Ko Olina Lagoons

The Ko Olina Lagoons are beautiful and good for snorkeling year round, thanks to the lagoons being protected from the open ocean.  There are four man-made lagoons that you can choose from.  My favorite is lagoon #2, Honu Lagoon.  The least busy one is probably #4 though, because it is past the hotels.  The lagoons are picture-perfect, with manicured lawns and beautiful palm trees surrounding the beach.  I see turtles here very often.  The water is the perfect depth, not shallow enough that you'll hit your knees and you can actually dive, but not too deep that you can't reach and see the bottom easily.  The Ko Olina Marriott Beach Club is my favorite hotel on the island, so if you get a chance to stay there, you definitely should!

Paradise Cove

Paradise Cove is the natural cove near the Ko Olina Lagoons.  If you drive towards the lagoons and park in the parking lot that says Public Beach Access before you hit the hotels you will be in the right place.  There are a ridiculous number of turtles here.  We found one that we named Stumpy because he was missing his front left flipper.  Poor guy.  This is a fun place to go if you want to somewhat avoid the hotel crowds at the Lagoons.

Waikiki Aquarium

The Waikiki Aquarium is located right along the waterfront in Waikiki.  It is walking distance from most hotels.  You can find up-to-date information about their pricing and hours on their website: http://www.waikikiaquarium.org/.  I really enjoyed this aquarium.  It seems to be better kept up than most tourist attractions in Waikiki.  They have seals, corals, and so many kinds of fish and other critters.  I think the aquarium is worth a visit, unless you are one of those people who hate fish, and then I have to wonder what you are doing vacationing at the ocean.

Polynesian Cultural Center

The Polynesian Cultural Center is one of Oahu's biggest attractions, and it's no wonder why.  You can learn a lot about Polynesian history and culture by visiting here, but in a fun way!  There are so many things to do here.  I'd suggest watching as many of the shows for the different islands as you can, and filling in the rest of the time with all of the extra activities they have.  From leaf weaving to cooking, canoeing to dancing, you will never be bored.  After the park closes for the day, they have an optional dinner and night show.  The dinner is nothing special, so don't get too excited about that.  The night show is fun, but the plot doesn't really make sense.  So go if you'd like to see fire dancers and people doing the hula, but don't expect an amazing story to go along with it.  The PCC is definitely a do-not-miss activity!

The night show, Breath of Ha

This is where the cheap dinner is held

Pearl Harbor USS Arizona Memorial

If you want to visit Pearl Harbor, I highly suggest you get there before it opens.  We arrived just under an hour before they opened and we were able to get tickets to the first USS Arizona tour of the day.  They take you to view a short movie and then you take a boat over to the memorial.  I was amazed at how much oil is still leaking out of that ship after over 70 years.  It was cool to look in the water and see how the fish and sea plants have made the wreck their home.  Going to see the Arizona and then looking around at all of the free exhibits was good enough for us.  We didn't feel the need to go to any of the things you need to pay for.  It is really cool to get to see such a powerful piece of history and to take a moment to remember those who have and will give their lives for our country.