekday mornings and a fisherman w/2 boys most evenings - but other than that we saw a "honeymooning couple" or two during the day walking along - that was it. Perfectly peaceful and relaxing. Even at all the other beaches we visited between Mokuleia and Kaneohe, the most "crowded" ones might have had 12 or so people on them. As for scenic - well, we're from Kansas, so we thought it was entirely scenic, but it isn't the lush "Tahitian, palm-treed" look - just rurally pretty. Clean beaches and water - I'd think your kids will love it.
The windward shore was much more lush and georgous, but I'd go back to Mokuleia again because of the weather - I wanted sunshine and the only rain we saw in 10 days were the days we drove along the windward shore (but maybe we were just lucky).
Giovanni's shrimp truck in Kahuku (toward windward shore) is a must-do for shrimp lovers - his prices were a little higher than the others but his meals were superior. Feel free to ask anything else I can help with.....
The windward shore was much more lush and georgous, but I'd go back to Mokuleia again because of the weather - I wanted sunshine and the only rain we saw in 10 days were the days we drove along the windward shore (but maybe we were just lucky).
Giovanni's shrimp truck in Kahuku (toward windward shore) is a must-do for shrimp lovers - his prices were a little higher than the others but his meals were superior. Feel free to ask anything else I can help with.....
Sep 11th, 2003, 02:37 PM
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Linda, sounds like you had a great vacation. I will be traveling in November. What is the "shrimp truck" in Kahuku. I've seen it mentioned a few times but still haven't figured out what makes this such a popular stop. Can you help?
Sep 11th, 2003, 03:15 PM
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There are several of these 'shrimp trucks' in Kahuku. The one we went to was Giovanni's. They offer shrimp cooked 4 different ways and we opted for the garlic scampi style, yum! About $11 a plate. You dine next to the truck on picnic tables or take with you.
Sep 11th, 2003, 03:49 PM
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I'm sorry. I must have missed something. Where did you stay on the North Shore? I've been looking and unsure of some of the cottages I read about. Can you tell me the name of where you stayed? I'm happy you had a wondeful vacation!
Sep 11th, 2003, 04:45 PM
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I, too, would like the name of the cottage you stayed at. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. We're going to the Big Island in a few weeks, but would like to go to the north shore of Oahu for the next Hawaiian trip.
Sep 12th, 2003, 10:05 PM
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Linda stayed in a little duplex at Mokuleia Beach Colony and if I really think about it I might even come up with the name of the owner. I know that she is from Los Gatos, CA. Do a websearch on the beach colony.
I had to smile when this thread came up. I saw Linda's trip report two years ago and was delighted because we were planning a trip to the same area. I mentioned when I posted a reply to her(under the name MJ back in the old days before we have to register) that my husband was looking forward to seeing the BIG surf. Well, watch what you ask for! When we actually made the trip this past January, we were awoken at midnite on our first night there, to flashing lights and a loud speaker telling residents to prepare to evacuate as 50 ft surf was expected at 3 a.m. It was quite the experience. We were renting a house that had some protection from the reef but had surf come up on the lawn. Several of the ocean front units (perhaps even the oceanfront one that Linda stayed in) at the Beach Colony were damaged by the surf as were a couple of houses at Ke iki Beach. It was quite an adventure and a remember that these are relatively small islands in the middle of a BIG ocean.
I had to smile when this thread came up. I saw Linda's trip report two years ago and was delighted because we were planning a trip to the same area. I mentioned when I posted a reply to her(under the name MJ back in the old days before we have to register) that my husband was looking forward to seeing the BIG surf. Well, watch what you ask for! When we actually made the trip this past January, we were awoken at midnite on our first night there, to flashing lights and a loud speaker telling residents to prepare to evacuate as 50 ft surf was expected at 3 a.m. It was quite the experience. We were renting a house that had some protection from the reef but had surf come up on the lawn. Several of the ocean front units (perhaps even the oceanfront one that Linda stayed in) at the Beach Colony were damaged by the surf as were a couple of houses at Ke iki Beach. It was quite an adventure and a remember that these are relatively small islands in the middle of a BIG ocean.
Sep 13th, 2003, 02:20 PM
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I'm the "Linda" of the original trip report.....and experiencing sighs and smiles reading again about that wonderful trip.
Yep, it was Mokuleia Beach Colony and the woman owner's name is Pat Blackley - but sorry, I can't remember exactly which site I found the listing on. It was our 25th wedding anniversary trip, and that woman even had a georgous tropical flower arrangement delivered to the cottage on our anniversary. I would unhesitatingly recommend her cottage to anyone who would like this type of "low-key" accomodations - and am so sorry that the Colony maybe experienced storm damage - it is such a georgous place!
We can only afford a "big" vacation every other year - and since I picked Hawaii 2 years ago, I let hubby pick this year's: LA and Vegas. We'll have lots of fun (we leave this Weds.) but it lacks imagination, don't you think? Well, I'll plan on Hawaii again in '05.....
Yep, it was Mokuleia Beach Colony and the woman owner's name is Pat Blackley - but sorry, I can't remember exactly which site I found the listing on. It was our 25th wedding anniversary trip, and that woman even had a georgous tropical flower arrangement delivered to the cottage on our anniversary. I would unhesitatingly recommend her cottage to anyone who would like this type of "low-key" accomodations - and am so sorry that the Colony maybe experienced storm damage - it is such a georgous place!
We can only afford a "big" vacation every other year - and since I picked Hawaii 2 years ago, I let hubby pick this year's: LA and Vegas. We'll have lots of fun (we leave this Weds.) but it lacks imagination, don't you think? Well, I'll plan on Hawaii again in '05.....
