On Christmas Eve we packed up and headed from Toronto to Honolulu! Our direct flight was close to 10 hours there and closer to 9 hours home. We had booked about two and a half months earlier and got an unreal deal. The cost of our hotel and flight through Redtag wasn’t much more than the exact same flight without the hotel would have been if we booked directly from Air Canada.
My partner and I are adventure seekers. We tend to have a pretty busy agenda when we go away. I’m a planner but I also like to leave some room to go with the flow. In this blog post, I’m going to break down a brief overview of what we did, where we ate and how we got around.
We booked an all black Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class SUV through the ride sharing app, Turo. Our host Dominic was great. He grew up in Oahu and was able to give us some insight on places to eat and must-see spots on the island. Turo is kind of like AirBNB but for cars. We had a great experience but I think that’s because of our amazing host who picked us up and dropped us off.
We went for seven days and purchased the Go City: All Inclusive Oahu pass. We got a great deal on the Go City pass. We bought it through Costco Canada and saved on the regular price. This was a four day pass that allowed us to pick one “premium” activity from a selection of four. We then had an all-inclusive pass to all of the other offerings that have partnered with Go City Oahu.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday were the days that our Go City pass was valid for.
Day 1 (Tuesday)
With the time difference, we arrived late on Christmas Eve. We didn’t do much other than settle in to our hotel and go for a walk around the area to see what was available nearby. We checked out the ABC Store, a massive chain to gather anything you need: snacks, skincare, booze, ice cream, clothing, souvenirs, etc.
Day 2 (Wednesday)
This was our first full day in Oahu. We drove over to Koko Head and did the hike there. This was intense! It’s just over 1,048 steps to the top on a trail follows the steep hill that rises 1,200 feet up. It overlooks the lovely Hanauma Bay. The trail is really an old railroad track, it’s steep and certainly not a hike I would want to do on a really hot day. Luckily there was some overcast while we did the hike. It was a really fun hike and certainly rewarding!
We explored a little more on our way back to the hotel and stopped at a small drugstore for snacks, etc. We cleaned up and explored the main strip in Waikiki Beach area. Based on my grandma’s recco – we checked out The Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was really good – the service, food and price.
After dinner, we explored the Waikiki area some more by foot. We ended up finding a new, small shaved ice shack. Shaved ice is a must try if you come to Hawaii!
Day 3 (Thursday)
We started the day off with a hella-good couples massage at LAVA. They’re in the Century Center tower, a huge condo-style building that overlooks the city. We did a full-body CBD pil infused massage. They went from head to toe and were so good at their job!
After the massage, we hit up Target because I miss Target. They have good clothes and snacks – of course. We then headed back to the hotel and decided to check out the Honolulu Zoo. The zoo is huge and was super cool to check out! After a few hours there, we headed back to the hotel to clean up and head for dinner.
We love ethnic food and decided to find an Indian restaurant. We walked for about 30 minutes over to Bombay Palace and had a great meal. After dinner we found our way back to the hotel, exploring the beachfront and stopping by the farmer’s market. Of course, had to pick up a pecan caramel brownie for dessert.
Day 4 (Friday)
This was the first day with our Go City pass. We headed up to the other side of Oahu and stoped into Surfer’s Coffee. It’s a not for profit and really nicely decorated coffee shop. This was a recco from one of my IG followers who lives in Oahu!
After a quick stop, we headed out to the North Shore for our stand-up paddleboard rental. We’ve done SUP before so it was fun to try it in the ocean. We found a wee channel that went under some bridges which was pretty neat and private.
After our lesson we checked out North Shore a bit and stopped by one of the areas with a bunch of food trucks. We grabbed some BBQ chicken, rice and salad from one of the trucks and had a nice, low-key lunch.
