Oahu - The Heart of Hawaii

This tiny eatery located in the northeast corner of Honolulu, around two miles from Waikiki, is well-known to locals as one of the only true "locals'" restaurants in Honolulu. The small, unimposing exterior with its signature green awning beckons the customer into its small interior, which features a few tables strewn together, with just enough space in between to walk by.

The walls are adorned with Hawaiian memorabilia, and the sounds of the islands play on the stereo (or the football game, depending on the day). There is usually a lineup here, so you may find yourself waiting for a table for up to an hour - phone beforehand for a reservation.

Upon arriving, the Hawaiian staff will seat you at a small table and bring you complementary ice water while they explain their native Hawaiian dishes to you in detail. The specialties here are the traditional meals, which include a choice of either lau lau (steamed pork wrapped in taro leaves) or kalua pig (pulled pork, marinated in a light vinegar-chili sauce). The meals are accompanied by a series of small plates - lomilomi salmon (a sort of salmon-based salsa), chopped onion, coarse sea salt, puhi beef jerky, and Haupia (coconut jello), along with a bowl of either rice or poi (mashed sour taro root).

I ordered the kalua pig plate, which was $11.99. I was very disappointed to see the portion size, which was about the amount of a kids' meal in any other restaurant. The kalua pig was tasty, doused liberally with vinegar-chili sauce. The onions were to be eaten separately, the waiter told me, dipped lightly in the salt before eating. They were delicious. The lomilomi salmon was excellent, much like a fine salmon tartar, but more strongly flavored. The only disgusting, inedible portion of my meal was the poi, which was almost impossible to eat. The texture was of paint, and the flavor was sour and tingled the tongue. I ate two spoonfuls before leaving it be on the table. The Haupia was delicious, and a good way to end the otherwise disappointing meal.

For those who want to branch out with their tastes a bit more, the restaurant offers standard plate lunches of loco moco (two eggs atop two hamburger patties, smothered in gravy, served with rice and macaroni salad), along with saimin (noodle soup), and many typical, standard diner dishes like hamburgers.

Prices are expensive, so be prepared. Dinner for two will easily set you back $35 with dessert and drinks. It's not a fancy place, but it is pricey for what you get. The portions are unbelievably small (so small I had to get an actual dinner from another restaurant right after). The food is well-prepared and authentic, and you won't find a better locals' restaurant on all of Oahu.

To get to Ono's from Waikiki, take Kalakaua Avenue east to the Kapahulu Ave. intersection. Take Kapahulu north. The restaurant is about 2 miles up the road, on the left.

On a hot, Hawaiian summer day, what could be better than a huge cone of ice, doused with fresh fruit juices and syrups, topped with vanilla ice cream and red azuki beans? To satisfy these cravings, look no further than the excellent Matsumoto's Shave Ice stand, a small, unimposing building on the Kamehameha Highway in downtown Hale'Iwa, on Oahu's North Shore.

Matsumoto's is well-known around the island for its excellent shave ice (snow cones). Locals are known to drive the hour from Honolulu just to enjoy a shave ice, then drive back. It's really that good. The lineup was long when I visited on a busy Monday afternoon in early February. The sun was hot and people were thirsty. Behind the counter, 5 or 6 Hawaiian females hurriedly hand-shave the ice into perfect spheres, pop them into cones, and liberally pour the flavor syrup (you get to choose three). Toppings are optional.

I ordered the delicious lilikoi (passion fruit), along with coconut cream and piña colada. While the latter two were mass-produced syrups, overly sweet but still tasty, the lilikoi was actual juice - not to sweet, and much less syrupy than the other flavors. It was simply delicious, and a bargain at only $1.50. I passed on the toppings, which looked good (although I've never tasted an azuki bean). A shave ice with everything costs around $2.50. Toppings are a bit of a misnomer, though, as they are added to the bottom of the cone, with the shave ice on top of them!

Try one of these and you'll instantly be hooked - it simply is the best quality snow cone you'll ever have, and it is a uniquely Hawaiian treat. The stand is within walking distance of beautiful Hale'iwa Beach Park, so buy a cone or two and head over for some relaxing on the sand. The store also sells beach mats, water, and souvenirs for those interested. Light snacks are also available.

To get to Matsumoto's, take the Kamehameha Highway from Honolulu north across the island. It's on your left hand side heading north from Honolulu, right in the center of beautiful Hale'iwa.

Visit Matsumoto's online at: www.matsumotoshaveice.com

This small pineapple-themed cafeteria is truly one of the biggest highlights of the like-it-or-hate-it Pineapple Plantation tourist trap. The atmosphere is sunny and youthful, the service is decent, the prices are reasonable, and the food is delicious.

Understandably, the menu revolves around pineapple. The menu ranges from "entrées" like sandwiches, hot dogs, pineapple chili dogs, and pineapple chili bowls, to pineapple pastries, ice creams, Dole Whip (a dairy-free pineapple sorbet), and of course, fresh pineapple juice and sliced pineapple. Everything is brightly laid out with fresh pineapples everywhere - if nothing else, you know it's fresh.

I wasn't hungry, so I settled with a Dole Whip in a crunchy waffle cone. The sorbet was smooth and creamy, but not overly sweet. At $3.95, it was a decent value. Prices for other menu items range from $5 for a sandwich, to $3.25 for a bowl of fresh pineapple, to $2 for a medium pineapple juice.

