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Oahu, HI Master Wiki
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Restaurants & Eateries
  • Oahu Kosher (delivery) – Fresh dairy & meat meals (incl. Shabbos packages) delivered island-wide; order online or WhatsApp.
  • Jerusalem Kosher Deli – Classic shawarma/falafel counter near Waikiki; confirm current hours before heading out ([post 196 501]).

Groceries / Supermarkets / Meat Stores
  • Ala Moana Center Foodland – Mainstream supermarket with limited kosher staples five minutes from Chabad.
  • Walmart Supercenter (Keeaumoku St.) – Stock up on snacks/produce; huge coolers for freezing meals.

Shuls & Minyanim
  • Chabad of Hawaii – 410 Atkinson Dr. (ground level of Ala Moana Hotel). Daily shacharis ±8 AM, Mincha/Maariv at shkiah; full Shabbos meals with reservation. Bring photo ID to register on first visit.
  • Young Israel of Honolulu – Small weekday minyan near Kaimuki; call ahead for schedule.

Hotels & Lodging
  • Ala Moana Hotel – Next door to Chabad; some rooms still use electronic locks & motion lights – verify in advance or request staff escort ([posts 359 692/892 294]).
  • Hilton Hawaiian Village – 20 min walk; Rainbow Tower stairwells permanently lit and Shabbos-friendly ([post 1678 253]).
  • Royal Hawaiian (Luxury Collection) – Ground-floor Historic Wing avoids sensors; ±20 min walk along Kalākaua Ave. ([post 423 062]).
  • Hyatt Regency Waikiki – Guests report no stair sensors and easy beach access; 25 min walk to shul.
  • Hawaii Prince / Modern Honolulu – Offer “Chabad corporate” Shabbos rates and manual key options ([post 892 294]).

Things To Do / Attractions
  • Diamond Head Crater – 0.8-mile paved climb (45-60 min up) to WWII bunkers and panoramic views of Waikiki.
  • Manoa Falls Trail – Lush rainforest hike (1.6 mi RT); pack water shoes if you wade beneath the 150-ft falls.
  • Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve – Snorkel reef fish/turtles; arrive 6:30 AM to snag parking and watch mandatory reef video.
  • Koko Head Railway Trail – 1 048 railroad-tie “stairs” straight up – brutal but epic sunrise; wear gloves and bring 1 L water.
  • Pearl Harbor – USS Arizona Memorial – Book free timed tickets (re-released 7 AM HST day-prior). Allow 2½ hr incl. film & boat ride; bag check $6.
  • Pali Lookout & H-3 Highway – Dramatic cliffs, wind-tunnel vistas, and engineering-marvel viaducts over the Koʻolau range.
  • Lanikai/Kailua Beach & Kayak Sandbar – Powder sand + turquoise water; rent kayaks to Nā Mokulua islets or Kaneʻohe Bay sandbar (Dan’s TR).
  • North Shore (Nov-Mar surf season) – Watch 20-ft sets at Banzai Pipeline, Sharks Cove tide-pool snorkel, Waimea Bay cliff-jump.
  • Polynesian Cultural Center – Afternoon village shows; nightly “HĀ – Breath of Life” fire-knife performance (no outside food allowed).

Trip Reports (“TR”)

Restaurant Reviews / Ratings
  • Oahu Kosher – “Fresh, plentiful Shabbos meals; saved our trip” – PBaruch (link)
  • Jerusalem Kosher Deli – “Great lunch; got 5 % off for mentioning DDF” – Yordai Dooma (link)


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« Last edited by Alexsei on May 22, 2025, 04:17:52 PM »

Author Topic: Oahu, HI Master Thread  (Read 135549 times)

Offline efflpetzel

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Re: Oahu, HI Master Thread
« Reply #200 on: May 04, 2017, 03:07:41 PM »
if one flies with united from ny to hnl and on same ticket continues to maui.
will luggage be checked through to ogg? or you have to recheck?
does it make a difference if connection is hawaiin airlines or island air?
with HA it'll work only if the flights are on one PNR.  United will interline with island air even if not IIRC

