1/9/2018 1 Comment oahu best eatsHave you ever felt overwhelmed with all the delicious food choices in Hawaii + you just want to try everything? Or maybe you question what really is the best shave ice? Well lucky for you, I love to eat and I have eaten around the island + found some of the best of the best food that Hawaii has to offer. What is your favorite food on Oahu? Comment down below if I missed any of your must eat places! BEST Of the best oahu eats:The Best Shave Ice: Matsumoto Shave Ice $, Haleiwa, 9am-6pm I have tried many shave ice locations and this is the one that I always come back to! This is a popular tourist spot, so expect to wait in line (it moves fairly quickly). You have the option of up to three flavors with an addition of ice cream, mochi, condensed milk and azuki beans. My personal favorite flavors are coconut, pineapple and white cake. Sounds weird but it's tasty! The Best Restaurant: Pounders Restaurant $$, Laie (Located in the Polynesian Cultural Center's Hukilau Marketplace), 11am- 8:30pm , Closed Sundays Farm fresh and local, Pounders is the best dinner spot on the North Shore! Pounders has the best fish I have ever eaten and is caught fresh and local everyday. This is our family's personal favorite restaurant because we can each find something to enjoy. The kids can make their own pizza at the pizza bar and there are gluten free + vegetarian options on the menu. Pounders is known for its mango marscapone pizza, boneless kalbi rib with ulu mash, mahi mahi nuggets with the famous lilikoi sauce and the mushroom swiss burger. And don't forget the delicious bakery! I have never had anything that I did not like from this restaurant! The Best Dessert Food Truck: Ty's Beach Bus $, Kahuku, 12-6pm (closed Sundays) I am obssessed with this cute waffle on a stick food truck! The area it's set up in at Kahuku is so photogenic and fun! They serve savory or waffles and mixed sodas. My favorite is the churro waffle with caramel sauce!! Also, every Wednesday is BOGO ;) The Best Thai: The Elephant Shack $$, Haleiwa, 12-9pm The whole island of Oahu can agree that this is the best Thai food ever! I eat here a few times a month and i usually get my two favorites: the vegan glass noodles and the coconut curry with jasmine rice. Ahh writing this makes me crave it now! Go over there and get some tasty Thai food! The Best Plate Lunch: Papa Oles $$, Hau'ula, 7am-3pm on Mon. + Tues. Closed Weds. 7am-9pm Thurs-Sunday. Plate lunch is a famous Hawaiian dish consisting of meat, rice and mac salad. The teriyaki chicken with rice and macaroni salad is the bomb!! I would recommend eating this every time you come to Hawaii. They are one of the few North shore restaurants that are open for breakfast and it is is pretty tasty. This is a very local food lunch spot and it is also cash only. The Best Burgers: Seven Brothers + the mill location $, Laie 11am-11pm (closed from 4pm-5pm) and Kahuku (11am-9pm), Closed Sundays. Seven Brother is a local, North Shore classic, yet similar, and arguably better, than In-n-Out. You must try the Shem, Paniolo and Teri burgers!! My all time favorites. They have different options at the Mill location in Kahuku, such as tasty fish and various desserts + burgers. The fries are unique and so ono (delicious)! If you like the animal fries at In-n-Out, then try the Paniolo fries and the Crazy fries. The shakes are always rotating out with seasonal, fun + new flavors and you can eat a sundae with the tasty homemade banana bread. Vegan + vegetarian options are available with the Country "burger", farm fresh salads and the yummiest acai bowl. The Best Acai Bowl: Haleiwa Bowls $, Haleiwa, 7:30am-6:30pm I am a smoothie bowl enthusiast, so I can guarantee that this is the best bowl on the island. The location is prime, literally right next to Haleiwa bridge, for this smoothie bowl stand! You can order smoothies or an acai bowl. I recommend the $8 Hapa bowl base, which is a mix of berries with acai, and then adding some toppings for $0.75. Each base comes with honey, granola, coconut and bananas. Health enthusiasts will love this place because of all the supplements and energy fulfilling smoothies and toppings. The small size is easy to finish, so if you have a bigger appetite than a larger size for $11 is necessary. It can be kinda pricey for the better you make your bowl, but it is 100% worth the money for the yummiest, freshest acai bowl ever. The Best Pancakes: Hukilau Cafe $, Laie, Closed Sunday + Monday, Open Tues-Fri 6:30-2pm and Sat 7-11am If you want big and fluffy pancakes then come to the Hukilau Cafe! I love the coconut and the banana pancakes! We like to eat here family style, by getting several dishes like the two pancakes, loco moco, and