The menu is in both English and Japanese. All the staff members speak Japanese as well. After getting your cone, head outside and eat your food in the sunshine. There are plenty of tables available, with views of the extensive pineapple plantations. Or, if you're just grabbing a cone, grab one on the way in and then head out to tour the grounds with a cone-in-hand.

The cafeteria is well-marked on the grounds of the Dole Pineapple Plantation. To get here, take the Kamehameha Highway north from Honolulu. The plantation is just north of Wahiawa on the right hand side of the highway.

Stop by for some snacks when touring the plantation, you won't be disappointed. That is, unless you don't like pineapple!

Just outside of the town of Kailua on Oahu's eastern shore, the beautiful Kailua Beach Park is a true slice of paradise. While it is agreed that "slice of paradise" may be a cliched phrase, especially when regarding Hawaii, it's a huge understatement when it comes to this beach. This is the best beach in Hawaii hands-down, and it's my personal favorite beach in the World.

Imagine clear, turquoise waters spotted with offshore islands, glistening in the afternoon sunlight. The blue waves crashing onto the fine-powdered white sands, palm trees swaying nearby. Could it get any better than that? Just imagine if that beach was hardly frequented by tourists, just you and the water and a couple of other lucky, like-minded people nearby.

Kailua Beach Park is all that and more. Grab your beach towel, sunscreen, and straw mat and hop on The Bus to the town of Kailua, around an hour from Honolulu. The ride is scenic, though, so don't worry about the time. If you have a car, it's only a 40 minute drive or so - well worth the distance from your Honolulu hotel. Once you're there, you're free to enjoy the soft sand and warm water.


The beach is perfect for swimming. The sand is free of rocks and you can walk out into the water until it is at your neck quite comfortably. The waters are gentle, with hardly any waves, just small, smooth heaps. It's literally heaven on Earth.

Look around you and you won't see a soul - a dozen people at the most. Luckily, Kailua Beach Park is still a hidden secret when it comes to tourism. It's either too far for the tourists, or they just don't think it would be any different than Waikiki Beach (and boy is it ever).

Of course, there is no admission charges to the beach. Just be sure to catch the last bus of the day out, or you'll have a pretty expensive cab ride back to your hotel. Your best bet for this beach is to drive, it's easy to get here.

After your visit to the beach, consider a stop at nearby Agnes' Portuguese Bakery, where you can try mallasas, a local specialty donut. There are also tons of restaurants in nearby Kailua if the mood should strike you to catch a bite between catching rays.

When the sun goes down, you will not want to leave, but you'll have to. The park closes after dusk. If you're eager to stay somewhere other than the hustle and bustle of Waikiki, there are some options in nearby Kailua, but sadly, no hotels directly on this beach. Regardless, no matter how you get here, GET HERE.

As hard as it can be to do - try to keep this place a secret! One thing is certain, once the world gets out, it will be out. Kailua Beach Park will leave no one unimpressed.

If you've traveled to Oahu on a nice little getaway, and somehow neglected to visit Hanauma Bay while there, you have pretty much wasted your entire trip. Such sacrilege would be unforgivable. This heavily-touristed-but-thats-okay-because-its-awesome hotspot should be on the top of your to-do list while on the island of Oahu. It deserves a full day, if not two. What is it, you ask? It's the Great Barrier Reef of the USA, for all intents and purposes.

This secluded bay on Oahu's southeastern shore is THE place for scuba diving and snorkeling on the island, and possibly in Hawaii as a whole. The waters here are impossibly clear, the marine life abundant, and the waves calm enough to snorkel without fearing a trip to the emergency room.

I picked up some scuba gear from my hostel and took The Bus (Oahu's excellent cross-island bus service) out to Hanauma Bay. When I arrived, I was told I could either walk down the hill, or take the shuttle down for a $1.00 fee. I decided to walk down the hill, and take the shuttle back up. While the walk down was steep, it wasn't worth the extra $1.00 on top of the $5.00 admission to Hanauma Bay. I was skeptical at first that Hanauma Bay would be worth its $5.00 price tag, but boy was I wrong to be skeptical. The place was amazing, from the very moment my toes crunched into the sand.

I walked onto the beach and set up my beach towel, prepping my snorkeling gear. My partner and I took turns going in the water, as pickpocketing is a problem here. I headed into the "keyhole" - an area in the center of the reef where fish congregate. I put my head under to view the depths, expecting nothing more than seaweed at best. I discovered schools and schools of fish; colorful swarms of tropical species darting back and forth in front of my eyes. I reached out to a huge grouper, which rubbed against my hand as if it were playing. I didn't want to come back to the surface - the views were incredible. It's times like these where you wish you had an underwater camera.

Hanauma Bay is a pretty straightforward place - pay $5.00, head into the water, see thousands of tropical species of fish, be amazed, and then fight the urge to stay your entire trip here. It's well worth the $5.00, if not more. And do pay the $1.00 to get back up the hill - it's not worth straining your legs for weeks to save a buck (though many, many people do exhibit such cheapness - their gasping for air at the top of the hill can be heard for miles).

If you're on Oahu, make haste to Hanauma Bay. This may very well be the most impressive part of your trip - I guarantee it.