Hawai’i has always been a bucket list destination for travelers, and especially with Southwest entering the flight market, has only become more affordable and accessible over the last few years. Still, with an almost 6 hour flight from LAX out there, there’s some pressure to make your time on the Islands worth the trip!
Today, we’ll dive into the last question as a good starting point for your trip! And, I’m going to focus specifically on O’ahu, being the most populated of the Islands, and home to the capital city Honolulu.
There’s a pretty constant stream of flights from the west coast to HNL, and United actually has flights directly from Houston to Honolulu. If you’re tracking deals, you’ll regularly see flights in the $300 range roundtrip, and occasionally will see that dip into the mid $200s! Regardless of your starting point, you may want to search for routes starting at West Coast airports like LAX, SFO, OAK, and LAS, and then schedule a positioning flight to break up the time in the air a little bit.
If you’re into awards travel, keep an eye out for first class deals on ANA through United, or deals on first class with Delta. Both offer you the luxury of a lay down seat, and are great ways to get big value out of your points! Delta has a direct flight all the way from Atlanta, and if you can score that in first class with rewards points, you're definitely getting a huge value!
A big answer to how long you should visit O’ahu comes from asking what your budget is. Life is expensive in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and that includes places to stay. But, O’ahu does have some budget options if you’re looking to stretch out your trip. There are some older, longstanding hotels in Honolulu around Waikiki and Diamond Head that you can get for close to $100. But if you’re looking for something nicer, you’re definitely going to be paying for it.
The nice thing about O’ahu being more populated is that there are more short term rental options, like Airbnbs, than you’ll find on islands like Maui or Kauai. Especially on the Leeward (western) side of the Island, there are a number of great neighborhoods to stay in affordably! This is also a great place to be if you’re looking to avoid staying in the touristy areas.
Food on the island is also more expensive! Budget to spend about 20-30% more on food than you would on a trip in the lower 48 states. There is a Costco on the island, so if you've got kitchen access, you can definitely save by shopping there once your plane lands.
While it’s obviously known for its beaches, most famously Waikiki, there’s a ton of great hiking and sightseeing to do on the island. Unless you’re just planning on chilling at one beach or resort for your stay (perfectly respectable), you’re most likely going to want to rent a car.
It takes about 45 minutes to get across the island, and while there is a bus system, it’s not the most efficient. Lanikai is an incredible beach on the eastern side of the island. The North Shore is beautiful, and known for its surfing. And one of my favorite places to watch the sunset is Makua Beach on the western side - most likely, you’ll be the only one there!
There’s also a number of tours people are often interested in! Pearl Harbor has been under refurbishment, but once the boat can be toured again, you could easily spend a few hours here. The Dole Plantation is an absolute tourist trap, but you do get up close and personal with some pineapples! And with movies like Jurassic Park having been shot on parts of the island, there’s a few options for visiting those movie set!
To me, 4 days is plenty of time to experience all the island has to offer! But, I’m a person who doesn’t mind planes, and who also doesn’t love just sitting on the beach for too long. On our last trip, we took a morning for Honolulu, a morning for the North Shore, and a morning for the east side of the island, and then spent the afternoon hanging out where we were staying. While I could’ve obviously stayed longer, it felt like a solid amount of time that was worth the flight out there.
Ultimately, the only problem with staying in Hawai’i too long is blowing your budget, but for me, 4 days felt like plenty of time to explore and enjoy all that O’ahu has to offer!
