Our first trip to Oahu beginning of August- used a lot of advice from many of you. Please review my planned itinerary- Is this doable?
Tuesday- arrive 3:00 PM
Tantalus Roundtop Drive, Punchbowl
Dinner? Suggestion not too far out of the way since we’ll still have to
drive to our rental in Kailua
Wednesday
Pearl Harbor, Plantation Village, Aloha Swap Meet maybe (not a big shopper)
Lunch suggestion place sometime in there please?
Byodo-In-Temple , Haiku Garden in Kaneohe, dinner there?
Thursday
Haunama Bay, then the North Shore Beaches
Dinner in Haleiwa
Friday
Honolulu & Waikiki
Bishop Museum, Palace,
Dinner in Waikiki, fireworks?
Saturday
Finally a Kailua Beach Day
Maybe afternoon kayak in Kaneohe Bay (do they rent kayaks there or will a company deliver?)
Back to Waikiki maybe for dinner somewhere or sunset cruise

Sunday – 10 AM flight to Maui (where we have already been)
for beach and snorkeling (staying in Napili this time)
Thank you for any advice! Would love to fit in a hike- maybe to Manoa Falls, but when?

I recommend fitting Polynesian Cultural Center somewhere on your trip, maybe friday would work.

Remember that a 3pm arrival in Hawaii is going to feel like 7pm. So one alternative to your arrival day plans would be to skip sightseeing and head straight to dinner at Roy's, Hawaii Kai. Superior food and service, great views of the sun setting behind Diamond Head, and then you just tootle around, past Sandy and Poipu Beaches, to Kailua.

I agree with Roy's!

Others will have comments, so I'll just zero in on your first day for now. It seems kind of unusual....I can see you're trying to get as much in as possible, but I'm not sure you can do it! If you arrive at 3, let's assume you'll take an hour to get out of the airport w/bags and a car. That puts you at 4:00. Hopefully you know your way to Punchbowl? You'll need to get over to Punchbowl quickly, because the gates close at 5 and there will be traffic getting there. Without traffic, I think it can take me 10-20 minutes to get there.

From THERE, I guess you could get over to Tantalus. Is this to watch the sunset or something? IF you decide to revise your itinerary and go to Tantalus on another day, on your way up or down you can stop in at the Contemporary Museum and have lunch in their cafe as well.
http://www.tcmhi.org/mi_hours.htm

What time do you need to be at your rental in Kailua?

aaaah! Buzzer was posting as I was writing!

OK another alternative is going down Nimitz from the airport to Aloha Tower Marketplace (yes, shameless plug) and having sunset cocktails at Gordon Biersch or Don Ho's. (Don Ho's has a cheap cheap happy hour from 3-6.) Of course, don't drink too much! Then you can exit the Marketplace and go straight up to Pali Highway, which will take you to Kailua also.

On your first day you should plan on arriving, getting your car, and heading straight to Kailua. Not only will it be 4 to 4:30 by the time you get your car (and rush hour traffic in Honolulu), but you will likely be tired. Maybe do a stop at the Nuuanu Pali lookout on the way to Kailua. Check in to your rental, then eat dinner in Kailua. Lots of good spots there.
Day two, I'd leave off the windward side.Go to Pearl Harbor early, then the swap meet and Plantation Village, Do the drive up to Punchbowl and Tantalus on the way back to Kailua.

Byodo-in is better sited for day three after Hanauma Bay, as you head up toward the North Shore.

Friday is fine. You might want to get reservations for Iolani Palace in advance. Not sure if the Royal Hwn Band still plays on the grounds on Fridays, but if so, bring lunch to eat on the grass and listen. fireworks on Fridays are at Hilton Hwn Vil, so plan to be at that end of Waikiki at 8pm, I think it is.
Have fun!

And I was posting while Melissa was too!

hi lcuy!

Way to go!( literally!) I thought our planned first day might be too much but figured everthing was close. That's why I need you all. I know my way to nowhere. (well, I did save a Dusty post that explains how to get to Pearl Harbor from Kailua ) Roys sounds nice I'll look into it, or maybe Shorebird? which has been recommended a lot. Already have the keys to the rental. Does my Tuesday schedule look OK? Liked the idea of ending up at Haleiwa Joe's in Haiku Garden for dinner but not a good idea?
On Friday, dinner suggestion so we'd end up near fireworks? (like dining with a view, preferably outside- I'm in Hawaii!) Please, continue critiquing. Thanks

Since you will be on the windward side on Wednesday, dinner at Haleiwa Joe's is totally fine.

on Friday, you might as well have dinner at the Hilton since that's where the fireworks are. Another fireworks dinner option MAY be the Ilikai or the Hawaii Prince Hotel, but I have not done that in a while so I can't tell you for sure if that's the best idea.

the only other timing concern--and someone may disagree with me-- is Thursday. If you are headed to Hanauma Bay, that's first thing in the morning, right? It's going to take a while to get to the North Shore.

I agree with Icuy's plan for your first day! (The Horizons Evening show at Polynesian Cultural Center is fabulous ... although that's all the time I'd recommend there.)

Keds,

Just a thought on the Shorebord, in case you're a lazy cook like me I'd looked into it based on recommendations for my upcoming trip, but it's one of those restaurants where you choose the meat and then grill it yourself. Don't get me wrong, a lot of people LOVE this style of dining and find it really fun. I, on the other hand, am a terrible cook and need to avoid DIY dining at all costs. But the view looks awesome!!

As mentioned already, by the time you get out of the airport in to your rental car will be 4:00pm earliest. I would have an early dinner somewhere real nice, with a view, and easy to get to (if you are flying from the mainland US you'll be 2-5 hours ahead of Hawaii time in your mind). Then I'd hit a grocery store for supplies. Watch the sunset and get comfortable in your rental. For me that would be plenty to do on an arrival/ big travel day.

Traveling from the East Coast, with a stop in Denver, will be long. I remember crashing in Kailua the last time, we meant to take a short nap and we woke up around 3 in the morning!, so dinner and home will probably be it. Is snorkling in the Bay and North shore beaches are unrealistic in one day? ( would like to stop and enjoy the ones we like best) I don't want to do it like last time, whirlwind trip, did everything! and when we got home we all looked at each other and said "did that really happen? "

Just got back from Oahu yesterday, really love this island. Dinner at Roy's Hawaii Kai was very good. Had dinner at Golden Dragon at Hilton Friday nite on patio a little rainy but didn't care, food was great and fireworks were very good can be seen from restaurant. If get a chance for romantic restaurant for 2 went to the Kahala Hotel at Cabanas Seaside Grill, Romantic cabana for 2 could close the curtains if wanted, breezy so suggest a sweater or at least sleeves, I wore a sleeveless dress(gave reason to close curtains). We loved Kailua beach, wind surfers and kite boarders very fun to watch, lots of surf, not real crowded and very clean. We would love to stay this area next time. Rented a house in Kahala and the rush hour traffic around Waikiki and Honolulu is something to definitely take into account. If you like to snorkel we saw tons of different fish, green sea turtles, and eels at Haunama Bay. Went 3 mornings in a row, get there before 8am. Have a great trip.

The romantic seaside cabana for dinner sounds VERY interesting!

You can check that restaurant on their website www.kahalaresort.com. Food was great.