After thinking for a long time, I have chosen Oahu over Maui and Kauai. I am looking for an island that not only has good beaches, but also offer other activities. I heard that Kauai and Maui have more of a rural feel and so there isnt much to do in the evenings.

So, here is what I dont know about Oahu:

- What is the weather like in the first week of December? Is it too windy or rainy? I know, I know that depends on where you are on the island. But is it possible to find a spot where it isnt too windy and where the water is calm?

- Where are some of the best beaches in Oahu?

- Would it be possible to stay in Waikiki, drive to some of those beaches and return to Waikiki by night? Or do I need to make multiple hotel reservations? BTW, I will only have 4 full days.

- Does anyone has an experience with Outrigger Waikiki reef or Aston Waikiki Beach hotels? I might be staying there because they are on the beach and because they are within my price range.

If you were to drive on the main roads around the entire island the distance is 200 miles or so.

You can easily drive to beaches from a Waikiki hotel. Check out Sandy and Makapuu; the beach at the old Bellows AFB on the Windward side used to be quite nice, too.

You will NOT be "missing" Hawaii by staying on Oahu. You may miss the "opportunity" to tour yet another gallery filled with dolphin paintings or to drive by yet another golf course but the nightlife, depending on your tastes, can make up for those "deficiencies."

And if you have the time, by all means DO take a road tour around the island..some of the views are quite memorable.

I have just finished the book Oahu Revealed. It seems to be a very good source for information, with detailed maps. It has reviews of many of the activities, beaches, and hotels in Oahu. Hope this helps, have a great trip.

Hello,

Driving 200 miles in a day could really be quite a lot. My plan is to take H1 and go the east side of the island or take H2 and go to west side of the island and then return to Honolulu by the evening. Or may be drive along the southern coast. Some of the beaches I would like to visit are Ko Olina, Makapuu, Lanikai, Kailua, Kaneohe and Waianae Coast.

I think the circle island trip is less than 60 miles....that is from Waikiki around the east side thru kailua, Kaneohe, up to the north shore, past sunset beach, waimea Bay, Haleiwa, down past Mililani
and Pearl City then into town. Or the opposite.

A shorter version involves going over the Pali and into Kailua then the same north shore trip or the south version.

The long trip is an all day thing if you'll be stopping at beaches and eating places along the way, but certainly not a horrible drive!

In non-rush hour traffic, Waikiki to Kailua is about 25 to 35 minutes, and from Waikiki to Haleiwa is about 50 minutes.

Unless you hit a bad few days, Weather in December should be in the high 70s- mostly sunny with some mountain and windward showers. Tradewinds of 10-15 miles per hour. Water will be calmer on the south (waikiki side) Waves could be very big on the north shore- it's surfing season!

Sandy & makapuu beaches will likely also have rough conditions, but it can be fun to watch the body surfers. Kailua & Lanikai should be nice, and try going past Waikiki into Kapiolani Park for less crowded, more relaxed waikiki area beaches.

Also, the lagoons at Ko Olina are nice,and about 35 minutes from Waikiki.

I don't recommend the Waianae area...while pretty, there are some security issues out there.

I agree that you should not venture onto the Waianae Coast; you really shouldn't go any farther than Ko Olina. I used to live in Makakilo which is right at the southwestern corner of Oahu (where the Waianae Coast begins), and you simply didn't venture any farther without problems.

I would definitely make the one day drive, going counter-clockwise from Waikiki. Check out Hanauma Bay, watch the body surfers at Sandy Beach, the hang gliders at Makapuu Point, the pretty coastline, beaches at Bellows AFB and Lanikai, past "Chinaman's Hat" off the coast as you head north, make the turn to the left at Turtle Bay and watch waves as high as 30 feet at Waimea Bay and Pipeline, don't miss shave ice (vanilla ice cream on the bottom) at Matsumoto's Shave Ice in Haleiwa, then head down Kam Highway thru Dole Plantation and back down to Waikiki on H-2, or stay on Kam Highway if you have the time. A great trip!

The biggest (and best, I think) beach in Waikiki is between Hilton Hawaiian Village and the Army's Fort DeRussy. You can't buy anything at the Army's resort, but the beach is public.

Just when I thought I was all set to go, I am beginning to have second thoughts. It seems that all of the beaches, or at least the best ones, other than the Waikiki beach are going to be rough this time of the year. I am not a surfer or have much interest in surfing. Instead, when I am not in Waikiki, I would be looking for calm beaches with clear water and plenty of sand. Apparently, however, the best beaches are on the windward side or north shore and so they are going be rough. And some people have pointed out that southwest part of Oahu isnt safe. Does this mean I should postpone the trip till Spring or go to Maui instead? While I dont expect every Oahu beach to be calm in Winter, should I expect to find at least some that are? Recall that I am planning to go in the first week of December.

