The Hawaiʻi Guidebook

The everything island. Waikiki and Honolulu eating, North Shore beaches, Kailua on the windward side.

Hikes & Nature

Diamond Head State Monument

The classic crater climb over Waikiki.

Things to Do

Honolulu Zoo

Royal land, real animals, easy family morning.

Things to Do

Waikiki Aquarium

Small aquarium, serious reef science.

Eat & Drink

Duke's Waikiki

Beachfront mai tais where Waikiki learned to surf.

Eat & Drink

Musubi Cafe Iyasume

Spam musubi made fresh, grab two.

Music & Venues

Blue Note Hawaii

A real jazz room in the middle of Waikiki.

Breweries & Drinks

Waikiki Brewing Company

House beer steps from the beach.

Breweries & Drinks

Hula's Bar & Lei Stand

One of Waikiki's longest-running LGBTQ landmarks, above Kapahulu.

Music & Venues

House Without a Key

Sunset hula under a century-old kiawe tree.

Things to Do

KCC Farmers Market

The Saturday market at the foot of Diamond Head.

Sightseeing

ʻIolani Palace

The only royal palace on American soil.

Sightseeing

Bishop Museum

Hawaiʻi's great museum of the Pacific.

Sightseeing

Honolulu Museum of Art

Courtyards, quiet, and serious art.

Music & Venues

Hawaii Theatre

The 1922 movie palace that still headlines.

Music & Venues

The Republik

Where touring acts play Honolulu.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Helena's Hawaiian Food

James Beard-honored Hawaiian food since 1946.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Rainbow Drive-In

Plate lunch, two scoops rice, no fuss since 1961.

Eat & Drink

Leonard's Bakery

The malasada that started the line.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Liliha Bakery

Coco puffs and a counter-seat breakfast.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Maguro Brothers Hawaii

Fish-market poke from actual fishmongers.

Eat & Drink

The Pig and the Lady

Vietnamese cooking with a Hawaiʻi accent.

Eat & Drink

Fête

Chinatown's James Beard winner, zero stuffiness.

Breweries & Drinks

Bar Leather Apron

A tiny downtown temple to the cocktail.

Breweries & Drinks

Honolulu Beerworks

Warehouse taproom from a Honolulu original.

Breweries & Drinks

Hana Koa Brewing Co.

Kakaʻako's big, easygoing beer hall.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Nico's Pier 38

Fish this fresh because the auction is next door.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Koko Head Cafe

Island-style brunch worth the Kaimuki wait.

Shops

SALT at Our Kakaʻako

One block of shops, coffee, and murals.

Hikes & Nature

Foster Botanical Garden

Giant old trees hiding beside Chinatown.

Hikes & Nature

Lyon Arboretum

A rainforest research garden deep in Manoa.

Sightseeing

Puʻu ʻUalakaʻa State Wayside

The Tantalus lookout that explains Honolulu at a glance.

Sightseeing

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl)

Punchbowl crater, held in quiet honor.

Hikes & Nature

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve

Oʻahu's marquee snorkel bowl, managed with care.

Hikes & Nature

Koko Crater Railway Trail

Old tramway ties, straight up.

Hikes & Nature

Waimea Valley

Botanical valley, sacred ground, swimmable waterfall.

Eat & Drink

Matsumoto Shave Ice

Haleʻiwa's famous shave ice, worth one line in your life.

Eat & Drink

Giovanni's Shrimp Truck

Garlic shrimp from the truck that started the craze.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Ted's Bakery

Chocolate haupia pie by the slice at Sunset Beach.

Eat & Drink

Kahuku Farms

Lunch and dessert grown on site.

Eat & Drink

Seven Brothers Burgers

Family burgers with North Shore roots.

Eat & Drink

Haleiwa Bowls

Post-surf acai, thick and cold.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Kono's Northshore

The breakfast bomber that built a following.

Shops

Surf N Sea

Oʻahu's oldest surf shop, still renting boards.

Shops

North Shore Soap Factory

Soap made inside an old sugar mill.

Things to Do

Polynesian Cultural Center

A day across six Pacific island cultures.

