Honolulu 3 Day Itinerary

One of our best friends had a destination wedding on Waikiki Beach. We were faced with the difficult task of fulfilling groomsmen duties while simultaneously maximizing our limited time in Oahu. We’re not the type of couple who likes to spend an excessive amount of time in the sun (this is mostly due to my wife, who doesn’t want to catch wrinkles…her words, not mine). Below is our compromise:

DAY 1: Waikiki
We arrived in HNL around 2pm. For the first time ever, we had enough people in our group that sharing a taxi became the cheapest option! Alternatively, you can take Bus 19 for $1.25 per person into Waikiki. After checking into our hotel, we explored the following:

DAY 2: Oahu Island
We left the hotel early this day. After procuring some snacks for the road and breakfast from Musubi Cafe Iyasume, we picked up our rental car and visited the following:

  • Iolani Palace
  • King Kamehameha Statue

You can reserve your free official memorial tickets for the USS Arizona Memorial here. Since it was just me and Nicole, we decided to wing it and just show up at the site for the limited amount of daily tickets. We arrived at the ticket counter at 8:30am and secured 2 free tickets for the 9:00am movie/ferry. We spent some time around the Pearl Harbor Historic grounds while waiting for our boat.

  • USS Arizona National Memorial
  • City of Haleiwa and picked up some groceries
  • Matsumoto Shave Ice
  • Sea turtles on Laniakea Beach
  • Lunch at Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck, Kahuku
  • Scenic drive along Kamehameha Hwy and stop at whatever looks interesting
  • Valley of the Temples
  • Kailua Beach
  • Makapu’u Point Lighthouse
  • Nuʻuanu Pali Lookout

After we returned to car, we had dinner at Marukame Udon.

DAY 3: Waikiki
In the morning, we swam at Waikiki beach for a few hours then had Oxtail Ramen for lunch at Ramen Nakamura. Alternatively, you can pick up a delicious poke bowl from Ono Seafood. After lunch, we visited the following via public buses:

  • Diamond Head
  • Ala Moana Center
  • Inside Ala Moana Center, we had some snacks in the beer garden/food court area of Shirokiya
  • 2.5 mile stroll back to our hotel area through Ala Moana Blvd and Kalakaua Ave
  • Italian Dinner at Arancino on Beachwalk
Valley of the Temples Valley of the Temples

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