By Sarah Davis
Most people - even those who have never been to Hawaii - consider the state America’s paradise. Yet, even on these heavenly dots of earth in the Pacific Ocean, paradise is interpreted in contrasting ways. No place is it more evident than on the island of Oahu, the state’s most populated island.
Oahu seems to possess two personalities - almost like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One part is bustling with nightclubs, skyrise hotels and shops; another part is engulfed in green lushness, culture and nature’s gems like Hanauma Bay.
If you encounter only one personality from this island, you haven’t experienced it.
Honolulu, the state capital, is typically the first part tourists encounter.
Seeming to blend with Honolulu is Waikiki where famous beaches are crowded and bustling even on an overcast day.
With Pearl Harbor U.S. Naval Base here, a strong military presence tends to keep the nightlife jumping in Chinatown and Waikiki. And one of the hippest places is said to be the 30th floor of the Sheraton Waikiki, not AAA rated, on the first and third Saturday of each month. Here, the Hanohano Room restaurant offers glittering night views of the city and turns into a club with hues of blue and adorned with cushioned leather seats.
Once the sun rises, the place to be is the strip of shops on Kalakaua Avenue. Upscale brand names such as Chanel and Hermés are replacing touristy trinket shops.
Other hotels with a more historic aspect include the Sheraton Moana Surfrider and Sheraton Royal Hawaiian hotels, both included in the AAA TourBook but not AAA rated.
The 1920s-era Royal Hawaiian was built with all its guestrooms facing an inner courtyard - not the ocean - assuming the last thing guests who had just finished a cruise from San Francisco would want to see was the ocean. Since then, oceanside guestrooms have been added to this Spanish-Moorish pink palace.
The Moana Surfrider hotel was built in the early 1900s and still offers afternoon tea. Waiters donning white gloves and waitresses in silk dresses lead guests to large wicker chairs. Guests enjoy tarts, scones and other afternoon treats on Schönwald china, but the teas are the highlight. Three of the eight teas on the menu are made exclusively for the Moana Surfrider hotel.
Diamond Head
From the hotel beaches, guests can look upon Diamond Head crater to the left. The view atop this volcano is fantastic almost any time of year, but the 0.8 mile hike up to the top is especially worth it during winter months when whales can be spotted from the top. The 1 1/2 to 2 hour round-trip hike includes more than 170 steps, a few tunnels and an underground spiral staircase dating back to when the crater once housed artillery pillboxes ready to fire on any submarines approaching the island following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Cost is $5 a vehicle or $1 a person.
Boats
While whale watching from Diamond Head can be rewarding, a closer experience can be found aboard a Maita’i Catamaran. The 44-foot catamaran loads directly from Waikiki’s beach and includes a sunset sailing that begins at 5:30 p.m.
Another way to get even closer to marine life is on board the Atlantis Premium Submarine. After a 20-minute shuttle by boat, guests board a 64-passenger submarine that dips up to 100 feet beneath the ocean surface. From there, guests can view coral reefs, two sunken ships, the remains of two airliners and maybe some massive sealife. It’s been said that whale sharks have occasionally scratched their backs on the submarine.
The other side
Smaller sealife are celebrities at Hanauma Bay, which offers arguably one of the most scenic underwater tropical experiences anywhere for veteran snorkelers or those who just want to stand in the water and feed colorful fish swarming around your feet. The volcanic cone, now beaten by the ocean into a horseshoe shape, is a state park. Cost to park at the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve is $1 and admission is $5.
A must visit on the North Shore is the Polynesian Cultural Center. Native islanders from throughout the Pacific illustrate village life and perform their traditional dances and rituals in the colorful attire of their native land. Guests can learn about island life in Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, Fiji and the Marquesas just to name a few. Performances are unique - watch a bare-footed youth climb a tree, get a coconut and show you how to husk it - and better than any show you’ll see in the Hawaii hotels.
Additionally, visitors can canoe through the scenic 42-acre park and stop by the IMAX theatre. Fee charged.
(Part one of two. In the Nov./Dec. issue of GO Magazine, a view of the Big Island, the state's largest island.) |
