Honolulu, Hi

Airbnb, Longest Flight Ever, and PB&J For Days

Hello everyone! Long time no posts, I know I know. I've been recouping with some things lately and what not but now I am back and better than ever. For those of you who don't know me and my boyfriend Brandon made a trip to Honolulu last May. We had always talked about how bad we wanted to go to Hawaii one day and before we knew it the flight was booked, the airbnb was set up, and we were on our way.

I cannot even explain in words how breathtaking this place was. It was like nothing I had seen before, everywhere I turned there was beauty. The whole trip I was envious of the locals and leaving definitely wasn't easy.

Every hike, beach visit, sunset, was amazing. Even the Koko Head Railway Stairs which almost killed me. (Literally guys I thought I was in shape, these stairs made me question that). This is a place that if you have never been needs to go on your bucket list, and you know this if you've been one of the many to ask me about the trip only to receive a mouthful from me gushing about it.

Below I am going to leave a list of things you must do, things to be aware of, and places you gotta try in Honolulu in case you do decide to make the trip which seriously you should. Giving all the peer pressure vibes here and not ashamed at all guys.

Things to Do

Hikes

Not all of the hikes are recommended for beginners, alot are actually very dangerous and people have lost their lifes before attempting them. Be aware of your surroundings and don't do anything that makes you nervous. Also the app AllTrails is a godsend for this kind of trip! It will lead you directly to hikes, tell you their difficulty, and tell you if they are open to the public, I highly recommend downloading it before your trip.

- Koko Head Railway Trail

- Diamond Head

- Pink Pill Box (Do this one at sunset! You won't regret it)

- Crouching Lion

- Ka'au Crater Hike

- Tom Tom Trail

- Seven Falls Hike

- Three Peaks

- Makapuu Point lighthouse trail ( The Makapuu tidepools are off this trail, you'll see them before you reach the lighthouse on the right, it takes some climbing down the mountain but it's worth it!)

- China Walls & Spitting Caves

Food

So honestly me and Brandon didn't get entirely as adventurous with our food as I planned on but it's all good! We ate a decent amount of Pb&J (we're college students I mean come one) but still had some amazing dishes whether they were local or not. Let me just say what I do know from experience, shrimp and acai bowls are a must guys like I could've eaten that the whole time and have been A-Okay with it.

- Sunrise Shack (Acai Bowls & Bullet Coffee are to die for)

- Island Vintage Coffee ( They put macadamia nuts in their coffee drinks, Hawaiians are genius)

- Lanikai Juice (I had 1 or 3 Acai Bowls form here during the week, no shame)

- Seven Brothers

- Surf N Turf Tacos

- Barefoot Bar (this wasn't our fave but it wasn't bad either)

- The Elephant Shack

- Cheeseburger in Paradise (If you're into more traditional, this place has great burgers)

- Eggs N Things

- Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade

- Leonard's Bakery (get the malasadas, this place is famous for them)

- Hiking Hawaii Cafe

Beaches

This island is filled with beaches, it's insane. There's a different one around every corner, each unique and beautiful in their own way. I highly recommend going to as many as you can.

- North Shore (You can see a ton of professional surfers here)

- Sandy Beach Park

- Electric Beach (The water here is literally warm, it may be because the power plant nearby or just the side of the island it's on but it's amazing)

- Makapu'u Beach

- Wakiki Beach (Great place to rent surfboards and surf for beginners, make sure you go far out though or you can get cut with coral, we went out and even got to see a sea turtle swimming under us)

- Hanauma Bay (this place is perfect for snorkeling, it's a reserve so you pay a small entrance fee but it is so worth it)

- Lanakia Beach

Other Tips

- Parking is hell if you're staying in the city. Not going to sugarcoat it, paying $30 a night to park at our condo wasn't great but it was better than paying the ticket we got the last day from the confusing meters. (Free parking, is only free as long as they want it to be and no we didn't get a warning beforehand (-: ).

- We rented a car through an airbnb owner actually, which was nice cause we could get around the whole island at our own leisure, but at the same time we realized we may have spent as much money if not less ubering/ taking a taxi everywhere after all the parking fees.

- Airbnb is a great option for staying on the island! We got a great deal on a cute condo in the city in a nice building where we felt safe, had a clean comfy place to stay, and had a half kitchen so we could cook in some to save extra money. Hotels can be as expensive if not more and you probably wouldn't get the same amenities.

- Make sure to lock your car and not leave expensive belongings when you're at the beach for the day, apparently cars are broken into often or so we were told. Also keep quarters on you to pay the meters for parking!