I'll be staying in Waikiki near Sandy Beach. Any tips on where to surf(stupid question?) , where to eat, where to party, where to chill? I'm sure I'm gonna get some kooky responses.
Aloha.
Walk up Koko Head, snorkel at Hanauma Bay, and eat some Spam musubi from the corner store.
Great time of the year to go there. Sandy Beach is 12 miles from Waikiki, unless you're staying on the Windward side, Kaneohe or Kailua, in a condo that is. As for grinds, Zippy's( www.zippys.com ) is the 'local' place to get authentic "plate lunch," Hawaiian Style. They also do dinners and breakfasts. Always check out the local 'Lunch Trucks' too.
The party scene in Waikiki is wild all the time. If you're single, meet people on the beach, and take it from there. And if you are in fact in the midst of Waikiki, check out Duke's( www.dukeswaikiki.com ) in the Main Outrigger Hotel. Great place to start the evening.
As for surfing, the North Shore usually gets its first pulses this time of the year as happened in the last two weeks. But Town surf is fun too, especially at the base of Diamond Head.
Have fun!
You'll be there just in time for the Reef Hawaiian Pro followed by the Vans Triple Crown, both on the North Shore.
http://www.triplecrownofsurfing.com/
I second the Dukes rec, also House Without a Key at the Halekulani.
I also *highly* recommend parasailing at Koko Marina, yes its touristy and $$ but so worth it.
Dyin KoK, you could have used a bit of your own advice when traveling...are you sure you didn't have a bad juju Tiki fob or something? :)
Hit up the North Shore for sure dude. November is when its crowded but meh, its all good. Stay safe. Waikiki is pretty much crackin all the time. Hit up The Shack; I forget the name of the tower its in, but its on Kuhio. Cool bar with music on some nights.
Surfwise - going country is probably going to be about your only real option, rest of the island tends to be pretty flat that time of year, unless you get the right swell and have a way to get on the base at Kaneohe. If your'e lucky, there might be some swell hitting town. If so, check out Tongs and Rice Bowl, mellow fun waves with generally friendly crowd. Diamond Head can also be really fun and hold a crowd pretty well. As for North Shore, stay away from Pipe, it's a zoo. Most of the breaks on the North Shore are pretty closely clustered to one another, so basically just drive around and if you see a bunch of cars parked next to a beach axis, pretty good bet that there it is going off there. Except for Sunset, none of the breaks will have any sort of signage alerting you to their presence. You can grap a map identifying all the different breaks at most of the shops in Hale' ewa If the conditions are right and you want to get away from the crowds, check out Mokuleia Beach - it's on the opposite end of the North Shore from Sunset, etc. and can get really good - long but pretty mellow paddle, multiple peaks and will hold a huge swell. Just east of Sunset are some other breaks that don't usually get super crowded, Backyards, Velzyland, Freddyland, etc., but Backyards in particular has a very shallow reef and can be rather sketchy. Freddyland is off of most people's radar and can get really good and also slightly more protected from the winds than a lot of other spots and a reasonably safe reef.
As for eats, no trip is complete without multiple stops at Ted's Bakery on the North Shore. The pastries rock and the Mahi sandwich is killer, and a relative bargain. People will tell you that you have to eat at the shrimp trucks, but honestly they are expensive and the food sucks. There's a good Mexcian and Thai restaurant in Hale' ewa. If your'e stayin near Sandy's, there's some good grub nearby in Kailua - Fatboys has good burgers, Bostons makes a good pizza pie, Boots and Kimos is really good for breakfast. The Hibachi in Kailua is this little liquor/store deli that sells the most kickass poke on the island. You can also grab a good locally produced steak to grill, or they'll cook it up for you. There is also a farmer's market with a bunch of food trucks. Tomashiro's market in town is also a great place to pick up some super fresh fish - lots of poke and other prepared options in addition to stuff ready for the grill.
If you like sushi and are willing to spend some money - Sushi Sasabune near town is absolutely the best of the best. Place doesn't look like much, but if you want real sushi prepared by a real master sushi chef, this is place that the locals go. Make a reservation to sit at the bar. You don't order anything except drinks. If you sit at the bar its all omakase (chef's choice), they will start sending out one amazing dish after another and won't stop until you instruct them to do so - and don't ask what anything costs, just expect that with a good bottle of sake your going to be shelling out a lot. With a tip my wife and I dropped nearly $400, and I'll tell you, it was one of the few meals I have had eating out in past few years that left feeling as though it was worth every penny of it.
@ Dorcas: great list, I forgot Ted's, pretty much the best cheesecake you will ever have in your life: pineapple, Macadamia, Haupia etc.
Also in Hale'iwa check out Waialua Bakery & Juice Bar, great sandwiches and very affordable.
Also the CVS in Hale'iwa has a *very* extensive first aid section, should you injure yourself.
@surfoakland, when you get to Waikiki, and if you get to the main beach in front of the Outrigger and Moana Hotels, look for "Beach Boy Uncle Tommy." If you find him, tell him Garrie Price says Aloha from the Mainland.
Here's a YouTube video of what he looks like now.
Best bet is to pay for the complete GMAC package with monster truck pick up, starbucks run and full body massage with hand job by GMAC himself. That way you get to make a lasting friendship with a real North Shore surf whore.
www.garrettmcnamara.com/gmac-experience.php
I forgot to tell you brah: BEST POKE YOULL EVER HAVE. AHI POKE AT KAHUKU SUPERETTE. Grab one and a beer after your session. Now im gettin all sentimental...>tear<
@dsx, damn wish I'd known about that last time I was over there, talk about a douche dream vacay.
Thanks for all the help everybody! Anyone got any last minute tips on renting a Condo?
You could always spoon GMAC!
"Ride on the back of the Jet Ski in the monster surf as Garrett tows in to the waves, if you want you can take the rope yourself!!!"