Then we were on our way, with a bit of traffic, to the Polynesian Culture Centre for our premium activity from the Go City Pass. Honestly, this was pretty cool but I don’t think it would be worth paying for if you didn’t use the Go City Pass. We walked about the property and did some spear throwing, tastings and reading up! After checking out the centre it was time for the Luau dinner. I think my expectations were a bit too big for this one. I enjoyed the food but it wasn’t AMAZING. It was a buffet style dinner of course but with hundreds of people so watching the show was difficult.
After dinner we headed back in the direction we were staying. As it got dark we drove up to the Tantalus lookout. It’s a windy ass road with tight corners. Thank god I was not driving.. instead, I was having heart palpitations in the passenger seat. Needless to say, it was worth the trippy drive to look out over the island as the sun had set.
Day 5 (Saturday)
We started the day off with a yoga class under the palm trees along the beach. It was a lovely, one hour power vinyasa class. After yoga we walked over to Diamond Head. It was full of people but we were prepared for that. It’s a $1 per person if you walk in, so totally something to check out! It’s not included with the Go City pass but it’s certainly worth the money.
After the hike, we ordered an Uber back because we were tight for time. We had to clean up and get ready for our catamaran! We went out with a great group of people on a catamaran and saw a sea turtle and a whale. HULA’s organizes an awesome little afternoon activity with $5 drinks – easy to get a buzz on! After the catamaran/boat ride, we walked back to HULA’s to take advantage of our free drink ticket and meet some other dudes.
Hunger was starting to set in so we headed over to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. We had a good meal and walked it off while checking out the pier and beachfront in Waikiki.
Day 6 (Sunday)
Sunday was probably the best day! We started the day off at Kualoa Ranch and did the Jungle Jeep tour. It was a blast, the guide was super good at his job. It was like off roading in a 16-passenger van. We checked out the huge property where cows roam and foliage thrives. We got to see some cool spots used in productions like Jurassic Park, George of the Jungle, Fifty First Dates, Jumanji, Frontier and even one of Nicki Minaj’s music videos!
After the jungle fun, we stopped in and got some fried chicken and wedges on our way for a little picnic at the Nu’uanu Pali lookout. It was very windy and a bit cold up there! Nonetheless, the views were great.
We then went on a super fun, long adventure to the Lulumahu Falls. Two studs, in their white and black runners and white t-shirts climbing, ducking, and squeeze through a bamboo forest full of mud. We were not prepared for the muddy ass conditions but it was so worth it. I really wanted to see a bamboo forest and the waterfall was very cool!
Day 6 (Monday)
We started the day with a drive up to the Manoa Chocolate Factory. We did a tour and soaked up all the knowledge we could about how chocolate is made. It ended with a chocolate and tea tasting – of course, we had to buy some chocolate to take home!
After we drove to the Byoodo-In Temple. This was super cool! The replica temple was based off one from Asia and felt very real. There is a huge gong that you can hit and a bunch of koi fish on the property. We went inside the temple. Learning curve… you can’t bring your shoes in at all.
We decided to grab some nuggets and head out to Sealife. Sealife was interesting.. it was small and made me feel kind of uncomfortable because of the sea animals in captivity. However, it was my first time seeing dolphins and that was super cool. They’re certainly smart and adorable creatures!
We then headed to the Makapu Lighthouse. This is a paved trail that takes about 40 minutes to do. We saw a mongoose on the trail and if you know me, you know I love all types of animals. The walk was cool and had some really great view points. After the hike, we headed back home to freshen up before hitting up Side St Inn for our reservation. This is a popular place amongst locals!
Day 7 (Tuesday)
The last day we had some time to waste before our flight! This was New Year’s Eve. We toured out to check out White Plains Beach, which is a stunning beach! It’s a low-key, public beach great for swimming & surfing. We soaked up some sun there and headed to check out their Costco. We then made our way back to meet our Turo host but stopped into a small Thai restaurant for lunch!
Oahu was great! I really liked the island but would recommend getting a car for sure. We were very happy with using Turo and had a great host! The island was a little bit more “built up” than we had imagined but it was definitely a place I would visit again. When we come back to Hawaii, we will likely check out the other islands like Maui and the Big Island.
