Right on! Museums, churches and temples and chinatowns you can see in almost any city. The North Shore of Oahu is not even close to the most spectacular scenery in Hawaii. Nobody is going to travel thousands of miles all the way to Hawaii for any of these things.

Rusty

Besides Melissa's list:

For Polynesian entertainment in Hawaii, there is nothing that comes close to Polynesian Cultural Center. Their 'Horizons' show is unmatched in Hawaii and that is just part of the center.

The views from atop Diamond Head and the state wayside on Tantalus are two of the best overhead views of a city that you will find anywhere in the world.

Waikiki beaches, Waimea Bay, Kailua Beach & Lanikai Beach are four of Hawaii's best beaches. All on Oahu!

I'll give the other islands the nod for waterfalls, helicopter rides, Big Islands's Kiluea Volcano, Maui's Haleakala and Road to Hana and Kauai's Waimea Canyon.

Overall, none of the others compare with Oahu with the most to see and do.

okay arubatraveler; with all this great information, which island is it gonna be? Oh, the suspense!

dusty got my drift fine!

For everyone else: I apologize for taking the bait. I should know better.

So arubatraveler, have you read this thread yet?
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34515901

OK, here's an opinion from one of my friends here in Honolulu who lurks here (and sometimes posts) but didn't want to "officially" throw her hat into the ring. I have edited her comments heavily to make them, er, printable in public. See? Unlike some other people here, I'm pretty open to flexible points of view.

<i>In spite of being born and raised here, I have to vote Maui if the reader wants to veg on a beach. Kaanapali, Wailea, Paia are all great beaches!

Altho, can you rip people that think only the Arizona Memorial and Punchbowl are the only interesting sites on Oahu? That really puts my panties in a bind.

anyhoo, I would suggest she land here, do a few days with Waikiki as a home base, then go to Maui - she has 7 days, right? One day to travel Windward side to the North Shore, stopping at Hanauma Bay, that place in Kailua, Kahuku shrimp for lunch, Shark's Cove, Waimea Bay, Haleiwa for shave ice and then drive back to town. Then the next day drive to Koolina to veg at the lagoon there(after buying your own supplies and lunch - Kay's Bento or Tanioka's in Waipahu would be a good choice). And of course reserve one day to veg on Waikiki beach and learn to surf and cap the day off with a cocktail at House w/out a Key. Altho, reading back on this note, it doesn't sound too much like vegging, does it? oh well....

But Maui does have much better beaches if that's all she wants. Kinda touristed out tho - Kaanapali and Wailea have nearly wiped out any sense of local culture and history - Front street in Lahaina is a mini-Kalakaua avenue. But if she's not concerned about culture and just wants a good beach with amenities, a Kaanapali resort will probably do just fine.

My 2cents. </i>

Ooohhh I haven't been on these boards for awhile but I just had to chime in, have been to Oahu several times, Maui a couple and Kauai. Over and over again my best picks are Oahu &amp; Kauai. As a matter of fact that's why we're getting married on Oahu this summer,

1)because whether we want to have a day of sunning on an isolated beach on the windward or North Shore we can

2)because if we want to have a day of shopping we can

3)because if we want a day of fun, Hawaiian style entertainment we can

4)because if we want a day of shopping followed up with a fine dining experience we can

And we decided it the best place for all of our guests, many whom have never been but because there's so much variety it will some something special for each of them.

BTW..went to Maui last summer and honestly, we had an awesome time, but I couldn't help from thinking that something was missing compared to Oahu.

If you want a truly tropical experience though, go to Kauai.
*whew* okay..there's my posting for the day :)

oops, darn, didn't mean to say shopping twice! we only waste a day or so of it while in Paradise! lol

Barbara is absolutely right. Oahu's greatest downside as a vacation destination is its lousy zoning rules that force most tourists into Waikiki - yuck. If I were choosing a place to live I would prefer Oahu. But for an anniversary vacation Maui is the easy winner. Arubatraveler has some clearly stated vacation preferences (kudos for that - too many posters just ask &quot;which is better?&quot; without providing any context). Let's see how the two islands shake out:

Beach: Most good Maui hotels have beautiful uncrowded white sand beaches right in front of them - Waikiki beach does not compare (Turtle Bay and Ko Olina are too isolated to offer good dining and shopping options)

Dining: Oahu has many more choices, but all of the good ones require a car trip outside of Waikiki. Maui has a better selection than most neighbor islands, but Oahu wins by a nose.

