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The Top Things to Do in Oahu, Hawaii

Some things will never change, but the idea that Oahu is just for newlyweds is no longer the case. Welcome to the new Oahu.
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Peggy Wong

As in Acapulco or the Poconos, Honolulu’s mid-century turn in the tourism spotlight burned so bright that even today its 1960s reputation endures: It’s only for newlyweds, so the thinking goes—stacked with tiki kitsch and mid-range hotels as faded as a lingering Pacific sunset. Nothing could be further from the truth. A post-recession influx of Asia-Pacific capital has spurred an islandwide building boom, while a surge of innovation driven largely by locals has transformed this city of 375,000 from a holiday outpost to a globalized, cosmopolitan destination, one that’s closer to Tokyo than to Denver. (Almost.) Wisps of the Jet Age still float through Waikiki, where Pucci prints and floppy hats remain de rigueur. But the contemporary soul of the island is best seen beyond Honolulu’s most famous stretches of sand: in the creative new restaurants sprouting up in emerging neighborhoods; in the only-here architecture of the Liljestrand House; at boutiques that are updating our long-held notions of Hawaiian style. Of course some things—the legendary breaks, the rugged North Shore, shave ice—will, thankfully, never change. Which is exactly why you’re here once again. Welcome back.

Where to Stay

Here’s the thing: Those beachfront grandes dames you’ve heard about still are the top game in town.

Best for couples Oahu’s most luxurious hotel, the Halekulani—all soft neutrals, glossy marble, and just-so orchids—makes for a calm, clean-lined refuge from the din of Waikiki. The more formal vibe (no shorts or flip-flops in the hotel’s restaurants after 6 p.m.) and standout service draw a sophisticated crowd. And if watching a sunset hula at the breezy House Without a Key bar isn’t what you came here for, you’re on the wrong island.

Best for families Fifteen minutes southeast of Waikiki, in a ritzy residential neighborhood next to a country club, sits the The Kahala Hotel & Resort. The ’60s-era resort is an island unto itself, with its own (nominally public but quasi-private) beach, plenty of restaurants, and—your kids are going to freak—a huge, miraculously unhokey lagoon complete with dolphins, sea turtles, and stingrays.

Best for incurable nostalgics Just what is it about Honolulu’s The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki? So much borders on kooky kitsch, but it’s all done so well that no one cares. This is that hell-yeah-we’re-in-Hawaii fantasy we’re all looking for, from the pink pool umbrellas to the undeniably great weekly luau.

Pretend you live here

For more space and privacy than you’ll find at a big resort, consider renting a house. Sites like HomeAway offer many options, but a specialist such as Anne Pawsat-Dressler of Hawaii Hideaways has access to homes you won’t find anywhere else—and she can arrange snorkeling trips, surf lessons, and helicopter tours, too. Her Oahu portfolio includes properties for couples (an oceanview condo for $425 a night), families (a waterfront three-bedroom for $1,000 a night), and multi-generational groups (a beachside five-bedroom that sleeps 12 for $3,000 a night).

Eat Local

Chef and native son Ed Kenney—who followed up his hit restaurant Town with the new Mud Hen Water—steers us to his favorite authentic Hawaiian spots.

" Hannara Restaurant: A true snapshot of home-style island cuisine. Breakfast is served all day, so you can order pancakes with your lau lau—pork wrapped in taro leaves."

Ono Hawaiian Foods: I go on Mondays for their classic ‘Chop Steak’ stir-fry of thinly sliced beef and onions on fresh watercress—it’s a brilliant contrast in textures, temperatures, and flavors."

Hannara Restaurant: Since 1946, this family-run hole-in-the-wall has done the best saimin, a rich and porky soup of Japanese-style dashi broth, chewy noodles, and BBQ meat."

Wat Get Kitchen: There’s no better place on Oahu for the Hawaiian version of Puerto Rican food: gandule rice, pasteles, and bacalao salad.”

Kaimuki Superette's South Shore he'e roll, with poached octopus, celery seed, and tarragon aioli on a buttered bun

Peggy Wong

If You Only Eat 5 Things...

...make it these bites in Kaimuki, the island’s of-the-moment food neighborhood:

  1. Mud Hen Water’s steamed mahimahi served with a green-banana pastele.
  2. Koko Head Cafe’s cornflake French toast.
  3. Town's house-made charcuterie.
  4. Via Gelato's strawberry ume gelato.
  5. Kaimuki Superette's South Shore he'e roll, with poached octopus, celery seed, and tarragon aioli on a buttered bun.

Where to Shop Hawaiian Style

How to achieve that effortlessly chic beach aesthetic the locals do so well.

Skip the cheesy hibiscus-print shirts and come here for your souvenir: Aloha Beach Club’s smart T-shirts, tank tops, and board shorts are pieces you’ll actually want to wear when you get back to the mainland. The shop also shares space with The Local, which serves the best shave ice in the area.

Husband-and-wife team Parker Moosman and Ali McMahon own and operate Olive Boutique and Oliver Men’s Shop in Kailua—one for women, one for men—on the same block. Finds like splendid cotton dresses and M.Nii board shorts are island-life-ready; the custom “Kailua Market Bag” from L.A.–based eco-brand Apolis is made for the beach but can also carry your haul back to the hotel.

Honolulu's Owens & Co. the mini Colette or 10 Corso Como of Honolulu, with jewelry, cross-body bags, soaps, and fragrances, all made by hand locally.

What to do on a rainy day

These homes turned museums—all less than 20 minutes from Honolulu’s main strip—are case studies in island design.

3.2 miles from WaikikiA National Historic Landmark, this gorgeous royal estate blends Italianate and Polynesian styles, a singular mashup referred to as American Florentine (the palace is the only example of the form anywhere in the world). Guided tours of the interior ‘Iolani Palace of offer a window on Hawaii’s nineteenth-century monarchy, which was overthrown by the United States in 1893.

3.8 miles from WaikikiTobacco heiress Doris Duke's Shangri La mansion near Diamond Head holds one of the finest collections of Islamic art in the United States. After a honeymoon through the Middle East, Duke gathered more than 2,500 pieces, many of which are on display in her opulent mid-century modern home, built in 1936 and overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

4.7 miles from WaikikiDesigned by architect Vladimir Ossipoff, the 1952 Liljestrand House looks largely the same today as it did when it was completed, down to the arrangement of furnishings throughout the home and the artwork on the walls. Good thing, too: Ossipoff—who once controversially declared a “war on ugliness,” which he saw as prevalent in Honolulu—had exquisite taste.