Hikes & Nature

Sharks Cove (Pupukea)

Summer snorkeling in a protected rocky cove.

Hikes & Nature

Waimea Bay Beach Park

Glassy summer swimming, giant winter surf.

Hikes & Nature

Kailua Beach Park

Powder sand and green-blue water, windward style.

Hikes & Nature

Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden

Gardens under the Koʻolau cliffs.

Sightseeing

Byodo-In Temple

A Japanese temple replica at the base of the cliffs.

Sightseeing

Nuʻuanu Pali State Wayside

The windward panorama, with wind to match.

Hikes & Nature

Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse Trail

Paved climb, lighthouse views, whales in winter.

Things to Do

Kualoa Ranch

Ride through Hollywood's favorite Hawaiian valley.

Things to Do

Kailua Beach Adventures

Kayak out to the Mokes.

Eat & Drink

Buzz's Original Steakhouse

Steaks across from the beach since 1962.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Kalapawai Market

The green corner store that runs Kailua mornings.

Shops

Island Snow

Shave ice with a presidential paper trail.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Waiahole Poi Factory

Poi, laulau, and kulolo on the windward road.

Sightseeing

Pearl Harbor National Memorial

The USS Arizona, honored where she rests.

Sightseeing

Battleship Missouri Memorial

Stand where World War II ended.

Sightseeing

Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum

WWII hangars that still wear 1941.

Things to Do

Dole Plantation

Pineapple kitsch, done right.

Eat & Drink

Green World Coffee Farm

Coffee stop with its own trees out back.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Highway Inn

Hawaiian food the Waipahu way since 1947.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Tanioka's Seafoods & Catering

Waipahu's poke counter of record.

Things to Do

Ko Olina Lagoons

Four calm lagoons strung on one seaside path.

Hikes & Nature

Kaʻena Point State Park

Hike to the island's wild western tip.

Hikes & Nature · locals’ pick

Keaiwa Heiau State Recreation Area

The ʻAiea Loop, a forest reset above Pearl Harbor.

Hikes & Nature · locals’ pick

Wahiawa Botanical Garden

Tree ferns and deep shade in central Oʻahu.

Beach mornings in the south, Upcountry afternoons, and the long green road to Hana.

Hikes & Nature

Kapalua Coastal Trail

An oceanfront walk connecting Kapalua's beaches.

Hikes & Nature

Honolua Bay

Maui's big snorkel bay, protected since 1978.

Hikes & Nature

Kaʻanapali Beach

Three miles of beach with a walkway the whole way.

Hikes & Nature

D.T. Fleming Beach Park

A sandy county park with lifeguards and real waves.

Eat & Drink

Merriman's Kapalua

The farm-to-table flagship out on the point.

Eat & Drink

Sea House Restaurant

Beachfront tables on Napili Bay, breakfast through dinner.

Eat & Drink

Duke's Beach House

Barefoot-casual beachfront with live music most nights.

Eat & Drink

Leilani's on the Beach

Fish upstairs, beach bar below, right on the Kaʻanapali sand.

Shops

Whalers Village

Oceanfront shopping between the beach and dinner.

Things to Do

Old Lahaina Luau

The luau people mean when they say the good one.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Star Noodle

Noodles worth crossing the island for.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Mala Ocean Tavern

Tables close enough to the water to spot turtles mid-meal.

Hikes & Nature

Makena State Park

Big Beach earns the name.

Hikes & Nature

Kamaʻole Beach Park III

The family beach in Kihei.

Hikes & Nature

Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge

A boardwalk over wetlands full of endangered Hawaiian birds.

Things to Do

Maui Ocean Center

The aquarium that rescues a rainy morning.

Things to Do

Kai Kanani

Molokini without the harbor slog.

Things to Do

PacWhale Eco-Adventures

Whale watching run by the whale researchers.

Breweries & Drinks

Maui Brewing Co.

Hawaiʻi's big independent brewery, poured at the source.

Eat & Drink

Monkeypod Kitchen Wailea

The mai tai with its own fan club.

Eat & Drink

Coconut's Fish Cafe

Fish tacos that made a strip mall famous.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice

Shave ice done properly.

