DC8DRIVER

If you have wheels drive to the north coast and around the windward side and maybe plan a stop by the polynesian cultural center. It'd be an all day affair, but entertaining and educational. Sea Life Park is a cool stop and on the way back from your tour. Even without the tourist stops, the drive itself is worth seeing. Surfing on the north shore and hang gliding over Sea Life Park are always great to watch and free.
This time of the year there are also whale watching tours, too.

The Official Site of the Polynesian Cultural Center and Alii Luau
Swim with dolphins at Sea Life Park Hawaii | Oahu, Hawaii
Sea Life Park Hawaii offered by HawaiiDiscount.com

8

FlyFastLiveSlow

The best values and variety will be Waikiki--I wouldn't discount it. Embassy Suites Waikiki is great. Outside of Waikiki, my first choice would be Kailua followed by Kaneohe. There are also a few options in Kahala and Hawaii Kai east of Honolulu. I'd wouldn't stay near Turtle Bay or out West because of the drive times to get to the stuff you want to see. The nice thing about Oahu is there is a wealth of information to plan your trip with. I lived there for 3 years and loved it. Enjoy!

alafly

Thanks everyone. I believe we've decided to split our time between Waikiki and the North Shore. Outrigger Reef in Waikiki and a condo on the beach on north shore. Still wide open for suggestions. Still planning and prepping. Thanks fellas!!

Alafly

Scooter74

I stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village a few years back. It's right on Waikiki Beach but i have to say it was fantastic!

There were numerous shops and restaurants right on the resort so we really only had to deal with the traffic coming and going. There are plenty of hotels along the beach in walking distance too if you want a change of food or scenery.

I don't have children, but it really seemed to be very family friendly.

I did hike Diamond head and the views where amazing, though I would recommend late afternoon. It might be a bit hotter on the way up, but with the sun getting lower, much cooler coming down. Do it in the morning and you will have mid-day sun for the hike down.

Pearl Harbor was moving. If you want to get out to the Arizona memorial, get there early....like near opening. When we went, I thingk we got there around 10-11 and were the last 4 people on the final ferry out to the memorial at 3ish.

There's a famous bar called Duke's down a ways from the Hilton thats worth checking out too! I am more a beer and wine guy, but the Mai-Tai's in Hawaii are like no other!

Have fun, be patient (nothing is quick, everyone runs on "Island Time") and enjoy the amazing views!

love2av8

Two thumbs up for the sea life park. There is also the Magnum PI lighthouse. The middle of Oahu has some nice hiking trails and waterfalls, kind of like a rainforest. Hanauna bay was incredible if the water is warm enough for you to snorkel. It was like swimming in an aquarium! I also think it might be whale watching time this time of year.
By far the coolest thing we did though was go to the big island and see the lava flows and then go diving with the Manta rays. Most incredible experience of my life! Big island was my favorite, wish we would of spent more time exploring kona and Hilo.

pnwchief22

Stayed in a high rise Condo back in December + January, Ilikai on Ala Moana Blvd. It's about 7 minutes from the shopping center toward the pleasure boat harbor. Nice area, everything is short walk, we had family of 6 total (all over 19). We took the bus everywhere around the metro area and picked up a car for one day excursion to the North. Motorcycle rentals for one day are close by, as well. Can't give info on crew prices at hotels, as we never got past the poolside bars. Have fun

LUV FLYING

If water adventure is in the cards, ten things come to mind:

1. Rent kayaks in Kailua and paddle from Kailua Beach to the Twin Island. You can legally land on a sandy beach on Moku Nui (the left of the islets). On the backside of the islet is a little cove that you can walk once you've landed. Walk clockwise around the islet to get there. In the winter and spring is likely to be unswimmable unless you have flat wave conditions. Still a very fun family event, but waves above 3 feet would spoil it.

2. Another fun kayak adventure is Chinaman's Hat in Kaneohe Bay. You can also hike up to the top.

3. If you have access to the Marine base, you can rent a pontoon or power boat (after doing an online boat class). Head out to the Sand Island in the middle of Kaneohe Bay.

4. Hanauma Bay is excellent for snorkeling.

5. Halona blowhole nearby is a neat sight and will put on a good show this time of year.

6. Sandy Beach is fun to hang out and watch whales breaching as well as watch the bodyboarding there, just be careful to watch how strong that wave breaks before you get into the water there.

7. North shore waves are incredible thru April, but could shut you down if surfing is not your thing. Also, when it is really big on the North shore, that 7 mile stretch gets backed up in traffic really bad.

8. Swimming in Waikiki is alwyays fun and your teenagers will like the proximity to many other teens. Beaches are much quieter when you branch out to places like Kailua and North Shore. Favorite Waikiki beach is the Queen Kapiolani because of proximity to parking. If you have a room on the beach, then even better.

I'll stop at 8, even though I said 10 things. Highly recommend you take a look for Oahu Revealed which provides a good roll-up of many things Oahu. Plenty of video on youtube too.

I lived on Oahu for almost 3 years and am vacationing there for a month this summer. For what it's worth, Kailua is where I chose to rent a bungalow for my family.

Cad10

Second what LUV FLYING posted above. Kailua kayaking was a lot of fun. Lanikai beach right down the road is probably the nicest on Oahu.

If you're on the North Shore, try Opal Thai restaurant. The chef asks what you like and then makes his recommendations. They were spot on good. Also check out the famous shrimp trucks.

Fair warning though- traffic in the city has gotten really bad. If you need to enter or exit Waikiki, I suggest you do it before 2pm or after 630pm. The roads are pretty slow going at rush hour.