I was lucky to spend New Years this past year in Waikiki Beach (Oahu, Hawaii) and it was the most invigorating trip — after not just the Covid time, but about two years of feeling in a funk, I finally felt so peaceful and content. That’s a special feeling, something you can’t force.

Traveling to Hawaii, once Hawaii reopened, was extremely safe – see my blog post here about how to travel there right now because if you are able to go: I implore you to take a trip to reset.

I hadn’t been to Hawaii in ten years — so it was really a treat to be able to go there and get away. Re experiencing Waikiki ten years later was so fun and here are some Waikiki Beach travel tips: where to eat, stay, and what to do!

Where to Stay:

I upgraded myself and stayed at the Sheraton on this trip. The Sheraton is one of the main hotels that is located directly on the beach, it is close to everything and has an extraordinary infinity pool over looking the ocean — pool to ocean view is seamless. It’s a great option if you want something that has everything right there for you.

There are several other hotels that are right off the beach and ones on the beach as well – but none of them have the exceptional infinity pool!

A cool and quirky spot that I stopped by a couple times for coffee is The Surfjack Hotel — it’s more boutique: think Ace Hotel Palm Springs. A great option if you’re looking for that kind of place.

Excursions:

A trip to the North Shore from Waikiki is a great day excursion. Waikiki Beach is just a small part of the island of Oahu, there are so many gorgeous places throughout the island and a very popular part is the North Shore. About an hour drive from Waikiki Beach there are great beaches, little restaurants and resorts. When I went in 2010 I stayed at Turtle Bay Resort (which you may recognize from the hilarious movie: Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which coincidentally features actor and professional surfer Rob Kalani who hails from the North Shore of Oahu!).

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This past trip my friends and I took a trip up to Kualoa Ranch, a sprawling park where many movies were made like Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and 50 First Dates. You ride around on a guided ATV tour — I was initially a little worried about the safety of the ATV but it’s a fun ride and I felt safe the whole time! The views on the tour are absolutely stunning!

Stop at a local side of the road restaurant to get poi: it’s a smooth paste that is often paired with a salty food.

There are a lot of other activities to do — you can easily find them on Trip Advisor.

Visiting Pearl Harbor and hiking or visiting Diamond Head are also excellent excursions, however I wasn’t able to fit them in this trip.

Catamaran ride in Waikiki

This is a must! I suggest taking the Maita’i Catamaran. It picks up right outside of the Sheraton and it’s a great ride. Great crew, serves mai tais, and the ride itself is so gorgeous. I wouldn’t even bother taking a catamaran ride with any other company — book Maita’i early, as they fill up!

Duke’s Waikiki

Duke’s is the spot in Waikiki — go there for a least one meal! It’s usually pretty crazy, so try plan ahead and put your name in and come back. It’s worth the wait though. Those popcorn shrimp are divine and there’s live music and a fun crowd.

Beyond that there are so many more things to do from trying more restaurants, shopping, beach time, and pool time. Book your trip now! You won’t regret it.

This trip was just perfect. I will not be waiting ten years to go back to Hawaii! Here’s a full photo gallery of the trip.

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