By Debra Simon and Brack Johnson

 

Up to 10 million vacationers a year visit Hawaii for its intoxicating brew of stunning scenery, native performances, global eats and a relaxed, tropical vibe. The 50th state encompasses eight major islands – the most major of which is Oahu. Under its sun-dazzled sky, we found paradise.

 

There’s something for everyone who grabs on to its stirring spirit: The dynamic capital of Honolulu and its pulsating tourist hub of Waikiki; the convenient second city of Kapolei; and the drowsy outpost of the North Shore, where everyone seems to be living on island time.

 

 

 

 

Waikiki

 

 

 

Waikiki is bursting with energy. There’s a skyline’s worth of hectic hotels and swarms of tourists. But the natural beauty that has made Waikiki the axis of Hawaiian tourism since the last century is still there to be explored.

 

We made our base at the expansive Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, which includes more than 1,300 rooms, a rooftop pool deck, firepits, private lanais and a wide variety of services and shops. It’s just across the street from Kuhio Beach, one of many publicly maintained stretches of picture-perfect coastline. (In fact, all Hawaii beaches are open to the public.)

 

We spent languorous days on the cream-colored sand fringing aquamarine water, which boasted a protective wall blocking the powerful waves, as well as the hotel’s pools and spa (massages...ahhhhhh).

 

At night, we’d often walk the entire length of Waikiki’s beaches, passing countless shops (many of them luxurious enough to rival Fifth Avenue or Rodeo Drive), eateries, watering holes and street performers as well as local vendors at Duke's Marketplace. As we strolled along Kalakaua Avenue, there were often free shows of native music and dance as well as fireworks.

 

One extraordinary night featured VIP tickets for two to our hotel’s unforgettable Paina Waikiki Luau, which was dedicated to Hawaiian traditions. While we feasted on evocative cuisine and quaffed powerful mai tais, the male and female hula dancers were accompanied by accomplished musicians playing ukelele, guitar and drums.

 

 

 

Kapolei

 

Oahu’s second city, named for a Hawaiian goddess, is just west of Pearl Harbor on the leeward coast. In the 1970s, to ease congestion in Honolulu, this master planned municipality was developed 20 miles from the airport.

 

In addition to residents and the services and retail to support them, there’s an exclusive area of oceanfront hotels, such as the Four Seasons Resort, on a two-mile stretch of Pacific shoreline.

 

We chose to stay at the nearby Residence Inn, which provided easy access by rental car to many of Oahu’s hot spots. An unexpected thrill came from a tiny food truck parked just outside the Residence Inn. In that cramped kitchen, a self-taught chef cooked up the best garlic shrimp on an island with an abundance of joints offering the local fave.

 

Starting from the Residence Inn, our excursions amid the trade winds included: Aloha Stadium, where a swap meet takes place on Wednesdays and weekends; the Pearl Harbor National Memorial; Diamond Head State Monument, the imposing landmark mountain, officially a volcanic tuff cone; the Kahala Resort, upscale since the 1960s, with its own dolphin show; and, everywhere, sensational sunsets.

 

 

 

We continued to sample the mélange of sprawling Oahu at: Iolani Palace, where the last monarchs of Hawaii lived; evening entertainment, including an amazing show of illusions (see “Island Magic,” below); the Bishop Museum, which houses the largest collection of Polynesian art and objects; Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, a popular snorkeling destination and marine life conservation area known for its abundance of green sea turtles; and a lineup of uncrowded beaches with warm turquoise water lapping against white sand.

 

 

 

North Shore

 

Just 35 miles from the tourist mecca of Waikiki but a world away lies the seductive North Shore. Think old Hawaii, thick jungles, coconut-strewn beaches, coral reefs, vintage postcards, time warp, sparse population, hang 10, the South Pacific.

 

Everything about it is raw and authentic. Beaches are gloriously undeveloped. Waves are ginormous. Food trucks are ubiquitous. Arts, music and dance take center stage. Defunct sugar and pineapple plantations leave ample open space. Meadows are flush with palms and tropical flowers.

 

There are no high rises and an agreeable lack of tourist infrastructure. We secured a comfortable room at the Courtyard by Marriott Oahu North Shore in Laie, where the performances and other offerings make it more of a resort than a standard hotel. (Just about the only other branded lodging in the region is the Ritz-Carlton Turtle Bay, which charges more than $700 a night.)

 

Checking in late one evening, we spoke to Dave, an employee at the Courtyard pool and fellow hearty eater. He told us where to chow down, and all his recommendations proved to be on point.

 

 

 

Based on our Dave list, we tried a cavalcade of food trucks in the neighboring town of Kahuku, including: Seven Brothers tuna, Famous Garlic Shrimp, Kahuku Shrimp, North Shore Shrimp, the Brazilian place that made swordfish with a delish caper sauce...always on a picnic table with wild chickens and roosters scurrying around.

 

 

The Courtyard is located next to the Polynesian Cultural Center, a 42-acre complex showcasing six Pacific Islander “villages,” where costumed citizens of various countries – many of them international students at the local campus of Brigham Young University – show off the arts and lifestyles of their native lands.

 

The day starts with a canoe pageant featuring the heritage of Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Maori New Zealand, Tahiti and Hawaii. At night, there’s a lavish luau and a spectacular Breath of Life show, punctuated by Polynesian dance, music and fire, performed on a stage with waterfalls and erupting volcanoes. Our ticket allowed us to go back on consecutive days and, loving the extravaganza, we took advantage of all there was to see and do.

 

 

The major town on the North Shore is Haleiwa, which had been a center for sugar growing and is now a bustling countryside destination. Weathered plantation buildings have been transformed into art galleries, surf stores, restaurants and T-shirt shops. But still zero hotel properties.

 

One claim to fame is Matsumoto's, a small, vintage grocery that garners high marks for its shave ice, a cool Hawaiian treat that resembles a snow cone. Favorite local flavors include pickled mango, passion fruit and sweet/sour plum. We happily rambled down the street consuming orange, lemon and chocolate.

 

 

The North Shore is known globally as one of the baddest places to surf. We happened to be there for Banzai Pipeline, a world-class surfing competition. Indicative of the humility of the place, the beach isn’t marked but is across the street from the local elementary school.

 

Pipeline is known for humongous swells that form large tubes through which surfers glide. The warriors who paddle out are braving a forbidding water wall of 9 to 20 feet; wannabes are not welcome. We’d seen the contest broadcast on TV screens throughout Oahu, and now we were on the very beach.

 

Never before had we observed professional-level surfing. This was no "Gidget." When we saw strong, athletic men and women paddle out, position themselves in the lineup and shred a fierce wave, it was mesmerizing. Less compelling were disastrous wipeouts in the formidable surf, which can be deadly.

 

We sat on one of very few benches and talked with a local guy involved with security who said he appeared in the movie “Moana.” He explained a lot about the sport as well as its culture. For example, surf-adjacent companies rent out oceanfront homes for their pros and sponsor blowout parties.

 

The surfer way of life was fascinating, but the sun was blazing, so we reluctantly walked to our car, looking back over our shoulder to see the ocean until we couldn’t anymore.