Berkeley Parents Network: Going to Oahu

Berkeley Parents Network

Going to Oahu

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Places to Go > Going to Oahu

July 2003

We will be traveling to Oahu in October and we're looking for a 2 BDR @ 2 bath condo that is in Waikiki close to the beach or shops. My brother is getting married at the Sheraton in Waikiki. Our son will be a year when we go so preferably a somewhat child friendly place. We're on a budget so we're trying to get the most for our money. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated or websites you've used and have had success with. Thanks! Stephanie

My first thought is that if you want ''child-friendly'', you should be on the zoo/Diamond Head side of Waikiki, not right in the heart of Waikiki. You are still walking distance from the excitement, but far enough away that it is a lot more peaceful. There are great park areas, the zoo, and a very nice child friendly beach (San Souci). Try the Colony Surf condos. There are a couple others near the Colony Surf, but I can't think of the names. Also, you might want to try in the town of Kahala, although this might not be too budget friendly. Have fun!

February 2003

We will be in Waikiki for a week in February with our toddler who turns 2 at the end of the month. (I'm teaching a one-day class - hooray for a reason to do a family vacation!) Can you recommend things to do, places to go in Oahu that would be fun for us to do with her? Our hotel is right in the downtown area by the International Bazaar. We won't have a rental car for the week, though we might rent a car for a day or two. Nancy

If you can get away from Waikiki, maybe even by bus, there is a calmer (no waves) and less crowded beach at the Ala Moana park. A longer drive, very pretty (may be shuttles from Waikiki) is Sea Life Park--it's a smaller version of Sea World. It's the right size for kids, our daughter loved it when she was 2. The price is high for adults.

In Waikiki (a bit of a walk down the beach towards Diamond Head) there is a pretty nice zoo, with reciprocal membership from Oakland Zoo. Further down is a nice little Aquarium, with reciprocal membership from Monterey Bay Aquarium. Even further (not much past the Aquarium) is a hula show (it's either sponsored by Kodak or was sponsored by Koday years ago--I forget), they ask all the kids from the audience to participate at one point and teach them a little hula.

Besides that, our daughter's favorite things are playing at the beach and pool, and the corny poolside shows that many of the hotels have. jb

We just got back from a trip to Oahu visiting family. We took our 20-month old son with us and can recommend the following activities, all very close to Waikiki:

- Ala Moana Beach Park (very family friendly, clean beach)
- Koi (carp) ponds and escalators at Ala Moana Shopping Center
(across the street from the beach park). The shopping center has
a huge food court with lots of high chairs.
- Waikiki Aquarium (scale is perfect for a toddler)
- Honolulu Zoo (a ten minute walk from the Aquarium)
- Kapiolani Park (huge grassy park where the zoo is located)

Have fun! Teresa

We went to Oahu when our daughter was two, and I recall her enjoying the activities in the giant park along the coast just past Waikiki toward Diamond Head (the name escapes me). She loved the Zoo, there's a small aquarium, and there's lots of room to run and play. Enjoy your trip! Marilyn

I am from Honolulu and enjoy taking my children back home to visit...here are the places/things we've enjoyed...

The Waikiki Aquarium(a short walk towards Diamond Head from
Waikiki)
The Honolulu Zoo(in Waikiki)
Kaimana Beach (lots of toddlers here) - located on the Diamond
Head side of the Aquarium in front of the New Otani Hotel
Rainbows Drive-In - a plate lunch place in Kapahulu(near Waikiki)
Kapiolani Park - across from the Aquarium
Haunama Bay Beach - feed the fish and watch them swarm! Drive or
take a bus.
Kahala Mall - for shopping and coffee

Aloha! A former Kamaina

We were in Honolulu this July and went to the Children's Discovery Museum (I don't remember the exact name). It was great fun for our 3 and 1-year olds. There's a section where you can learn about the cultures of many immigrants to Hawaii; a reading room; a 'town' with doctor's office, fire station, bank, etc., and much, much more. We spent many hours there, and they would have liked to have spend longer!

I found out about it in the front of the phone book, I think the yellow pages. There's a great list of places to go. We also went to Senator Fong's Plantation, which is on northeast Oahu. We like botany, so we enjoyed it - there's a tram ride through his large gardens with lots of native plants. julie

On Oahu, we stayed at a guest house in Lanikai, one block from the beach. It was a bit of a dive, but they took us for less than a week, which is against their habit, so overall we were glad to be there. It was $80/night, and matches pretty closely the description of the Waimanalo guest house room-with-lanai (in our case, really a patio facing the hill, with a side view of the sea), and while it does not include snorkel gear, it does include a washer and dryer, very useful with a baby. I'll be glad to give you info if you email me. The windward coast (Waimanalo is also on the windward coast) is really beautiful, and has everything from protected beaches like Lanikai to wild surf on Sandy Beach near the blowhole (we tried some of each, with a beach umbrella for the baby, who, it turns out, doesn't mind the beach but HATES the sea. We'll work on that.)

We didn't see ANYONE camped on any beaches on Oahu, but we did not circumnavigate the island -- not enough time! We navigated the southern half on the coast road. The northern half may be a different story.

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