Putting Oahu's North Shore first
Most visitors to Oahu stay in Honolulu and only briefly visit the North Shore. It might be time to flip that.
oujisama
I had a chat recently with business owners from the North Shore of Oahu, and they brought up an interesting perspective: Why is the North Shore often a stop on a circle-island roadtrip and not the centerpiece of an itinerary? Or why aren't visitors at least looking to split their hotel stays between the North Shore and Waikiki?
They feel that visitors aren't taking advantage of all they have to offer because visitors aren't staying longer than a day, and they'd like to see that change.
As long as I can remember, I've heard of the circle-island trips to the North Shore as the customary recommendation, especially for the first-time visitor. But maybe it's time to look at Oahu itineraries with fresh eyes and realize that it doesn't have to be that way.
The North Shore has places to stay, the Turtle Bay Resort and Courtyard Marriott Oahu North Shore, plus there are restaurants, shops and famous beaches. Its country lifestyle feels more like a place to vacation than the urban jungle of Honolulu. It's more laid back and peaceful, away from the city and crowds of people.
Some may say Honolulu has more to do, but there are enough things on the North Shore to fill up an itinerary. Besides going to the beach, surfing and snorkeling, visitors can hike Ehukai Pillbox Trail, swim at a waterfall in Waimea Valley, go to the Polynesian Cultural Center, shop at Haleiwa Town, zipline at Keana Farms and sample the variety of food trucks serving everything from shrimp to shave ice.
So instead of automatically booking a hotel in Waikiki and building an itinerary from there with a daytrip to the North Shore, maybe it's time to switch it the other way around?
