Travel

Oahu Day 1: Arrival and The Beach Waikiki Hostel

Honolulu is the most bustling city of all the islands

When I decided to travel to Hawaii, I knew NOTHING about the islands. I only was curious to see what everyone talked (and sang) about. I stayed at The Beach Waikiki Hostel, which I booked through Hostelworld, which is by far the best Hostel in Waikiki.

People had told me, or I had deduced, that it was beneficial to visit at least 2 of the islands because they are different.

So the first island I went to was Oahu. I originally had 5 nights on Oahu planned, and as you’ll read, I extended it to 6 nights since I met people and was having such a good time. I arrived on Oahu on December 26, 2024 and stayed until January 1, 2025. New Years Eve was epic. More on that later including the best spot in the world to see fireworks.

I stayed at The Beach Waikiki Hostel, which was so much fun. They offer a set of rotating paid tours and free activities almost everyday, which are very easy to sign up for.

They also have surfboards, snorkel gear, and other things to help travelers take full advantage of the beach.

In addition to the things the hostel offers, the hostel offered an atmosphere and space for us fellow travelers to meet one another and become quick friends.

I ate breakfast at the Rainbow Drive-In which is a local place. It was very affordable and literally gave me food for the next 3 days.

I then met people my first day on a hike up to Kokohead. We took a van of about 8 of us, hiked, got lunch, and then went to 2 beaches.

Kokohead was not easy, but it wasn’t hard either. If you take your time, it will be fine. If you’re not in shape, you’ll struggle.

On that tour, I met a lot of people including a Finnish gal and a gal from Toronto. The gal from Toronto subsequently invited me on a hike up 3 Peaks, and I hung out with the Finnish gal all week.

There isn’t really a secret to meeting people. My best advice is to really let it happen organically. Strike up a friendly conversation by asking a couple of questions and be open to the direction that the conversation goes in. Be accepting of yourself and everyone around you. Ok, enough of that.

After Kokohead, we got lunch at a little mall area that had a few different options to eat. We then went to Makapu’u Lookout, which was absolutely beautiful.

We then went to the Halona Beach Cove, which was a really small beach area, but pretty cool to swim in. The waves were very rough and there were a lot of rocks, so be careful!!

To finish the tour, we went to Sandy Beach, which was great. Again, the waves were big and rough, so you need to be very careful!

Overall, it was a fun, full day!