Where We Stayed: Sheraton Waikiki

We stayed at the Sheraton Waikiki, and honestly, I might have to move in permanently. The location? Perfection. Right on the beach, walking distance to everything. We only had to grab an Uber to and from the airport — which means more time for the important stuff, like mai tais and beach lounging. The rooms are comfy. Each room has a coffee maker with Hawaiian coffee and a tea kettle, a Japanese toilet, and a balcony.

The hotel itself is everything you’d expect from a top-tier Hawaiian resort. We kicked things off with a free ukulele lesson (because when in Hawaii…), then hot tubbed like pros and even learned to make a flower bracelet — which, by the way, is easier than it looks.

One of the highlights? Renting a private cabana at the adults-only infinity pool. Floating in that pool with ocean views and drink service? That’s what vacation dreams are made of.

The cabanas are available to guests as well as people that just want to visit for the day. You can book a cabana here.

Sports Fishing

Turning 18 is a big deal, so we decided to go big with a deep-sea fishing trip with Aloha Charters LLC — and it was epic. Our guide, Jerry, was fantastic — the kind of guy who knows all the best spots and makes you feel like you’ve been friends forever. Jonah reeled in a mahi mahi (cue the proud mom moment), and I somehow managed to catch a marlin. Still not sure how that happened, but I’m taking the win.

If you’ve never been sport fishing in Hawaii, put it on your list. There’s nothing like the rush of hooking a big one while surrounded by that deep blue Pacific water. And the look on Jonah’s face when he pulled in his catch? Priceless.

Where We Ate (Because Food is Half the Fun)

We didn’t just eat well — we ate like royalty. Waikiki is a food lover’s paradise, and we did our best to taste it all:

🍽️ Dinners

• Duke’s – A classic spot, right on the beach. Fish tacos and mai tais while the sun sets? Yes, please. Plus, if it’s your birthday you get a free dessert.

• Rumfire – Trendy with a killer ocean view. Their cocktails alone are worth the visit. Happy hours starts at 4 PM with some good drink deals. I had steak and Jonah had a hamburger. We had the Japanese fried chicken for an appetizer and it was insanely good. 

• Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin – If you’re craving Japanese, this place nails it. The crispy pork cutlet was next-level.

• Wicked Maine Lobster – Because sometimes you just need a lobster roll (or two).

We also had dinner at Monkey Pod one night and I do not recommend it. That’s how we ended up at Wicked Maine Lobster in the food court next to our hotel. 

🍦 Desserts

• Baskin Robbins – Not your typical Baskin Robbins — they have shaved ice! Highly recommend the tropical flavors. We had one on-site at our hotel so we took it back to our cabana.
• Island Vintage Shaved Ice – Hands down the best shaved ice we had. The difference between theirs and many others is that it is served with soft serve vanilla ice cream, popping boba, and mochi. Get the lilikoi and thank me later.

🍤 Lunches

• Giovanni Shrimp – The garlic shrimp? Legendary, and now you do not have to venture all the way to the North Shore just to get some. They have a small location in Waikiki.
• High Tea at the Veranda at Moana Surfrider – This was such a treat! Fancy little sandwiches, scones, and tea overlooking the beach — very posh, very delicious. You can upgrade your tea to add a burger or a mimosa flight.

🍳 Breakfasts

• Sunrise Shack – The açai bowls were refreshing and perfect for starting a beach day. There is very little seating here. It’s basically grab and go.

• Kai Market – All the breakfast classics, plus tropical fruits galore and excellent views. Jonah had the steak and eggs which must have been good because he demolished them. I had the vegan eggs benedict which were delicious. We also tried the Portuguese sausage since we’d never had any before. 

Other Highlights

Between all the eating and fishing, we managed to soak up some good beach time. Waikiki Beach is exactly as beautiful as you’d expect — golden sand, turquoise water, and just enough waves to make things fun without scaring off the kids (or moms). We spent a lot of time walking along the beach and exploring the shops nearby. You could literally spend a whole day wandering around without ever getting bored.

Why Waikiki is the Perfect Spot

This trip had everything: a little adventure, a lot of relaxation, and some seriously good eats. The Sheraton Waikiki was the perfect home base, and the walkability made everything so easy. Jonah’s 18th birthday was one for the books — catching a mahi mahi, eating his weight in shrimp, and soaking up the Hawaiian sun.