Offline merylhoff

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Re: Oahu, HI Master Thread
« Reply #201 on: June 22, 2017, 09:33:14 PM »
Planning a trip for August. Would you recommend the Hilton Hawaiian Village? What kind of room did you have? Thank you

Offline PBaruch

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Re: Oahu, HI Master Thread
« Reply #202 on: June 28, 2017, 02:01:31 PM »
The Royal Hawaiian in HNL has a resort fee and a separate 40 a day parking fee.  Is there a cheaper parking facility near the hotel? If not, what would be recommended as an alternative to the Royal Hawaiian?

TIA
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Offline merylhoff

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Re: Oahu, HI Master Thread
« Reply #203 on: July 20, 2017, 12:53:47 AM »
Were they able to freeze your meals at the Hilton Hawaiian Village? When I called they told me they couldn't. Any other info on the resort would be helpful. Thanks

Offline KidOOO

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Re: Oahu, HI Master Thread
« Reply #204 on: July 27, 2017, 10:37:45 PM »
Any kosher resturants still open these days?

Offline PBaruch

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Re: Oahu, HI Master Thread
« Reply #205 on: July 27, 2017, 11:40:23 PM »
Any kosher resturants still open these days?

You can order food for delivery only from Oahu Kosher:

https://www.oahukosher.com/

For Shabbos you can purchase meals and eat with Chabad. 

I am not aware of any other options on Oahu.
What do you do after your dreams come true?

Offline shaulyaakov

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Re: Oahu, HI Master Thread
« Reply #206 on: July 28, 2017, 09:24:26 AM »
Any kosher resturants still open these days?

Maybe Lapperts ice cream (Chalav Stam)?

Offline tmendy226

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Re: Oahu, HI Master Thread
« Reply #207 on: August 26, 2017, 11:37:55 PM »
I was just Oahu for quite some time and had a blast BH!

First of all, thank you @Dan for the posts on each island which were (at least somewhat) helpful!

I do think that if you do proper research there are lots of thing to do and see on Oahu which you won't find on other islands.

One of the highlights was the Haiku Stairs AKA "stairway to heaven", it is illegal so we had to wake up in middle of the night to go there, avoid the cups looking for hikers and even hide in the wood from the guard looking for us with flashlights! but it just added to the thrill and was really amazing! I might be the first one here to have done it and highly recommend it!

Offline TimT

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Re: Oahu, HI Master Thread
« Reply #208 on: August 26, 2017, 11:56:57 PM »
One of the highlights was the Haiku Stairs AKA "stairway to heaven", it is illegal so we had to wake up in middle of the night to go there, avoid the cups looking for hikers and even hide in the wood from the guard looking for us with flashlights! but it just added to the thrill and was really amazing! I might be the first one here to have done it and highly recommend it!
Did you bump into anyone else there at that hour ?  Hoping to see a TR soon

Offline tmendy226

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Re: Oahu, HI Master Thread
« Reply #209 on: August 27, 2017, 12:00:25 AM »
Did you bump into anyone else there at that hour ?  Hoping to see a TR soon

Sure! plenty of people! we even met people in the forest on our way up so we did the beginning of the hike together (the bushes part, which guess what we did get a little lost, but again it just made it more fun and if you have a good sense of direction you can't really get lost)

Offline efflpetzel

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Re: Oahu, HI Master Thread
« Reply #210 on: August 30, 2017, 10:37:16 PM »
Sure! plenty of people! we even met people in the forest on our way up so we did the beginning of the hike together (the bushes part, which guess what we did get a little lost, but again it just made it more fun and if you have a good sense of direction you can't really get lost)
Sounds very cool, it's been on my list for a while. How long does the hike take

Offline tmendy226

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Re: Oahu, HI Master Thread
« Reply #211 on: August 31, 2017, 12:03:46 AM »
Sounds very cool, it's been on my list for a while. How long does the hike take

