5 Tips for Avoiding Tourist Traps on Oʻahu

You're not from Hawai'i. Maybe you've traveled across the world to get here. If Hawaiʻi is completely foreign to you, here are five tips to vacation like a pro on Oʻahu.

1. Save Money

For the most part (not always) the most expensive restaurants, bars and retail shops will be located in and around resorts and hotels. You are paying for the convenience of having everything at your fingertips. To save money on groceries, get out of Waikīkī. Grocery stores like Times, Foodland (outside of Waikīkī) and Safeway will still have island prices, but will be much cheaper. Same for restaurants and bars. Get out and explore. There are neighborhoods just outside of Waikīkī known for outstanding food and cocktails, such as Kaimukī and Chinatown.

2. Eat Better Food

There are some great restaurants in Waikīkī and Ko ʻOlina, in and around the resorts and hotels, but there are some pretty mediocre ones too. My strategy for finding a place to eat is to 1) Get off the beaten path 2) Avoid restaurants that “do it all” 3) Look for menus that offer ingredients and/or dishes you’ve never heard of. If the restaurant uses local ingredients, this is a bonus. It shows the chef and owner care just as much (if not more) about their community, and using quality ingredients, as they care about making a profit. If you are really serious about dining and want to have some truly memorable experiences, check out our Culinary Guide to Oʻahu.

3. Skip the line

Just because it has a long line doesn’t mean it’s worth the wait. Unless you have information from a credible source that a particular attraction, restaurant, drink, food, etc. is a must-do I’d move on to something else.

4. Make reservations

That being said, some restaurants and activities on O’ahu are very popular and because of that they are hard to get into. It’s always worth it to plan ahead of time, so you don’t get stuck having to settle for something subpar at the last minute.

5. Avoid Scamming

Stay away from deals that seem too good to be true, they are. Book travel, accommodations and activities through official hotel or airline sites and/or known third-party online travel agents. Use a rideshare app versus a taxi. They are more affordable and you’ll be able to see which route the driver is taking you through the app’s map.