R&amp;R and quiet: Waikiki is too crowded. Too many tourists, traffic, prostitutes, panhandlers.

Shopping: Waikiki is too kitschy but still wins due to Ala Moana and the rest of Oahu's shopping.

Natural Beauty: tie if you get out of Waikiki.

ggrtist,

Congrats on your wedding! How exciting to be getting married on Oahu! It is the best wedding island. Aloha.

-Bill

Thanks Bill! I am very excited, we considered getting hitched on Kauai because of those amazing views of Bali Hai &amp; the North Shore sights, but figured that Kauai's pace may be too slow for some of our guests (especially my FI's parents who like to get out &amp; about!) We're Honeymooning on the BI, yippee! Never been there before so I'll be checking these boards for plenty of advice :)

I'm still with my Maui opinion. 3 great stays there, not one in a resort or Condo area. B&amp;B's in Upcountry are great! :-).
PS- my mother-in-law loves Aruba and Maui. :-)

Aloha trippink... did you write trip reports about your upcountry stay? Would love to read about it... ((R))

Aloha GG!!! Ho'omaika'i ~ CONGRATULATIONS!!! What a great plan... wed on O'ahu and honeymn on BI... woo hoo. Very best to you! @};-

Congratulations ggrtist! One of your Oahu trip reports helped us with having a grand time last year on Oahu! Because of you, we had a fabulous dinner at Hau Tree Lanai-a restaurant we probably would not have found if you had not written about it.

Now, be sure to tell us all about the wedding plans...where the dinners will be...etal.

Aloha.......((r))i'2

gg,

Where are you staying on the BI? If you are doing a cottage or house, I have a great site bookmarked that lists some great rentals. I'll post it when I get home. When it's legal for me to get married I want to do it in Hawaii too!

-Bill

I love the big island of Hawaii and Maui. I really lovr yhr Mana Kew on the big island

Val

From the Honolulu Advertiser this morning:

&quot;WAIKIKI — After days of raw sewage spilling into the Ala Wai Canal, what many people feared the most happened yesterday as disappointed tourists read signs that warned them to stay out of the water at some of Waikiki's most famous beaches.&quot;

Hi.Hope I'm not being rude by joining this thread with a question. FH and I have also decided on Oahu for our wedding for much the same reason as gg. i.e. more diversity for our guests. However I'm hoping that we can get out of Waikiki to some of the quieter, more scenic areas. Anyone able to tell me if these are easily accessible by thebus or if we should consider hiring a car for this ?

You should definitely rent a car and do the circle island drive. Post on a different thread for more responses.

Forget the bus. Rent a car.

Oahu has one of the best city bus systems in the country. But it is still slow and crowded.

Besides the list of things to do above,
here are two driving tours on Oahu.

You can combine the two if you want, but it is better to split them especially if you make frequent stops and want some beach/dining/shopping time.

1. Mini-circle island tour.

Start in Waikiki:

Diamond Head Lookout &amp; Lighthouse on Diamond Head Road.

Continue on Diamond Head Road. When Diamond Head Road turns to go around Diamond Head, go straight on Kahala Ave. This will go through a residential area with nice houses. (Note): You can also take Diamond Head around to the entrance to Diamond Head. Even if you cannot do the hike, you can go through the tunnel into the crater to see what it looks like. Turn around just before the pay booth. Also Kapiolani Community College (KCC) has a nice cactus display. KCC is almost straight across from the entrance to Diamond Head.

After about 2 miles on Kahala Ave, turn left onto Keala'olu Ave (just before Kahala Mandarin Hotel).

Take Keala'olu Ave to Kalaniana'ole Hwy (72).

Continue around island to Hanauma Bay (don't need to go to the visitors center). You can get some excellent views &amp; pictures from the steps and lookouts that go up and to the left of the visitors center. $1 for parking.