a spam, eggs and rice plate. If you have ever seen the movie 50 First Dates, then you will have seen the cafe in the movie that was based off our Hukilau Cafe! CASH ONLY. The Best Bakery: Ted's Bakery $, Pupukea, 7am-8pm Ted's is a necessity for your trip to Oahu! The best and most famous pie is the chocolate haupia. I have not had a better tasting pie in my life. You can buy it by the slice or as a whole. Foodland also sells Ted's pies by the whole. The Best Lunch: Kono's $$, Haleiwa, 7am-6:30pm Kono's specializes in making a variety of dishes with their home-style kalua pork. Any form of this pork with the guava BBQ sauce is delicious. I love their sandwiches and pork + rice bowls. There is also a Kailua location. The Best Shrimp Truck: Fumi's Kahuku Shrimp $$, Kahuku, 10am-7:30pm Fumi's has a unique relaxed setting for dining, set outside with picnic tables, much like Papa Oles. It is busy around the usual late lunch and early dinner times (12pm-5pm) and the wait is not longer than 15 minutes. Fumi's has around 10 types of shrimp to choose from, along with other fish. I love the spicy garlic and the butter garlic, served with rice and pineapple. This is a cash only truck. The Best Healthy Spot: Kahuku Farms Cafe $$, Kahuku, 11am-4pm, Closed Tuesdays Majority of the fresh produce that you see in grocery stores and at food trucks + restaurants on the North Shore, come from Kahuku Farms. This is an actual produce farm that you can eat at and tour. It is across from the shrimp trucks. Vegans and vegetarians will delight in the many food options available here. They serve super yummy desserts and warm pizzas + paninis. Kahuku Farms also sells homemade jellies, buters and soaps. The Best Juice Bar: Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade Vegan, $$, Haleiwa, 10:30am-4pm Mon-Fri + 10:30-5pm Sat & Sun Wow Wow is the lemonade that you see all over Instagram! The lemonade is super refreshing and I like to drink mine as I window shop in Haleiwa or when I am at the beach. They serve smoothies and acai bowls as well. Everything is freshly squeezed and is served in pretty large portions. If you buy the mason jar as your cup of choice, then it can also be a reusable souvenir! The Best Malasadas (donuts): Leonard's Bakery $, Honolulu, Fri + Sat 5:30am-11pm, Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs, Sun 5:30-10pm Without a doubt, the best is Leonard's! Malasadas are pretty much the closest that you can get to a donut in Hawaii. They are fluffy and light, but do not have a hole like a traditional donut. They are rolled in either the original plain sugar, cinnamon sugar or li hing. You can eat it plain or have them filled with either chocolate, coconut or custard. They have two food trucks: one mobile wagon in Aiea + one junior mobile wagon in Kaneohe. The truck locations sell only the best and most favorited malasadas, whereas the Honolulu one sells the full menu (including other bakery items and not just malasadas). The Best Waffles: Haleiwa Cafe $, Haleiwa, 7am-1:30pm Haleiwa Cafe is located in the quaint town of Haleiwa on the North Shore. Everything on the menu looks, smells and tastes delicious, but nothing compares to their waffles. I had them on my birthday two years ago and it was the tastiest meal ever. They are crispy but fluffy and topped with fresh fruit and homemade whipped cream. It is the best breakfast spot in Haleiwa for sure! *If you want to try some favorite local snacks + treats:
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J'aime Paris! The Eiffel Tower is a must on your Paris to do list. Initially, I was hesitant if we should spend the pricey tickets to the top, over something that is probably a tourist trap, but it quite literally took my breath away with the Parisian cityscape and river Seine views. Words cannot describe the feeling of watching the sun set over the most marvelous,+ beautiful city ever. It was my favorite part + one of my favorite moments of my Paris trip. Champs de Mars it is the green-space surrounding the four sides of Tour de Eiffel. There is so much to explore and take pictures of! As a photographer, I was simply ecstatic. We spent the afternoon taking pictures + walking around + eating a late picnic lunch on the lawn. We paid for tickets to ride to the top and spent an hour or two taking in the views. We came and sat on the lawn, bonding as a family + eating crepes until it got dark enough for the tower to sparkle. I sat in awe for a few minutes before I picked up my camera to capture this perfect moment. What are your thoughts on visiting the Eiffel Tower? A skip or must do? Tell me your thoughts in the comments! Paris was a dream. It was purely magical. I fell in love with the city of love.
