Who doesn’t dream about taking a trip to Hawaii? Our family recently took a week getaway to Oahu, Hawaii. We stayed with our friends that live on Oahu and they took us to some of their favorite family friendly activities and places. Watch our video!
It all started when my friend sent me pictures of the fun they were having in their lovely weather. Meanwhile I spent time in the cold and dreary weather of Washington (don’t get me wrong, I love the PNW, but after a wet fall, and moving into the cold of winter, the sun of Hawaii was looking mighty nice). The next day I looked at an email sent by airfarewatchdog.com and saw that they had posted rates from my home airport to Honolulu for $171 round trip. I then used my favorite website to search for flights, and actually ended up scoring $151 round trip tickets.
COVID considerations
Because COVID restrictions are constantly changing, I recommend looking up Hawaii’s current restrictions and requirements. When we went, we did not have to quarantine because we had negative COVID tests with 72 hours of flying. Be aware that Hawaii only accepts COVID test results from certain testing facilities.
Family friendly Beaches
Let’s be honest, the beaches are what most people think of when going to Hawaii. I know Waikiki probably lands as the most popular beach, but we didn’t go there on this trip. From a previous time in Hawaii, when we went to Waikiki, it was way too crowded and multiple beach goers had loud music playing. As an introvert, I look for less inhabited, quieter beaches. Quieter beaches, in my mind, tend to be more family friendly as well.
Kailua Beach
Fortunately for me, my friend lives in Kailua and within walking distance to Kailua beach. Being the windward side of the island, most of the days we were there it was windy enough to create waves to go bodyboarding. I think we went to this beach everyday, although sometimes it was just to walk the beach at sunset.
Lanikai Beach
Lanikai Beach is basically right next to Kailua Beach, however in my opinion, it is even better. The sand feels even softer. Lanikai Beach is closer to the Mokulua islands, better known as the Mokes, which are two picturesque islets not too far from shore. If you are interested, there is some coral that attract some fish, although we didn’t bring our snorkel gear to really check it out.
Snorkeling
Hanauma Bay
There are many places to go snorkeling on Oahu. One of the places that may be the most popular is Hanauma Bay. At the time we were on Oahu, Hanauma Bay had recently re-opened from closure from COVID. I recommend looking on their website, as of now they are open for limited days/hours. We ended up and did not make it, as the hours they were open did not fit into our schedule, however my friend does recommend it.
Paradise Cove Public Beach
Paradise Cove is on the southwest side of the island near the Ko Olina Resort. There is a small public parking area, where cars line up to wait for a parking spot. My friend waited to park the car because one car was in line in front of us. The rest of us walked the short distance to the beach. This is a nice snorkeling spot, especially for kids because there are some rocks that protect the cove from waves. It was nice for snorkeling because, besides seeing fish, we also saw a sea turtle, and an endangered monk seal.
Shark’s Cove
Shark’s Cove is on the north west side of the island by Pupukea. A natural rocky wall protects the cove from waves making it a family friendly activity. While we were there, there were some large waves that would crash over the wall, making the normally calm waters somewhat rough. Although the waves splashing over the wall made quite an impressive sight! Due to the rougher water, it may not have been as impressive for snorkeling, however my kids still saw some of their favorite fish. Shark’s Cove is also a great place to watch sunset. We actually saw three whales spouting, and saw their tail flukes at sunset. Magical experience!
Kayaking
We went to He-eia State Park and rented kayaks from Kama’aina Kids Kayak and Snorkel Eco-Ventures. I recommend checking their website because they are open limited hours due to COVID. We rented kayaks for 4 hours and paddled out to Ahu O Laka, also know as the Sunken Island, or Kane’ohe Sandbar. When we went, the tide was high, so the sandbar was still under the water, but although being about a mile off shore, the water at the sandbar was somewhere from just above our knees to our waist. We saw a sea turtle during our paddle, and some sea life while snorkeling around the sandbar.
Family Friendly Hikes
Hiking is one of my all time favorite activities, so I was excited about the hikes. There are SOOOOO many hikes on Oahu, that we didn’t even begin to scratch the surface, however the hikes we did were great. The hikes I have listed are family friendly, but be aware that many of the hikes on Oahu are not advisable for children!
Maunawili Waterfall hike
Maunawili was an inland jungle-like hike back to a waterfall. To get to this hike, you have to park in a residential area before starting the hike, so please be respectful! The trail can be quite muddy and slippery. Fortunately for us, the sun had been out and dried out the trail. Trees shade the hike the majority of the time. We saw a variety of flora along the way, and enjoyed swinging on vines like Tarzan. The waterfall itself isn’t that impressive, but there is a pool that you can swim in. If you are brave you can jump in from the falls, or there is a place you can climb higher to jump in from.
Lanikai Pillbox Loop
This is a hike to do for a good view point! The vista over looking Lanikai Beach and the Mokes is impressive. There are also two pillboxes on this hike. (Pillboxes scattered throughout Oahu are historic military bunkers). We did this hike for sunrise, which was amazing! We started hiking while it was still dark (so don’t forget a flashlight–there are some steep places). Although the sky had lightened, we reached the pillboxes before the sunrise. Lanikai Pillbox hike is a popular hike, and although we went early, there were already groups of people at both pillboxes. We continued down the trail to complete the loop. Once you pass both pillboxes, there was hardly anyone else on the trail. The loop does not end up directly where you started, so we ended up and walked the road back to where we had parked.
