NOW READING FROM THE CHAPPELL RESIDENCE BLOG

2022 Oahu, Hawaii Trip

Follow my trip to Oahu with tips and suggestions!

Oahu, Hawaii 5 day trip

Oahu, Hawaii 5 Day Trip

My first trip to Hawaii. It definitely won’t be the last trip. This was a trip that my husband and I have been planning for years. Ever since we got married. Of course life got in the way. And pregnancies…and kids…and building a house or two. But we decided to finally do it. It’s a trip I will always remember. I would love to go back one day but before I do I want to visit some of the other islands first.

I tried to plan and have some things scheduled but I didn’t want to schedule every hour of the day. I wanted it to be an actual vacation. I feel like if it’s too scheduled than you feel all rushed, hurried and you take out the fun of the trip. It all went perfect and I wouldn’t change anything. Before we dive into this trip day by day, here’s a printable of the itinerary for you and a customizable one for your trip to plan. Ok now moving on, here’s a break down of my trip to Oahu. I also included the time that the places are open, the cost and how long to plan to be there as well.

DAY 1

Flight & Half Day

This day will be your flight to Hawaii. Of course, it will be different for everyone. Depending on where you live. Luckily, I live near Las Vegas, NV so the flight wasn’t too long. But still it was 5-6 hours. We booked a morning flight and arrived around noon in Hawaii. Hawaii is on HST (Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time). That would be 3 hours behind the west coast or PST (Pacific Standard Time). We usually fly with Southwest Airlines but we decided to fly with Hawaiian Airlines this time around. The overall flight was pretty good. They serve you a meal and a small dessert. They have movies and music for you to watch or listen to. Each seat has their own screen, which is nice. Be sure to bring your own wired ear buds or headphones.

Once we arrived, we of course got our rental car and got some food to eat. Our first stop we made was to Helena’s Hawaiian Food I’m not going to lie, the food was great but I do feel like it was a little pricey for the amount of food we got. My husband was still hungry afterwards haha.

We decided to hit the road and just soak in all the scenery. Next stop we made was at Nu’uanu Pali State Wayside (6AM-6PM) (Parking $7) (15 minutes)

This lookout was great. It was right off the highway. I was pretty windy in this area. Almost like a wind tunnel. It was great overlooking Hawaii with all it’s beautiful greenery.

Next stop, we had to get at least one malasada while we were in Hawaii. A malasada is pretty much a beignet aka a fried doughnut without the hole. We drove to Leonard’s Bakery Food Truck in Kaneohe. The malasadas are to die for and pretty reasonable in price.

To end the day, we drove to the town of Kapolei and checked in our hotel. We decided to not stay in Honolulu. We wanted to be away from the hustle and bustle and I’m glad we did. We stayed at Hampton by Hilton in Kapolei. Kapolei is actually really nice and seems to be a little more upscaled area. It’s about 20-25 minutes from Honolulu.

We headed to Kahe Point Beach Park to watch the sunset and got some shaved ice at Island Shaved Ice and Creamery in Kapolei.

Day 2

Culture Day

To start the the day, of course we got some breakfast a place around the corner from us called Koa Pancake House.

Next we started our drive towards the Dole Plantation. Along the way, we decided to get our first hike in at a not planned stop at Wahiawa Hills Trail (30-60 minutes). We did this hike just to kill some time before the plantation opened. We didn’t do the full hike but I will say it was very quiet and no one else was there. It starts off in a residential neighborhood.

Dole Plantation (9:30AM-5:30PM) (Free, Train Ride $13, Maze $9) (1-3 hours) here we come. Honestly, this was a stop just because it was a great filler and was recommended by a lot of people. We did some shopping and of course got some dole whip, the best frozen treat ever, and decided to do the maze. This is all just my personally opinion but I wouldn’t waste your time or money on the train or maze unless you can little kids with you and have time to spare. I would just go there to get your dole whip, some pictures and whatever shopping you want to get done. We spent about an hour there. That was good enough time for us.

From here we headed towards the town of Laie. A small cultural town on the northeast side of Oahu. Our first stop in Laie was at the LDS Laie Temple (Free to walk around on the outside, only LDS members with recommends can go inside) (1-3 hours) This has been a temple I always wanted to visit. It was gorgeous, during the day and night. Even if you aren’t LDS it has some very pretty scenery and photoshoot areas. We only walked the grounds and visited the visitor center. It was a great stop before we got to our main event for the day.

Lunchtime at Seven Brothers (11am-11pm) in Laie. My older sister recommended going here and it was great. My husband is a huge burger fan. He was a little disappointed when I told him we were going to eat some burgers for lunch. Because he thought, “Burgers? While we are in Hawaii. Why not Hawaiian food?” But once we got there and ate, he was so happy. He said that it was one of the best burgers he’s ever had. Luckily they have other locations on the Hawaiian islands nd in Utah and Arizona.

We finally made it to our main part of the day, the Polynesian Cultural Center (12:30pm-9PM Closed Sunday) ($110-$270)(5-9 hours) Being here at the PCC, its going to take up most of your day. You can get into the shopping area for free but you have to buy a “package” to participate in the buffet, shows, and tours. It is well worth paying. I would go again in a heartbeat. Be sure to buy your package beforehand. We decided to get the Gateway Buffet Package, which included: Gateway Buffet dinner with live soft music, “HĀ: Breath of Life” evening show, and the self-guided experience through 6 island villages. If you want more of a luau experience than go with a different package. Some of the employees there said that the Gateway Buffet was the best one of the options. As far as the 6 island villages goes, basically they have in set up to where they tell you about their history and culture from each island: Samoa, Tonga, Hawaii, Fiji, Tahiti, and Aotearoa. They made each “village” fun and entertaining. Unfortunately, we only made it to half of the “villages”. But it was still great. Lastly to finish the day, we watched the evening show “HA: Breath of Life” it was a great story and had a lot of different kinds of dances including the flame throwing. Definitely to recommend to watch at least once.

