Oahu Planning & Tips

Getting There and Around
At the friendly Honolulu Airport you'll find restaurants, fast food, ice cream and snack bars. For a smile-inducing welcome, spring for a lei greeting. Over 350 hotels and resorts offer shuttle service from the airport and back again, so ask about shuttles when you make your hotel reservation. The Bus also reliably treks to and from the airport from early in the morning until late at night.

If you plan to step off the beaten path of Honolulu (and everyone should) but don't want the long bus ride, a rental car is just the ticket. Make the beautiful drive to the North Shore, visit the Polynesian Cultural Center and eat at the Original Papa Ole's (a local favorite). Keep in mind that a weekly rental will be more affordable than a daily, and picking up your car at the airport will be a cheaper than renting in the city. Keep that "Aloha Spirit" with you when you drive -- the citizens of Hawaii only use their car horns when saying hello to a pal, and nobody would dream of honking and gesturing in paradise.

If you plan to stay mainly in Honolulu, there's no need to insert the hassles of a car into your mellow vacation. The Bus system in Honolulu -- really, across Oahu -- is outstanding. Even if you never hop on a bus in your day-to-day life, you'll feel like a pro on Oahu's The Bus.

Where can you go on The Bus? Anywhere you need to be on the island except straight into the surf. For just $25 per person, The Bus lets you and the family ride for four consecutive days for no additional charge. Buy the Four Day Pass at an ABC store (all Waikiki locations and the Ala Moana Center Store) or at The Bus headquarters: 811 Middle Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96819. A one-way fare is $2.25.

Over 50 trolleys stop at almost every popular attraction and shopping mall on Oahu -- you'll enjoy traveling on these street reproductions of San Francisco cable cars. The four days' pass does not have to be used on four consecutive days. Four day/four line tickets start at $43 for adults and $17 for children ages 7 to 11 years. (Note: Pearl Harbor is not a trolley stop, and Hanauma Bay is a picture stop only.)

The Art of Smart Timing
On Oahu, rain might last all of a few sprinkles or as long as three days (depending on the season and where you are on the island), then it's back to the previously arranged program of balmy, beautiful and heavenly -- concluded with an insanely stunning fuchsia sunset.

The North Shore of Oahu gets somewhat rainy during the winter. Honolulu tends to stay dry but gets some rain in the winter months. Summer scores as the most sun-drenched season of the year. Spring and fall are beautiful, and even in the winter months you'll find plenty of warm sunshine throughout the island. Expect temperatures in paradise to range from 70 degrees to 85 degrees.

If your goal is to avoid the season of high prices in Oahu, don't join the snow birds during their yearly flight to Oahu from December through mid-April. The rockin' price season is mid-April to early June and September to early December.

Dressing for the weather in Oahu is a breeze. Say buh-bye to the suit-and-tie routine and pack flip flops, Tommy Bahama shirts for him, and tank tops and sun dresses for her. Rumor has it that a couple of five-star restaurants prefer men to be in jackets, but they're a rarity and will loan you a jacket for the evening if you didn't bring your own (check when you make reservations).

The kids need an SPF bottom and top bathing suit. Hats and sun umbrellas are a smart idea too.

Also, consider washing your clothes in Rit Sun Guard Laundry Treatment, which increases your T-shirts' and shorts' SPF rating. Buy it in single packs at Walmart in the laundry aisle.

It can't be emphasized enough: If you've never had a horrific sunburn, your big chance awaits in Hawaii. Being fried is not a fun way to spend a vacation or even make it through a restful night. So, if you don't want a tour of an Oahu's hospital emergency room, visit the beach in the early morning and early evening hours. And never assume that because the skies are gray and cloudy that you're safe. The sun can, and will, penetrate the clouds and broil you and the kids senseless. So slather on the SPF every two hours. You'll drive the kids crazy, but better to be an annoying parent than deal with a sunburn that remains a topic of discussion into the kids' elderly years. Hawaiians and Australians swear by the sunscreen Blue Lizard.

In the evening, dress like a local by carrying a light jacket or sweater for a possible evening temperature dip. Locals say they can spot a tourist a mile away by how much he or she is shivering in the moonlight.

Off the Radar
Hawaiian Tunes: Set your radio to KCCN 100.3 FM, KDNN 98.5 FM and KINE 105.1 FM for Hawaiian sounds throughout your vacation in paradise.

Those who love searching for shopping treasures in Oahu will enjoy the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and Marketplace (99-500 Salt Lake Boulevard, Honolulu 808-483-2500). Just 20 minutes from Waikiki, the swap offers endless bargains and a great array of food to feed your hungry group.

Parents get a little nervous talking about taking their kids up in the air, but the spectacular view of Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor and the stretches of beaches all around Oahu from a plane is unforgettable. Take an aerial tour of Hawaii with Island Seaplane Service (85 Lagoon Drive, Honolulu 808-836-6273). Take off from the Keehi Lagoon much like the first visitors did in seaplanes decades ago. Rides start at $125 to $230.

Take a day or night flight with Makani Kai Helicopters (110 Kapalulu Place, Honolulu, 808-834-5813) and see sites you'd never see by ground -- such as the aerial view of now closed Sacred Falls State Park, home to an 80-foot waterfall, where eight people were killed and many more severely injured in 1999 by a major rock slide. By night, marvel at the lights of the Honolulu hotels. Rides start at $135 per person.

Must read: Pick up the Honolulu Advertiser for current events and happenings. The paper is brimming with nuggets about Oahu.

Visitors Bureau
Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau