Nuxx,
I was in Hono in March, stayed for two weeks.
Was a bit of a sourpuss about going, thought I wasnt going to have a good time, but have to say, had a blast. Tons of fun ... i left with ohana vibe.
It was me and the wife + kiddo to start with. Gotta cryptic message from the motherinlaw, saying she's coming in from canada. Make that +1
Place to crash
More than likely you will stay in Waikiki if you visit Oahu. There's the less "busy part near the marina/Marriott and the "super busy" part near Kuhio Beach Park. Your pick.
Don't know your preference, but we enjoyed it closer to the marina. It felt like you were stepping out in a real neighborhood at times, but still 2 blocks from the beach /marina
I would suggest you look up vacation rentals by owner. We spent less than 165 a night and stayed at a really nice condo with parking.
I dont know how old you are, or what your interests are. We found it nice to step out on the streets and feel like it was a neighborhood, yet a couple of blocks from the beach/marina.
Things to do
Waterfalls and hiking:
Waimea Falls Park
Diamond Head
Goofy stuff:
Wet 'n' Wild Hawaii
Ice Palace
Must see:
Pearl harbor. You can go direct and buy tix, try not to get stuck on a cattle car bus herded. if you select the "do everything package" be prepared to spend a long day touring.
Dont buy the optional headphones...meh, not worth it.
Snorkeling:
Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve is a nice beach. It seems to attract a lot of tourists, snorkel, mask rentals are available. There was a fair amount of people enjoying the sunshine. We didnt bother to snorkel hear since the waters are 82 where i live and it was probably 75 here...brrrr too whimpy
I would check out the previously suggested areas too if indeed you are wanting to snorkel
Food
I live on a really small island, no restaurants. We love food, so this was an important part of our trip and waistlines.
Serg's Mexican Kitchen has decent Mexican, ...we went to both locations, and the food consistency was a bit off, but passable.
Please pass Greek food was Olive Tree Café. After elbowing and hustling for a free table, it took an hour to get your food and its so so quality wise IMO. We left after we ate and went to grab a bite cause we were still hungry, no-LOL. Not a good value
Foodcourt at the Ala Moana....lotsa fun, and good selections of pacific rim food. Sorry, no Cinnabons. Good for people watching and cheap eats!
Sushi, you gotta go to Kats Sushi. You MUST call ahead and confirm/reserve a table, its a small cozy place. Its a quant all you can eat sushi spot. There's two sushi chefs and a cool waitress, add five tables. You pick it off the menu, what sushi (s) you want, they make it in front of you
Hono has a lot of good local spots too. Dont be afraid to venture out past the cheesecake factory.
Drives:
Try to bring a GPS. Load the newest maps. There's some places that will rent you scenic drive GPS's plotted. We just kinda plotted a few places we wanted to see, freestyled the rest. Going East, it'll be easier. On the west side, there's rail construction that straddles the freeway in some places. It's a bit hectic.
http://www.honolulutransit.org/rail-system-guide/interactive-route-map.aspx
Go east young man.
Lotsa places to pull over and take some pics. I found it nice to leave to hustle of waikiki and get out in the countryside. Feel free to pull over and wing it on a place to grab some food.
Byodo-In Temple was enjoyable. Lots of places to stop on the way.
We skipped the Waikiki Aquarium, but opted for the zoo, whch was a good experience.
The Sea Life Park was on the radar, but never happened. I looked at the packages they offered, meh didnt seem like a value.
Car rental. I would suggest getting a set of wheels while you are there.
Enterprise was running a 10/day deal (off airport) if you're thinking of getting a car for the weekend only.
Have fun!
C
