what to do in Honolulu?

[Long]

We'll be in Honolulu for a week for Memorial Day weekend. Anybody have suggestions on what to do and good places to eat. Are the luaus worth the price for the experience? Thanks.

[steveh]

- Luaus? Local people said that show is for tourist, they never been in one :D

- Best Thai restaurant: Singha Thai. There's coupon on the tour guide, buy 1 get 1 free. Average $25/plate, but with coupon, it's not bad. They allow 2 coupons/table. If you go there, make sure order the Wok Seared Jumbo Black Tiger Prawns .
http://www.singhathai.com/

- Dole plantation: they're closing down..it will be the last time you can see it

- Polynesian Cultural Center: you could buy the entertainment book online, it saves $25

- Kailua Beach: quiet, warm water

Well, there're many things to do. Here is some more you can take a look at:
http://www.hawaii.com/visit/oahu/attractions/index.php

[MuaHaTuongTu]

- Luaus? Local people said that show is for tourist, they never been in one :D

- Best Thai restaurant: Singha Thai. There's coupon on the tour guide, buy 1 get 1 free. Average $25/plate, but with coupon, it's not bad. They allow 2 coupons/table. If you go there, make sure order the Wok Seared Jumbo Black Tiger Prawns .
http://www.singhathai.com/

- Dole plantation: they're closing down..it will be the last time you can see it

- Polynesian Cultural Center: you could buy the entertainment book online, it saves $25
- Kailua Beach: quiet, warm water

Well, there're many things to do. Here is some more you can take a look at:
http://www.hawaii.com/visit/oahu/attractions/index.php

we have entertainment book online, how come I don't see that discount ?

[steveh]

no,no.. :D I mean order the entertainment book on line. The Hawaii edition has coupons for PCC, Dole Plantation, ...

[beyeuoi]

I prefer the Polynesian Cultural Center. It offers the best value for your vacation dollar. The Polynesian Cultural take full day in Oahu. They offer a unique and authentic view of the Hawaiian Culture, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, Marquesas, Fiji, and Maoris of New Zealand. It's also include Ali'i Luau dinner.

They have all the booking options package. Choose the Ambassador Luau Package this is the one that I chose when I went there. This package has more service and amenities, A traditional kukui nut lei greeting upon arrival, A guided tour, don't have to get in line, Horizons Night Show, and enjoy the Alii Luau feast and program.

The second activity is Pearl Harbor Tours. If you want to buy gift and souvenir go to flea market at the Oahu stadium, it's alot cheaper.

Here is aloha top ten activities check it out: http://www.alohatopten.com/

For eating go to the restaurant called: Top of Waikiki, http://www.topofwaikiki.com/about.html
(when you dine at the Top of Waikiki, you literally get to see all of Waikiki view)

[steveh]

humm, to me, the only good thing about Embassador is the good seat in theater, otherwise it's too expensive. You don't need to buy package with food. The line is too long and the food is pretty bad. Just buy the ticket for the center & the show only. It's better buy food yourself, there're many places you can buy food in the center. It's cheaper and taste much better. You could compare the price at
http://www.polynesia.com//ticketing/admission-evening-show.html

- If you plan to go to Pearl Harbor, then better go pretty early (around 5 am) since it's memorial day and you khow that a lot of people will go there.

- you should to to Pali look out. It's very nice place.
- also should go to Byodo Inn temple

[Long]

Thank you so much everybody! We'll definitely try Polynesian Cultural Center. Hopefully, we can make it to Pearl Harbor.

[teegee]

Arizona Memorial! For beautiful sanding beach, visit Kaneohe Bay if you can get on the Marines base. There is a sandbar that make it very interesting. For snorkeling, visit Hanauma Bay - swim among thousands of tropical fish (you may want to take the bus or go there really early or you will not find a place to park)

I have to disagree with SteveH regarding the best Thai restaurant - By far, is Mekong on Beretania - across from Times supermaket or Mekong II on King, near Kalakaua. For Korean BBQ, seek out Kimchee II in Kaneohe.

Vnese food - nothing to write home about. But if you visit Chinatown, give dimsum at Legend Seafood a try.

Ok, here is a little secret to save $$. Kamaaina (local people) get discount for almost all the venue. So if you know someone on the islands, you can ask them to buy you tickets to Polynesian CC or Paradise Cove Luau or wherever.... If you don't know anyone, there are tons of our compatriots driving taxis there. Just take a cab-ride, befriend with them and then ask them to buy tickets for you. VNese cornered the taxi market there.

Man - I got to stop or I will get really homesick!

[scorpion]

- Luaus? Local people said that show is for tourist, they never been in one :D[quote]
True, but Luaus in Mauii is better, wayyy better

[quote]- Best Thai restaurant: Singha Thai. There's coupon on the tour guide, buy 1 get 1 free. Average $25/plate, but with coupon, it's not bad. They allow 2 coupons/table. If you go there, make sure order the Wok Seared Jumbo Black Tiger Prawns .
http://www.singhathai.com/
Exactlyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ... crab cake can't be better .. love it


- Polynesian Cultural Center: you could buy the entertainment book online, it saves $25

if you "are tough" and can be abuse by those timeshare saleman, get a seat in one of their "seminar" do not buy anything that they offer .. you can get a VIP ticket for Polynesian Culture Center for the price of $40 buck (few years ago) the original price was $100 ... the show worth the money

if you are planning to rent a car to get around the island, think about you'll pay for the parking at your hotel everyday and night ... and DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING IN YOUR CAR if you drive to local or other beaches than Waikiki beach .. they will break in your car no matter what

[cnn]

you could sneak in the pcc for free! what i did was blend my team of 5 in with those group tour visitors from japan. since we all have the asian look. they thought we're in the group, they didn't bother to check the admission...

[steveh]

oh man, I don't think you should do that...

Anyway, the ticket you bought allow you to visit the center for 3 days. Don't miss the night show!!!!

[Long]

Just got back. Oahu is a great place for vacation. $15 for nightly parking at the hotel. The beaches are lovely with lots of white sand and water so clear and blue you can see fishes swimming. The sunsets are very beautiful when you watch it slowly going under the horizon. All the beaches had restrooms and showers.

Singha Thai is overrated. Don't trust all those awards they list. It's not authentic and taste more like Chinese. $20 pad thai is the worst I've ever had. I had better pad thai for $5. The dishes are elegantly presented, but the lobster is not worth $34. The lobster meat is sweet, firm, and succulent, but their black bean sauce was a bit salty. For cheap eats, the Japanese ramen shops are a better deal. $9 combo of ramen, gyoza, and fried rice are very tasty and enough for 2.

Don't waste $5 to go to Honauma Bay for snorkeling. Go to Shark Cove on the North Shore. It's free, but the rocks are more jagged here. You can see more fish and even turtles.

The flea market has a lot of cheap deals. The same souvenirs that you see in Waikiki are cheaper here. Don't come here looking for tropical fruits. There's only a few people selling coconuts and mangos for $3 each. 1 vendor had a whole trai mit for $60. For fruits, go to Chinatown. We had some nhan and vu sua. Vu sua was $4.50/pound and taste bad.