Esoteric Bowl

Tourism is booming in the islands. Hawai’i welcomed a record 3.6 million visitors in the first half of the year, on pace to break 7 million visitors for the first time ever. I know of six individuals from online that have already visited this year or have plans to visit in the coming weeks and months. Melanie will be sipping mai tais and soon have her toes in the sand in just a few days.

Every now and then I’ll receive an email from someone planning to visit the islands. The individuals are always excited about their trip and ask if I can recommed some fun things for them to do during their stay. I never know how to answer that. What one person might consider fun, another person might consider boring. With that said, here are a few suggested rules to follow to enjoy your visit and some noteworthy sites to see.

Rule #1: Get Out of Waikiki I’ve always felt a little sorry for some of the visitors that come to O’ahu. Some people save all their lives so that one day they can make the trip and then once they get here they never leave Waikiki and they sit in McDonald’s eating lunch. Nothing wrong with Waikiki; some of the best fine dining experiences can be found in Waikiki, along with many shops, excellent hotels, and of course Waikiki Beach. My suggestion is to spend your days outside of Waikiki, and save your evenings to enjoy the nightlife in Waikiki.

Rule #2: Everyday Adventure Each day that you’re in the islands promise yourself some adventure. Do something that you can’t do back home that will give you an experience you can tell your friends about for years to come. There are a number of helicopter tours available, surf lessons, submarine rides, deep sea fishing charters, scuba diving, and on and on. If you’re looking for this kind of adventure, be sure to ask the concierge at the hotel; they generally know which companies are the best and they’ll be happy to set something up for you.

Of course, not everyone is in to such dramatic adventures. That’s okay. Renting a car and driving around the island can certainly be just as fun. Going to a luau can be an adventure. Tasting some of the local cuisine each day can be a delightful adventure. Even finding a different beach to lounge on each day can be a fun adventure.

Rule #3: When in Rome, Do as the Romans In Hawai’i the uniform of the day is shorts, t-shirts and tank tops, and rubber slippers or sandals. Hats and sunglasses are encouraged and sunscreen is highly recommended.

A Few Noteworthy Sites:
Ala Moana Center
Aloha Tower Marketplace
Arizona Memorial
Bishop Museum
Byodo-In Temple
Chinatown
Diamond Head Crater
Dole Plantation Maze
Foster Botanical Garden
Hanauma Bay
‘Iolani Palace
Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail
Matsumoto’s
Nuuanu Pali Lookout
Polynesian Cultural Center
Tantalus Lookout

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Have a great Aloha Friday!

This entry was posted on Friday, August 19th, 2005 at 6:18 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.