1/6/2018 1 Comment top 10 hikes on oahuI love to hike in hawaii because everything is so pretty! these are my top 10 best trails to hike. For more DETAILS, check out ALLTRAILS.COM for great hikes anywhere. |
Makao Beach (Swing Beach), Hau'ula HI No one is really sure what the name of this beach is, although Google Maps says it is called Makao Beach. I added the location on the right, so you can find it easier. I used to live across from it, so I have a lot of pictures from here. You have probably seen it all over Instagram, with the swings and fallen palm tree, so I nickname it the Instagram beach, which is why I included it on the list. It is more of a place to sit and look for turtles, take a short walk or snap some photos, rather than play in the water. |
Sharks Cove, Pupukea HI
The prime snorkeling spot on the North Shore! Hours of fun await you here to explore all the tide pools and see all the fish you want for FREE! Conveniently located across from yummy food trucks. If you happen to not find one that interests you, keep driving north and you will see more on your way. I recommend swimming here in the late afternoon, grabbing dinner from the trucks and then sitting back on the sand to watch the always fantastic sunset!
The prime snorkeling spot on the North Shore! Hours of fun await you here to explore all the tide pools and see all the fish you want for FREE! Conveniently located across from yummy food trucks. If you happen to not find one that interests you, keep driving north and you will see more on your way. I recommend swimming here in the late afternoon, grabbing dinner from the trucks and then sitting back on the sand to watch the always fantastic sunset!
Three Tables, Pupukea HI
This is the beach right after Sharks Cove, and it is a hidden gem. I LOVE Three Tables. Every time I go it is sunny + clear and I spend the whole day there. It is great for snorkeling and keiki (kid) bodysurfing. It is usually on the flatter side and when there are no waves and it is low tide, you can paddle out to the "three tables". This is another great beach for any age.
This is the beach right after Sharks Cove, and it is a hidden gem. I LOVE Three Tables. Every time I go it is sunny + clear and I spend the whole day there. It is great for snorkeling and keiki (kid) bodysurfing. It is usually on the flatter side and when there are no waves and it is low tide, you can paddle out to the "three tables". This is another great beach for any age.
Sunset + Pipeline + Waimea Bay
How could you come to Hawaii and not stop at the three most iconic beaches ever?! In the summer you can swim, float and snorkel at any of these. But in the winter, you can watch the surfers and surf competitions. Of course, you can jump off the rock at Waimea, but only if the lifeguards say it's okay.
How could you come to Hawaii and not stop at the three most iconic beaches ever?! In the summer you can swim, float and snorkel at any of these. But in the winter, you can watch the surfers and surf competitions. Of course, you can jump off the rock at Waimea, but only if the lifeguards say it's okay.
Laniakea + Haleiwa Beach Park
These are the best turtle stops on the island. You can take pictures with them here, as these are not beaches to lay out on or swim in. They can be really large and lay on the sand or float in the shallow water. Read up on sea turtle safety to help protect them and to prevent any harm before you get near the sea animals.
These are the best turtle stops on the island. You can take pictures with them here, as these are not beaches to lay out on or swim in. They can be really large and lay on the sand or float in the shallow water. Read up on sea turtle safety to help protect them and to prevent any harm before you get near the sea animals.
The east shore
Kailua + Waimanalo
If you are looking for white, sandy beaches and flat, beautiful blue ocean, then the East side is for you. Lanikai, Kailua and Waimanalo are the prettiest, but most crowded beaches on the island. If you are staying in this area, I recommend walking or renting bikes everywhere. There is so much to do in the Kailua area. Lots of shopping, eating, hiking and water activities to enjoy so you will never be bored!
If you are looking for white, sandy beaches and flat, beautiful blue ocean, then the East side is for you. Lanikai, Kailua and Waimanalo are the prettiest, but most crowded beaches on the island. If you are staying in this area, I recommend walking or renting bikes everywhere. There is so much to do in the Kailua area. Lots of shopping, eating, hiking and water activities to enjoy so you will never be bored!
THe south shore
I am not often in town (Honolulu), but when I am for appointments or grocery shopping, I try and stop at the beach. These are the TOP 5 BEACHES on the South side:
Electric Beach- perfect for snorkling, deep sea diving and swimming with dolphins
Sandy's- the beach that is famous for the amazing waves for body/boogie baording
Hunama Bay- the best (and my favorite) snorkeling on Oahu + it is a natural reserve so you have to pay to enter
Queen's- my favorite beach in Waikiki! Beautiful + warm + sunny
Waikiki- iconic, fun, & stunning during the day and night
Electric Beach- perfect for snorkling, deep sea diving and swimming with dolphins
Sandy's- the beach that is famous for the amazing waves for body/boogie baording
Hunama Bay- the best (and my favorite) snorkeling on Oahu + it is a natural reserve so you have to pay to enter
Queen's- my favorite beach in Waikiki! Beautiful + warm + sunny
Waikiki- iconic, fun, & stunning during the day and night
Follow me on Instagram (@alexannephotos) to see more island life!
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