Oahu Travel Tips: START HERE If You’re Planning a Trip to Oahu
Oahu is by far the most visited Hawaiian Island. Home to Honolulu (the state’s capital) and Waikiki (Hawaii’s bustling tourist hub), there’s a LOT going on on Oahu. It’s easily the island with the most attractions and sites to tour, see, and do (even though every island has plenty to do) so information about how to have the best vacation on the island is in demand.
I’ve got 30+ posts on Oahu on this site (not including the other islands or general Hawaii planning posts)…that’s a lot of info! To pull it all together in one place, this page is “home base” for all of my Oahu travel tips.
Oahu Travel Tips
First things first…if there’s one post on my blog you’ve got to read it’s this one: Hawaii Travel Tips. It’s not island specific, but it covers things like which airports to fly into on each island, the scoop on illegal vacation rentals, rules about not touching wild animals that are federally protected in Hawaii, the unspoken rules for driving on the island, how to get along with locals, what to expect and MORE. It’s a whopper of a post (7000+ words) and it’s definitely one you don’t want to miss. Check it out here.
Where to Stay on Oahu
This is where it all starts when you’re planning your trip. The big question is whether to stay in Waikiki or not.
To be honest, I have a love-hate relationship with Waikiki. Mooooostly I just think there are a dozen better places to stay in Hawaii, but there are times when it can be fun. There are a lot of pros and cons for staying in Waikiki and staying somewhere else on the island though.
My Favorite Boutique Hotels in Waikiki
If you’re set on staying in Waikiki (or want to read up on all of the reasons why you may love it), this post has my favorite boutique hotels in Waikiki.
Where to Stay on Oahu Besides Waikiki
If you’re trying to avoid Waikiki, this post breaks down all of the other places to stay on the island.
If you’re trying to settle on the best place to stay in Ko Olina, this post breaks down all of your options.
Specific Hotel Reviews
More Posts about Disney’s Aulani Resort
Aulani Tips: Everything You Need to Know about Staying at Aulani
Is It Worth It to Stay at Aulani?
How Many Days to Stay at Aulani?
***Want to save major $$$ on your trip to Hawaii? I get asked ALL the time how I’m able to travel so often to Hawaii and stay at really nice resorts. Well, my favorite travel hack is cashing in points to score free airfare and free nights at some of Hawaii’s most high end resorts. Read my full guide on the exact system I use to max out credit card rewards here. Seriously, it’s going to save you soooo much money.
5 Day Oahu Itinerary
The Best Oahu 5 Day Itinerary: I’ve noticed that people either seem to book their airfare and hotel first and then figure the rest out, or they want to lay out an itinerary and then decide how to book their flights (how long to stay) and where to stay. Either way, having a solid itinerary (even if it’s just a lot of built in relaxation time peppered with some activities) can make your vacation sooooo much better. Read that post here.
Rentals Cars on Oahu
You absolutely will need a rental car. Hawaii is not an all-inclusive destination where you’ll arrive by shuttle and never leave your resort (I mean you could do that…but it’s pretty expensive just to get to Hawaii so most people want to actually see Hawaii. If you want a cheaper resort only vacation, just go to Mexico).
Also, Oahu is a pretty large island. Throw in not the greatest roads and a lot of traffic there’s 1 million people on this island!) and it can take a while to get around. Oahu is the only island with any kind of reliable public transportation. The Bus and trolley system is pretty good for getting around Waikiki and ok for Honolulu, but if you’re wanting to venture much beyond the city (and you definitely should) you’re going to need a car.
I always book through Discount Hawaii Car Rentals. They’re seriously the only company I ever use. They’ll give you the very best prices, you don’t have to reserve with a credit card or pay until you show up, you can cancel and re-book anytime if you find a better rate, and they usually have a special that adds additional drivers for no fee. It’s a no brainer. Click here to check rates for your trip.
And you can read more about the rental car situation in Hawaii here.
