Honolulu/O'ahu Overview

Welcome to the islands' Gathering Place. Visit Waikiki, Waimea, and Manoa--even the names are magical. Watch hula, dine on Pacific Rim Cuisine, and snorkel Hanauma Bay. East meets West in every aspect and the warm spirit of Aloha embraces it all.

Districts

Honolulu is an ultra-modern city full of enormous diversity. The county of Honolulu is home to approximately 800,000 people of all races and cultures and includes the entire island of Oahu. It is this diversity that gives O'ahu the nickname, "The Gathering Place."

Waikiki
Waikiki Beach stretches from the slopes of Diamond Head to Ala Moana and the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor. The beach itself is a great spot for the whole family. There is a near-shore break for the children (keiki pool), while the more experienced swimmers surf the waves. The main thoroughfare of Waikiki is Kalakaua Boulevard. Most of the hotels, shops, and restaurants are gathered along this well-populated strip.

Chinatown
Chinatown is one of Honolulu's most colorful and exciting neighborhoods. The area has been a major gateway for immigrants to Hawai`i. Chinese medicine and Eastern religion have a huge presence with Taoist, Buddhist, and Shinto temples sandwiched between herbalists, shops, and restaurants.

Downtown/Waterfront
From the steely skyscrapers and luxury high-rises along the waterfront to the restored palaces and fascinating museums on Beretania and Bernice Streets, the downtown area proves Honolulu to be much more than the glitzy tourist town that Waikiki would have us believe.

East Honolulu--Diamond Head, Kahala, & Hawaii Kai
Diamond Head is great for hikers. This peak can be seen from many vantage points in Honolulu, but for outdoor enthusiasts there's no better way to experience it than by hiking to the summit and gazing down at the island below

Experts agree that Hanauma Bay, on the eastern tip of the island, offers some of the world's best snorkeling. However, if you prefer more privacy, try snorkeling or diving in Hawaii Kai.

North Honolulu--Pearl Harbor, Pearl City, Ewa Beach
Aside from Waikiki, this district may be the one most often visited by tourists. Site of the infamous Pearl Harbor attack, it is among the most famous naval attractions in the country.

Windward O'ahu
The eastern shore of the island is a quiet, laid-back place, devoid of all the glitz and noise of Honolulu. Most locals will also tell you that it's the best part of the island. There are no major hotels or malls here, but there are plenty of restaurants and shops, and there seems to be a B&B tucked under every hillock and at the end of every street.

North Shore
Like other Hawaiian islands, the Big Island of Hawaii has its own North Shore, where surfers from around the world come to brave the big waves in winter time. The North Shore is one of Oahu's most popular areas. It has great beaches, famous parks, and a mellow lifestyle.

Entertainment

As the geographical center of the Pacific, Honolulu is also the entertainment capital of this vast region. There is much to do and see in its many entertainment venues.

Art
Hawai`i is home to many world-class artists, and Honolulu has multiple galleries displaying their work. Honolulu Academy of Arts, is a place where, artistically, "East meets West."

Cinema
In Honolulu's prestigious Restaurant Row near downtown, nine screens show first-run features. In the old Dole Cannery area on the other side of Honolulu's downtown area, there is a 16-screen Signature Theater.

Music and Dance of Polynesia and Beyond
All the colorful islands of the Pacific are well represented in the music and dance of Honolulu. One of the most popular forms of entertainment for the visitor to Hawai`i is the luau, a traditional Hawaiian festival party. Guests are served sumptuous food and drink and treated to a music and dance extravaganza.

Museums
Honolulu boasts one of the country's most interesting local history and cultural archives, the Bishop Museum. Also downtown, the Mission Houses Museum allows one to step back in time to the early 19th century, when Honolulu was a bustling whaling port.

Nightclubs
Honolulu, like most cities, has a wide variety of spots where nightlife flourishes. Most of these nightclubs are in the tourist area of Waikiki.

Golf
One of the main reasons visitors come to the Hawaiian Islands is the abundance of beautiful golf courses. Honolulu's home island of O'ahu has a number of great choices.

Dining and Drinking

Honolulu is a city that is rich in dining and drinking choices. The competition to capture part of the tourist market (5 million people annually) makes restaurants innovative and very conscious of quality. Whether you are in the mood for seafood, Chinese, Italian, French, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, or good old American fare, Honolulu will not disappoint you.

Waikiki
Hawaii's premier vacation destination, Waikiki, boasts every imaginable kind of dining establishment. Every large hotel has at least one restaurant and some boast five or six; most are very worthwhile.

Chinatown
As might be expected, Honolulu's Chinatown features some of the best Chinese restaurants in the Pacific basin. In addition to regional Chinese establishments, you'll also find other authentic Asian eateries here. Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, and Indonesian food are all available and, in most cases, very reasonably priced.

Downtown Honolulu
The downtown center of this fascinating melting-pot city offers a wide choice of dining establishments. Straddling the border of downtown and Ala Moana is Restaurant Row on Ala Moana Boulevard. Several blocks away, the Aloha Tower Marketplace at the Port of Honolulu also boasts a number of excellent dining choices.

Ala Moana and Kaakako
There are some great places to dine on the stretch between downtown Honolulu and Waikiki. The two main thoroughfares that span this four-mile distance are Ala Moana and Kapiolani Boulevards. The many-sided Victoria Ward Center on Ala Moana has some of the best spots in town. The Ala Moana Center itself has over 30 choices for dining; in addition to multiple restaurants, the Ala Moana Food Court, also known as the Makai Market, has over 20 stalls that serve American, Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and local cuisine.

Where To Stay

Five million people per year visit the island of O'ahu and the Pacific metropolis of Honolulu. It is no wonder that the island boasts some of the finest hotels in the world. It is the land of Aloha, and you'll find the famous Aloha Spirit in many of the fine area hotels.

Honolulu By the Numbers

Elevation: 7 feet
Average Annual Rainfall: 21.6 inches
Average January Temperature: 73 degrees F
Average July Temperature: 80 degrees F

Time Zone: GMT-10
Country Dialing Code: 1
Area Code: 808

Population: 371,657 in Honolulu, 1 million+ on Oahu
Ethnic Mix: 19.67% Caucasian; 1.62% African-American; 6.85% Hawaiian natives; 4.37% Hispanic; 55.85% Asian
Industries: Oil, electronics, computers, automobile manufacturing, aerospace industries, agriculture, telecommunications, chemicals, mining, processing and packaging.

Did You Know?

The bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 by Japan triggered the entrance of the United States into World War II and the imposition of martial law until 1944. Pearl Harbor is today one of the most frequently visited tourist attractions in Hawaii. Interestingly, Pearl Harbor has as many visitors from Japan as it does from the United States.

Orientation/Geography

Located on the southern end of Oahu, Honolulu is a harbor city located 2,550 miles southwest of Los Angeles. Honolulu is dually the capital and the largest city in the Hawaiian Islands.

The island of Oahu is situated within the Hawaiian Islands to the southeast of Kauai and northwest of Maui.


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