looking for info on north shore oahu
 

Have already booked cottage for 9 nights Aug/Sept (Mokuleia Beach Colony) North Shore Oahu. First trip to Hawaii (25th wedding anniversary!). Planning to pretty much stay on north shore - will have rental car - and do day trips from there if we can summon the energy and/or want to brave the crowds. Does anyone have any specific recommendations as to north shore must-sees, restaurants/bars, cruises, etc.? Thanks for any help.....

I assume your accomodations will include a kitchen, as you will make good use of it. Mokuleia is about ten minutes from Haleiwa where there is a supermarket and a few places to eat, Kua Aina, Chart House and some others, but the North Shore as a whole (say Mokuleia to Laie)has limited choices of restaurants and bars to fill a nine day schedule.

Linda, I agree with the previous poster that choices on Oahu's north shore are limited, but it is certainly a beautiful area. Use your rental car to drive down to Hanauma Bay on Oahu's southeastern shore and go snorkeling. It gets pretty crowded--we were there in early September, and it was packed--but that's because the fish are so beautiful and there are so many of them to see. You just have to adopt a "what the heck" attitude and go anyway. Enjoy your stay--my husband and I will be on Maui in September, celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. Congratulations on your 25th! <BR>

Thank you, Allen and Lynn, for responding (it seems NOBODY goes to Oahu's north shore to STAY, they just drive by on the day-trip around the island). It looks perfect for us: no crowds, funky little beach town(s) w/affordable eats, and beautiful deserted beaches (w/palm trees!). A good affordable supermarket is important: we picked cottage accomodations so as to cook for ourselves most of the time - hubby is (to MY mind anyway) world-class grillmaster; my romantic daydreams involve sitting on the lanai of our cottage at sunset, sipping my perfectly chilled beer while supervising hubby's culinary magic w/the day's fresh catch, and the palm trees are swaying and the surf is growling and, well, you know. (My gosh, I can't wait!) <BR> <BR>(Whew - back to reality) Was asking about restaurants in case we get too laid back (Hawaiian time!) to cook; and will probably want a special place to celebrate our actual anniversary; and we enjoy just sitting in a local bar (w/a view!) and visiting with the people who actually live there; and are there really plenty of roadside stands to buy fresh produce and fruit from?; and is Waimea Valley and Adventure Park as great as is sounds? (would REALLY like to try kayaking); and is the Polynesian Cultural Center really as cheesy as my research leads me to believe? (but we gotta go to one luau somewhere - it not this one, where?); and has anyone gone gliding from Dillingham and was it awesome and how much did it cost? <BR> <BR>Important vacation questions, all. Help me out, guys, with planning a trip that will probably have to last me the NEXT 25 years.....

Hi Linda. I hope I'm not popping your balloon... The North Shore is great of course, but it's definitely crowded on the weekends when we city folks escape. There's tons of vacation rentals there, so it's not true people don't stay there. <BR>Oahu in general can't be beat for the sheer number of great restaurants (check zagat) the consistent, excellent weather, and the wide range of activities, cultural and otherwise. Lots to do, and it's a small fun island to zip around in. <BR>Hanauma is great if you are a first time snorkeler. We tend not to go there unless we are showing visitors around.

Oh, Kalena, you are so nice!! When I have visitors, I drop them off at Hanauma Bay and tell them I'll meet them later! (Although my friend Kaimi drives the shuttle there.) <BR> <BR>Linda, you can shop for supplies at Foodland. And if you get lazy, Haleiwa DOES have KFC and Pizza Hut! ;-) <BR> <BR>Waimea Valley also has tons of natural beauty--kayak, bike, hike to see it all. Waimea Bay, just across the street, is GREAT first thing in the morning. My brother & sister-in-law go there first thing in the morning, and she says she just floats on the glassy water while she works out any problems in her head.

(What's Hawaiian for "thank you"?) to Kalena & Melissa for replies. Yes, definitely want to try snorkeling (for 1st time), but is it necessary to brave the crowds at Hanauma? Have found info on north shore excursions/snorkeling trips, and thinking, shoot, if we see 10 beautiful fish in the water we'll be happy - we're from Kansas and we're going to be easily impressed. What do you think? And yes, I have heard (read) about the north shore getting crowded on weekends - I'm hoping I have the perfect mix - we'll be there Tues thru Fri (hopefully quiet weekdays) then holiday weekend (it'll be fun, hanging out w/all the crowds, won't it?), then Tues and Weds quiet again before we have to leave. And planning on 2 day trips to Honolulu (Chinatown and Wakiki - would weekend be good for these?) And the windward shore looks GEORGOUS - another day trip to drive and sightsee. Ideas, anyone? Thanks.....