And, oh, I forgot to thank everyone who has offered useful info and advice on this topic. Thank you!

gzseattle -- GREAT decision in choosing Oahu over Maui and Kauai. I have been to all 3, and much prefer Oahu for choice of things to do and beauty. You won't be disappointed. The beaches of Oahu are the best I've seen, once you drive to Lani Kai, Sunset Beach, Hanauma Bay and Ko'Olina. One other stop you must make -- Turtle Beach on the North Shore. Beautiful little beach with big sea turtles swimming in the water and lumbering up onto the sand.

For a calm beach, even in December, the lagoons at Ko'Olina are perfect. Because they are lagoons with lava rock at the mouth, the waves break against the rocks and the water just laps up to the beach. It is really wonderful. The only thing is that Ko'Olina is about a 30 min drive from Waikiki. Since it sounds like you're on a budget, you might want to look around to see if you can get any last-minute deals to stay at the Marriott Ihilani hotel at Ko'Olina, which is situated right on one of the 4 lagoons. It's usually about $250 a night, but maybe you can find some deals since you're going so soon. Good luck, and enjoy Oahu!!

Hey Juanita1998,

Thanks for the information. I guess I am going through buyer's remorse. I talked to a friend who says that going to Oahu is like going to any big city like Miami or Chicago and you wont feel that you are in a tropical island of Hawaii. He says I should have gone to Maui instead. I am now hoping to get that Hawaian feel elsewhere in Oahu when I am outside of Honolulu area, like in East or North Oahu.

<going to Oahu is like going to any big city like Miami or Chicago and you wont feel that you are in a tropical island>

I believe you will find this is absolutely NOT true the very moment you step off the plane. Even at the airport much of which is open-air with gorgeous tropical plants, when that blast of warm balmy sweet smelling tropical breeze hits you!

I have been to both Maui and Oahu (just once each) and preferred Oahu for traveling solo because I enjoyed having plenty to see and do. I think Maui would be kinda lonely without friends and family in tow.

qzseattle.....You are making too big a fuss over this. People here have already given you some good information. Any beach you go to will be within driving range of your hotel. North shore beaches are for expert surfers during winter. When my kids were small we used to go to Kailua and the waves were calm. The beach near Ala Moana...the local beach..I forget the name...it is calm there. Are you looking for a swimming beach or what? Do you just want to visit beaches, have a picnic or what? Anyway, you have made a good choice. Forget the buyer's remorse nonsense. You have read the posts about not leaving your camera and things on the front seat of your rental car while you are splashing around the waves. Forget all this crap you have been told about drug addicts and prostitutes infesting Waikiki. When I visit Hawaii now, last time was last December and the weather was perfect, I stay at the Moana Surfrider. I do not know much about the 2 hotels you mentioned but do not worry about it. Have a great trip. Relax a little.

I agree. Relax and enjoy. Stay in Waikiki for the entire trip.

Decide to drive to the North Shore one day and stop by beaches along the way. Get some shave ice at Matsumoto. Read the guide book and decide where you may want to stop, but be flexible and enjoy what you find along the way.

http://www.dakine.net/hawaii/guide/o...-beaches.shtml - a neat website describing the beaches with links to other Oahu features.

Go EARLY to snorkel at Hanauma Bay. The parking lot fills up early.

Ditto a Pearl Harbor tour.

Try a luau.

Maybe hike Diamond Head..but read suggestions from posters on this website.

Enjoy the wide and legendary sands of Waikiki.

Plan to go back many, many times to revisit Oahu and the other islands. No buyers remorse should be allowed.

If you can, watch any of Samantha Brown's segments on Hawaii on the Travel Channel. She's a hoot and gives good tips...including that for $1 you can take the circle bus line of Oahu...but I was glad to have a rental car.

Read, plan, enjoy...but no regrets. You'll have a blast!

gracieb speaks the truth. Take the bus or taxi to Chinatown. Go see the Don Ho show. I used to think he was smaltzy, I was wrong. Take a surfing lesson from Rabbit Kekai. He hangs out near the big statue of Duke. Walk around in the International Market at night if it is still there. Swim with the dolphins at the Mandarin Oriental $$$$$. Catch some good slack key guitar. Visit the zoo. Something funny about my visit to Hawaii last December. I had lived there but never noticed it. In Waikiki the sun was warm and the air had a fresh invigorating chill. The water at Waikiki beach was chilly but not the type that you have to force yourself to walk in to. It was....perfect.

Anyone who hits Oahu and THINKS it is "like Miami or Chicago" is either out of their mind, on drugs, or both!

And anyone who thinks that Oahu isn't like "being in Hawaii" well, perhaps they really DO think they are in Chicago.

