Honolulu Travel Forum

Hi VTers, we land in Honolulu at 7.30am on a Sat from Australia and then fly to LA at 2pm. Any suggestions on what to do in between other than sitting in Honolulu airport? Thanks Matt

Well you could look around the airport and see if they have any good shops. If you don't want to spend money, take a handheld video game with you. I travel with my Gameboy Advance system. Whenever I travel, I make sure to purchase a few games to kill time. What do you like to do in spare time?

Just thought there might be something within a short cab ride that was worth visiting, stretching the legs and would kill an hour or two in between what will be a 24 hours of travelling.
Not into video games; don't mind shopping, but to me shopping at the airport (unless duty free)is like buying stuff in a hotel lobby! Overpriced.

If you get in on time, I would grab a cab over to Royal Hawaiian Hotel and hang out around the International Market Place and the beach for a couple of hours. Security isn't that bad so you shouldn't have much problem getting back through.

However, you might spend some time clearing US Customs so if you don't have at least five hours from leaving the terminal to departure time to LA, I wouldn't leave the terminal. The terminal is pretty large with plenty of places to hang and window shop so you won't be bored for 4-5 hours.

I have never set foot on Hawaii ... but out of curiosity looked at Google maps for Waikiki and it looks like it's fairly close.

In reality you have about three hours as you should be back no later than 12 - so you could possibly take a bus to Waikiki (not sure if you will be carrying luggage) - and have some early lunch in Waikiki ... several restaurants listed on the VT pages. You could always take a taxi back.

I would make sure and check the post about rush hour traffic, but I think you'll miss it coming back.

I also found the link for the airport transportation -
http://www.state.hi.us/dot/airports/hnl/hnl_ground_trans.htm - so maybe a bus to a restaurant and taxi back. Good luck - hopefully a local can post with maybe a solid suggestion. I just wrote what I would do.

Aloha. Landing and getting out front to the taxi/shuttle area is another thing. There is a Mini-Hotel in the HNL terminal on the second level of the main overseas terminal. There are good restaurant/bars at HNL and an outside garden park next to the walkway, one story down. Outside by the parking area are fresh flower lei stands to walk around and enjoy the work the Aunties put into them. If you do want to go to Waikiki, Saturday is not that busy on the roads at 8:30 AM and Waikiki is only 9 miles away. There is an A8 Taxi/Shuttle company that will give a private ride, up to 4 people, for about $50 round trip and at your time to return, as mentioned should be around noon. So, 9:00 AM you could be walking Kalakaua Ave, the main street in Waikik, walk down the beach and gaze at Diamond Head and the hotels along the sand. Back on Kalakaua there are many hotels and restaurants to get a bite to eat. See the statue of the famous surfer, Duke Kahanamoka, toward Diamond Head, beachside, after the hotels. 2 hours of sightseeing Waikiki and time for food before returning. Not bad for 3 hours. The A8 Taxi/Shuttle website: www.honolulushuttle.com

I would hang out in Waikiki because it's close to the airport. Lots of restaurants, shops and you can see the beach.

Off the beaten path and also very close to the airport - visit Chinatown.

If you like swap meets/flea markets, the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet is every Saturday (also Wednesday and Sunday) and is very close to the airport. Inexpensive souvenirs, food, lots of fun! http://www.alohastadiumswapmeet.net/ :)