Traveling to Oahu

Last month we traveled to Oahu for our daughter Amaia’s USYS Far West Regional soccer tournament. While this was a soccer focused trip, we were able to squeeze in some sight seeing and family time while on the island. This is only our second time traveling to Oahu and we had a wonderful experience in the 9 days there. From the culture and food, to the beaches, scenery, tropical flowers, boutiques, attractions and more, these are the highlights from our stay! 

Traveling to Oahu

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Honolulu & Waikiki Beach

During our nine day stay, we spent most of our time in the heart of Honolulu, enjoying Waikiki beach and the hustle and bustle of the city. We stayed right on the strip and in a short walking distance to most everything such as Ala Moana shopping, restaurants and of course the beach. We also frequented the International Market Place, for a variety of shops and quick lunch and dinner options. 

While Waikiki beach was very busy, we thoroughly enjoyed it from sunrise…

…to sunset.

The soft sand and warm ocean water made it an ideal beach for swimming, paddling and surfing. Arriving early enough, meant beach chairs and umbrellas were available for reservation, although the ABC stores were also conveniently located for beach supplies and more.

Oahu Tourist Attractions

Amaia’s soccer team made it to quarter finals, so we had a few open days at the end of our trip to explore. Malasadas from Leonard’s bakery were first on our list!

Leonard’s Bakery

Leonard’s Bakery first caught our eye while en route to the soccer fields. Each time we drove by there was a lineup of people waiting outside.

The bakery founded in 1952 is an iconic attraction in Honolulu, known for its freshly made Malasadas. Malasadas are Portuguese style donuts, dusted in sugar and some of the best we’ve ever tried, especially since they’re made fresh. They also make malasada puffs, similar to that of cream filled donuts with a variety of tropical fillings.

As a pink loving girl, I selfishly couldn’t resist a stop at Leonard’s not only for the delicious malasadas, but also for a few pics!

Each batch of malasadas ordered was made fresh and still hot when placed in their pretty pink boxes.

We ordered, malasada puffs with chocolate, coconut, macadamia nut, lilikoi and guava filling and they were wonderful!! Hot, doughy, and creamy with texture from the crisp exterior and sugar dusting. Guava was easily a favorite of the selections as it was most flavorful. 

Up next we visited Diamond Head.

Diamond Head

The beautiful 1.6 mile hike at Diamond Head offered sweeping views of the Hawaiian coastline and ocean, with lookouts midway to the the summit.

 At 762 feet 0f total elevation, walking up steep stairs and through dark tunnels we were greeted by a welcomed breeze and panoramic views of Honolulu and Waikiki beach. It took us just over 2 hours total from summit to finish and was worth the climb once making it to the top.

Reservations are needed for parking at Diamond Head and booking in advance is recommended. I would also recommend hiking early morning when it’s less busy. Without parking, the hike is about 1/2 mile longer. Total cost per person was $10. 

After completing our hike, we headed North for a quick pit stop at the Dole Pineapple Plantation. We didn’t stay long as it was extremely busy, but did make time to check out the pineapples, cute wild chickens and cats and to try fresh pineapple and Dole whip. 

North Shore & Haleiwa

Next we headed to the North Shore and stopped at the popular surf town known as Haleiwa, thanks to the recommendation of the staff at our hotel.

It only took us about 30 minutes to arrive in Haleiwa. We fell in love with the area and laid back vibe! The main strip was lovely and charming with a variety of colorful and local food trucks to choose from, along with several boutiques for shopping. We ordered yuca fries from a Brazilian food truck, shrimp from another and then walked the area, stopping at shops along the way. 

Matsumoto’s Shave Ice

Another recommendation from hotel staff was Matsumoto’s Shave Ice, one of the famous shave ice shops in Oahu. Judging by the long line, we knew it would be good, which to our surprise moved very quickly! They conveniently had menus available to plan out our order prior to entering the shop and there were a vast array of flavors of shave ice to choose from. From fruity to tropical and sweet all made with homemade syrups.

Phil and the girls ordered their shave ice with sweetened condensed milk (snowcap) and ice cream and I ordered a classic 2 flavor combination of yuzu and guava, sans dairy.

It was light and refreshing and a welcomed treat to cool off from the 80 degree temps. If you’re at the North Shore, it’s a must visit!

We also visited Haleiwa Ali’i Beach Park while at the North Shore. The beach was beautiful with golden sand, lots of stunning sea shells and a lovely coastline. The ocean was quite rough that day, so we didn’t spend too much time in the water but there were many people wading, surfing and swimming. 

We were all hoping to see sea turtles while in Oahu and by fluke saw upwards of 10 at Haleiwa Ali’i Beach! How precious were they!

Although the ocean water was rough and the sand was more coarse, the beach was wonderful and had less of a tourist vibe. We would’ve stayed all day if we could! 

Tantalus Lookout

On our last full day in Hawaii, drove about 20 minutes to Tantalus lookout just outside of Honolulu. Here we enjoyed more sweeping views of the city, Diamond Head and Oahu. It was such an easy drive for spectacular scenery and we highly recommend.

We discovered Waimanalo on our first visit to the island and decided to wrap up our trip by returning to the beach. 

It was very much the same- with light sand and turquoise waters and was the perfect place to stop for photos.

In addition to the beautiful beaches, there seemed to be inspiration at every turn, from the rainbows and tropical flowers to palm and papaya trees.

I was especially inspired by the plumeria, which could be found everywhere on Oahu, in shades of white, yellow and pink. The flowers are delicate, fragrant, often found floating from tree to ground and commonly used for leis. After seeing so many, I wanted to make a plumeria inspired treat which you’ll find in the next recipe post!

Mahalo!

The last 6 months have been the busiest yet for our family, so it was a gift to squeeze in a few days and thoroughly enjoy Hawaii. It was also a dream come true for Amaia to play soccer with her talented teammates in Hawaii, after recently winning their 2nd State Cup championship in a row. To say we’re proud is an understatement! 

If you’re traveling to Oahu anytime soon, I hope you find this post helpful! See more lifestyle posts here.

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