Regions in Brief

Honolulu

Hawaii's largest city looks like any other big metropolitan center with tall buildings. In fact, some cynics refer to it as "Los Angeles West." But within Honolulu's boundaries, you'll find rainforests, deep canyons, valleys and waterfalls, a nearly mile-high mountain range, coral reefs, and gold-sand beaches. The city proper -- where most of Oahu's residents live -- is approximately 12 miles wide and 26 miles long, running east to west, roughly between Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor. Within the city are seven hills laced by seven streams that run to Mamala Bay.

Surrounding the central area is a plethora of neighborhoods, ranging from the quiet suburbs of Hawaii Kai to kamaaina (old-timer) neighborhoods such as Manoa. These areas are generally quieter and more residential than Waikiki, but they're still within minutes of beaches, shopping, and all the activities Oahu has to offer.

Waikiki -- Some say that Waikiki is past its prime -- that everybody goes to Maui now. If it has fallen out of favor, you couldn't prove it by us. Waikiki is the very incarnation of Yogi Berra's comment about Toots Shor's famous New York restaurant: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."

When King Kalakaua played in Waikiki, it was "a hamlet of plain cottages . . . its excitements caused by the activity of insect tribes and the occasional fall of a coconut." The Merrie Monarch, who gave his name to Waikiki's main street, would love the scene today. Some five million tourists visit Oahu every year, and 9 out of 10 of them stay in Waikiki. This urban beach is where all the action is; it's backed by 175 high-rise hotels with more than 33,000 guest rooms and hundreds of bars and restaurants, all in a 1 1/2-square-mile beach zone. Waikiki means honeymooners and sun seekers, bikinis and bare buns, a round-the-clock beach party every day of the year -- and it's all because of a thin crescent of sand that was shipped over from Molokai. Staying in Waikiki puts you in the heart of it all, but also be aware that this is an on-the-go place with traffic noise 24 hours a day and its share of crime -- and it's almost always crowded.

Ala Moana -- A great beach as well as a famous shopping mall, Ala Moana is the retail and transportation heart of Honolulu, a place where you can both shop and suntan in one afternoon. All bus routes lead to the open-air Ala Moana Shopping Center, across the street from Ala Moana Beach Park. This 50-acre, 200-shop behemoth attracts 56 million customers a year. (People fly up from Tahiti just to buy their Christmas gifts here.) Every European designer from Armani to Vuitton is represented in Honolulu's answer to Beverly Hills's Rodeo Drive. For our purposes, the neighborhood called "Ala Moana" extends along Ala Moana Boulevard from Waikiki in the direction of Diamond Head to downtown Honolulu in the Ewa direction (west) and includes the Ward Centre and Ward Warehouse complexes as well as Restaurant Row.

Downtown -- A tiny cluster of high-rises west of Waikiki, downtown Honolulu is the financial, business, and governmental center of Hawaii. On the waterfront stands the iconic 1926 Aloha Tower, now the centerpiece of a harbor-front shopping and restaurant complex known as the Aloha Tower Marketplace. The entire history of Honolulu can be seen in just a few short blocks: Street vendors sell papayas from trucks in skyscraper-lined concrete canyons; joggers and BMWs rush by Iolani Palace, where descendants of the original missionaries (with help from the U.S. Marines) overthrew Hawaii's last queen and stole her kingdom; burly bus drivers sport fragrant white ginger flowers on their dashboards; Methodist churches look like Asian temples; and businessmen wear aloha shirts to billion-dollar meetings.

On the edge of downtown is the Chinatown Historic District, the oldest Chinatown in America. This is still one of Honolulu's liveliest neighborhoods, a nonstop pageant of people, sights, sounds, smells, and tastes -- not all Chinese, now that Southeast Asians, including many Vietnamese, share the old storefronts. Go on a Saturday morning, when everyone shops here for fresh goods such as ginger root, fern fronds, and hogs' heads.

Among the historic buildings and Pan-Pacific corporate headquarters are a few hotels, mainly geared toward business travelers. Most visitors prefer the sun and excitement of Waikiki or choose a quieter neighborhood outside the city.

Manoa Valley -- First inhabited by white settlers, the Manoa Valley, above Waikiki, still has vintage kamaaina homes, one of Hawaii's premier botanical gardens in the Lyon Arboretum, the ever-gushing Manoa Falls, and the 320-acre campus of the University of Hawaii, where 50,000 students hit the books when they're not on the beach.

Kahala -- Except for the estates of world-class millionaires and the luxurious Kahala Hotel & Resort (home of Hoku's, an outstanding beachfront restaurant), there's not much out to the east of downtown that's of interest to visitors.