GO...have no remorse..they don't call Oahu "the gathering place" for nothing..because everybody goes there eventually..and enjoys it..so will you!

Gzseattle ? STOP!! PLEASE!! I'm a little bummed that you're feeling buyer's remorse about going to Oahu based upon the poor advice your friend gave you. I can state unequivocally that Oahu is a WONDERFUL place to be. My husband and I have been to Kauai, Oahu and Maui. Our first trip was to Kauai, very pretty but very quiet. In fact, MUCH too quiet for me. I admit it was not one of my favorite trips (and I feel kinda bad even saying that because it IS a gorgeous island. It just wasn't for me personally since I like a little more action past 8:00 p.m.) Next we went to Oahu in 2003 for a wedding of some friends who live at Ko'Olina. WOW!! We stayed at the Moana Surfrider right in Waikiki and just adored the whole place. The hustle and bustle of Waikiki, everyone happy to be in paradise, tons of restaurants to choose from. Our friends took us on a drive around the island and we saw so many "real" Hawaiian places. The next year we went to Maui with a group of friends, two of whom own a timeshare there and just rave about the island, that it's "the best" island and has everything I could want, and that Oahu is just a big city on the beach, blah, blah blah. So my husband starts getting concerned that we'll end up liking Maui more than Oahu, which worries him because we bought a timeshare at Ko'Olina. I love Ko'Olina so much I didn't think that could happen. Well, Maui was nice, but "the best"?? We both (along with some other friends who went with us) were scratching our heads all week trying to figure out why Maui is always the most desired of the islands. While it is lovely and there are lots of things to do, we never quite figured it out. I'd always heard so much about Lahaina, but we were pretty bored with all the redundant tourist shops and galleries. Oahu has them too, but also a lot more. We were SO happy with our decision of buying on Oahu and had not one regret about buying there rather than Maui. I've been to Oahu 3 times now, and went with a large group of friends this past July, many of whom couldn't believe how much of the island they didn?t know about until we drove them around to different beaches and towns. 4 friends loved it so much they bought property while we were there (and one of those couples had been very fixated on Maui!). The other couple who own on Maui were VERY snobby about Maui v. Oahu, and were quite irked that many in our group ended up loving Oahu so much. (Now, I'm NOT saying Maui isn't nice ? it is! I just don't think it's "better" than Oahu, that's all, and it's just MHO.)

TopMan is right that anyone who says Oahu is like just a big city on the beach must be out of their mind. Of the 3 islands we've been to, Oahu beats them all for the number of beaches and the beauty of them, the sheer number of things to do (way too many to list, but others have listed some above ? don't forget about Turtle Beach!), the choice of amazing restaurants, and Aloha spirit. You want a beautiful, quiet beach? You've got lots of choices! Want some city life and maybe a fun place to have a tropical cocktail and meet people? You got it! Want to go dancing? Okay! Want to see some historical sites and learn a bit about the islands? That's there, too. Want to hike Diamond Head or do a nature hike to some waterfalls? Let's go! Want to find great deals on shirts, shorts and local foods? Head over to the Aloha Swap Meet! I could go on and on.

Please don't listen to your friend. We have one exactly like him who told us Maui is so much better. We are extremely happy we didn't listen. Go and discover Oahu with an open mind and heart. I know you will love it. Then visit the other islands. They all have their own unique personalities, I think. Aloha!! I am so jealous!

I agree with TopMan that anyone who compares Oahu with Miami or Chicago is out of their mind! Or perhaps, if they actually went to Oahu, they never left the tiny strip of beach at Waikiki, or just saw downtown Honolulu.

I can't compare Oahu with Maui or Kauai, because it's the only island I've been to, but I thought it was incredibly beautiful and every day we pinched ourselves that we were so lucky to be in Paradise.

I stayed at the Outrigger Waikiki Reef and would absolutely stay there again. It was very well located -- not in the center of Waikiki like the other Outrigger but still very close to everything and near the nice part of the beach closer to the Hilton Hawaiian village.

My favorite things to do: snorkeling in Hanauma Bay (which I know everybody says to do, but it truly did *not* disappoint), driving all along the East coast of the island past the Chinaman's Hat, and visiting Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial (which is a must-see, imho).

I also loved hiking up to Sacred Falls, but that is no longer open to the public unfortunately b/c several people were killed there in a rock slide just a few weeks after I was there. But I understand there are many other lovely hiking spots.

Oahu has a lot more to offer than just Waikiki and Honolulu, and don't believe anyone who says otherwise. It's stunningly gorgeous and offers a lot to do and see.

Wow! Thanks everyone! This is very encouraging and thanks for loads of useful information. I agree, the best thing is to actually experience it, and experience it to fullest. I was looking at virtual tours of islands on www.hawaii.com and beaches in Oahu do look really pretty.

Just 14 more days to go....