 |
HONOLULU
GUIDE:
°Visitor's Guide
°PubClubbing
°Bars & Lounges
°Nightclubs
°Signtseeing
° Restaurants and
Dining Guide
°The Sand Bar Party
°The North Shore
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
° The Islands
° Hawaii Home Page
° Hawaii Customs & Visitor's
Guide
NO LAST
CALL!
° Home Page
° Sign up to be a "PubClubber"
MORE CITY
GUIDES:
° Amsterdam
° Australia
° Boston
° Chicago
°
Florida – A
Visitor's Guide
°
Ft. Lauderdale
°
Greek Islands
°
Key West
°
Las Vegas
°
London
°
Los Angeles
°
Manhattan Beach
°
Maui
°
Mexico
°
New Orleans
° Pamplona/Ibiza
°
Paris
°
Phoenix
°
Portland
°
San Diego
°
San Francisco
°
Santa Monica
°
Seattle
°
Sedona & The Grand Canyon
°
Ski Resorts
°
South Florida
Cities
°
Tokyo
°
Toronto
°
Vancouver
FEATURES:
°
The Bartender
°
Pub Journals
° Jazz Fest
° Jimmy Buffett
Concerts
Text
and photos of Honolulu and Oahu with information on the people, places,
customs, transportation, where to go, what to do and what to expect..
|
|
Welcome to Honolulu, Waikiki
Beach and Oahu
Diamond Head, from
Waikiki Beach, frames PubClubette Nyisha.
Leid-back and
lovely, Oahu is an island with no attitude, a diverse destination framed
by the most photographed landmark on earth, Diamondhead.
This section provides an overview of Oahu and Honolulu. The links to the
left offer insight into the island's attractions, restaurants, bars and
nightlife. The most important thing to remember is to quickly adopt Hawaii's
"Aloha Spirit," which quite simply means go with the flow. Life
here is not about you and it's not about us – it's about everyone.
Arrival and Orientation
With its beach and
buildings, Honolulu is a scenic seaside attraction
The first thing to realize is that Honolulu is a city on a fairly large
island and in no way occupies all of Oahu. While most of the social
action occurs in Honolulu, it by no means is the only place with activity.
Honolulu and Waikiki Beach in particular are crowded and in many ways
very touristy but there is an entire island to explore, including the
North Shore with its famous Bonsai Pipeline.
|
Luau
Larry's Suntan Tips
The following Hawaiian suntanning tips are provided by PubClubber
Luau Larry, who ran a suntan booth on Waikiki Beach for several
years.
• Hawaii is just 23 degrees north of the equator. Therefore,
it's much easier to burn here than at home; be careful.
• Places where the skin is closest to the bone burn most
easily. That is, the forehead, nose, shoulders, hands and feet.
Use the highest protection factor on these areas.
• Check the ingredients before buying lotion. Try and use
products whose first ingredient is lotion, not water.
• Avoid mineral and baby oils. They are not absorbed into
the skin and will cause blisters. Instead, use vegetable, sesame
or mink oils.
• The only way to avoid a sunburn is to get
a suntan. Tanning is not a race, it's a marathon. Don't
try and do it all in one day.
So, just who is Luau Larry? Read
about him in this article!
|
The North Shore has a life all it's own. This is a great place to watch
surfers in the winter and sunsets anytime at nearby Sunset Beach. Don't
even think about joining the surfers in the winter swells, though. Beneath
the huge waves are jagged coral and it's no badge of honor to wear the
scars of survival. That is, if one is fortunate enough to even survive.
The main road through Honolulu is Interstate H-1, or the Honolulu Highway.
It goes from Pearl Harbor to Diamond Head, cutting through the airport
and Waikiki. Just past Diamond Head it becomes Highway 72, which eventually
turns into Highway 83, hugging the coast well past the North Shore.
In Waikiki, Kalakaua Ave., runs along the beach and all seaside hotels.
Kuhio Ave., and Ala Wai Blvd., both to the makai (see below) are the
other two main streets. The Hawaiian alphabet only contains 12 letters,
so many roads and places seem to look or sound the same. To properly
speak Hawaiian, pronounce each vowel.