Eat & Drink

Fork & Salad

Salads built from Maui farms, fast.

Sightseeing

Haleakala National Park

Sunrise above the clouds at 10,000 feet.

Breweries & Drinks

MauiWine

Wine tasting at the top of the long Upcountry road.

Breweries & Drinks

Ocean Organic Farm & Distillery

Vodka, rum, and gin from a farm on the volcano's slope.

Sightseeing

Aliʻi Kula Lavender

Lavender rows with an ocean view.

Things to Do

Surfing Goat Dairy

Cheese tastings where you can meet the herd.

Sightseeing

Kula Botanical Garden

The easy garden walk on the Kula hillside.

Things to Do

Oʻo Farm

Lunch in the middle of the farm that grew it.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Grandma's Coffee House

Coffee they've grown and roasted since 1918.

Shops · locals’ pick

Hot Island Glass

Molten glass, live, in a Makawao courtyard.

Eat & Drink

Casanova

Italian dinners and late nights in a paniolo town.

Things to Do

Maui Pineapple Tour

Walk the fields where Maui Gold grows.

Eat & Drink

Haliʻimaile General Store

Fine plates in a 1925 plantation store.

Things to Do

Skyline Hawaii

Ziplines on the slope of a volcano.

Hikes & Nature

Hoʻokipa Beach Park

Windsurfers, big waves, and turtles on the sand.

Hikes & Nature · locals’ pick

Baldwin Beach Park

Paʻia's long, lazy beach.

Eat & Drink

Mama's Fish House

The famous one, and it earns it.

Eat & Drink

Paia Fish Market

Fresh catch plates at the Paʻia crossroads.

Shops · locals’ pick

Mana Foods

The grocery store people plan their day around.

Eat & Drink

Flatbread Company

Wood-fired pizza with a conscience in Paʻia.

Hikes & Nature

Twin Falls at Wailele Farm

First waterfalls of the Hana drive.

Sightseeing

Garden of Eden Arboretum

The view stop that steadies the Hana drive.

Eat & Drink

Aunty Sandy's Banana Bread

Warm banana bread on the Keʻanae peninsula.

Hikes & Nature

Waiʻanapanapa State Park

The black sand beach you reserve ahead for.

Hikes & Nature

Kipahulu District, Haleakala National Park

Bamboo forest and a 400-foot waterfall past Hana.

Sightseeing

Kahanu Garden

A vast heiau and the plants Polynesia sailed with.

Eat & Drink

Hana Farms

Banana bread, hot sauce, and pizza night in Hana.

Eat & Drink

Coconut Glen's

Vegan ice cream from a jungle stand.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Colleen's at the Cannery

Haʻiku's all-day kitchen in the old cannery.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Tin Roof

Sheldon Simeon's lunch spot, worth the wait in line.

Music & Venues

Maui Arts & Cultural Center

When a big tour plays Maui, it plays here.

Live volcano, Kona coffee, black sand. Two coasts that feel like two different trips.

Sightseeing

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Two of the world's most active volcanoes in one park.

Hikes & Nature

Kilauea Iki Trail

Walk across a crater floor that was a lava lake in 1959.

Shops

Volcano Art Center

The gallery inside the national park, stocked by island artists.

Breweries & Drinks

Volcano Winery

Wine grown on the slopes of an active volcano.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Kaleo's Bar & Grill

Pahoa's dinner table, and worth the drive down.

Music & Venues · locals’ pick

Uncle Robert's Awa Bar & Farmers Market

A family-run market and awa bar at the end of the road in Kalapana.

Hikes & Nature

Isaac Hale Beach Park (Pohoiki)

Puna's surf bay, remade by the 2018 lava flow.

Hikes & Nature

Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park

Jet black sand, coconut palms, and honu hauled out on the shore.

Hikes & Nature

ʻAkaka Falls State Park

A 442 foot waterfall for less than half a mile of walking.

Sightseeing

Waipiʻo Valley Lookout

The valley of the kings from the best seat on the island.

Eat & Drink

Tex Drive In

Hot malasadas through a viewing window, made this way since 1969.

Music & Venues · locals’ pick

Honokaʻa People's Theatre

A 1930 plantation-town movie palace, still running films.