Sep 15th, 2003, 08:24 AM
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Linda I read with interest your recent post. My husband and I (retired) look forward to our first stay in Oahu for one month mid Feb. to mid March. We have rented on windward coast a beachfront studio. Do you have any suggestions as to car rental, groceries and fresh produce availability. If you have any special finds we would appreciate your sharing them with us. Many thanks.
Sep 15th, 2003, 10:32 AM
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Lillium - While you're staying on the windward side, be sure to make a visit to Boots & Kimo's in Kailua - they have the absolute BEST macademia nut pancakes in the world! It's a cute little place, but gets crowded so it may take a few minutes to get seated - but it's worth every minute!
Sep 16th, 2003, 04:30 AM
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Lillium: Sorry, but we were based on the North Shore - not Windward Shore - so did all of our grocery shopping etc. in Haleiwa, which would probably not be the nearest town with services to you.
I CAN tell you that we were pleasantly surprised at the grocery store prices: higher than at home, but not ridiculously so. Pretty much a full selection of any fresh produce you might want. Food-finds highlight of our trip: fresh pineapple and fresh ahi (a type of tuna), that we grilled on the lanai. Utterly, wonderfully, sublimely delicious! Ask locals in your area where you might buy fresh ahi from fishermen - we got ours from the Haleiwa beach on the way out of town (past Jameson's - the beach to the east of the breakwater - you'll see all the fishermen and there were always pickup trucks w/signs advertising fresh fish). And make a point of going by the Dole Pineapple Plantation to pick up several FRESH pineapples. Our favorite gourmet Hawaiian meal: fresh ahi grilled to perfection by hubby, a little rice pilaf I whipped up, w/fresh pineapple for desert, all served on our oceanfront lanai around sunset with the ocean breezes and palm trees and the sounds of the surf - I tell you, we couldn't have spent $150 on a fancy restaurant meal that would rival those meals we cooked ourselves.
And as I suggested above, don't miss Giovanni's shrimp truck in Kahuku for an unbelievable picnic meal. I can't describe his shrimp sauce (and we tried - we're both amateur cooks w/a strong interest in foods and cooking) but it was absolutely wonderful. Kind of an oily, garlicky, peanutty sauce that was the perfect accompaniment to the rice they serve on the side. And when you get it to go, and drive it further around the island to Kualoa Beach w/it's views of Chinaman's Hat, and have a picnic out of it in the midst of all that beauty - well, life doesn't get much better!
I WANNA GO BACK!
(Lillium: happy to help w/anything I can, but leaving for this year's adventure tomorrow so will be off-line till the 26th).....
I CAN tell you that we were pleasantly surprised at the grocery store prices: higher than at home, but not ridiculously so. Pretty much a full selection of any fresh produce you might want. Food-finds highlight of our trip: fresh pineapple and fresh ahi (a type of tuna), that we grilled on the lanai. Utterly, wonderfully, sublimely delicious! Ask locals in your area where you might buy fresh ahi from fishermen - we got ours from the Haleiwa beach on the way out of town (past Jameson's - the beach to the east of the breakwater - you'll see all the fishermen and there were always pickup trucks w/signs advertising fresh fish). And make a point of going by the Dole Pineapple Plantation to pick up several FRESH pineapples. Our favorite gourmet Hawaiian meal: fresh ahi grilled to perfection by hubby, a little rice pilaf I whipped up, w/fresh pineapple for desert, all served on our oceanfront lanai around sunset with the ocean breezes and palm trees and the sounds of the surf - I tell you, we couldn't have spent $150 on a fancy restaurant meal that would rival those meals we cooked ourselves.
And as I suggested above, don't miss Giovanni's shrimp truck in Kahuku for an unbelievable picnic meal. I can't describe his shrimp sauce (and we tried - we're both amateur cooks w/a strong interest in foods and cooking) but it was absolutely wonderful. Kind of an oily, garlicky, peanutty sauce that was the perfect accompaniment to the rice they serve on the side. And when you get it to go, and drive it further around the island to Kualoa Beach w/it's views of Chinaman's Hat, and have a picnic out of it in the midst of all that beauty - well, life doesn't get much better!
I WANNA GO BACK!
(Lillium: happy to help w/anything I can, but leaving for this year's adventure tomorrow so will be off-line till the 26th).....
Sep 19th, 2003, 09:44 AM
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Just caught ahi, ripe from the fields pineapple, macadamia pancakes, roadside shrimp...sounds like we will eat quite well. Hope to eat out too. Any must dos? A friend will be staying in Waikiki the same period so we want to drive there to see him. Thank you for the responses.
Sep 23rd, 2003, 03:01 PM
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I am so happy to have stumbled upon this- I grew up on Oahu & am going back "home" on Saturday for 10 days & staying in Mokuleia- we rented a great beach house from www.hawaiionthebeach.com. Its right across the street from the airfield. My sister just stayed @ the same house last week & said it was WONDERFUL. I was actually searching for information about the Kahuku shrimp that you talked about- I remember being a kid & driving out there w/my mother to buy shrimp right out of the pond. It sounds like it has changed as there werent the lunch wagons out there then as the ponds were a new thing. Will certainly try Giovanni's- it sounds wonderful!!!! Reading about the Ahi & pineapple- that just put me over the edge- I cant wait to make a fresh pineapple salsa to serve w/the fresh ahi- also didnt think about taking a cooler until I read this- I have a good soft one that I can toss down the shute that will be perfect for a "pick-a-beach" picnic. That was something we did when I was a kid- pack a lunch & pick a beach- we went to a new one all the time. I simply cant wait to have my feet in the sand & the smell of the ocean in the air.
