Booking a trip to O’ahu in 2023

[ukuleledavid]

Hey there Ukulele Underground,

Are there any members on this forum by chance that are thinking of booking, currently booking, or have already booked a trip to O’ahu for 2023?

We have all felt the weight of the last two years. Speaking for myself, I was out of work for over a year due to the pandemic hitting the industry. Now I have a different career that I love and have been working nonstop saving to travel abroad.

After everything that has happened, I feel like the world is a grand stage - that you can’t predict when the next biological, economic, or civil plot line will be thrown at us. Life’s short, so for me I’m thinking it is now or never to visit Hawaii for a week.

I hope this thread can become a reference for those of us interested this year or for seasoned veterans to share. Here it goes:

1) As far as specifically O’ahu goes, is there any other happenings to book around besides ‘Ukulele Festival Hawai’i that happens every year in July? F.Y.I. I am set on O’ahu this first go around. Any festivals/concerts/jams/luaus/ho’ikes/community/competitions/awards/ceremonies or must see live music type events on O’ahu in 2023 that you are aware of?

2) As far as financially, anyone not retired/wealthy with unlimited funds have any pointers at all for doing this or have done this in the past? Any information as far as booking (travel agent vs independent), obtainable lodging, ways to enjoy O’ahu on a “budget”..etc are welcomed here.

Don’t get me wrong I am entirely realistic about the cost and expect to pay a lot regardless, but as I said funds are not necessarily unlimited so anything helps. Thanks for your help UU!

Aloha,
Dave

 

[badhabits]

Ukulele festival is done, no more. Start with a search on "Oahu" and "Waikiki"... all kinds of stuff has been posted, some very recently.

 

[man0a]

The July ukulele festival has ended, but there is an annual "Ukulele Picnic in Hawaii". It is 3 days this year, Feb 17-19. https://www.ukulelepicnicinhawaii.org/en/

 

[ukuleledavid]

Ukulele festival is done, no more. Start with a search on "Oahu" and "Waikiki"... all kinds of stuff has been posted, some very recently.

Awesome, thank you! I just found a good one now. A recent one titled something like “dream vacation”. I will see what else I can find.

Sad to hear about ukulele festival being canceled. It was a good run.

If anyone still wants to make a post on here addressing my OP about specifically arranging a 2023 trip that’d be cool too!

 

[rainbow21]

You might want to describe what you are seeking from your trip for more focused responses. There will be some info on the (lack of) ukulele festivals.

Is this an ukulele centric trip? Or a tourist centric one where sites like Pearl Harbor and perhaps luaus should be included? Are you looking to stay in a hotel around Waikiki?

Honolulu is like an expensive American city... you can spend a lot looking at expensive restaurants or go to the cheap local eats. One consideration is car rental. Be aware that if you do more than a day rental, parking charges at hotels can be exorbitant. When I go, we rent for one day to go to the North Shore (where The Ukulele Site is) and so avoid overnight parking fees.

 

[badhabits]

You might want to describe what you are seeking from your trip for more focused responses. There will be some info on the (lack of) ukulele festivals.

Is this an ukulele centric trip? Or a tourist centric one where sites like Pearl Harbor and perhaps luaus should be included? Are you looking to stay in a hotel around Waikiki?

Honolulu is like an expensive American city... you can spend a lot looking at expensive restaurants or go to the cheap local eats. One consideration is car rental. Be aware that if you do more than a day rental, parking charges at hotels can be exorbitant. When I go, we rent for one day to go to the North Shore (where The Ukulele Site is) and so avoid overnight parking fees.

I was just gonna ask op about interests. There is sooo much to see and do on Oahu, whether the trip is uke-centric or not. Prices are high, food is excellent, including local dives, and the music scene is great, lots of talent. There are many travel and food videos on YouTube. Another place to start is the blue Oahu revealed travel book.

 

[man0a]

My advice is go to the Hi*Sessions YouTube channel and see which musicians are interesting to you, then check their web sites to see where they are playing and go watch them live. A lot of top notch musicians (including ukulele players) play in restaurants and bars where you can watch them for hours for the price of a meal or few drinks. https://www.youtube.com/c/HISessions

 

[clear]

2) As far as financially, anyone not retired/wealthy with unlimited funds have any pointers at all for doing this or have done this in the past? Any information as far as booking (travel agent vs independent), obtainable lodging, ways to enjoy O’ahu on a “budget”..etc are welcomed here.

You don't really need to have any specific event to go to Hi; just being there, the ocean and beach is great.

WRT saving money, a lot of things are totally free or can be done pretty cheap.