Hikes & Nature

Hawaiʻi Tropical Botanical Garden

A rainforest garden that walks you down to Onomea Bay.

Sightseeing

Maunakea Visitor Information Station

Stargazing from 9,200 feet, no summit required.

Eat & Drink

Hilo Farmers Market

Rambutan, apple bananas, and flowers under the tents downtown.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Suisan Fish Market

Poke bowls from Hilo's own fish company.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Cafe 100

Home of the loco moco, more than thirty varieties deep.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Kula Shave Ice

Shave ice with syrups made from scratch in house.

Shops

Big Island Candies

Chocolate dipped shortbread from the Hilo flagship where it's made.

Shops

Sig Zane Designs

Aloha wear rooted in native plants and hula, made in Hilo.

Shops

Basically Books

An independent bookstore stacked with Hawaiʻi titles and maps.

Music & Venues

Palace Theater

Downtown Hilo's grand old stage, still packing the calendar.

Things to Do

ʻImiloa Astronomy Center

Polynesian wayfinding and Maunakea astronomy under one dome.

Sightseeing

Mokupapapa Discovery Center

The remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, explained in downtown Hilo.

Hikes & Nature

Liliʻuokalani Gardens

Stone lanterns, footbridges, and Hilo Bay all around you.

Hikes & Nature

Rainbow Falls & Boiling Pots

Two Wailuku River viewpoints minutes from downtown Hilo.

Hikes & Nature · locals’ pick

Richardson Ocean Park

Hilo's black sand swimming beach, calm pockets and turtles included.

Things to Do

Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens

A county zoo set inside an actual rainforest.

Hikes & Nature

Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park

The clearest water on the Kona side, in a bay heavy with history.

Sightseeing

Puʻuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park

The place of refuge, where broken kapu could be forgiven.

Hikes & Nature

Kahaluʻu Beach Park

The easiest turtle-and-reef-fish snorkel on Aliʻi Drive.

Hikes & Nature

Kekaha Kai State Park

White sand coves hidden behind the lava fields north of the airport.

Things to Do

Greenwell Farms

A working Kona coffee farm that actually walks you through the rows.

Things to Do

Kona Coffee Living History Farm

A 1920s coffee farm kept running the way the pioneers ran it.

Breweries & Drinks

Kona Brewing Co.

The pub where Hawaiʻi's biggest beer name actually lives.

Breweries & Drinks · locals’ pick

Ola Brew

The taproom where Kona actually drinks.

Eat & Drink

Umekes Fish Market Bar & Grill

Poke bowls from people who take the fish personally.

Eat & Drink

Da Poke Shack

A tiny Aliʻi Drive counter with outsized poke.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Broke Da Mouth Grindz

The Kona plate lunch the regulars line up for.

Things to Do

Jack's Diving Locker

Night swimming with manta rays.

Sightseeing

Huliheʻe Palace

A royal vacation home right on the Kailua-Kona seawall.

Hikes & Nature

Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area

Half a mile of white sand, the island's headline beach.

Sightseeing

Puʻukohola Heiau National Historic Site

The temple Kamehameha built on his way to uniting the islands.

Sightseeing

Lapakahi State Historical Park

Walk the lanes of an ancient Hawaiian fishing village.

Hikes & Nature

Pololu Trail & Lookout

Where the road ends in North Kohala, the cliffs begin.

Eat & Drink

Merriman's Waimea

The special-occasion table in paniolo country.

Breweries & Drinks

Big Island Brewhaus

Mountain-town beers brewed up in Waimea.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Village Burger

Waimea is cattle country, and this little counter acts like it.

Shops

Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company

A mac nut factory store above Kawaihae Harbor.

The green one. Hanalei, Waimea Canyon, and the beaches the postcards keep using.

Hikes & Nature

Haʻena State Park

Road's end on the North Shore, and the payoff is Keʻe Beach.

Hikes & Nature

Kalalau Trail

Eleven miles of sea cliffs, the most famous footpath in Hawaiʻi.

Hikes & Nature

Hanalei Bay

Two miles of sand in a half-moon of green mountains.

