Oahu Diaries

ALOHA BABY! I started my summer off as an educated & unemployed girly living her best life in Hawaii. My family and I spent 3 nights on Oahu and 7 nights on Maui. I was definitely living my best life and enjoying the beauty and fun that the islands have to offer. My daily summaries are somewhat of a not-so-vegan food guide in addition to where the hidden vegan-friendly restaurants are that you must try if you ever visit Oahu or Maui. Otherwise, I hope my miscellaneous travel tips are helpful for your next Hawaii trip.

**PSA**

If you do visit, I highly recommend waking up early for morning swims when the water is calm and the beaches are quieter, specifically in Maui.

Most importantly, tourism is just coming back to the islands and the beaches are so clean, so please respect the natives' beautiful home and nature by leaving the beaches you visit nicer than when you arrived. Please respect ocean life when snorkeling and avoid stepping on coral or touching creatures, as well as land animals (there are so many wild chickens).

Days on Oahu <3

Tuesday

We arrived in Waikiki pretty early, around 11am. My family stayed at the Hyatt Regency which was so beautiful and right across from the beach. The hotel had a mall downstairs and an Urban Outfitters which was dangerous, but also so convenient. We checked in quickly and changed to go meet my friend Maya and her friends at Queens Beach (only a few blocks down from the hotel). We had an amazing first day swimming and roasting in the sun. We got smoothies at a nearby beachside restaurant (Barefoot Beach Cafe) to hold us over until dinner at an Italian restaurant in the same area as the hotel (Arancino Di Mare). The menu was not vegan friendly, so I ordered penne pasta with marinara which hit the spot but wasn’t anything special. Although, their management was so nice, and they had mask bags to keep your masks clean while you ate. After dinner I went back to the hotel to pack up my stuff and meet Maya back at her apartment where I stayed while on Oahu. We ended the night watching h20 with snacks from 7/11 (you NEED to get the sour belt candy with li hing powder, they are so addicting).

Wednesday

The next morning, I took an uber back to the hotel to get a covid test with my family for us to fly to Maui in a couple days. After our tests, my sister and I took an uber back to Maya’s apartment where we waited for our next uber to come and pick us up to take us to Sandy beach (30 min ride from Waikiki). The beach was clean and not very busy with tourists, which I now seem to believe was from the deathly waves that almost put me six feet under. Besides almost drowning multiple times, I had an amazing day laying in the sun like a beached whale. I only recommend Sandy Beach to talented swimmers, otherwise you might break your back. Also, bring your own snacks and beverages, there is only one food truck there that sells smoothies and hot dogs (I recommend 7/11 for snacks, they sell much better food than the mainland 7/11's... the teriyaki spam musubi is so fire but so not vegan). We also tried to go to Dave n Buster’s that night but couldn’t get in because not everyone was 21. We ended the night on the rooftop of Maya's apartment with some taco bell which I regret because why the hell was I eating Taco bell in Hawaii.

Thursday

On Thursday morning I woke up early before Maya and walked to 7/11 to get snacks for our day trip. I got hurricane popcorn, teriyaki spam musubi’s, and of course hawaiian sun juice (strawberry lilikoi is the best flavor). We rented a car with HUI. I highly recommend the HUI car share app to easily rent a car for a few hours and avoid having to rent a car for the week and pay overnight parking. You’ll save so much money renting from HUI so you need to check them out if you are in Hawaii. Another tip is scheduling uber rides in advance because they are so much cheaper.

We rented our HUI car for the entire day and had a list of places we wanted to visit in the North Shore. Unfortunately, our first stop, the sunflower fields were closed, even though they said they were open online (so make sure to call to confirm their hours). We then headed to Waimea Bay to go cliff jumping where I learned I was afraid of heights as I climbed up the rock. We also had to jump twice because we didn’t get the first jump on video. I get super nerve now thinking about jumping literally only 20-ish feet, but it was still so much fun, and I can’t wait to do it again. We swam at a few different beaches as well, getting caught in the washing machine and almost drowning, but did you even swim in the ocean if you didn’t almost die. As we drove between beaches, we stopped at the Sunrise Shack, but of course it was closed (theme of the day). We then stopped at Bonzai Bowls, and they make the most beautiful and delicious acai bowls. The last beach we visited was Sunset Beach, which was not busy at all and such a chill beach to lay, swim, and relax at. After Sunset beach we got dinner from Liliha Bakery (I do not recommend for vegans). The chicken teriyaki dinner was amazing, and I am now obsessed with cinnamon butter mochi (thanks to Maya).

I cannot wait to visit Maya in Oahu again and do all the things we didn't have time for on this trip. Always remember to travel with respect!

I hope everyone is having an amazing summer and dodging covid!