O’ahu

It is pretty common that Alaskans visit Hawaii when they want to escape the cold due to it being relatively “close” in comparison to other warmer locations like Florida. Some of the best advice I got while in Alaska was to get on a direct flight to Hawaii – so I planned one for our last winter in Alaska. We flew to Honolulu on December 8 (not direct due to a blizzard) with our flights back on the evening of December 14 (which was luckily direct).

We went with another couple and my mom where we all split an Airbnb in Haleiwa on the North Shore – about 45-60 minutes from downtown Honolulu. The house was spectacular and was situated right across the street from a beach where we watched surfers and sea turtles without any crowds – incredible! If you are looking for more of the touristy shopping and restaurants where all the crowds are, this is not the place to go. If you are looking for more of an authentic feel and surrounded by mostly locals, you must stay in Haleiwa.

• Green World Coffee Farm
• Matsumoto Shaved Ice
• Haleiwa Bowls
• Manoa Falls Trail

Our first morning there, we went to Green World Coffee Farm to see where the coffee beans are made and indulge in some fresh coffee. Next up was Matsumoto Shave Ice – now if you’ve never heard about the hype of real Hawaiian shaved ice, this is the stuff! And if that wasn’t enough, we got our first Acai Bowls at Haleiwa Bowls. After all the carb-loading and caffeine, we used that energy to hike through Manoa Falls Trail. This trail is about 1.6 miles round trip with little elevation – it takes you to an incredible 150-ft waterfall. Bring a swimsuit or a towel if you feel like taking a dip in these waters; it is so refreshing.

The hike doesn’t take more than 1-2 hours and is not strenuous, but the view of the waterfall and nature along the way is so worth it. Since we had to drive through Honolulu to get back to our Airbnb, we stopped in downtown Honolulu for food. Great food, just very crowded and overpriced.

Activities on O’ahu

If you are on Oahu, you must, must, must take a hike on the Lanikai Pillbox Trail – and it HAS to be for the sunrise. If you are a sunrise lover, this is THE hike to do. I wasn’t thrilled about waking up at 4:30am, but I quickly got over it once we witnessed the sunrise at the top of the hike. It’s a short hike, but it does get crowded quick. We spent the rest of the day on that part of the island in the water and eating more local favorites.

The next day brought acai bowls from the sunrise shack and beach bumming on the beach in Haleiwa. We ended the day with a traditional luau at Paradise Cove in Waikiki. It seems very cliche to do, but obligatory to get a feel for the culture – it was beautiful and the food was great!

Next up was a thrill-seeking day! We went to Kualoa Ranch (picture scenes from Jurassic Park/World) for ziplining. I’ve been ziplining countless times before, but this was by far the craziest one I’ve done in terms of the view. It is not super high in the air, but the views of the mountains, greenery, and ocean surrounding you make you speechless. If ziplining isn’t your thing, there is plenty of other stuff to do at the ranch like horseback riding.

Our last day was spent at the Pearl Harbor museum – very moving and emotional. The very last place we went to before we had to catch our red-eye flight was the Byodo-In Temple, a Buddhist temple. This is an incredibly serene place filled with tradition. There is such beautiful architecture and you will leave there feeling so at peace.