Linda, "thank you" is "mahalo" (pronounced mah-ha-low). <BR> <BR>Probably the best snorkeling is at Hanauma, but I've heard that there are some really nice reefs out at Ko Olina (on the Leeward Coast). Unfortunately, I've never snorkeled out at Ko Olina, so I'm not even sure where you'd book a snorkeling trip out there. <BR> <BR>Lanikai Beach (on the Windward side) is supposed to be one of the best beaches in the world, but I personally do not like it. It's a matter of personal preference, I'm sure...but I really prefer any beach on the North Shore to Lanikai. <BR> <BR>If you are looking for crowds, Chinatown on the weekend is it! Parking is crazy down there on the weekends. You can park in the Municipal lot on Maunakea Street, though.

Here are some good eats you must go to on the north and northeast shores of Oahu: Shave ice (snow cone)at Matsumoto's and burgers at Kua Aina in Haliewa, shrimp scampi at Giovanni Shrimp Truck in Kahuku, desert at the Crouching Lion Inn

Linda, <BR>While it's not "fine cuisine" there are 2 restaurants that are worth a visit in Haleiwa. Haleiwa Joes (a former Chart House) & Jamison's By the Sea. Both have bars also, but neither have much of a view from the bar area. Make reservations at sunset at Haleiwa Joes & ask for an outside table on their lanai. You'll have a view of Haleiwa Harbor. <BR>I lived on the North Shore for 6 years, not much has changed. For a truely special occasion, we always made the drive into Honolulu - but plan on 45 min to an hour to get there.

Linda, we like Haleiwa Joes better than the other restaurants in Haleiwa. Don't miss the Polynesian Cultural Center. Its Ali'i Luau won a Kahili Award from the state for authenticity. There is a canoe pageant and night show with more than 100 performers.

"Mahalo" to all for the suggestions and help. Will plan on Polynesian Cultural Center luau, and dining at the restaurants you suggest (don't require "fine cuisine", just good food and pleasant surroundings). Please keep the comments coming.....

you have to go to the polynesian culture center. very nice experience. must see the island of samoa. i still smile every time i think of the performance.don't want to tell you to much. didn't do the luau but had the ambassdor package for the seats at the evening show and our private tour guide. the food didn't move me at all. but the tour guide took us to all the islands that were not included in the night show so we would't see the same show. me and my husband took pictures in the grass skirts costumes after dinner.less crowded.they were do the best pictures from the trip of us together.they will display them at the end. feel free to haggle. going back this year hope to make further to the north shore. it was a choice between turle bay and kahala mandarin last year and we choose kahala just not to be too far away. what a place. thought i died and went to heaven. doing hilton hawaiian village this time just to a little closer to the excitement. if ou make it to waikiki for the day don't forget "dukes canoe club". also try the kahala mandarin for dinner,very romantic.

i agree with jamisons and kua aina burger. definite must-eats. if you're looking for king crab legs, sam choy's is your place (honolulu).

Jameson's is the place to be at sunset - have a drink and relax. I used to communte to Oahu from Southern California - I would stay there two weeks at a time. All my weekends were spent on the north shore. I couldn't wait to get away from the crowds and buildings. You'll have a great time. There is a fun bar called the Sugar Bar in a little town where the sugar mill used to be. More of a locals place, but people very welcoming.

Linda, <BR> <BR>I posted a similar message about the Norh Shore, Oahu on Feb. 28 (I think) titled "Are we crazy to base a romantic vacation out of the North Shore?" (Search by "OCLocal" to find it). I got some great tips about good beaches for snorkeling, and best times to visit beaches to avoid crowds. <BR> <BR>I agree with you that it seems like no one stays at the North Shore (except maybe locals for weekend getaways, judging by your responses). People on my posting were so encouraging, because I was starting to doubt that the North Shore was a good idea. But now I can't wait!! I LOVED reading all the great tips you received. Thank you. <BR> <BR>Congratulations on your 25th! I'm only on year 6, but considering that our "romantic getaway" is actually the honeymoon we never had (we were poor college kids), maybe I should start planning the 25th anniversary travel plans now! ;) <BR> <BR>Please post a message upon your return letting us all know how wonderful it was. <BR> <BR>