Day 3

Adventurous Day!

We started day 3 with another malasada of course. Before we started our kayak trip, we made a pit stop at The Byodo-In Temple (8:30AM-4:30PM) ($5 Adult $4 Seniors $2 Kids) (1 hour) in Kaneohe. The temple was very peaceful and surreal. I almost forgot that I was in Hawaii for a moment. The architect on the building was amazing and they had some great places to seat and just take in all the atmosphere.

Next adventure for the day, hiking Manoa Falls Trail (6AM-6PM) ($5) (1-2 hours) This hike was pretty easy. Although your hiking mostly uphill and is a little tiring but it’s always nice to reach the end goal of the waterfall. The first part of the trail had a jurassic park feel to it and then became more tropical jungle like. Very Hawaiian feel hike. Lastly, we ended the day with another shaved ice and sunset

Day 4

Relaxation Day!

The only thing we had scheduled for today was the Kualoa Ranch itinerary. We to start the day we tied out the Zippy’s restaurant. It was like a Hawaiian version of Denny’s or Ihop. It wasn’t too bad. I did just find out a couple weeks ago that they are opening their first location outside of the islands, and it happens to be right here in Las Vegas, NV.

Main stop for the day was Kualoa Ranch (8AM-4:30PM) ($50-$250)(3-6 hours). This is located northeast of Oahu island. This place is known for filming some scenes from Jurassic Park and other movie films as well. If I would have had more time I probably would of booked tour or ziplining but unfortunately everything was booked way in advance and the only thing I could reserve was the Secret Island Beach Adventure. Despite that, I still had a good, relaxing time. It wasn’t the greatest beach on Hawaii but it was quiet and secluded. Honestly we just chilled there for 3 hours and took a nap. We got in the water for a second but it was nice to just sit and enjoy the sun and the sounds of the wave. They offered volleyball, corn hole, kayaks, paddleboards and more. It would make a great family day.

Pretty much from here on out we drove around the island and did some driving exploring and made some pit stops for some snacks, treats and food. We stopped at the food trucks in North Shore and grabbed some shaved ice for me and then the Dole Plantation and got some dole whip for my hubby. Then we made our way to back to Kapolei and we ate at Kalapawai Market later that night for dinner. It was so good. Definitely try that out if you happen to be in the area.

Day 5

Patriotic Day!

It’s hard to pick a a favorite day but I guess it true when they say “save the best for last.” This was probably my favorite day out of the whole trip but I loved it all. First, we started the day off bright and early with a hike on the Diamond Head State Monument (6AM-6PM)($19 Parking $5 Entry)(1-2 hours). In all honesty I wasn’t planning on doing this hike because I read that it was very touristy and a little overcrowded. But I decided to take a chance on it. So first things first, you need to book your reservations the day before to get in the state park. I think we booked the first time slots in the morning and honestly it was the best time because it wasn’t too crowded and it the weather was nice and watching the sunrise from that point of view was a view I will never forget. The hike overall is moderate. You are hiking uphill with stairs and switchbacks mostly but the ending it magnificent. You have a top view of Hawaii and get to see the walkout the old bunkers that the military used in early 1900’s. It was well worth the hike and I’m so great I did this hike last minute.

After a quick bite at Zippy’s again we made our way to Makapu’u Point Lighthouse Trail (7AM-6:45PM)(Free)(1-2 hours). This was not a planned hike as well. Totally last minute. It was a pretty easy scale hike. You walk along the coast and get that ocean breeze while hiking. It was pretty nice. At the end you come across an old lighthouse. Unfortunately, you don’t get to tour the lighthouse but just to get near it. But its a great family and pet friendly hike.

One of best and must see places in Pearl Harbor National Memorial (7AM-5PM) (Free)(4-8 hours). While the the memorial center and the USS Arizona Memorial is free, the USS Bowfin Submarine, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, and Battleship Missouri Memorial do cost some money if you are wanting to see those. My husband and I decided to tour the submarine and battleship. It was very cool to see that up close and personal. If you are very intrigue and fascinated by this kind of stuff then I’m sure you will love this. Meanwhile at the main center, they offer exhibits to walk through, videos to watch and shops. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to see the USS Arizona Memorial site. The line was too long and we wanted to explore other things while we were there. If I had more time, I would of gone to see it but that wasn’t the case for us. You can also make a $10 reservation to see the USS Arizona online or you’ll just have to stand in line and hope you will get to see it. I wish I would of spend a little more time there but overall, it was a great day. I wanted to see if they had an exhibit for those that were capture on Wake Island during WWII because my great grandfather on my dad’s side was part of that during that time but I don’t think they did. But that another story I’ll share with you one day.

After this long emotional day we ended our trip with our last sunset at Ka’ena Point State Park and went back to Kalapawai Market for our last dinner meal in Hawaii.

All in all Oahu, Hawaii was a great trip. 4 1/2 day was just enough. Of course I would of loved to spent another day there but you’re not getting any complaints over here. I think 4-7 days in Oahu is great. It really just depends who you are going with and what you want to do and see while you are there. But I do love that we got to do a little bit of everything there and not just hit the beaches. We got to some hiking, touring old buildings/locations, try different eateries, go to the beach. Soak in the culture of Hawaii with the centers, temples and scenery. It’s a trip worth going and making those precious memories.