Hikes & Nature

Limahuli Garden & Preserve

A garden built into a valley Hawaiians have farmed for centuries.

Sightseeing

Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge

A 1913 lighthouse on a cliff full of seabirds.

Hikes & Nature

Na ʻAina Kai Botanical Gardens

Bronze sculptures keep turning up between the plantings.

Eat & Drink

Tahiti Nui

The Hanalei bar that's been throwing the party since 1963.

Eat & Drink

Wishing Well Shave Ice

Shave ice out of an old bus, and the coffee's serious too.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Kilauea Bakery

Forty-year-old sourdough starters named Boris and Natasha.

Eat & Drink

Bar Acuda

The Hanalei dinner to book as far out as you can.

Things to Do

Anaina Hou Community Park

Mini golf, a giant playground, and live music in Kilauea.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Hanalei Taro & Juice Co

Taro smoothies from the family that grows the taro.

Sightseeing

Wailua River State Park

A river valley of heiau, waterfalls, and slow boats.

Hikes & Nature

Sleeping Giant (Nounou East Trail)

Climb the giant's chest for the East Side's best view.

Hikes & Nature · locals’ pick

Lydgate Beach Park

Rock-walled ocean pools made for actual swimming.

Sightseeing

Kauai Museum

Royal artifacts and plantation stories on Rice Street.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Mark's Place

Chef-driven plate lunch in a Lihuʻe industrial park.

Eat & Drink

Duke's Kauai

Mai tais on Kalapaki Beach, hula pie for the table.

Eat & Drink

Wailua Shave Ice

Shave ice with the fruit actually in it.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Pono Market

The Kapaʻa poke case with a line out the door.

Breweries & Drinks

Koloa Rum Company

Single-batch rum made with Waiʻaleʻale rainwater.

Things to Do

Smith's Tropical Paradise

Four generations of one family running the Fern Grotto.

Things to Do

Kauai Backcountry Adventures

Float an 1870s plantation ditch straight through the mountain.

Things to Do

Jack Harter Helicopters

The original Kauaʻi helicopter tour, doors off if you dare.

Hikes & Nature

Poʻipu Beach Park

The South Shore's do-everything beach.

Hikes & Nature

McBryde Garden

The world's largest collection of native Hawaiian plants.

Hikes & Nature

Allerton Garden

Sculpted garden rooms in a valley by the sea.

Eat & Drink

The Beach House Restaurant

The dinner table with the South Shore's best sunset.

Eat & Drink

Puka Dog

A hot dog in a pierced sweet-bread bun, only here.

Eat & Drink

Brennecke's Beach Broiler

A cold drink with a straight view of Poʻipu Beach.

Eat & Drink

Little Fish Coffee

Acai bowls and strong coffee steps from Poʻipu.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

Koloa Fish Market

Poke by the pound in old Koloa town.

Shops · locals’ pick

Warehouse 3540

A warehouse of Kauaʻi makers with a coffee truck out front.

Sightseeing

Waimea Canyon State Park

A mile-wide red gorge they call the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

Hikes & Nature

Kokeʻe State Park

Kalalau Valley from four thousand feet up.

Hikes & Nature

Polihale State Park

Miles of empty dune-backed beach at the literal end of the road.

Sightseeing

Kokeʻe Natural History Museum

Trail advice from the people who know the mountain.

Hikes & Nature · locals’ pick

Salt Pond Beach Park

A natural rock ridge turns the ocean into a swimming pool.

Things to Do

Hanapepe Friday Art Night

One Friday street of galleries, music, and easels.

Shops

Talk Story Bookstore

The westernmost bookstore in the country, new address included.

Eat & Drink · locals’ pick

JoJo's Shave Ice

Waimea's shave ice stop before or after the canyon.

Breweries & Drinks

Kauai Coffee Company

Walk the largest coffee farm in the country.

Things to Do

Holo Holo Charters

The catamaran that runs Napali and keeps going to Niʻihau.

Things to Do

Capt Andy's Sailing Adventures

Sailing Napali since 1983, sunset dinner included.

Shops

Banana Patch Studio

Hand-painted tiles and pottery from a Hanapepe studio.