Ideas for solo tourist?

Hey y%26#39;all! I will visiting Kapolei from N. Carolina for a business trip in a month or so. Only problem is I will be travelling solo. I want to stay at least 3 days to make all the travel worth it and to take advantage of this free flight. What do you recommend a 28 yr old (married) woman do in Oahu? I love hiking, anything outdoors, food, history and the sun! How many days do you think I should stay to see everything?

Thanks!

Ideas for solo tourist?

take advantage of all the tours offered from you hotel.... Go with a group... Honolulu is a large metro city... Not a place for a lady alone to wander in....

Ideas for solo tourist?

Sorry Dan - I totally disagree.

Honolulu and the Island of Oahu is very very safe. I am continually posting about personal property crime, but never ever have I felt unsafe to go almost anywhere I want to go (just don%26#39;t leave stuff in the car). OK - I don%26#39;t go to chinatown alone at night nor do I go to Wainai, day or night.

I would agree that if the OP doesn%26#39;t want to be solo, tours are good. For me, I would be much happier with a map and a car. there are so many beautiful places to go.

I would do one day at Haunama Bay and the light house hike or Diamond Head.

Another day I would do Kailua and LaniKai beaches and another day North Shore. Take you time for all of them and relax. On the Kailua Day I would either do a massage at your hotel or in Kailua. I used to go here for a fair priced massage. http://www.hhacdirect.com/clinic.php

Dinners are always odd for me when travellingsolo. I will often bring something back to the room or do room service. For the most part, I am totally comfortable doing whatever solo, but dinner gets lonely - I bring a book if I go out. OH - One evening go to the Ala Moana Mall. My favorite place to eat there is Mariposa at Neiman Marcus - sit outside, beautiful view and not crazy expensive. I would go there solo.

Is that at least three days beyond your business part of the trip?

Are you able to do things on the business days of the trip? If so, in 3-4 additional days you can see most of the island.

Otherwise 5-7 days extra.

Lots of info:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29222-i37-k647862…

Thanks Kailuamom for your advice and for the massage link! I%26#39;m like you, I%26#39;d rather go by my own timeline and not join a group.

Dusty - thanks for the link, that%26#39;s extremely helpful. I%26#39;ll only be working for about 4 hours while I%26#39;m there, so half a day....unbelievable how awesome it is that they would fly me all the way to Hawaii for 4hrs work! So I was thinking, I would get there on a wednesday, maybe do something that night like dinner and a walk on the beach. Work early thursday, then leave on monday morning. So I would have 3 1/2 days.

I second Kailuamom%26#39;s advice. Avoid tours and go on your own. I think 3 days is minimum; if you could take a couple more, do it.

On the North Shore, check out Haleiwa, Papailoa Beach and Turtle Beach for the turtles. For a nice hike, stop at Turtle Bay Resort and walk the shore line toward Kahuku. About 3/8 mile, you%26#39;ll find a natural swimming basin that is drop dead beautiful. You can go 5 miles to Kahuku but you can go as far as you like and turn around.

The hike to Kaena Point from the south side is really beautiful, but you%26#39;ll spend an hour or so driving to the trail head. Probably not good for your 3-day schedule.

Definitely take the Manoa Falls Hike. It is almost downtown in the Manoa valley behubd the U of H. Short but a beautiful 65%26#39; waterfall and tropical forest.

I recommend you get a copy of Richard Sullivan%26#39;s Discovering Hawaii - Oahu. Website same name. Some really good info on places to see, hikes, etc. Again I think you%26#39;ll wish you had more time.

Good luck exploring one of the world%26#39;s great places!

Ok, this is weird - I agree with about 1/2 of what everyone has said in their posts...

I%26#39;ve gone to Honolulu frequently by myself and with friends and with family - it is not a scary place so long as you stay out of certain areas (watch ';Dog the Bounty Hunter'; for examples...lol)

First off, tours can be fun even when you book solo. You often get more personalized attention and have a better time than some couples (ever seen two novice MARRIED kayakers?). If there is some activity that interests you but you are not familiar with - surfing, kayaking, etc - definitely book a tour.

Going solo - hiking trails by yourself is not a good idea EXCEPT for Diamond Head. I%26#39;d stick to swimming/snorkeling only at beaches that have a life guard in attendance and stay somewhat near the towers - I know the usual rule is to always swim with a buddy but don%26#39;t feel like you can%26#39;t go in the water. As for history - the ';Disneyland'; version can be found at the Polynesian Cultural Center (an interesting but very watered-down view of the south Pacific) which you can do solo or as a tour and Iolani Palace (provided some Hawaiian separatist group isn%26#39;t staging a protest *again*).

As for how many days to stay - I think the question should be how many days can you afford? You could easily stay 2 weeks and barely scratch the surface.

Thanks guys! Kauai No Ka Oi, I think I%26#39;ll take your advice on booking a certain kind of tour, like surfing. You caught me off-guard when you mentioned not hiking by myself though, besides Diamond Head. Anyone else want to offer an opinion on this?

I would assume most hiking trails that have been recommended here would be popular, therefore at least fairly busy? I%26#39;m an experience hiker, so I know what to carry and as long as there are some people around, I%26#39;m thinking it would be safe right? If not, it would be pretty disappointing since all I really want to do in Oahu is take in the sights, sounds, views....Oahu%26#39;s natural beauty!

The hikes aren%26#39;t inherently dangerous... but they can be slippery and you can get lost. There are plenty of news reports of visitors getting confused, slipped off the trail, spending the night on the trail, etc. Most of the trails to the better views (and even surf spots) tend to be just a narrow, rocky path.

I see, thanks for clarifying!

The activities I reccomended, I have done alone (except for Diamond Head). Diamond Head and Mokapuu Lighthouse hikes are both are very easy and popular/busy.

I would agree that you should snorkel where there is a lifeguard or you have a buddy. While having a buddy is better, you are just fine at Hanauma Bay, a tour would be kind of silly.

I agree that a Kayak tour would be great if you want to do something like that. I have heard good reports of Kayak tours to the Mokes from Kailua Beach.