OCLocal: good to hear from you - been following your thread, too, to get info on north shore Oahu. This trip is kinda our "honeymoon" too, like yours - our wedding evening consisted of going to a friend's house for a couple of beers before going home (if my husband's parents hadn't given us $50 for a wedding present we couldn't even have afforded the license/blood tests/ceremony!) <BR> <BR>When is your trip to Hawaii? Was really hoping you were going before me so that you could post your trip report 1st and I could get lots of good info from you. We're going around Labor Day. Also: any luck finding affordable airfare? Seems to be my biggest snag right now; already have our itinerary planned and am restricted as to days/times of day that we'd like to fly, and can't find any good sales for what I need. <BR> <BR>Can suggest a good reading/dreaming resource: "Driving & Discovering Hawaii: Oahu" by Richard Sullivan (ordered off Amazon). Lots of out-of-the-way info, small stuff we'd miss otherwise, and lots of pages on the north shore and Haleiwa. Keep in touch..... <BR> <BR>

Hi again Linda! Well, I'm afraid you are going to beat us to the island, and I'll be reading your posting about how your trip was far before you've read ours. See, we have the free "housesitting" place because one of my dearest friends is stationed in the army in Oahu and he's staying on the North Shore. He is planning a short tour of duty in Europe, but as he has a 5 year committment to stay in Oahu, will keep his North Shore place during his absence. He knows we never had a proper honeymoon, and so has urged us to housesit while he is gone. Our trip could be this summer, could be in one to two more years (it's up to Uncle Sam). I'm not in a rush, because living in "O.C." (Orange County) Calif., I already have the beautiful weather and a nice beach. But a vacation is a chance to get away from it all and truly relax...I am so looking forward to it! <BR> <BR>Gee, I wish I had suggestions for good airfare. We don't fly that often, and just use my dad's agent when we do. I've never tried getting online tickets. <BR> <BR>Thanks for the reading suggestion. It sounds good! My husband just loves to drive scenic roads. Bookwise, does anyone have suggestions for fiction or a history of the islands? I'd love to read some great novel set in Hawaii (even if not Oahu proper), or a not too professory history of the islands. Maybe some great movies set in Hawaii...? I just want to keep inspired in the event I get there more later than sooner. <BR> <BR>Are you planning to visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial? I am. The LATimes travel section last weekend (3/11/01) was devoted to Hawaii. One article was all about Waikiki (kind of having fun with the whole touristy thing, and not being afraid to indulge in the cheesy). I figure we'll probably check out Waikiki one day (though the beach is too crowded and too much of a 'scene" for my tastes). <BR> <BR>PS. I'll try to round up kayaking info from my North Shore buddy for you, as another friend (we all went to HS together) has lived on Oahu for years and is a competition level outrigger. Any other info you'd like me to ask them? It looks like you got the restaurant and luau bases covered, and I got great beach recommendations...Let me know. <BR> <BR> <BR>Mahalo :0) :) :) :)

OCLocal: Mahalo to you for replying. Since we're probably going first, I promise to post a trip report for you upon return. How can you stand waiting and not knowing when you'll get to go? Some days I'm absolutely aquiver with anticipation thinking about our trip (it's our first ever special romantic trip w/out the kid; you know how it is.....) <BR> <BR>Questions your contacts may be able to help with: <BR>re:kayaking: since I've never been kayaking in my life (though I've tipped over my share of canoes over the years) thinking about an organized kayak outing at Waimea Valley Adventure Park (and hubby would enjoy the ATV tour). Good or bad idea? <BR>snorkeling: see posting above about snorkeling excursions out of Haleiwa. Would we see enough to make it worth the $? <BR>Glider planes: guidebook mentions gliding out of Dillingham (which appears to be just across the road from where we're staying). Sounds totally awesome to me, but can't find anyone who's tried it. Wondering if still available and how expensive it is. <BR> <BR>I kinda know your home area - am Kansas raised but born in Inglewood and spent 18 summers w/my Dad in Gardena (so I'm a Redondo/Hermosa "South Bay" girl). Lots of trips to Disneyland and KBF. Enjoy your sunshine and beaches - we've got mud, 40 degrees, and sullen skies.....Later..... <BR> <BR>

Hey Linda: I'll get back to you on your kayaking, snorkelling, & glider plane questions. What exactly is a glider plane? Sounds a little scary... but then again I'm not a bungee jumpin' extreme sports kinda gal (skiing down a modest hill is scary to me!). Did you find an airfare deal? I'd love to know if you think its better to do over the internet or a real travel agent. <BR> <BR>Wow...Kansas. Such a small world. Although I am an "OC Local" my mom and dad were both raised in Kansas City, Kansas and we have relatives all over KS. My cousin is a K State cheerleader, and we all go way back at KState. <BR> <BR>Go Wildcats!!