Oahu Restaurant Recommendations
If you’re anything like me, your vacation probably revolves a bit around where you’re going to eat. Oahu has the best food scene of all the islands. Read up on some of my food recommendations:
Where Do Locals Eat in Waikiki? 40 Spots to Try That Aren’t the Cheesecake Factory ; )
The Best Restaurants in Ko Olina
Oahu Luaus
If there’s one thing I get asked about more than pretty much anything else, it’s about luaus. So I’ve written a LOT about them.
The Best Luaus on Oahu (and Which Ones to Avoid)
Is the Polynesian Cultural Center “Worth It?” A Full Review
Paradise Cove vs Polynesian Cultural Center
Things to Do on Oahu
One of the top questions I get asked is when the best time to book activities/tours/excursions is. Honestly, if there’s something you know you want to do for sure…you should book it as soon as you can. There’s no advantage to waiting until the last minute. You won’t find better deals and more than likely you’ll end up missing out because things sell out. In the post COVID landscape, so many activities and tours in Hawaii (luaus, snorkeling tours, ziplining, atv rides, even RESTAURANTS) are fully booked 2-4 months in advance.
Jurassic Park in Hawaii: If you’ve ever watched any of the Jurassic Park movies with your jaw on the ground, you’re going to want to go to Kualoa Ranch. So many movies have been filmed there and it’s a visitor’s paradise with so many different tour options to choose from.
Tips for Visiting Pearl Harbor: The lowdown on how to get tickets for the USS Arizona, how long you need, and more.
Things to Do in Waikiki: Tons of options from classic Waikiki experiences to adventure activities to cultural and historical spots.
Secret Things to Do on Oahu: Off the beaten path, hidden gems, etc.
8 Easy Hikes on Oahu: Nothing illegal or “extremely dangerous” but all out of this world beautiful.
Things to Do in Ko Olina: Fun in the sun on Oahu’s west side.
Things to Do in Kailua & the Windward Coast: A full day on Oahu’s east side
Things to Do on Oahu’s North Shore: Plus recommendations on where to stay and where to eat.
Best Spas on Oahu: For when you just need to chill for a bit. Recommendations for Waikiki, Turtle Bay, and Ko’olina.
Shangri La & the Honolulu Museum of Art: My personal favorite “underrated” spot on Oahu.
P.S. I travel to Hawaii multiple times a year, and let me tell you a secret…I do most of it for FREE using credit card points and miles.
I have a somewhat intricate system that I’ve fine tuned over the years to maximize earning points and how I cash them in, but the short version is:
I use THIS Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card for free Marriott nights. The sign up bonus alone on this card will get you 3 (sometimes 5!) free nights at hotels in Hawaii like the Sheraton Maui, Royal Hawaiian (Oahu), Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort, and the Waikoloa Beach Marriott (Kona).
And I use THIS Southwest Premier Rapid Rewards card for free flights on Southwest. The sign up bonus will get you at least one round trip flight to Hawaii (possibly two depending on where you’re flying from).
The combo of these two cards will have you most of the way to a free trip to Hawaii right out of the gate. Again, you can sign up for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless >> HERE and the Southwest Premier Rapid Rewards >> HERE
And if you’re really serious about getting into the travel hacking game, read this post for a more in depth look at how I maximize credit card points to book travel.
P.P.S. Here’s one more really important thing you need to know before your Hawaii trip…
You’ve got your airfare, hotel, rental car and your big activities booked, so you should be good to go, right? Wrong!
Travel is BOOMING in Hawaii and a lot of state and national parks have instituted reservation systems at some of the island’s most popular spots to help manage the crowds and make things a little more sustainable.
That means that there are now over half a dozen sites (beaches, trailheads, etc.) that require advance reservations. And some sell out well before you arrive on the island so you really need to have some sort of a plan.
I recently saw somebody in a Hawaii travel group post in a panic that they didn’t know they had to make reservations for things in advance…they thought they could just show up and “go with the flow.” I was tempted to say, well, “as long as the flow doesn’t take you somewhere that requires reservations, you can!” ; )
But I don’t want YOU to be that person, so I’ve pulled together a list of all the places you need to reserve entry in advance (plus all the details on booking windows, price, links, etc.) and a handful of popular tourist hotspots that book out really far in advance too.
Get that info >> HERE