We can easily spand a half day at the beaches in Lanika or the almost adjacent Kailua park beach. You can go to the electric/power plant beach near Makakilo to snorkel, dive, and surf (advanced, rocky). Waikiki is great for swimming and surfing. There's also a trip to the north shores for sight seeing and surf watching. If you rent surfboards (or anything) delivered to your hotel or beach, it'll be cheaper than onsite, generally. For food, you can splurge for a few meals, but for the other meals, there's Chinatown, various BBQs, Zippy's, Rainbow Drivethru, etc. There's also a Walmart near Ala Moana mall and the Flea market at Alhoa stadium for cheap souvenirs, etc.

Have fun.

 

[mds725]

Three good places for music in the Waikiki/Honolulu area are the Kani Ka Pila Grille, the Barefoot Cafe, and Nico's Pier 38. If you want to do some ukulele-centric things, there are factory tours at both Kamaka and Ko'Aloha (call ahead), both of which are in Honolulu, and at Kanile'a in Kane'ohe (on the other side of the Ko'olau Mountains from Honolulu, although Kanile'a now has a store at the Ala Moana Mall). And most ukulele players make the pilgrimage to The Ukulele Site in Hale'iwa. There are other things to do on the North Shore as well (art galleries, beaches, the Polynesian Cultural Center, etc.) so that's a worthwhile day trip.

 

[ukuleledavid]

Thank you guys, really appreciate all the info! A couple members mentioned it would be helpful to know what I’d like to do. In no particular order: ukulele factory tour, hit the Ukulele Site, lazy day at the beach & pool, a cool hike, a lot of live music, a lot of tasty local eats..etc that kinda trip. That’s my dream!

 

[efiscella]

I am a fairily seasoned Hawaii traveler over the past 40 years. I am now on Oahu for the month of February. I usually come for a week or two but this time for a month so trying to find ways to enjoy myself and yet limit the amount I spend is important. Even though I have been here often, especially Waikiki, much has changed since the pandemic. I decided to watch a ton of YouTube videos on Waikiki. How to pack, walking tours, hotel tours. Remember, I am pretty seasoned but I found these YouTube videos to be immensely helpful, especially when looking to find really good local food that is fairly priced. The hotel across the street has $40 mai tai’s and $28 cheeseburgers. The continental breakfast at my hotel is $25 for a coffee, croissant, small fruit cup and yogurt— no other options. But with some research you can find excellent dinners for $13. Good Drinks for $7-11. you just have to know where to look and those youtubes are great for that. Many markets have opened up in Waikiki since the pandemic. These markets offer fresh cooked food, and veggies along with fruits at reasonable prices. I downloaded an app for happy hours where you can get excellent pupus and drinks. The parking fees are crazy but if you get a hui car you can rent by the day or even by the hour. Gas, insurance and parking is included. Beats paying the overnight fees Of $65/night for the car. There are a number of hotels that are not big names but very nice for $100+ a night. I happened to to have save a ton of Marriott points during the pandemic so I am using many of them.

You really don’t need to pay for entertainment. Drinks are super expensive and not worth the money. Nothing in them is top self unless you get that $40 mai tai. The beach is free. As for ukulele, there is the 3 day Ukulele Picnic in February. I am looking forward to attending. Jake is performing at the end of the month, but it is hard to find ukulele activity. There are, however, more ukulele stores than before the pandemic, but the days of you just going into a store a playing one uke after another are over. With Covid and theft, many ukes are locked up, behind counters, or with signs saying to ask for help before picking them up. Once you ask for help and they realize you are really not a buyer, your option to try different ukes will be limited. knowing this, I know in advance which ones I want to try.

I have visited Ukulele Labs, The ukulelehawaiistore, Kanile’a, Koaloha, Ukulele Pua Pua and Hawaiian Music Supply. The largest supply of ukes is at Ukulelehawaiistore on Lewers Street in Waikiki. I took a great ukulele lesson with Tyler Gilman at the ukulelestorehawaii.com. There are now many new stores with Chinese imported ukes all around town. Also, prices on ukes are up there. The lowest prices I saw were from Ukulele Pua Pua at the Sheraton. Kanile’a store in Ala Moana had many Kanile’a but once they learned I was not a buyer I seemed to be an agitation to the sales person. I even mentioned to him that my first contact with Kanile’a was at a slack key guitar festival in a park and Joe Souza had his ukes on a table and told me to pick up any and play, and I told him I was not buying, but he said, to feel free to pay any uke. Those days are over.

