Sunsets on Oahu

By Joe Flanagan

If you’re on the island of Oahu, or anywhere in Hawaii for that matter, you have to make a point to see our beautiful sunsets. The colors are amazing as they light up the sky with the different hues of red, orange, pink, and blue. The times of the setting sun vary depending on the time of the year, anywhere between 5:45pm and 7:30pm. But if you see the sun getting close to the horizon, be sure to quickly find your spot to watch it set as it usually disappears within about 30 minutes.

Following are some spots you can check out for watching the sun set on Oahu.

Waikiki Beach
Waikiki of course would be the closest place. You can have a seat on the beach facing the ocean and have a memorable moment watching the sun set beyond the waters.

Ala Moana Beach Park
Not too far from Waikiki, go to Ala Moana Beach Park and walk out to the end of Magic Island. You can have a seat on the many benches facing the sunset.

Kakaako Waterfront Park
Just down the street from Ala Moana is a waterfront park with large rolling grass hills and a great wall along the shoreline where the waves break. Listen to the ocean waters while watching the setting sun.

Tantalus Drive
If you have a car and want to take a drive, head up Tantalus Drive. This will take you to some elevated points up in the mountains where you can pull off along side the road and watch the sun set into the ocean. But plan your drive early in the day so you can make sure you get the perfect scenic spot.

West Coast Side
Since the sun sets in the west, anywhere along the west coast of the island will make great spots to catch the setting sun. A few places would be Makaha, Waianae, and Nanakuli Beaches. Make a day of it. Take food with you, enjoy the beaches, and have a picnic while enjoying the sunset.

Sunset Beach
This one is on North Shore, a little further away. But the name says it all. Sunsets on the North Shore are the most spectacular on the island.

The High Season Begins

By Joe Flanagan

It’s December.  The holidays are near.  The hotels are full.  And so are the hostels.

It’s that time of year when the travel season begins to peak here in Hawaii.  Winter storms are bringing snow, ice, and freezing temperatures to much of the nation.  And travelers are escaping that cold weather to make their way to the tropics of Hawaii where they’ll be soaking up the sun, enjoying the beaches, and getting a tan.

The north shore of Oahu has been busy in recent weeks with the surf competitions.  Waikiki saw a surge of activity this past weekend with the Honolulu Marathon, parade and concerts.  And Pearl Harbor held a ceremony marking the 72nd anniversary of the attacks that launched the U.S. into World War II.

But this is only the beginning. The holiday season is coming.  There will be more parades, Christmas tree lightings, Santa visits, holiday performances, and fireworks shows.  As we move into 2014, February brings us the Great Aloha Run.  And in March, all the bars and restaurants will be celebrating St. Patricks day along with a parade heading down the main beach road.

Many, if not all, of the hotels and hostels will be at their maximum capacity during this winter season.  You’ll be lucky to find a place to stay last minute.  If you don’t already have reservations somewhere, be sure you make them as soon as possible.

As we move into this busy time of year, our staff here at the Polynesian Hostel will be making your stay as enjoyable as possible.  We’ll have barbeques, beach picnics, ping-pong tournaments, kayaking trips, hiking trips, and tours to other parts of the island.  We can make recommendations on what to see, where to go, and what to do.

Hawaii is an awesome place to visit and we hope you enjoy your stay here.  Let us know what we can do for you.  Have a fabulous time in paradise.  Aloha!

The North Shore Tours

From our tour guide Cliff

We load up the van by 10:30 in the morning, and get out of Waikiki. Since I’m driving and don’t know some people’s names, everyone introduces themselves, says where they are from and a little about themselves. Backpackers who haven’t met each other yet often find new friends sitting next to them on the ride up.

The ride up to Haleiwa takes about an hour, depending on traffic. Haleiwa is a scenic country town on the North Shore famous for surfing, garlic shrimp and shave ice. We stop there for 45 minutes, everyone grabs snacks, does a little shopping, maybe try a shave ice or poke (Hawaiian raw fish) and then we are on our way to the beach!

There are a lot of great beaches on the North Shore, too many to see in one day. I try to pick the best ones where we will have the most fun. There is Waimea Bay, where we can jump off a cliff into the ocean, and maybe see manta rays .There is Lani Kea beach, where we almost always see turtles and is a great snorkel spot when the conditions are good.

For lunch we go to my favorite shrimp truck on the North Shore, the owners are very friendly, the kitchen is very clean, and the garlic shrimp is the best in town. There is also a great coffee bar that serves smoothies made with local fresh fruit, and a dish called the Marley Bowl, a huge fruit salad that everyone raves about!

After lunch we head back to the beaches: Sharks Cove and Three Tables are great for snorkeling and seeing marine life in the tide pools. Many people say that they enjoy snorkeling Sharks Cove more than Haunama bay because they see more fish! Pipeline can be a lot of fun when the swell is not too huge; we take boogie boards along in case the waves are just right. Everyone enjoys watching the sun set from Sunset Beach; chances are good we’ll see a green flash as the last of the sun dips below the ocean. Or maybe we’ll go to a secret spot I know where everybody can stroll through a jungle and get some peace and quiet on a deserted beach.

It’s a fun day and a long tour, about 9 hours start to finish, and most people are tired and sleep on the ride back to Waikiki. We get back around 7:30 or 8 pm, just in time to take a shower, rest up and get ready to go out on the town, or relax in a hammock at the hostel for the evening.