Hello all!
What are the activities or sites which I need to book or reserve in advance?
I already have a rental car and now I need to figure out what to do where to go and maybe when to go!
It is our first time and we are looking to do everything! Please feel free to let me know your thoughts!

Some ideas here:

https://www.gohawaii.com/

Also, if you have a good-sized public library near you, consider borrowing a Hawaii (or Honolulu/Oahu) guidebook, like Fodor's, Frommer's etc.

Also, google search will give you a lot of ideas. Pearl Harbor National Memorial was a favorite for us.

Thanks for the suggestion - I will definitely check out Pearl Harbor.

Are there any Tourist Traps that I should avoid? I am not a big fan of waiting in line , I have been told there is a lot of that in Honolulu.

Your question is somewhat broad in nature; if you provide the number of travellers in your party, general ages, and what kinds of sights/experiences you'd enjoy, more focused answers can be provided.

That being said, the top attractions in Honolulu are pretty-well documented. Of them, the ones that need a bit of pre-planning include Pearl Harbor and Hanauma Bay. Here's the existing thread on Pearl Harbor.

Consolidated "Going to Pearl Harbor -- Questions & Suggestions" thread

As far as "tourist traps" I have very mixed feelings on the tourist-targeted luaus which are basically pagents with buffet-style food and cocktails. While I appreciate the attempts to portray Hawaiian and Polynedian culture and educate vistors, they also are nothig like the luau that we locals hold to celebrate happy events (weddings, milestone birthdays, etc.)

The Aloha Festivals takes place most of this month with a large number of activities towards the end of the month; these are visitor-friendly but also are well-attended by locals. https://www.alohafestivals.com/events/

I encourage visitors to hear live performances of Hawaiian music; they are often accompanied by the hula that are associated with the songs. That�s a very authentic expression of the culture.

For your vacation planning, just factor in rush hour traffic from 3PM-6PM going in both directions (East to West, and vice versa). If you are going east bound, you'll hit two sets of slow traffic (Honolulu and Hawaii Kai).

If you like tropical reef fish, I would think about snorkeling at Hana`Uma Bay. It’s considerably cleaner and better (from what I’m told) than it was when I was a keiki but you have to make a reservation now as they try to keep the numbers down.

We have spent a total of many months in Waikiki over our 5 decades of travel. Here are some admittedly unusual touristy things that we do:
Shop at the Ross stores. For some unknown reason, we always seem to find clothing to buy there, unlike on the mainland.
Visit a Costco (our favorite is in Hawaii Kai) because the selection of merchandise is unique to the islands. Bring back bags of Kirkland honey roasted mac nuts.
For the best macadamia nuts, albeit at a high price, buy from North Shore Macadamia Roasters - only sold at their store (which they have unfortunately recently turned into a touristy place).
While you might go to Matsumoto Shave Ice due to its popularity, better shave ice can be found at these locations:
---Aoki's shave ice, just across the street from Matsumoto - note they have unusual business hours
---Island Vintage Shave Ice two locations in Waikiki - lines can be long at the kiosk location, but are shorter at the store location. Expensive.
---Shimazu Shave Ice - some homemade flavors -try the durian flavor syrup, if you are brave
North Shore Trading Company -across from Matsumoto shave ice for high quality Hawaiian-themed kitchen towels and other items
Poke bowl at Foodland supermarket in the Ala Moana shopping center - good value, although they have eliminated some of their toppings recently
KCC farmers market on Saturdays-huge and popular with locals
Any event that suits your fancy at the Blaisdell center - great sound system and semi-reasonable ticket prices


Finally, be sure to book a reservation to the Arizona/Pearl Harbor memorial. This is really the only tourist "must do" that we would recommend.

Aloha!

Adding to the shave ice stores that are superior to Matsumoto's:
- Waiola: original location on Waiola St usually has poor parking and long lines due to tourism now but they have another location off Kapahulu Ave which generally has much shorter lines (albeit parking can still be an issue)
- Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha (https://houseofpurealoha.com/): original location in Aina Haina Shopping Center -- they had 1 or 2 other locations but those may have closed as I can't find mention of them.
- Ululani's: new O`ahu location off Kapahulu Blvd near Leonard's Bakery

Add a second vote for KCC Farmer's MArket

If you like music then factory tours of Kamaka and KoAloha ukuleles are amazing. Also Bishop Museum and Aloha Stadium swap meet.

My question, we will be returning to Waikiki after four year absence and I wonder if there are still any decent hole in the wall plate lunch places? We loved ME BBQ at the Royal Grove but apparently they did not get their lease renewed last year.

​

Unfortunately, rents for the hole in the wall have increased in Waikiki.
Two of our favorites:
Musubi Cafe Iasumi on Uluniu Avenue.
Sam's Kitchen on Royal Hawaiian Ave.

Mahalo to all for their responses. As the OP hasn't been back to clarify their request, I will close this thread for now.

FlyinHawaiian, Moderator
Hawaii (Travel) Forum