Feel free to DM me for any specifics

 

[peanuts56]

Posted this suggestion recently for someone else visiting Oahu. The Royal Hawaiian Band plays weekly concerts and they are really good. My wife grew up in Kalihi and we fly over pretty much every year. We went to Iolani Palace to hear the band. I'm an old trumpeter/band director. The Palace concerts are on Friday's at noon. They also play at the stage inside Ala Moana Mall. Check their website.
Nico's in Honolulu and Kailua have excellent local performers. We stay in Kailua with family and can walk to Nico's in 10 minutes. Bryan Tolentino and Hale Seabury play there quite often as well as Kamakakehau Fernandez. He's an interesting story. He's an African American born in Arkansas. He was adopted at 6 weeks old by a Hawaiian family and grew up Hawaiian. Excellent musician, we've heard him at the festival a few times. Led Kaapana plays around town quite a bit as well. Herb Ohta Jr is always great to hear. We're heading to Boston later this month to see Herb, Sonny Lim and George Kahumoku.
Kanilea hosts a jam/lesson at the Windward Mall once a month with a guest artist. Craig Chee and Sarah Maisel were at the one I attended in November.
Enjoy the trip and the food! One funny story. Some years ago my wife's entire family decided to have a family picture taken. Both of her parents were still living. The session with the photographer was scheduled 2 weeks after we arrived. I brought a pair of long pants for the session. I ate so much before the photo and the pants didn't fit!. Ran to K Mart the night before to buy a larger pair.

 

[ukuleleeh]

I am a fairily seasoned Hawaii traveler over the past 40 years. I am now on Oahu for the month of February. I usually come for a week or two but this time for a month so trying to find ways to enjoy myself and yet limit the amount I spend is important. Even though I have been here often, especially Waikiki, much has changed since the pandemic. I decided to watch a ton of YouTube videos on Waikiki. How to pack, walking tours, hotel tours. Remember, I am pretty seasoned but I found these YouTube videos to be immensely helpful, especially when looking to find really good local food that is fairly priced. The hotel across the street has $40 mai tai’s and $28 cheeseburgers. The continental breakfast at my hotel is $25 for a coffee, croissant, small fruit cup and yogurt— no other options. But with some research you can find excellent dinners for $13. Good Drinks for $7-11. you just have to know where to look and those youtubes are great for that. Many markets have opened up in Waikiki since the pandemic. These markets offer fresh cooked food, and veggies along with fruits at reasonable prices. I downloaded an app for happy hours where you can get excellent pupus and drinks. The parking fees are crazy but if you get a hui car you can rent by the day or even by the hour. Gas, insurance and parking is included. Beats paying the overnight fees Of $65/night for the car. There are a number of hotels that are not big names but very nice for $100+ a night. I happened to to have save a ton of Marriott points during the pandemic so I am using many of them.

You really don’t need to pay for entertainment. Drinks are super expensive and not worth the money. Nothing in them is top self unless you get that $40 mai tai. The beach is free. As for ukulele, there is the 3 day Ukulele Picnic in February. I am looking forward to attending. Jake is performing at the end of the month, but it is hard to find ukulele activity. There are, however, more ukulele stores than before the pandemic, but the days of you just going into a store a playing one uke after another are over. With Covid and theft, many ukes are locked up, behind counters, or with signs saying to ask for help before picking them up. Once you ask for help and they realize you are really not a buyer, your option to try different ukes will be limited. knowing this, I know in advance which ones I want to try.

I have visited Ukulele Labs, The ukulelehawaiistore, Kanile’a, Koaloha, Ukulele Pua Pua and Hawaiian Music Supply. The largest supply of ukes is at Ukulelehawaiistore on Lewers Street in Waikiki. I took a great ukulele lesson with Tyler Gilman at the ukulelestorehawaii.com. There are now many new stores with Chinese imported ukes all around town. Also, prices on ukes are up there. The lowest prices I saw were from Ukulele Pua Pua at the Sheraton. Kanile’a store in Ala Moana had many Kanile’a but once they learned I was not a buyer I seemed to be an agitation to the sales person. I even mentioned to him that my first contact with Kanile’a was at a slack key guitar festival in a park and Joe Souza had his ukes on a table and told me to pick up any and play, and I told him I was not buying, but he said, to feel free to pay any uke. Those days are over.

Feel free to DM me for any specifics

This is amazing advice! I’m headed to O’ahu at the end of the week, and will be using some of your suggestions!

Thank you!!!

 

[badhabits]

Most hotels and restaurants have a calendar online, here's a taste of what you can find:

Local Live Music in Waikiki Beach | Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach

Enjoy live Hawaiian music with beachfront vibes. Hear the rhythms of legendary musicians and local artists, with island food & cocktails at Kani Ka Pila Grille.

www.outrigger.com

Events - Nico's Pier 38

nicospier38.com

Nightly Entertainment at Duke's Waikiki

Enjoy live music, great food and spectacular views of Waikiki Beach at Duke's Waikiki

www.outrigger.com

Entertainment | Moani Waikiki

www.moaniwaikiki.com

International Market Place | World-Class Shopping and Dining in Honolulu, Hawaii

Discover a uniquely Hawaiian shopping experience in the heart of Waikiki. Enjoy food, fashion and fun with retailers and restaurants found nowhere else on Oahu.

shopinternationalmarketplace.com

Home

Located inside the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, Blue Note Hawaii features a year-round lineup of musical entertainment.

www.bluenotejazz.com

Events - Nico's Kailua

nicoskailua.com

 

[hands_on_lanzon]

Corey Fujimoto's been playing in a trio called "da How" in south Wahiawa at 604 Clubhouse on Mondays! Andrew mentioned the sushi's pretty good there. I had some appetizers and a burger that weren't bad, but on the pricier side for what it was.