Continue to Halona Blowhole and Halona Cove (From Here to Eternity Beach) next to it. Halona Blowhole lookout also overlooks Sandy Beach.

Sandy Beach - Nice beach.

Makapuu Lighthouse Trail - Just past Sandy Beach and just after the road turns inland, look for a gate and a paved trail on the right. Trail is about 1 mile one way. You can often see whales from near the lighthouse.

Continue to Makapuu Pt. Lookout. Overlooks Manana (Rabbit) Island &amp; Makapuu Beach &amp; Sea Life Park.

Continue to Waimanalo Bay Recreation Area (just past Waimanalo Beach). Scenic isolated beach (just before Bellows AFB). Bellows Beach is also nice. Open to the public on weekends.

Continue to Highway 61 (Pali Highway). Make a left onto Pali Highway. Take it back to Honolulu, stopping at Pali Lookout.

Note: If you were to make a right onto Pali Hwy (63), you could go to Kailua and Lanikai Beaches. You can stop there with either tour.

2. Circle island tour.

Start in Waikiki:

Take McCully or Kapahulu to H-1 West

Take Pali Highway (61) across to Kaneohe. Stop at Pali Lookout.

Continue to Kaneohe. Make a left onto Highway (83) to Kaneohe (or go straight if you want to go to Kailua and Lanikai Beaches).

At the far side of Windward Mall in Kaneohe, make a left onto Haiku Road. Take Haiku Rd. across Kahekili Highway to Haiku Gardens. The botanical garden is just below Haleiwa Joe's Restaurant. Nice small Botanical garden with a Koi pond. It's free.

Go back to Kahekili Hwy. Turn left. Go about two miles. Turn left into Valley of the Temples (Byodo-In Temple). Very Scenic.

Back to Kahekili Hwy. Continue around the island. In a mile or so Kahekili Hwy will end and intersect with Kamehameha Hwy (83). Continue around the island to Haleiwa.

Stops on Kamehameha Hwy:

Kualoa Regional Park/Chinaman's Hat (nice for pictures). There is a Macadamia Nut Farm Outlet on the right just before Kualoa Park. Nice stop for free samples, coffee trees, macadamia trees. They have an inexpensive tour if you want. Kualoa Ranch is across from Kualoa Park.

In Laie, make a right at the stoplight. Go to Laie Pt. Scenic, good for pictures. Polynesian Cultural Center is in Laie. Also Mormon Temple is in Laie.

Just past Laie, is Makaekahana State Recreation Area. Scenic with an isolated beach &amp; several islands.

Kahuku - Several shrimp trucks including Giovanni's. Romy's is just on the other side of Kahuku. Those are the two most popular shrimp trucks.

North Shore Beaches:

Sunset Beach Park

Ehukai Beach Park (Banzai Pipeline)

Pupukea Beach Park (Shark's Cove) Scenic with lots of small lava islands. Nice for snorkeling in the summer. If you make a left on Pupukea Road (at the stoplight), go up the hill and park off to the side where the road to the Heiau starts. Walk back on Pupukea Road about 1/2 block for great view of some of the beaches. Then drive to the end of the road to the Heiau about 1 mile) and park in the Heiau parking area. Take the short (about 1 block) red dirt trail straight ahead for a nice view of Waimea Bay.

Waimea Bay Beach Park - Best scenic beach on the north shore.

Laniakea Beach - About 1/2 way between Waimea Bay and Haleiwa. Look for parking on the opposite side of the road. Several sea turtles are here. This is also called Lani's Beach or Turtle Beach.

Just before Haleiwa, make a left onto the bypass to Honolulu. (Go through Haleiwa if you have more time). Take Highway 99 to Honolulu. Follow signs to Honolulu. You will pass Dole Pineapple Center. Stop there if you have time.

Continue to Honolulu.

Here are three sites/links with driving tour info:

www.discoveringhawaii.com Free (pdf) download Circle Island Driving tour map. Also free (pdf) download Oahu movie location map.

http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/tours/ Good driving &amp;walking tours.

www.alternative-hawaii.com Good narrative drive guide w/photos.