It really depends on the way you get to the stairs ;)
We went through the woods to avoid the guard and ended up doing some real climb (lots of fun)...
The actual stairs took us around 2 and half hours on the way up including stops. way down is much faster though make sure to get gloves with grip

Offline efflpetzel

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Re: Oahu, HI Master Thread
« Reply #212 on: August 31, 2017, 02:13:08 AM »
It really depends on the way you get to the stairs ;)
We went through the woods to avoid the guard and ended up doing some real climb (lots of fun)...
The actual stairs took us around 2 and half hours on the way up including stops. way down is much faster though make sure to get gloves with grip
No guards on the way down?

How dangerous actually are the stairs

Offline tmendy226

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Re: Oahu, HI Master Thread
« Reply #213 on: September 03, 2017, 02:31:13 AM »
No guards on the way down?

How dangerous actually are the stairs

Sure there's and actually bigger chance of getting the 1000$ fine on the way down, but first it was light and second we joined a whole group of people who knew their way around a little better than us :)

The stairs aren't dangerous at all for adults I would say. no one ever died on the stairs besides one guy from a heart attack

Offline Sammie

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24 hour mileage run to Hawaii - advice needed
« Reply #214 on: December 03, 2017, 04:14:05 PM »
Hi,

I'm short 10,000 miles for my united 1k status this year and found a good price for a trip to HNL this week. Landing at 3:00 pm and departing the following day at 5:00 pm - giving me just over 24 hours on the ground.

So far from reading the trip reports and general searching it look like hiking up Diamonds head is worth it and I am tempted to taking a surfing lesson.

- Any good suggestions for a reasonable hotel? I traveling alone so I don't need anything too fancy.
- Should I do the hike or the surfing the first afternoon?
- Any other suggestions of what to do while there? Should I try to get tickets for the Arizona memorial? The entire evening is open.
- Should I rent a car? I wasn't planning on it but between the back and forth to the airport and then the Diamonds head, it seems like its wort it for $35 for the day.
- Any other tips or suggestions?

Thanks in adnavce!
Sammie

Offline mordechain

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Re: 24 hour mileage run to Hawaii - advice needed
« Reply #215 on: December 03, 2017, 08:11:39 PM »
I'd sleep...

Offline Dan

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Re: 24 hour mileage run to Hawaii - advice needed
« Reply #216 on: December 03, 2017, 08:30:30 PM »
What have you done in HNL before?
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Re: 24 hour mileage run to Hawaii - advice needed
« Reply #217 on: December 03, 2017, 09:57:07 PM »
It will be my first time.

What have you done in HNL before?

Offline Dan

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Re: 24 hour mileage run to Hawaii - advice needed
« Reply #218 on: December 03, 2017, 11:30:13 PM »
It's a nice hike, but personally I'd go snorkeling in Hanauma Bay, jetskiing on the North shore, kayaking off the east coast, Arizona memorial, surfing or SUP, etc.
And I'd definitely rent a car.

Get a Hyatt anniversary night for the Hyatt Place?
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Re: 24 hour mileage run to Hawaii - advice needed
« Reply #219 on: December 04, 2017, 12:09:01 AM »
I think you're landing too late to do the Arizona memorial the first day.  If you can, be there first thing the next day to get a ticket, if you can't get online in advance (try exactly at 7 am HST day before you want to go, which is when additional tickets are released, or have someone do it for you if en route).  It's a bit of a pain to get tickets so late...

If you decide to do Diamond Head first day, calculate how long it'll take you so you'll be back before dark, or be prepared to hike in dark.

If you want a great view of HNL and Diamond Head, drive up into the mountains.  There are some nice pullouts.  Check out @PBaruch's TR for a photo.

Remember that HNL is a city.  Driving there feels like NYC.  Definitely get a car, but don't drive to your hotel until you are DONE for the day.  Driving from the airport to Waikiki, if you stay there, is awful.  You'll wonder if you're actually in Hawaii.

All Dan mentioned sounds good.
45/50, 46/63