Mahalo Distributors
  • Home
  • Golf
  • Blog
  • Photo Gallery
    • Alaska Gallery
    • Cambodia Gallery
    • China Gallery
    • Hawaii Gallery
    • Hong Kong Gallery
    • Japan Gallery
    • Mediterranean Gallery
    • Out and About
  • Recipes
  • Travel Tips
  • About Me
    • Contact Me

Consider the North Shore

8/26/2018

0 Comments

 
Waikiki is a great area to stay in, lots of places to eat and shop at, the beach is right there, and theres lots of action but it's often so crowded and busy.  If I want to be in an area that is a lot quieter with little to no tourists, I stay in the North Shore area of Oahu, specifically the Laie area.  Laie is about an hour drive away (2+ hours by public bus) from Honolulu so you definitely need a rental vehicle to get there.  There are very few hotels in this area so I opt to stay in a rental home which is the best idea because there are few restaurants in the area as well and you would need somewhere to cook meals unless you want to spend a lot of your time driving around to get take out. 

Since 2007, whenever I want to stay in the area, I have been renting a vacation home from a guy named Greg who I found through VRBO.  Greg's Laie property is a large house which he has divided into 3 rental units and is conveniently located just minutes away from the Polynesian Cultural Centre. 

The first floor unit can sleep 8, it has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a large kitchen and dining area and a living room.  The second floor unit can sleep 4, it has 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, a kitchen and eating area, and living room.  And lastly there is a separate cottage unit that sleeps 3.   The best way I can describe this unit is it's like a hotel room with a kitchen in it, akin to what you would find in a Best Western hotel.  The first and second floor divider can be opened up as well if you wish to rent the whole house.  It feels like Greg has thought of all the things people would need to make your stay at his units comfortable.  He has included a number of amenities like wifi, coffee maker, blender, BBQ grill, almost all the kitchen equipment you need, utensils, plates, a washer/dryer, and even watersport equipment like snorkel gear and boogie boards.  You can find all of Greg's rental properties here, he also has a unit in the Kailua area and on the Big Island.

The main reason I stay in Laie is the secluded beach that is less than 100 metres away from Greg's.  Kokololio Beach Park is one of the best beaches I have been to in Oahu and is missed by a lot of tourists.  I think this is  because people mainly see the park area when they are driving along Kamehameha Highway and don't think to stop in.  There have been days at a time (on weekdays) where there would only be around a dozen people or less on the beach during the day and some of these people are locals who fish off the beach.  During the weekends, the park gets very busy with the locals so I tend to stay away from the beach on those days and do my touristy things in town at that time.  

The beach is about a kilometer long and the waves don't get too big so it is quite nice to swim in.  For kids, there is an area called "Alligator Rock" which has a very calm pool area with little to no waves affecting it.  When you enter the beach area from the path near Greg's property, you will see the rock formation directly to the left and it will look like a partially submerged alligator.  These rocks form a natural break from the waves and create a calm pool area.  I like to snorkel around this area until I feel more comfortable to go out to the other side of the rocks.  
Kokololio Beach Park
Street View Kokololio
If you are starting to feel bored of vacationing in the Waikiki area, I highly recommend staying on the North Shore especially in the Laie area.  It will give you a taste of local Hawaiian life and your vacation will be completely different than what you've had in Waikiki.  Next up, I will list some things to eat and do near the Laie area. 

-Mahalo Nui Loa
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Join me as I celebrate life through travel, food and photography. 

    Archives

    December 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    July 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018

    Categories

    All
    23andMe
    Angkor Wat
    Equipment
    Food
    Games
    Golf
    Hawaii
    Hotels
    Japan
    Photos
    Recipes
    Reviews
    Swgoh
    Tech Review
    Travel
    VRBO/Airbnb

    RSS Feed

      Email Sign Up

    Subscribe to Newsletter
    I will only send out newsletters once a month or so.  I promise not to spam
Logo
All images on this site have been taken by me unless otherwise stated or re-blogged. You may re-post/re-blog my material as long as you give credit and do not profit. Thank you  -  Jeff
YouTube
Paypal
© COPYRIGHT 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Golf
  • Blog
  • Photo Gallery
    • Alaska Gallery
    • Cambodia Gallery
    • China Gallery
    • Hawaii Gallery
    • Hong Kong Gallery
    • Japan Gallery
    • Mediterranean Gallery
    • Out and About
  • Recipes
  • Travel Tips
  • About Me
    • Contact Me