Oahu Revisited | Four Things We Missed

Visiting Hawaii is something I have always wanted to do and in 2011 it became a reality. I am now in LOVE with Hawaii and all things that have to do with Hawaii. Oahu Revisited is an article consisting of four things that we missed that I believe you shouldn’t when visiting Oahu for the first time. I don’t know how we missed it the first time. It was probably because we had many other things on our list of places to visit, but when we went back we made sure to do these.

Disney Aulani

On our previous trips to Hawaii we had never visited Disney Aulani. It’s interesting because the first time we went to Oahu it was the same year they had opened. They opened in August 2011, but we went just one month prior to that. I am a huge Disney fan as well as an American Idol fan, so it was a stop I really wanted to go to this time around. We didn’t stay as guests, but we did walk the grounds and ate dinner at Makahiki Restaurant.

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Makahiki Restaurant at Disney Aulani

Our dinner at “Makahiki-The Bounty of the Islands” was fabulous! It was a beautiful restaurant, with great service, and delicious food! You can book your reservation way ahead of time online.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Wedge Salad

12oz New York Strip Steak

Roasted Pineapple Cobbler

Byodo-In Japanese Temple

Byodo-In Temple is gorgeous. I can’t believe we didn’t know about this in 2011. I’m happy to include this on Oahu Revisited. It is a Japanese temple that you can walk through. You will need to take your shoes off if you want to be in the center of it where the Buddhist statue is. There is a small admission fee & it is worth it.

Royal Iolani Palace

I want to thank Jocelyn Collado, APR from The Friends of ‘Iolani Palace for the following photos. Photography inside & outside is strictly prohibited for commercial purposes. If you’re at all interested in the history of Oahu, this tour is a must. Our tour operator was super knowledgeable. You will be provided shoe covers to not get the floor dirty.

Across the street of the palace is this statue of King Kamehameha I which is famously known from the intro of the Hawaii 5-O TV series. This photo was taken from me.

Waikiki

When we visited last time we didn’t really walk Waikiki Beach. This time we did and I couldn’t believe how much Waikiki Beach has to offer. From the beach, shops, and restaurants, there is a lot to do. It is beautiful!

The heart of Waikiki Beach

My hope for you is that you include these four things on your Oahu itinerary and that you have the best time ever! If you’d like to save this article for future use, pin it to your Pinterest board by clicking on the photo below.