If you’re planning a trip to Waikiki, take notes — sport fishing, infinity pools, and high tea might just be the winning combo you didn’t know you needed. Aloha! 🌺

Read Next:

Hiking Diamond Head in Oahu, Hawaii with Kids

Hale Koa a Military Resort on Waikiki Beach

The post 4 Days in Waikiki appeared first on Mommy Travels.

Oahu, Hawaii is quite simply paradise. Every time we visit I think why did we wait so long to come back. Many people will recommend the other islands, but they are all good and Oahu is awesome.

Here’s a packing list just for visiting Hawaii.

Things to do in Oahu

11 Things to do in Oahu with kids– I previously wrote up a list of things to do with kids in Oahu, so I am not including these here. You can check out the list for more ideas including the zoo, aquarium, and lots more.

Paddle board the Anahula River – Spend one day on North Shore paddle boarding up the Anahula River looking for sea turtles. Eden and I spotted at least 5 sea turtles. (You can rent paddle boards at nearby Surfnsea in Haleiwa for $20 an hour. They offer a military discount.)

Kayak Lanikai Beach – Rent kayaks at Lanikai Beach and paddle out to Mok Nui Island. Once you are on the island you can climb around it and depending on the water condition cliff jump. If it is windy this can quickly become an intense kayak trip out and back.

Fun Fact: Lanikai Beach is the 10th most Instagrammed beach in the world. Even on a cloudy day you can see why, just look at that turquoise water pictured below.

Parasailing – Take your kids parasailing with X-treme sail. I have tried another company, but I liked this one better. My youngest was 10 when we went and he was super scared, but they convinced him to give it a go and then dunked us during it.

Snorkel at Hanauma Bay – This is an amazing state park with an underwater park. You can see all kinds of fish here. There are a few extremely shallow sections. They are closed on Tuesdays.

Go Hiking

There are so many great hikes you can take on the island. So, if you are into hiking you must do at least one good one.

Diamond Head – Diamond Head is a must during any Oahu vacation! It’s a bit intense going up all the stairs, but there is a different way up with less stairs. 

Maunawili Falls – This is a beautiful hike, but be sure to read my post before you go. You do not want to end up lost, like we did. 

Pearl Harbor – Visit the site of the attack on Pearl Harbor. You can purchase a ticket at the site or take a tour of Pearl Harbor.

Polynesian Cultural Center – Learn all about the Polynesian people here. They also do a good luau here.

Experience a Luau – There are lots of places that offer a luau experience, including the Polynesian Cultural Center, Hale Koa resort, Aulani Disney Resort, Hilton Waikiki, and more. The cheapest one of military personnel is probably the one at the Hale Koa. We’ve only experienced the one at Aulani and it was phenomenal.

Go Shopping

Oahu has loads of shopping. You can find almost any store you are looking for somewhere on the island. Instead of mentioning the obvious places I am just going to list some of my favorite ones that are unique to Oahu.

• Honalua Surf Co. – Near the Hawaii Fire shop is a bathing suit shop that has more bathing suits than anyone could ever possibly need. We got Eden the cutest swimsuit here.
• Surfnsea – in Haleiwa on North Shore is a little shop jammed packed with Billabong, Roxy, Hurley, O’Neill, and more. I scored some amazing deals on clearance here.

Best Places for Shaved Ice in Oahu

Matsumoto – Up on the North Shore is one of the most popular places to get shaved ice on the island. Expect a line, because it’s really well known.

Located at: 66-111 KAMEHAMEHA HWY SUITE #605, HALEIWA, HI 96712.

Shimazu Shaved Ice – This is the perfect place to grab a shaved ice after hiking Diamond Head. The shaved ice here is gigantic. Eden is holding a small!

Located at: 3111 Castle St, Honolulu, HI 96815.

Uncle Clay’s House of Pure Aloha – Located in the Aina Haina Shopping Center, this is the perfect place to pick up a shaved ice in Waikiki. It’s served with fruit and ice cream.

Located at: 820 W Hind Dr #116, Honolulu, HI 96821

Where to Eat in Oahu

There are so many fantastic places to eat in Oahu. Having some Hawaiian food is obviously a must while you are here!

The Food Company – They have amazing Hawaiian food over in Kailua at The Food Company.

AMA Ama – AMA Ama is a restaurant over inside Aulani that is fantastic for lunch. The lobster roll and the steak sandwich were both excellent.

Cheese Burger in Paradise – They have multiple locations around Waikiki.

Cinnamon’s  – Hands down the best breakfast on the island. They have two locations, one in Kailua and one in Waikiki.

Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck – Their shrimp is worth standing in line for an hour for. Giovanni’s Shrimp truck easily lived up to all the hype. We stood in line forever and it was totally worth it. I had the shrimp scampi covered in lemon butter and garlic. It was so messy and so delicious.

The North Shore location is at 66-472 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI 96712.

Greek Marina – This is a fairly cheap place to eat and they have really good gyros. I suggest stopping in and getting some gyros to go and taking them with you to Hanauma Bay.

Kalapawai Cafe & Deli – They have two locations, one in Kailua and one in Kapolei. They use locally sourced and natural ingredients whenever possible.

Dukes

Dukes is super popular for a reason. Great food, good service, reasonable prices, and live music.

Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin

If you love Japanese, you will love Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin so much. The crispy pork cutlet was next-level.

Family Friendly Hotels in Oahu

Aulani by Disney

This is by far our favorite place to stay, because of all the activities that are included during your stay. If you can afford it definitely spring for a stay here. There are some ways to make staying at Aulani more affordable.

Marriott Waikiki 

Marriott Waikiki is not cheap, but the rooms are nice and the rooftop pool is fantastic. Try to get a rate that includes breakfast. One of the nights they had live music at the pool bar, which was super enjoyable. This hotel is on the far side of Waikiki, so closer to Diamond Head.

Sheraton Waikiki

Jonah and I stayed at this hotel the last time we were in Oahu and we had the best time. The location is phenomenal. It’s within walking distance of so many things that you don’t need a car if you are staying here. We loved the adults only infinity pool and the multiple hot tubs. I think all the rooms have an incredible view. We could see Diamond Head from our room. It had a few onsite restaurants which was also so convienant.

Military Lodging on Oahu

With so many bases in Hawaii there are tons of places for military members, veterans, and their family members to stay at. So far we have stayed at four of them.

Bellows AFB Cabins – These are so nice if you can score one.

Hale Koa  – Depending on your rank this might be a little overpriced.

Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam

Hickam TLF – We stayed in one of these before they remodeled the housing, so it’s hard to say exactly what it’s like now, but at the time it was 2 or 3 bedrooms for $55 a night.

How to Save Money in Hawaii

Oahu is not cheap. I know total shocker! But like any destination that are various ways to try and save some money. Here are a few.

Bring Your Own Snorkel

There are a handful of easy ways to save a few bucks in Hawaii and it mostly comes down to packing certain items like snorkel gear. If you have to rent snorkel gear each time you want to snorkel you can quickly end up spending quite a bit of money. Instead of spending $10 or $20 here and there buy yourself a set and take it with you anytime you are headed somewhere you might use it.

Eat a Cheap Breakfast in your Hotel Room

Another quick and easy way to save money is by bringing something to eat for breakfast. Anything you are going to buy in Hawaii is going to cost you double. Throwing in one or two boxes of pop tarts into your suitcase can end up saving you tons of money. Think about it. Every time a family of four needs to have breakfast in Hawaii it’s going to be at least $50. That box of pop tarts only costs $3 bucks! That’s a massive savings.

Watch for Deals

Groupon’s Daily Deals are available all around the island. I got a good deal on parasailing and a catamaran cruise through this.

Watch various websites for the best hotel deal. Use which ever site you need to. I use Expedia.com the most.

Have you been to Oahu? What was your favorite thing? I would love to hear any tips or advice you may have to share in the comments below.

Other Hawaiian Islands

• 5 Family Things to Do in Maui, Hawaii
• Kauai, Hawaii

The post Oahu Travel Guide appeared first on Mommy Travels.

Hale Koa a Military Resort Review

I’m standing on Waikiki Beach to take this picture of the hotel. All the hotel rooms are located in that tower.

Waikiki Beach – Check out the older people standing behind my daughter.  I guess they were taking a picture of Christmas cards or maybe they just love Santa hats.

The top balcony on the corner in this picture was ours. As you can see the balconies are a nice size.

The adults-only pool. We never got to enjoy this pool, but it looked very nice and was quiet.

View from our room.

Part of one of the big pools.

The resort is right on the beach. Here’s the public beach out in front of the hotel. They do not have any private beach but as far as I know all the beaches in Waikiki are public. So, this isn’t unusual. It’s never been crowded when I am here.

Read Next:

Stay at Bellows Beach in a Bellows AFB Cabins

Military Lodging at Joint Base Pearl Harbor & Hickam

The post Hale Koa a Military Resort on Waikiki Beach – Honolulu, Hawaii appeared first on Mommy Travels.