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For many people when they hear “Waikiki” what comes to mind is the iconic image of Diamond Head as a backdrop to a hotel and palm tree lined beach. It is a beautiful and lively area of Honolulu, the capital city of Hawaii. If you’ve dreamed of visiting Waikiki but want to find out more about what to expect when you visit, then read on.
What is there to do in Waikiki?
Walk Along the Beach
Acquaint yourself with Waikiki by walking along Kalakaua Avenue. I like to think of this street as the main drag and as you head in the direction of Diamond Head you will see hotels, restaurants, and shops including shopping centers like The Royal Hawaiian Center and The International Market. As you get closer to Diamond Head, there are areas on Kalakaua where there aren’t any buildings between the street and the beach and the view opens up.
Duke Kahanamoku statue along Kalakaua Avenue
Closer to Diamond Head, there is a famous statue of Duke Kahanamoku, who introduced the world to the Hawaiian sport of surfing. If you want to learn more about Duke, in the Outrigger Hotel, where the Duke’s Bar is, on the second floor is a display with the history of Duke Kahanamoku in Waikiki.
As you keep walking closer to Diamond Head, there is a park, Kapiolani Park where the Honolulu Zoo is located and also the Waikiki aquarium, where you can see native reef fish on display. This is a great place for kids.
Beach Day on Waikiki
Consider spending the day at the beach. If your hotel doesn’t have beach umbrellas and chairs to use, you can rent an umbrella and beach chairs, as well as boogie boards and other equipment at the Beachboy stands. For a fee, they will set up the umbrella for you and you can park yourself there all day shaded from the hot tropical sun.
A Beach Boys stand on Waikiki Beach
Beachboy’s setting up the umbrella on Waikiki Beach
Some parts of the beach have a lava rock wall built to keep the waves out of the shallow area. This makes it like a wading area, great for kids or for people who just want to sit on a float without worrying about getting overturned by a wave.
There are also showers here and there where you can wash the sand off.
It’s a long stretch of beach to enjoy. The water is just the perfect temperature to refresh you on a hot day.
Get Out on the Water
You can rent surfboards and paddleboards and head out into the water. Or take lessons first if needed.
The water is the perfect temperature so there is no need for wetsuits. A rash guard that blocks UV rays is helpful to wear for protection against the sun and rubbing on the board.
We’ve rented paddleboards from the Ohana Surf Project, you can contact them to reserve a board and they’ll meet you where they’re usually parked on Kalakaua Ave by Kapiolani Park. They also have lessons if you would like to learn how to paddleboard.
Paddleboarding in Waikiki with a view of Diamond Head
There are other ways to get out on the water, depending on how active you want to be:
Cruise on a catamaran that leaves from the beach, you can go during the day or in the evening for the sunset.
Outrigger canoe rides, sign up for lessons or you can join a group to paddle out.
Glass bottom boat rides to see the fishes over the reefs.
Kayaks can be rented to paddle around in.
Go on a scuba diving or snorkeling trip
No matter what you choose, it’s great to get out in the water at Waikiki and get a different perspective of the area.
View of Waikiki from a boat
Go For a Hike
A hike to the top of Diamond Head is a popular activity to do. We have not done this yet although it is on our list for the next time we’re in Waikiki. I wanted to mention the hike because relatives and friends have done this and really enjoyed the view from the top.
It is not a long hike at 1.6 miles round trip but it is steep and best to do early in the morning before it gets too hot.
Shopping
Whether you think shopping is a sport or you’re just trying to find souvenirs, Waikiki has many stores to wander around in.
The Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center adjacent to the Royal Hawaiian hotel, has a mix of high fashion stores and Hawaiian crafts stores with Hawaiian quilts, musical instruments, jewelry, and home decorations. There is also a Hawaiian chocolate shop and a coffee shop. And if you get hungry there are several restaurants and even a small food court where you can find a poke shop.
Across the street is the International Marketplace, with more high end fashion shops and restaurants. There is a Mitsuwa, a Japanese grocery store that also sells prepared foods like sushi and musubi (filled rice balls). There is a food hall here with ramen, pizza, burger, tacos, barbecue, and Greek food.
International Market Place entrance on Kuhio Avenue
You will find a convenience store, ABC Store, on almost every corner. Great place to shop for inexpensive trinkets, or necessities like reef safe sunscreen or beach towels. They have various floaties and mattresses, that they’ll inflate for a small fee. They also sell drinks and various foods like sandwiches, Spam musubi, salads, and fruit.
