A Local’s Guide to Oahu

I just spent a week in Oahu, Hawaii where I didn’t fall into any tourist traps.  I am passing on the info to you all.

Shopping

Aloha Stadium
$1 admission
It’s a swap meet with cheap-ass stuff. It’s only on Wednesdays and the weekends. Great for getting Hawaiian print EVERYTHING, sarongs, towels, clothes, little souvenirs, luggage, snacks and cheap t-shirts. I got bikinis for $10 and sarongs were 4 for $20. I’d go early in the morning before it gets too hot.

If you can’t make it out to Aloha Stadium, go to the International Market on Kalakaua St.  Similar prices to Aloha Stadium but smaller selection.

Ala Moana Mall
It’s like the Fashion Valley (San Diego) of Hawaii.   Tons of shops including the Sanrio store where you can get Hello Kitty stuff exclusive to Hawaii.  Remember! Sales tax in Hawaii is only 4% – so big purchases are worth making!!

T&C Surfshop – cool stuff you can only get in Hawaii.  There’s one in the International Market and one at the Ala Moana Mall

Don Quijote
It’s like a 99 Ranch. Get your groceries here.  The chocolates, coffee and stuff you see at the ABC stores are way cheaper here. I’d recommend getting your food-type souvenirs here. You can get macadamia nut hershey kisses for cheap here.  Oh and they have cooked food in the back – musubis, bento boxes, etc. they have a spam katsu musubi – as in, they batter the spam and fry it katsu-style.

Food

Kanpai Bar and Grill
My absolute favorite meal in Hawaii. We had 20 people with us and they all agreed this place was their favorite. They have this AMAZING appetizer with tater tots, sweet pork, onions and 2 sunny side up eggs on top. The ahi poke nachos were the bomb too! Boyfriend got a sandwich that he can’t stop talking about – burger patty, pastrami, FRIED PEPPERONI, and cheese on a croissant. A bunch of other people got the rib eye steaks and they were super tender and yummy. YOU ALL MUST GO HERE! Everything was so good!

Iyasume Musubi
Check in on FourSquare and get $0.50 off. They’ve got a bunch of different kinds – like spam, egg and bacon, wasabi mayo, plum etc. They’ve got a bunch of onigiri and bento boxes too. They’re cheaper than most of the places in Waikiki.

Puka Dog
Awesome hot dogs with a lotta cool mustards and relishes. They’ve got like passionfruit mustard and mango relish. Their bun is like a pocket so the condiments don’t drip out. They have this cool way of toasting the inside of the bun so that it doesn’t get all soggy. It’s on Kuhio St. behind the Int’l Market.   *Fun fact: Puka means “hole”

Shrimp Trucks
There’s a bunch along the North Shore. Giovanni’s is the most famous but my friend took us to one right next to it called Famous Kohuku Shrimp Truck. The garlic butter and spicy garlic butter shrimp plates are really good.

Helena’s Hawaiian Food
This place was on Man vs. Food. Their short-ribs are famous – I thought they were really good. Their fried butterfish collar is the bomb. I didn’t know that butterfish=black cod. The luau squid was pretty interesting. Most of the people liked it – it looks like creamed spinach but it’s taro leaf, coconut milk and chopped up squid.

Waiola’s Shaved Ice – better than Matsumoto’s

V Lounge – http://www.yelp.com/biz/v-lounge-honolulu I didn’t eat here but my friend says the pizza is the best he’s ever had.

If you want a delicious fancy meal (and a little pricey) go to Roy’s there’s 2 locations on Oahu. I also looked at the menu for Morimoto’s in Waikiki – they have a foie gras chawan-mushi. nuff said.

Activities

Rent Mopeds – http://www.yelp.com/biz/makai-moped-rentals-honolulu this place was the cheapest we found – $35/day. There’s a discount if you mention Yelp.

If you’re scared of mopeds, rent these Mini Coupes – it’s basically a 3-wheel moped. http://www.yelp.com/biz/mini-coupe-hawaii-honolulu. Their prices are negotiable – we got it for $95/day. They have a pink Hello Kitty one but it costs like $30-$40 more.

Snorkeling – Hanauma Bay is too crowded and it closes once the lot is full. If you wanna go there, be there by 8am. I’d recommend driving up to the North Shore to Turtle Bay and Shark’s Cove. I always get to see a bunch of turtles.   Buy a bag of frozen veggies to feed the turtles and fish – that’s fun cuz then more will come close to you. You can rent gear from shops around there or just buy it at Wal-mart there.

If you drive up to North Shore, on your way there or back you can visit the Dole Plantation and the Shrimp Trucks. You guys should see the Dole Plantation on the way up, snorkel, then hit up the shrimp trucks on the way down (or the other way around).

Manoa Falls Hike – easy hike with a pretty waterfall at the end. No swimming though.

Beaches
Lanikai beach is nice cuz it’s not that crowded and the sand is really soft. Good for swimming.
Waikiki Beach – crowded and the north-west end has a lotta rocks. Get those water socks/shoes.
Ala Moana Beach – where the locals go. It’s a little ghetto, expect some bums, big scary islander dudes and lots of BBQ’s.

Bars/Clubs
There’s a ton along Kuhio Street on Waikiki. Most of them stop charging cover after midnight.  But there’s a lot of hookers around there, so be careful.
Mai Tai Bar inside the Ala Moana Mall is a great bar/lounge. It’s open air, they always have a live band playing and there’s no cover.