East Oahu

Beyond Kahala lies East Honolulu and such suburban bedroom communities as Aina Haina, Niu Valley, and Hawaii Kai, among others, all linked by the Kalanianaole Highway and loaded with homes, condos, fast-food joints, and shopping malls. It looks like Southern California on a good day. A few reasons to come here: to have dinner at Roy's, the original and still-outstanding Hawaii regional cuisine restaurant, in Hawaii Kai; to snorkel at Hanauma Bay or watch daredevil surfers at Sandy Beach; or just to enjoy the natural splendor of the lovely coastline, which might include a hike to Makapuu Lighthouse.

The Windward Coast

The windward side is the opposite side of the island from Waikiki. On this coast, trade winds blow cooling breezes over gorgeous beaches; rain squalls inspire lush, tropical vegetation; and miles of subdivisions dot the landscape. Bed-and-breakfasts, ranging from oceanfront estates to tiny cottages on quiet residential streets, are everywhere. Vacations here are spent enjoying ocean activities and exploring the surrounding areas. Waikiki is just a quick 15-minute drive away.

Kailua -- The biggest little beach town in Hawaii, Kailua sits at the foot of the sheer green Koolau Mountains, on a great bay with two of Hawaii's best beaches. The town itself is a funky low-rise cluster of timeworn shops and homes. Kailua has become the B&B capital of Hawaii; it's an affordable alternative to Waikiki, with rooms and vacation rentals from $60 a day and up. With the prevailing trade winds whipping up a cooling breeze, Kailua attracts windsurfers from around the world.

Kaneohe -- After you clear the trafficky maze of town, Oahu returns to its more natural state. Helter-skelter suburbia sprawls around the edges of Kaneohe, one of the most scenic bays in the Pacific. A handful of B&Bs dot its edge. This beautiful bay beckons you to get out on the water; you can depart from Heeia Boat Harbor on snorkel or fishing charters and visit Ahu o Laka, the sandbar that appears and disappears in the middle of the bay. From here, you'll have a panoramic view of the Koolau Range.

Kualoa/Laie -- The upper northeast shore is one of Oahu's most sacred places, an early Hawaiian landing spot where kings dipped their sails, cliffs hold ancient burial sites, and ghosts still march in the night. Sheer cliffs stab the reef-fringed seacoast, while old fishponds are tucked along the two-lane coast road that winds past empty gold-sand beaches around beautiful Kahana Bay. Thousands "explore" the South Pacific at the Polynesian Cultural Center, in Laie, a Mormon settlement with its own Tabernacle Choir of sweet Samoan harmony.

The North Shore

Here's the Hawaii of Hollywood -- giant waves, surfers galore, tropical jungles, waterfalls, and mysterious Hawaiian temples. If you're looking for a quieter vacation, closer to nature, and filled with swimming, snorkeling, diving, surfing, or just plain hanging out on some of the world's most beautiful beaches, the North Shore is your spot. The artsy little beach town of Haleiwa and the surrounding shoreline seem a world away from Waikiki. The North Shore boasts good restaurants, shopping, and cultural activities -- but here they come with the quiet of country living. Bed-and-breakfasts are the most common accommodations, but there's one first-class hotel and some vacation rentals as well. Be forewarned: It's a long trip -- nearly an hour's drive -- to Honolulu and Waikiki, and it's about twice as rainy on the North Shore as in Honolulu.

Central Oahu: The Ewa Plain

Flanked by the Koolau and Waianae mountain ranges, the hot, sun-baked Ewa Plain runs up and down the center of Oahu. Once covered with sandalwood forests (hacked down for the China trade) and later the sugar-cane and pineapple backbone of Hawaii, Ewa today sports a new crop: suburban houses stretching to the sea. But let your eye wander west to the Waianae Range and Mount Kaala (at 4,020 feet the highest summit on Oahu); up there in the misty rainforest, native birds thrive in the hummocky bog. In 1914, the U.S. Army pitched a tent camp on the plain; author James Jones would later call Schofield Barracks "the most beautiful army post in the world." Hollywood filmed Jones's From Here to Eternity here.

Leeward Oahu: The Waianae Coast

The west coast of Oahu is a hot and dry place of dramatic beauty: white-sand beaches bordering the deep blue ocean, steep verdant green cliffs, and miles of Mother Nature's wildness. Except for the luxurious J. W. Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa at Ko Olina, Roy's Ko Olina Restaurant (a sister of Roy's in Hawaii Kai), and the Makaha Golf Course, you'll find virtually no tourist services out here. The funky west coast villages of Nanakuli, Waianae, and Makaha are the last stands of native Hawaiians. This side of Oahu is seldom visited, except by surfers bound for Yokohama Bay and those coming to see needle-nose Kaena Point (the island's westernmost outpost), which has a coastal wilderness park.