Ka’ena Point Trail
This trail takes you to the western most side of the island, only reachable by hiking. The hike from the south side is just under 6 miles round trip. The day we went, unbeknownst to us, the last mile of road was closed to vehicles so we added approximately an extra mile of hiking each way. Although the trail isn’t difficult, it received almost direct sunlight, making it a hot trail (bring plenty of water and sunscreen!). Once you reach the point, you will likely see wildlife, as it is part of a nature preserve. We saw albatross, and monk seals. The waves were large, however there are some protected pools that are nice to take a dip in.
Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail
I added Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail as a hike as it is 2.5 miles round trip, be advised it is a well-traveled paved trail. Again, as an introvert, the trail didn’t feel peaceful to me as there were many people, so it was not my favorite hike, although it did have a pretty view. In certain places we had a nice breeze, but the hike was in direct sunlight so it was still hot. Even though the trail is paved, you gain decent elevation. We were deceived as it looked like an easy trail so we did not bring water…learn from our mistake!!!
Pearl Harbor
How could we go to Oahu and not visit Pearl Harbor? Due to the crowds it draws, Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial is not typically a place an introvert would go, however the somberness of the history provides a quiet atmosphere. This is one of the times that COVID worked in our favor! The number of people allowed to be at the USS Arizona Memorial was limited, and provided a more intimate setting (compared to my one other time being there). This place is so rich in history, I definitely recommend going!
Viewpoints/Quick Stops
Our friend took us to many places that were nice stops or viewpoints. I am listing some of them for stops along the way to see other places, not necessarily as a destination in and of themselves.
Macadamia Nut Farm
If you like macadamia nuts, this place is for you! My friend told me that pre-COVID, you could sample everything and they had some hands-on activities for kids. Even though COVID restrictions limited sampling, there was still a variety of samples to choose from…and they were good. I ended up and made a few purchases.
Laie Point
This was a pretty point with a rocky arch out in the water. It was beautiful to see the waves splash against the rocks. The volcanic rock is quite sharp so be careful! My friend told me that there is a place where people could cliff jump off the medium bank rocky cliff. While we were there it was a little too chilly for me for it to be enticing, not to mention the waves looked a little too powerful.
Turtle Bay
We did end spending a little more time at Turtle Bay. There are some paths that follow the shoreline with some nice beaches. We took one path that led to a little pillbox, and continued on to a nice little beach and an amazing banyan tree!
Pali Lookout
I have heard it said that the view from Pali Lookout is the closest thing to heaven. This is a little stop off Hwy 61, but it definitely does have a beautiful view.
Amazing Eats!
Although I do not consider myself a foodie, I definitely ate some delicious food! Here are some family friendly places I would recommend.
Island Snow
If you are looking for shave ice, look no further! Although definitely not a meal, and definitely an indulgence, I indulged three times in one week. At Island Snow you can choose your regular run-of-the-mill flavors, or you can choose the all natural flavors (which is definitely a must!). Of the natural flavors I sampled quite a few (not only on my shave ice, but I sampled my kid’s shave ice too!) I LOVED all of them, but highly recommend dragonfruit and also crack seed lemon peel. On recommendation from my friend, I also had them add the macadamia nut ice cream. Amazing!!! The portion sizes are huge, so I recommend getting the Keiki (child) size.
Banan
“If a smoothie bowl made love to a frozen yogurt its lovechild would be Banán.” Banan advertises that it makes “Hawaiian grown bananas and other island grown ingredients into dairy-free frozen goodness.” My son has dairy allergies, so this was a great option for him. I am not a huge fan of bananas, but I still wanted to try it. For not being a fan of bananas, it was pretty good, however if you are not a fan of bananas, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. That being said, they were willing to give my daughter (who also doesn’t like bananas) a sample. So you could still go and see what you think. My husband and my son loved it!
North Shore Tacos
We stopped at North Shore Tacos food truck at Shark’s Cove. To be honest, I thought their tacos and burritos were fairly average, however their cilantro lime dressing made it AMAZING!!! (I have since tried recreating this dressing at my home). Our family also ordered the pineapple tiki drink which was somewhat pricey, but also very good.
Mother Bake Shop
This was a nice find (thanks to my friend who has frequented it) for vegan pastries (which made my son happy). I unfortunately did not get a picture of Mother Bake Shop, and all the goodies I bought (which was more than I was planning to buy…everything looked so amazingly yummy), but I definitely recommend it!
Food Trucks and Farmer’s Markets
Again, no real pictures of the food trucks or farmer’s markets, but both had some really good food! On the day that we drove around the island on Hwy 83, we stopped at a couple of different places where there is quite a gathering of food trucks. We stopped in Kahuku, (and got some food at Ono Yo food truck) and at Shark’s Cove in Pupukea (that is where we found North Shore Tacos).
Since we stayed in Kailua, we went to a Thursday night farmer’s market, and also a Sunday morning farmer’s market (slightly different locations although both in Kailua). Although there were different booths depending on the day, both had really nice produce/fruit stands. I wanted to have my share of tropical fruit, and they didn’t disappoint…well, other than the mangos were the most expensive I have ever bought in my life, so I expected them to be the most amazing I ever had in my life. What a bummer. I did buy wonderful guavas, papayas, longan fruit, rambutan, and passion fruit (although commonly called lilikoi in Hawaii). On top of that, other vendors sold a variety of delicious foods.
Aloha Hospitality
Although we didn’t enjoy the aloha hospitality common at the resorts, I think we were blessed to share the true aloha hospitality. Many thanks to my friend that hosted us. Thanks to her landlords who shared stories, body boards, and food (freshly caught fish). Thanks to the gathering of friends that shared true Hawaiian music. We can’t say enough about the beauty of your island, and the wonderful people. Aloha and Mahalo!
If you enjoy sunny, tropical paradise, check out our trip to the South Pacific: Moorea, Bora Bora, and Tahiti!