If you’re looking to purchase a nice quality Hawaiian shirt then try the Tori Richards store. They have a few shops in the area but a centrally located one is on Kalakaua Avenue at the Outrigger Hotel. They make their men’s and women’s shirts with their own pattern designs on good quality fabric with prints in bright to muted colors. They also have dresses if that is more your style. I like that most of their clothing is made in Hawaii, so even though it might cost a little more you’re helping to support the local economy when you purchase one.
If you’re looking for a tasty souvenir to take home then the Honolulu Cookie Company is a good place. They have delicious shortbread cookies in the shape of a pineapple. There are tropical fruity flavors incorporated in the cookies, and ones with coffee, as well as ones with chocolate chips or dipped in chocolate. Their stores area also located around Waikiki. They also have a store at the airport, so we often purchase them during the long wait after getting through security at the airport. This solves a few problems, how to get the cookies home without them breaking, since you’re carrying them on the plane and if there are any last minutes gifts you forgot to get (or couldn’t find) then these cookies packed in decorative boxes always work.
What to eat in Waikiki?
Finding things to eat in Waikiki is easy. There are many kinds of eateries from formal sit down restaurants, to casual restaurants, to take out places or shops with ready to go food. There is a myriad of food categories such as Hawaiian plate lunches, sushi, Japanese noodle shops, Korean restaurants, burritos, to name a few. The pickiest eater should be able to find something to eat here.
For breakfast or a snack, B Patisserie at the International Marketplace is a great place for sweet and savory pastries. They have tropical flavors such as guava or lilikoi (passion fruit) filled items that are the best! It’s always hard to decide what to get. B Patisserie shares a space with Kona Coffee so you can get a pastry and a coffee at the same time. There are some tables and chairs inside and outside where you can sit to enjoy your treats.
The delicious pastries in the display case at B Patisserie
Another good place for breakfast is Kono’s Northshore. The original location is in Haleiwa on the Northshore, but they’ve branched out and have a couple of locations nearby, one across the street from B’s Patisserie and one next to Leonard’s Bakery mentioned below. Kono’s has various items made with their signature slow cooked kalua pork which is shredded and used for sandwiches or burritos. Their breakfast burrito which they call Bombers, is very flavorful and filling!
If you’re hungry for Japanese food then try Doraku Sushi Waikiki in the Royal Hawaiian Center. They serve sashimi, sushi, and small plates Japanese dishes like trumpet mushrooms, or miso eggplants. You can also do a sake flight to go with the meal.
Sashimi at Doraku Sushi Waikiki
A bowl of chicken ramen for breakfast at Momosan Waikiki
Momosan Waikiki is the ramen shop by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. It is in one of the newest hotels, Alohilani, and opens early so you can even have ramen for breakfast there! They also have their version of loco moco that they call loco momo. Their regular menu includes more variety with sushi, several kinds of ramen, and even poke rice bowls.
While you’re out and about during the day closer to Diamond Head is the Barefoot Beach Café. It’s a small casual eatery with outside seating next to the water. Here you can get a dish with the fish of the day, smoothies, and even shave ice. The day we were there the fish of the day was swordfish, which we ate along with a guava passion fruit smoothie. It was a good lunch for a hot day!
Grilled swordfish at the Barefoot Beach Café
Another place for fresh local fish like Ono, Opah, and Mahi Mahi is the Paia Fish Market. Originally from Paia, Maui they’re now in several locations including this one in Waikiki. Fresh fish is prepared in various ways, you can choose how you want it to be cooked and select your sides. It’s a casual eatery where you order at the counter then sit down with a number sign and they deliver your food when ready. This place is popular and can lead to a long line but the fresh delicious fish is worth it.
The Beach Bar under the large banyan tree at the Moana Surfrider hotel on Waikiki Beach
One of our favorite spots is the Beach Bar at the Moana Surfrider Hotel. Seating at this bar right off the beach is first come first serve. It’s a very casual place with live music and sometimes even a hula dancer. There’s a huge gorgeous banyan tree in the middle of the courtyard of the hotel. There are various cocktails and bar munchies like poke nachos and wings. They have a large selection of cocktails, but you can never go wrong with the Mai Tai!
A selection of munchies from the Beach Bar - chicken wings, poke nachos and edamame
Mai Tais at the Beach Bar
Last time we were in Waikiki, we also went to the Beachhouse Restaurant at the Moana Surfrider for dinner. Compared to the Beach Bar, which the restaurant is next to, the service is more formal and reservations are highly recommmended, in fact chances of getting without reservations is vey minimal. The tables are on the hotel veranda overlooking the Beach Bar and banyan tree with the ocean in the background. The menu includes locally sourced items, prepared with delicious sauces. It’s an especially nice spot for a celebration dinner, especially at sunset time.
