Greetings!
Today we are FINALLY announcing our big getaway destination from this summer…the beautiful island of OAHU! Some of you may remember last year’s amazing trip to The Big Island, where we explored Kona for a magnificent 2 week adventure..well this year we wanted to go even bigger and spent a total of 16 days away from our home to take in and see the beauty of this place. This post is a little bit of an introduction to the new content coming your way-hopefully this will inspire or interest you to visit Oahu in the future 🙂 We can’t wait to share more stories, pictures, and videos in the weeks ahead so please don’t forget to follow our blog and socials to stay up to date with us <3
What to Expect
Planning our first trip to Oahu was a little intimidating at first because there are SO many resources online, you don’t really know which is useful or not. Being that we aren’t the MOST adventurous, it seemed like Oahu was one for the trailblazing, adventure-seeker. We knew we wanted to go to some pretty amazing spots to take in the tropical greenery that makes Hawaii so dreamy but we didn’t know exactly how to find those one of a kind spots. Being that we have been to other Hawaiian islands and can kind of predict when the tourism will be at a high time of the day, we did pick and choose when to go to some spots because we knew it would be totally crowded and not fun. One thing to keep in mind about Oahu is just how popular the island is in general and that large crowds can be found depending on what time of day you’re going to be there. These are the types of questions you unfortunately have to ask yourself if you’re like us and prefer an intimate experience while traveling. Another thing we 100% noticed while exploring Oahu was the traffic. Being that we stayed in Honolulu (a hub for tourists), the freeways were constantly congested during the day/evening. We did have to take this into consideration when we were traveling to different parts of the island because we would have to sit in traffic for a long amount of time coming to and from places. *Just something to keep in mind when making an itinerary for a trip here :)* What we really learned from this island was just how many people we were constantly surrounded by. Everywhere you go, you will be greeted by locals or other tourists, most of the time doing the same thing you are! So be prepared for more socializing and not so much alone time.
Comparing Oahu to other Hawaiian Islands
One of the things I loved about Oahu was how beautiful the water was. Truly some of the most clear and blue waters I have ever seen. Although the water was amazing, there were some negatives we came across about the island compared to other adventures in the past, but nothing that would ever turn us away from visiting again. As stated above the traffic was something we were surprised and caught off guard by but once we were aware of it, it was something we could plan and accommodate for, not crippling the whole trip. As far as mountainscapes and the general environment of Oahu, it is so much different then other islands we have been too. The jagged tall mountains made for some really breathtaking photos and really humbling sights, it was really amazing to see in person how cool these steep mountains were. In comparison to Kona, for example, it was nice that Oahu is much smaller and we were able to drive to all corners of the island in a matter of an hour, maybe two if there was traffic. If you’re getting a rental car for your island adventure, being on a smaller island does have its benefits with gas money and your time in the car. So Oahu was great because we saved a lot on those aspects. And basically the most obvious thing that stuck out to us was just how popular this island is! It is probably the most commercialized of all the Hawaiian islands, which isn’t a bad thing, just a different experience. When we were staying in Honolulu, we really liked the city aspect and the night life it brought. Compared to any other island after 9pm really, everything would normally be closed and you would be at your room or hotel for the rest of the night, not in Oahu! You can stay out way later and go out after dinner time which was super fun and a nice experience overall.
Our honest take on Oahu
Would we visit Oahu again? Yes, but it’s not our first choice. We can’t emphasize enough the amount of research one needs to do to plan out a day to day itinerary to get the most out of a trip to this island. Being that we both love photography, we wanted to go on hikes that weren’t so vigorous and super long or constant inclines in order to get to that one spot that we knew would be the most photogenic. Not that we think it should be easy, but majority of the crazy photos you see of Oahu online are in very dangerous places up on top of the mountains, sometimes even off limits. It was a little bit of a hassle carrying all our necessary camera equipment while doing these vigorous hikes. Although, we made it work and weren’t complaining too much, this was just something we noticed about the hiking trails in Oahu. In general, I think we both enjoyed the layout of the towns, roads, and cities and how everything was accessible and fun to drive and look at. Hawaii is just an amazing atmosphere its so hard not to love every second of it. But planning a solid itinerary that caters to what YOU like to do on a vacation is something we would advise before coming to Oahu. Find at least 5 things you need to see or do, because once you arrive it can be overwhelming with all the different things you can experience here.
We hope you enjoyed this blog post and got a little taste of some of the gorgeous photos coming your way! Scott took some AMAZING pictures on this trip and we can’t wait to share more content with you! More stories and posts to come!
