Oʻahu region
Honolulu (Downtown, Chinatown, Ala Moana & Pearl Harbor)
Palaces, food halls and Pearl Harbor
The city beyond Waikīkī: ʻIolani Palace and Downtown, Chinatown’s lei stands and restaurants, Kakaʻako’s murals, Ala Moana Center and its big beach park, Mānoa Valley and, to the west, Pearl Harbor and the airport.
Photo: The Eloquent Peasant via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Stay here if…
You care more about food, history and short drives to Pearl Harbor than about a beachfront room, or you want a quieter base near Ala Moana Beach Park.
The trade-off
Outside Ala Moana there are few hotels, and much of the city empties out at night. Skyline rail doesn’t reach Downtown or Ala Moana yet; you’ll rely on buses, rideshare or a car.
Hotels in Honolulu
Palaces, food halls and Pearl Harbor
Search on Booking.com
Book from here
Tours leaving from Honolulu
Things to do
Our picks in Honolulu
Swimming BeachesHonolulu
Ala Moana Beach Park
This is where Honolulu actually swims: calm water, family picnics on the lawn and sunset over the harbor, all a short walk from Waikīkī.
Read more
Culture & HistoryHonolulu
Pearl Harbor National Memorial
Standing over the sunken USS Arizona is quiet and moving in a way no museum panel can match, and the park handles it with real care.
Read more
WaterfallsHonolulu
Mānoa Falls Trail
It’s the easiest way to stand in real rainforest from a Honolulu hotel, and it feels a world away from the beach.
Read more
Lookouts & Scenic PointsHonolulu
Nuʻuanu Pali Lookout
Fifteen minutes from downtown, you step out of the car into a wall of trade wind and the whole windward side opens below you.
Read more
Lookouts & Scenic PointsHonolulu
Puʻu ʻUalakaʻa State Wayside
It gives you the whole city in one frame, Diamond Head to Pearl Harbor, without a crowd or a reservation.
Read more
Culture & HistoryHonolulu
ʻIolani Palace
It’s the clearest place to understand that Hawaiʻi was an independent kingdom, told in the rooms where it happened.
Read more
Culture & HistoryHonolulu
Bishop Museum
Hawaiian Hall alone is worth the trip, and it gives the rest of your time on Oʻahu much deeper context.
Read more
Local EatsHonolulu
Helena’s Hawaiian Food
It’s Hawaiian food the way local families eat it, and the pipikaula short ribs alone justify the drive.
Read moreHonolulu
Kakaʻako Farmers Market
It’s the more relaxed alternative to KCC, with free parking and a big spread of food that local families actually shop.
Read more
