Oh, if there was only some way for a person to find out what kinds of activities and tourist things were available at a destination...
O'ahu is a wasteland of nothingness. There's not anything worthy of even leaving your hotel room.
Just attend the conference then retire to your room...and spare yourself the agony of being in one of the most un-fun places on the planet...
I go to Oahu for work every 3 months for about 5 days or so...I stay in Maui or Kona though....tired of Oahu...
for real, if you can't have fun in oahu you're doing it wrong. i've been there countless times and it's always been a pleasure, even when sleeping on the floor of my brother's roach infested apt.sound like a vacation hipster
for real, if you can't have fun in oahu you're doing it wrong. i've been there countless times and it's always been a pleasure, even when sleeping on the floor of my brother's roach infested apt.
On a side note, the main problem with people having conferences and shit there is because people do exactly what you want to do.....skip them and tour the islands. I am surprised there is even anything being held at the convention center.
Get out of Waikiki would be the first thing
Heh, I was going to suggest the same thing and I'm far from an expert on Oahu. Waikiki feels just like Southern California to me. I'd suggest renting a car and going to the other sides of the island to get away from the strip malls and tourons. I'm particularly fond of Kailua Beach, personally.
Kikoman, Kikoman.
there are plenty of "small town" things to do on oahu...and many of them don't involve tourists. while maui and kona are great, they are also way over infested with tourists. in fact, the hawaii tourism agency just released their findings from last fall and they reported more tourists go to Maui and Kona side resorts than Oahu anymore. Their airports can handle international flights and flights from the mainland, so no sense landing in Honolulu and then flying over. if you are trying to avoid tourists, you are doing it wrong by going to Maui or Kona. Try Kauai or Molokai...or Hilo side.
Kailua beach is alright if you are a tourist trying to avoid tourists . The water can get kinda slimy down there too depending on the rains. It is a nice beach, but a little down the way at Kalama's is just as good and only 5 minutes of a drive. A little less crowded too.
and yeah, Waikiki is totally not cool anymore unless you are going to bars at night. Otherwise its flooded with the shopping tourists, and tacky souvenir shops.
ever go snorkeling in kailua though? i've seen some pretty cool stuff. they have some strange coral formations that look like brains. tons of turtles and moray eels and other cool stuff
can also rent a kayak and go out to those little molokini islands. very fun times!