Oahu’s North Shore is home to a flourishing food truck scene. There, on the outskirts of Haleiwa, a hui of food trucks—serving everything from garlic shrimp and jambalaya to Nutella crepes and acai bowls—lives in a parking lot shaded by large trees. Brightly colored trucks also line the highway in town and beyond, in Pupukea […]
What’s wobbly-footed, bobble-headed and able to fly more than 2,000 miles in a single stretch? The Laysan albatross, a magnificent bird with an almost 7-foot wingspan known for its incredible capacity to stay at sea for up to five years without ever touching land. The expert glider can soar for hours without so much as
Since the introduction of mangoes to Hawaii in the early 1800s, the tropical fruit has become an adored harbinger of summer. The Aloha State boasts dozens of fragrant, lip-smacking mango varieties most often enjoyed fresh off the tree as a breakfast or dessert. In many ways, mango season here is truly the most wonderful time
It just got a little more difficult to choose which Oahu hotel to book for your vacation (or staycation, for the locals). Harder, because in the first six months of 2016, the Gathering Place is now home to four more hotel resorts. And each one is a stunner in its own way. Four Seasons Resort
Forget about Red Lobster. If you want to treat yourself to a feast of never ending shrimp, lobster, crab and fresh-caught fish, then make reservations at Fish House, an upscale seafood restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina. The restaurant is a great excuse to get out of Waikiki and head west
As we leave Haleiwa Harbor, my heart feels like it’s beating hard enough to burst out of my chest and flop onto the deck of the Mo‘o like a freshly caught mahimahi. The ol’ ticker is pulsing with nervous anticipation as I try not to think about the movie “Jaws.” Or, it could just be the
You won’t see Kalama Valley on postcards. As tropical valleys go, it’s small, dry and plain. Its walls are studded with rocks, California grass and gnarled, gangly kiawe and koa haole trees. Seventeen years ago, when my friends and family heard I was moving to O‘ahu’s easternmost community, they exclaimed, “Why would you want to
Oahu is an island with a split personality. On the southern shore is the city, Honolulu, where everything happens. The North Shore (a.k.a. “The Country”) is like a laid-back Neighbor Island you don’t need to fly to. Its center is Haleiwa, a small town with a couple of gas stations, several restaurants, two food markets,
Little more than a decade ago, I was in my California apartment, gazing at a map of Oahu. I was planning to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I knew little about the Islands and even less about Manoa, but the horseshoe- shaped valley looked like the right spot to me: I simply wanted
(Editor’s Note: As of March 2020, some of these businesses may have closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) Turn north on Route 99 in Pearl City, and the road ahead will feel like a beckoning finger. With your windows down and the bright sun blazing, it can be easy to follow that siren’s call and
I’m trapped in a hipster cliche driving out to the Kahumana Community—an organic farm and cafe with Google Maps navigating my hybrid car. The app’s navigation leads me astray on Oahu’s leeward side. Lost and late, my Honda Insight meanders around the rural roads of Lualualei Valley as the towering Waianae Mountain Range looks down
In or out of Waikiki, find your home away from home at one of these hidden retreats. Hokulani Waikiki Photo courtesy Hokulani Waikiki You might walk right past its entrance on Waikiki Beach Walk if you didn’t know it was there—a camouflaged doorway, with enclosed fire torches directing you to its lobby. Once inside, the
