Honolulu trip planning and questions
 

Hello,

Arriving in Honolulu 11 am Sunday, March 20th. Departing 8:30 pm Friday, March 25. Staying at Hyatt Place Waikiki near Diamond Head. No car so will walk and use uber. I have a quick review of activities and a couple of questions, please:Sunday

Teddy’s Bigger Burgers - lunch

St. Augustine by the sea church

Fort de russy beach park

Hideout or Edge of Waikiki – drink

Duke’s – dinner

Monday –

Diamond Head hike

Paia Fish – lunch

Bishop Museum

Hula’s Bar and Lei Stand (either before or after dinner)

Kapiolani Park Beach and Queens Beach en route

Michels - 6 pm dinner

Tuesday – March 22

Pearl Harbor: 11:30 am – US Arizona. Maybe also Missouri?

Roys for dinner

Mai Tai Bar

Wednesday – March 23

Liliʻuokalani Botanical Garden

Foster Botanical Garden

Chinatown – Pig and the Lady lunch (just walk in or do takeout) and Kuan Yung Temple

Iolani palace (book) – 2 pm?

State Capitol

Mahina and sons:

Lewers Lounge

Thursday

Shangra La Tour at 9 am – then Honolulu Museum of Art – closes at 6 pm

Café Julia –- lunch - take break from Honolulu Museum

Kanekahema statue and kawakoo church

Cathedral of St. Andrew

MW restaurant – dinner

Barefoot beach bar

Friday

Queen Emma Summer Palace

Daijingu Temple


National Cemetery of the Pacific

Fete: lunch around 12:30

Honolulu State Art Museum

Island vintage wine bar – just walk in
Head to airport:

Questions:

0) I leave from LAX at 8:05 am on Sunday. How early do I need to get to LAX? I have pre-check and my Hawaii Safe Travels all set. Not checking a bag.

1) Sunday - sort of wanted a chill first day and a little beach or walking. Should I add a site then? John Young Museum?

2) Tuesday - I have 11:30 am booked at US Arizona and nothing else. How should I schedule this day? I think the other thing I'd like to see is perhaps the Battleship Missouri, not so much the flight portions. Am I missing anything? What time should I arrive? I guess I should Uber there? Could also do beach if have extra time.

3) Wednesday - is this too packed? What time should I book Iolani Palace? Was thinking 1:30 or 2 pm docent tour and then to Capitol which closes at 5.

4) Is Friday too packed? For an 8:30 pm flight back to the US, what time should I leave the hotel to get to airport? Am just carrying on and have my Safe Travels Hawaii part set.

Sounds like a fantastic itinerary. I can’t help with much but for LAX, I’d arrive 2 hours in advance. The airport has been very busy lately. And there is construction.

Just a few comments. Yes, see the Missouri. My husband loved it! Loved Iolani Palace docent tour. Set aside a few hours.

The Hawai'i state capitol building is not that impressive (no dome). They are working on the fascia around the building. There is an open air breezeway through the building open 24/7. There is a statue of Fr. Damian on one end and the last queen at the other end. To the north of the building is a small park that has an eternal flame. There is bus service that goes up to the north shore if you want to get out of Honolulu.

On Iolani Palace, if for whatever reason the docent lead tours don't work out (limited days and times) the self-guided audio-tour is still a wonderful thing to do.

For the Shangri La Estate tour you have to go to the museum to meet the tour anyway. So those two are kind of one in the same activity.

Overall I don't see any problems. Sounds like a great trip. It's a little busy for me without much relaxing in the sun on the beach or by the pool time, but everyone has different desires for that kind of thing :-) aloha

Lol - I was thinking the same thing - I work a 5 minute walk away and my first thought was that it would take you maybe 10 minutes (being generous) to see everything.

Sorry, I think I made a mistake. Honolulu State Art Museum is different from Honolulu Museum of Art??

As i'm sure you will soon find out, that end of Waikiki is more heavily populated with the homeless, due to proximity to Kapiolani Park. So I hope you're getting the hotel on points.

Being that far east, it would also be handy to have a HOLO card for the bus, if you aren't afraid of using public transportation. You can buy the cards at ABC stores. Try to avoid any routes with transfers, though. As mentioned you can ride the bus on a circuit around the island.

About four blocks up Kuhio from your hotel is a restaurant I liked for very fresh poke bowls, Maguro Spot. The line moves quickly, ask what is caught fresh that day and go with it.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/maguro-spot-honolulu-5

Right next to ME Korean BBQ

I looked at it and was underwhelmed. What do you recommend? If the OP is coming from Los Angeles, there is no shortage of Korean food here. However there is almost no fresh local catch anymore.
Maguro Spot was only taking credit cards when I was there this past December.

Are you talking to me? I did not recommend anything. I was giving a landmark that more people would know to find your poke shop. I most often eat breakfast at ME, it's not "Korean".

Wonder how the trip is going? :-)

Sorry for the delay. Just at airport to come home. Thanks to everyone for recommendations.

my first Honolulu thought was not a pleasant one - such ugly architecture - but it really grew on me over time. Highlights were Shangra La and Diamond Head Hike. Food were Michals and Roy’s. Took the bus most places. Slow but cheap. Great old fashioned at Mahina and MH and a lovely older bar neighbor at Lewers Lounge. A friend I met there raves about the Big Island - maybe next time!

i appreciate everyone here!

Glad you had a good trip! So nice when people check back in on the forum. Mahalo!