The band is dope tho! He's playing with Zach Shimizu (formerly from HMS) and his buddy Noa Juan.

 

[man0a]

The old Ukulele Festival Hawaii faded out after Roy Sakuma retired, but there appears to be a new Hawaii Ukulele Festival taking place at the same place on July 23 with new organizers and sponsors. Their website says several popular ukulele players will be performing. Free admission.
https://hawaiiukulelefestival.com/entertainment-1

 

[Kimosabe]

Paia is a great inexpensive restaurant to get a great mahi or ono fish sandwich in Waikiki. Marugame noodles across the street is great if you find a time when there isn’t a long line.

A short walk out of Waikiki will take you to Rainbow Drive In where locals eat for a low price. Aloha Sushi on the way up to Diamond Head park has decent prices.

When friends visit we take them to Lay Low or the Eating house for happy hour drinks and dinners, mid $20s.

Take a bus rather than rent a car.
Go to Asian markets for prepared food.

Aloha

 

[BChas]

Was there in February for a week. One of my favorite things was just a day drive east then north along the shore. My wife mapped out great beaches, we stopped at lots of scenic lookouts and they were amazing, then up to the North Shore, a full day, all for free. A drive over the mountain was great too. Lucky for us, we have family who lives on the island. Another was a helicopter tour, expensive, provided a great sense of the whole island.

 

[TimWilson]

One of my favorite things was just a day drive east then north along the shore. My wife mapped out great beaches, we stopped at lots of scenic lookouts and they were amazing, then up to the North Shore, a full day, all for free.

The temptation for folks staying in Waikiki-ish areas around the southern Honolulu shore headed to the North Shore is to take the short route straight up the middle of the island, interstate highway almost the whole way. Unless you really only have a couple of hours free, avoid that. There are nicer highways all over the mainland, honestly.

But headed up along the east side (where I live)? Nothing like it anywhere, not even on the other islands. Lots of great beaches, places to eat (some of the best are food trucks rather than proper restaurants, although plenty of those too), as well as art and photography galleries, gardens and nurseries, zipline tours of the forests, waterfalls, and all kinds of other good stuff. Yeah, MUCH longer, and you'll definitely want to take your time once you get to the North Shore to recuperate.

Better not to do this on the weekend, and while holiday weekends aren't as bad here as, say, the Jersey and Delaware shores they're still bad....but if you do such a trip at such a time, just head to the east side for the long way up, and take the highway down the middle for the faster way back to town. That'll make all the difference in the world.

 

[ukuleledavid]

The temptation for folks staying in Waikiki-ish areas around the southern Honolulu shore headed to the North Shore is to take the short route straight up the middle of the island, interstate highway almost the whole way. Unless you really only have a couple of hours free, avoid that. There are nicer highways all over the mainland, honestly.

But headed up along the east side (where I live)? Nothing like it anywhere, not even on the other islands. Lots of great beaches, places to eat (some of the best are food trucks rather than proper restaurants, although plenty of those too), as well as art and photography galleries, gardens and nurseries, zipline tours of the forests, waterfalls, and all kinds of other good stuff. Yeah, MUCH longer, and you'll definitely want to take your time once you get to the North Shore to recuperate.

Better not to do this on the weekend, and while holiday weekends aren't as bad here as, say, the Jersey and Delaware shores they're still bad....but if you do such a trip at such a time, just head to the east side for the long way up, and take the highway down the middle for the faster way back to town. That'll make all the difference in the world.

Awesome, definitely will take your advice on the way up to The Ukulele Site!

Thanks all, this thread has been a wealth of information.

All systems are a go still for my trip to O’ahu next week fingers crossed everything permitting. Booked this trip a while ago but still feeling terrible and can’t stop thinking about everyone who has suffered horrible loss in Lahina - wildfires have wiped out places at home here as well even recently it’s truly the worst. Also the moves of greedy corporations and politicians is sickening.

Still, I’m only supporting local Hawaiian owned businesses and will donate graciously, coming with nothing but respect. Brining the Aloha spirit.

Please feel free to continue to chime in now that we are closer with any must see live music or local grinds to check out. Also still looking for some non-touristy things to do maybe an off the beaten path hike or fall or activities away from the mainland influencers. Aloha,

Dave