Sparkling wine to start the meal at the Beachhouse Restaurant at the Moana Surfrider hotel
Dukes at the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel (next door to the Moana Surfrider) has the tiki drinks as well as tasty food. Duke’s is a popular place and can have a long wait, if this is the case, try the sister restaurant upstairs, the Hula Grill, it never disappoints. On a recent trip we went for Happy Hour at the Hula Grill and had the smoked ahi dip with taro chips and the Surfer’s Paradise cocktail with Hawaiian rum, curaçao, and passion fruit juice.
Smoked Ahi Dip and Taro Chips from the Hula Grill
The blue Surfer’s Paradise cocktail from the Hula Grill
Just outside of Waikiki by a few blocks on Kapahulu Avenue, is the world famous Leonard’s Bakery where you can find malasadas, which are Portuguese doughnuts. They make the best malasadas! Round puffs of dough that they fill with various custards like guava, coconut, or chocolate. I’ve been going there since I was a little girl and no one makes them better!
The distinctive pink Leonard’s bakery box
Leonard’s filled malasadas
A classic - Loco Moco plate lunch from Rainbow Drive-in
Near Leonard’s is the Rainbow Drive-in where you can get some typical Hawaiian plate lunches besides hamburgers (and hot dogs?). Loco moco is a popular plate lunch — rice topped with two hamburger patties covered in brown gravy and topped with 2 fried eggs, and macaroni salad on the side. Sprinkle some Hawaiian chili water (hot sauce) on top and you have a perfect savory meal!
Where to Stay in Waikiki?
As there are many hotels and condos to stay in you can have your choice depending on how you like to travel. From the luxury hotels, to condos with kitchens; from modern contemporary places to Hawaiian tropical themed hotels. There are many options!
An important thing to think about when choosing a place is the location, which end of Waikiki do you want to be at?
On the end closest to the airport is the Hilton Hawaiian Village. This resort is a huge property that is right on the beach, where there is also a lagoon. There are many perks to staying here, like many stores, restaurants, and pools on property. There is even a Friday fireworks show on the beach! From the resort you can walk to the more central part of Waikiki where there are more shops and restaurants, but it can be a bit of a hike. So if you want to be able to wander around these places then you might want lodgings more centrally located.
View from a room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village
More in the center part of Waikiki Beach is the pink colored Royal Hawaiian Hotel, the Outrigger Waikiki, and the Moana Surfrider, which was the first hotel in Waikiki. As these hotels are right on the beach they can be more pricey.
The front of the Moana Surfrider hotel
As you get closer to Diamond Head it gets quieter and the hotels are not on the beach but across the street or a block away.
Last time we went, we stayed at the Hilton Waikiki Beach. We had a beautiful ocean view from our room and spent time relaxing on the balcony watching the surfers and farther out the boats go by. We also enjoyed eating some meals that we had picked up at Rainbow Drive-in and Kono’s Waikiki. So having a room with a balcony and a gorgeous view is a plus.
View from our hotel room at the Hilton Waikiki Beach. It was fun to watch the surfers from this vantage point.
There are also lots of options for places 2 to 3 blocks inland from the water’s edge with more budget friendly pricing. You can also rent a condo if you want to have a kitchen or are traveling with family and/or want to be in a place with more than one bedroom.
How Do YOu Get To Waikiki?
Waikiki is on the island of Oahu, the third largest island in the Hawaiian Islands chain set in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The majority of visitors fly to Honolulu, Hawaii. HNL is the airport code for Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
View toward Diamond Head from airplane at Honolulu airport
Once you land, there are several transportation choices to get to Waikiki, which is about a 20 minute drive. A taxi ride usually costs around $45 depending on traffic and you might need cash to pay depending on the taxi company. There is also Uber and Lyft on the island as well.
You don’t need a rental car while in Waikiki. It can be convenient to rent one from the airport for the whole of your stay if you want to go outside of Waikiki —although keep in mind some hotels charge parking fees. You could also just rent a car for one day. We rented a car from First Rent-a-Car for a day for a very reasonable rate.
If you wanted a break from walking in Waikiki, there is the Waikiki Trolley, it’s a hop on and hop off type of bus that you can get a day or multi-day passes for.
A golden sunset in Waikiki with surfers and boats in silhouette
You can’t go wrong with a vacation in Waikiki Beach, especially when at the end of the day you can join everyone gathering at the waters edge to watch the sunset. I know there’s no where else I’d rather be than sitting on the beach listening to the waves on the beach and the rustling of the palm leaves overhead, and seeing all the shades of orange as the sun goes down. Some days after the sun has gone down, you are left with the pink, purple, and blue colors of twilight.
The many shades of a Waikiki Beach sunset, from purple skies to the bright yellow horizon.
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