Last month my best friend and I took a girl’s trip to Oahu. We’ve known each other since we were in sixth grade – that’s how far back our friendship goes. While we’ve visited each other while living in different states and celebrated birthdays in NYC together, we hadn’t done a summer trip anywhere.
We’ve been meaning to go somewhere for a while, but it seemed like other life things kept happening. Oh yeah, and then COVID-19 happened…
One random night, she called me and said, “What are you doing right now? Let’s book our trip”, and then as easy as that, our trip was booked for Oahu.
I hadn’t gone to Oahu since I was 20 years old, and while I was so excited to create new memories with my friend, I was also excited to return to a place as a totally different person.
Diamond Head Hike
We started the hike at 8 a.m. and I’m so glad we did. Not only was the trail less crowded but the temperature was also much more manageable. Even still, it was 80 degrees when we started our hike. If you’re interested in doing the hike I recommend wearing a sun shirt, a big hat, and plenty of water and sunscreen. Also one thing to note was the parking fee, $5 and you need to make a reservation ahead of time. It gets pretty crowded so book early!
Top Food Spots
Everything from poke to sushi to kalua pork was had on this trip. Here are some of my favorite spots!
- House Without A Key – the biggest and freshest poke I’ve ever had. It was delicious, but it comes at a high cost! I got the Shoyu Poke with the Halekulani Coconut Cake, and the Halekulani Sunset drink!
- Germaine’s Luau: when you buy a ticket it comes with two drinks and all you can eat (for the most part) Hawaiian food. Everything from kalua pork, to fresh fish and pulehu chicken are up on the menu!
- Eggs ’n Things: after our hike we grabbed breakfast here. My friend and I ordered the local style Kalbi ‘n eggs with kim chee and a side of pancakes to douse in guava syrup. Was it right and delicious? Yes. Was it worth it? Hell yes.
- The Sunrise Shack: we went here for a quick açaí bowl before heading out to the beach. It’s a cute hole-in-the-wall spot that has a really different menu! I got the ‘Tropical Bowl’ while my friend ordered the ‘Blue Dream Bowl’
- Ginza Sushi: later that night we ordered way too much sushi and sake from Ginza Sushi. They have an impressive selection of sushi and really friendly staff! Check it out…
- Paia Fish Market: This was our last dinner together in the island. The restaurant was definitely more of a relaxed cafeteria kind of style, but the seafood was delicious! We got a seafood pasta with mint mojitos. I would highly recommend both!
- Leonard’s Bakery: this is one of those places that you have to visit when you go to Oahu. They have a couple of different locations around the island, and so fat I have been to two of them. They serve these donuts called malasadas, and you can get them filled with different flavors. Some of my favorites are coconut cream, guava, and chocolate.
Besides the food, the rest of our trip was spent laying out on the beach! Even though it took us well over ten years to finally make this trip happen, I’m so happy we eventually did.