While in Honolulu, Diamond Head is a natural landmark. It is to the
east of Waikiki. Locals talk in terms of "mauka," meaning
toward the sea, and" makai" (inland) or "ewa" (pronounced
"eva") which is opposite of Diamond Head toward the Ewa Plantation.
For those interested in some bar trivia, Diamond Head's actual name
is Mt. Leahi – it acquired its nickname when British sailors
found olivine crystals on its slopes and thought them to be diamonds.
(It must be noted that olivine crystals are green, so they had either
been out to sea too long or had just discovered the Mai
Tai bar).
From the airport, shuttles to Waikiki are a quite pleasing $8 each
way ($14 R/T). Taxi fare is approximately $35. The trip takes between
30-45 minutes, depending on traffic.
Getting Around
For those staying in Waikiki, most everything is within easy walking
distance. However, for exploring the entire island – something
that is highly recommended by PubClub – a rental car is
necessary. But only for a day or two. Why pay $10-20 a day to park it
in a hotel garage for a week when it will only be used a couple of days?
Rental car rates are as low as $30 a day for a midsize. If/when driving,
watch out for unmarked white vans. They are Oahu's latest attempt to
catch speeders. They patrol the highways and supposedly will ticket
people going just a single mile an hour over the speed limit.
Taxis are readily available and most nightclub activity is within
5-10 minutes of Waikiki, so fares will be less than $10 for those staying
in that area. Honolulu has a clean and efficient bus system, called
The Bus, and it operates from 5 a.m.-1 a.m., and goes to Hanauma
Bay, Sandy and Makapuu beaches every half-hour from Waikiki. Pick-up
spots are marked by yellow-and-orange striped signs.
The People, Customs and Social Scene
Partying with locals
is a great way to experience the Aloha Spirit.
Hawaiians move not at the speed of light, but rather at the speed of
like. That is, however they like. So don't be in a hurry here.
They also do dress in floral prints - the proper term for the button-down
is "Aloha shirt," not "Hawaiian shirt" – and
they surf a lot. It is this "hang loose" spirit that shapes
the soul of locals. One of their favorite expressions is: "You
lucky you live Hawaii." Haoles who adapt the same attitude will
get the most out of their time in Hawaii.
Leis are used by locals to celebrate an occasion – a birthday,
promotion, wedding, etc. Offer a "congratulations" and it
will be warmly received. Orchards worn in the ears of wahines signal
their relationship status – left is married or taken, right is
single.
FOR MORE HAWAIIAN CUSTOMS AND TERMS, CLICK HERE.
Those coming to Hawaii looking to party should spend the bulk of their
time in Honolulu. While no one will mistake it for Mykonos,
it does have some active nightlife, plus a world-famous beach lined
with hotel bars that serve potent colored drinks with umbrellas and
pineapples sticking out of the glass.
The place to start is tourist-crowded Waikiki Beach. It's also the
place to go in order to meet singles on holiday. The typical nightclub
dress code is Aloha shirt and jeans in the clubs for men and for women
it's spaghetti -string tops and skirts or shorts. Drink 'em if you've
got 'em for pubs and bars is 1 a.m.; some clubs like The Wave, Pipeline
and Red Lion are open until 4 (and don't start to fill up until after
midnight).
Above all, relax and have fun. Nightlife in Honolulu is not about being
noticed, it's about having a good night on the town after a day on the
beach. Cheers – or, literally, "bottoms up" – is
okole maluna (remember to pronounce all the vowels).
SEE OUR COMPLETE NIGHTLIFE GUIDE.
Where To Stay
Welcome to a world
of palm trees, sand, sunset and mai tais.
The most convenient place is in Waikiki Beach. Most of the activities,
restaurants and bars are centered in this area, either a walk or short
cab ride away. There are several hotels right on the beach, or slightly
less expensive accommodations located within 2-4 blocks of the beach.
 Next
stop on the Hawaii Party Bus: Booze Cruise
|
|
|