Beautiful Oahu
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Mike and I have loved our time in Beautiful Oahu over the years. Since 2020, we’ve traveled there three times and stayed in the same Airbnb each visit – a sweet little bungalow along the north(west) shore and steps from the ocean.
I’ve decided to consolidate our trips in one post to capture the numerous memories we’ve experienced. Maybe I’ll convince you to explore this beautiful island as well.
Our Airbnb
We struck gold the first time we stayed at the sweet spot along the ocean in Molokei – a quiet residential area along the northwest side of Oahu. Each time since then, we like to proclaim “We’re home!” when we pull into our parking spot. It really does feel a little like home away from home now.
Some of the things we enjoy at our Airbnb:
- Coffee while sitting on “our chairs” along the beach each morning. And yes, I bring my Toddy Maker to enjoy our Toddy Cold Brew Coffee.
- Reading on the beach interloped with wave-watching and scanning for whales. It’s “our job” on vacation.
- Yoga and pilates outside of our Airbnb in the shade.
- An occasional massage on our deck.
- Evening bottle of wine at that same beachside set of chairs. They were made for us!
Sunsets are always more beautiful along the ocean, and Oahu certainly shows off for us during our trips. We’ve enjoyed beautiful skies and numerous rainbows.
Heavy Rains
During our most recent trip, we experienced some heavy rains. On one particular day, the rainwaters from the mountains actually flowed via a stream and wiped out a large portion of the beach. See below! It was something we’d never experienced and was pretty crazy to see. The water turned brown as the flow of water from the stream crashed into the ocean waves – causing a spectacular stir.
Notice the swing on the photo on the right (below). That swing is one we use often and it was strange to see the missing beach below it. By the time we left the island, the beach was already mostly restored.
Exploring
Since we love our quiet time along the beach, we have to force ourselves to go out and explore. Some of the things we’ve enjoyed include the following.
Shark Diving
We went on a Pelagic Shark Dive in January of 2020 (out of Haleiwa) where we snorkeled and free-dived with (Galapagos, Sandbar, and Tiger) sharks. It sounds scary but the sharks were quite a distance below us the entire time and we had instructions on how to handle a rare shark encounter.
One of the coolest parts of the dive was when we located a nearby whale and literally tried to “chase it” – listening to the whale sing as we snorkeled toward her. Luckily, Mike had our go-pro and captured much of this “music” for us to treasure.
Koko Crater Trail
Also known as the “Koko Head Stairs,” this abandoned WWII railway track is a steep and challenging hiking trail with over 1,000 steps. It’s a busy trail with folks often having to lean over on the way up and get on their butts on the way down to cope with the incline. As you can see, we both did this very thing in 2023. It was BRUTAL but we made it! The views from the top were amazing as expected.
Bike Riding
During our most recent visit to Oahu in 2024, we rented mountain bikes at Turtle Bay Resort (on the very northern tip of the island). It was fun to ride the trails in that area and bike along the coast – stopping for pictures of banyan trees, beaches, and tide pools. We hung out at the resort for a while too, enjoying lunch and an IPA on the beach.
Sky Diving
I recently shared a LOVE Story regarding Our Sky Diving Adventure on our most recent getaway. We had an amazing experience and enjoyed every exhilarating second of the jump. Head to the post to learn about all the deets!
Surfing
We enjoyed “trying to surf” at Waikiki with our dear friend, Lauri, who used to work with me at Southwest Airlines back in the day and lives with her family in Honolulu now. We met up, grabbed some boards, and let Lauri coach us regarding pedaling out, catching a wave, and riding it. It’s WAY harder than it looks, people!
Catamaran Tour
We enjoyed a private catamaran tour out of Haleiwa in January of 2023. We tried to chase some whales but mostly relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful ocean breeze.
Waimea Valley
On one of our trips, we took a short little hike in Waimea Valley to the waterfalls. It was a gorgeous walk in a unique Hawaiian botanical garden within a significant cultural and archaeological site.
Other Adventures:
- Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay
- Exploring Turtle Bay
- Hitting the North Shore Beaches including Sunset Beach, Bonzai, Pupukea, and Waimea Bay.
- Exploring Honolulu and Waikiki Beach
- Driving around the entire island
Food
One of the things we love most about our stays in Oahu has been our laid-back agenda. Swimsuits, hats, stretchy clothes, no hairstyling, no fuss. All of this makes sense when you spend your days on the beach and then head to the food trucks in Haleiwa for meals. Here are some of our favorites in the area where we stayed:
- The Coffee Gallery (Haleiwa)
- Island Vintage Coffee (Haleiwa)
- Surf ‘N Salsa (Haleiwa)
- Da Bald Guy (just north of Turtle Bay)
- Japanese No 7 (Haleiwa)
- Haleiwa Bowls (Haleiwa)
- Sunrise Shack (north shore)
- Wicked Hi Cafe (Haleiwa)
- Kono’s (Haleiwa)
- Seven Brothers (Haleiwa plus North Shore)
- Farm to Barn (Haleiwa)
- Kahuku Beer Garden (North Shore)
- Giovanni’s (Haleiwa)
While we enjoy the many food trucks in the area, we normally purchase simple ingredients at the local grocery store so we don’t have to leave our bungalow more than once per day.
Mahalo Hawaii! We’ll be back!
