Hi everyone! Ok, so now we need help with the Oahu part of our honeymoon. We are staying in the Hyatt, and have 5 days to plan. The first day we will be arriving in Hawaii and therefor will only have 1/2 day. The 5th day, we are flying out to Maui and have 1/2 day as well. So in 3 days these are the activities we are interested in but I am not sure how many things we can squeeze into a day - as well as how long each activity takes.

1. Diamond Head
2. Snorkle at Hanauma Bay
3. Polynesian Cultural Center
4. Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial
5. Bishop Museum
6. Dole Plantations
7. North Shore
8. Iolani Palace

Anything else we are missing??

we visited Oahu last November and as a couple in our thirties we found the dole plantations a waste of time. Diamond head is well worth it so is Hanauma bay(we went back nine times in three weeks .)North shore is awesome.we actually went on a half day coach tour on our second day and the rented a convertable and re did all the highlights.

What did you do/experience at the Dole Plantations? Is there a tour - or can you just walk around. I just wanted to stop and take some pictures - assuming it was on the way.

we went there as part of a tour .there is a very big shop,a maze($5 entrance if I remember rightly)and a pineapple garden.We just felt that in this area there were much nicer places to stop at. I had imagined it would be very lush and tropical looking and it was just very ordinary.Also we thought it was just too hot to do the maze as the people coming out of it looked so frazzled.

The Dole Plantation is pretty disappointing.

Anyhow, you can combine several activities into one day. For instance:
Day 1: Get up early for Pearl Harbor/Arizona in the early a.m. Continue towards the north shore. There is a pineapple garden along the way (past the Dole plantation, if memory serves me) as a pull-off from the road. It is mostly unmarked, on the right side of the road. It has signs describing different types of pineapples, etc. Far more educational and interesting than the Dole Plantation (and free). Continue on the Haleiwa for lunch, go to Waimea Bay for some beach time. You can continue on around the island to complete a DIY circle the island tour. This will take care of one day.
Day 2: Hanauma Bay in the early am (neccessary in order to get parking). Stay for 1/2 day, leave to eat lunch and go to Diamond Head.
Day 3: One of the museums in the am, PCC in the afternoon/evening.

Hope that helps. Have a good trip.

If you are here over a weekend don't miss Bellows beach in Waimanalo. I would do more nature things and skip the museum and palace. I guess it depends on what you like to do.

Islandmom - Tell me more about Bellows beach. Thanks!

Just a thought:
Depending on what time you arrive in Honolulu:
((I usually arrive around 11:30-12:30 in the morning/afternoon...so this works well for me.))

Upon arrive I call the hotel and let them know "I'm on the island". and will be checking in about 5;pm.

Hotel check-in is usually 3 pm. and many times you can't get in before that.

Get the rental car and head out H-1 and take a turn up the Pali Hiway (61)....First stop the "Pali Lookout". After getting a great view and some island wind in the face.....proceed toward Kailau Beach.....(I usually change her into the island attire and get my feet wet in the ocean.)....Continue the drive around the southern part of the island...stopping here and there....getting into Waikiki about 5 pm.....in time to check-in, catch a shower, and head over the the Broiler....(restaurant at the Outrigger on the Beach..open air right on the beach) Eat dinner and watch the sunset, and like all the others...try to catch a glimpse of the "green flash".....and shoot....the night is early!!!

enjoy....Hawaii...it's all good!!!!

That's a good idea circa.

Bellows is owned by the military. My spelling stinks but it is in Waimanalo past Shearwoods Beach. Right near the polo grounds. It is open on the weekends for swimming or camping. I've seen it on shows for one of the top beaches of the world. It has amazing beauty with white sands and beautiful view. Ten days after the full moon the man-o-war are there. Of course I get stung when most people don't.

Thanks Islandmom. I even checked out the moon. It'll be full when we are there.

What is the green flash?

ON the beach most evenings in waikki near the large bronze surfer ( duke sorry i cant spell his last name) there is first the lighting of the tourches all up and down the street and rock groins, then there is a free hula show near the statue. The most authentic you will see. Dole is ok for a quick stop but not a must, its really just a display of floral and pineapples.Spend a little more of your time on the north shore. And walk the beach in front of all the hotels in waikki.Especially in the morning. Another good early morning outing is walk the side walk from waikki toward diamond head, you will see many eclectic hotels apartments, and beach parks along the way. nick

The green flash is a phenomenon that happens at the exact moment the sun disappears below the horizon.

I took a tour of Iolani Palace and I enjoyed it--it's not that long so it's not like it will take up a huge chunk of your day. Then you can cross the street to the YWCA for lunch. If you cross the street toward the YWCA and then walk PAST to Bishop Street, a very good restaurant there is Cafe 8 1/2.

I strongly recommend you skip the Polynesian Cultural Center. I just got back from my honeymoon today, and we had a wonderful time, except for the Cultural Center.

First of all it takes all day. We got picked up by a bus at 12:45pm and didn't get back to our hotel until 10pm.
It's over an hour from Waikiki.

Second, the level of detail they go into on the various Polynesian islanders is facile at best. Typically, they'll tell you the greeting of a particular country, insist you shout it back at them and bust your chops if your not sufficiently loud (i.e. enthusiastic). This is great if your a 3rd grader, but for adults it gets old and corny real fast.

Third, it's run by the Mormons and they've added their priggish touches to the depiction of the cultures. I noticed right off the bat when the first hula dancers were wearing bloomers (past their knees) below their grass skirts. (I kid you not.) Then when this hellishly long and lame day was almost over, we got to the luau. They have a singer who leads it who really is very good (great vocal range and talented musician), and the food is pretty good, but I came to the painful realization that this luau will have one critical missing element--no booze. All I wanted was a few Mai-Tai's--but no, in the name of Joseph Smith and all that is holy, it would be absolutely sinful for me, and my wife, to indulge in a few coctails as we try to drown out the frustration of wasting our final full day (not to mention $176 for the both of us) on this beautiful island.

Finally, if $176 for all day admission isn't enough. They goad you into paying an additional $10/person for a guided tour of the "villages." You could go without them but their various demonstrations pretty much cater to people traveling without a guide. Then at the end of the tour you're expected to give your guide a tip and your bus driver a tip. I was going to tip the driver $10 (most folks in the islands are very tip dependent--so be generous if you can) but it dropped down to $5 after he put the movie "Mr. Bean" on for our trip home. This guy is the British equivalent of Adam Sandler and this movie was literally one of the stupidest and most annoying films I've ever seen(ughh).

Don't get me wrong, I encourage you to learn about the Hawai'ian people. Luaus are wonderful, and we loved their music and dancing. But, this Disneyesque ethnic theme park is way too cheesy, time consuming and expensive. There are plenty of luaus, museums and cultural demonstrations that aren't as ambivalent about Polynesian culture. Example, in the big luau show the male hula dancers wore tuxes with leis and the female hula dancers wore these frumpy missionary outfits white blouses up to their necks, blue skirts down to their ankles.

Whoops.
In discussing the use of guides, I wrote:
"their various demonstrations pretty much cater to people traveling without a guide."
I meant to say they cater to people with a guide and kind of freeze out those traveling independently.

I thought it was the olden missionaries that that changed the hula attire so in some ways it could be historic. You will see different styles at various hula shows. I don't like the place myself either.

We had a nice evening at Halaiwa Joe's in Kaneohe if you would like a nice Windward experience. It's a rainforest setting.

I wouldn't eliminate the Polynesian Cultural Center from your itinerary. I would dedicate one complete day to it and do it right. It is consistently one of the highest ranked activities (in terms of guest satisfaction) in the islands.