A Short Guide to Hawaii

The archipelago has eight main islands, six of which welcome visitors, floating some 2,400 miles from the closest continent. No two feel alike, so the airport you choose to land at shapes your holiday more than it does in most destinations. The sections below suggest a few headline places to anchor an itinerary, activities for when you arrive, spots to eat, and some background that is handy to know in advance.

Places Worth the Trip

• Waikiki Beach, Oahu: A two-mile stretch of sand beneath Diamond Head, lively from first light.
  Shallow water and gentle, rolling waves explain why so many Oahu locals first stood on a board here, and surf lessons are easy to find nearby. Stay on for the sunset.
• Haleakalā National Park, Maui: The road to the summit climbs to 10,023 feet and normally rises above the clouds. Watching the sunrise from the top requires a reservation made ahead of time, and warm layers, since the air at that height is cold.
  The crater below is another world altogether, a bowl of cinder and bare rock dotted with silverswords, plants found nowhere else on earth.
• Na Pali Coast, Kauai: Seventeen miles of cliffs plunge straight into the ocean along Kauai's northwest shore, with no road running along any stretch.
  The views come from a boat, a helicopter, or the Kalalau Trail, a demanding hike that requires a permit, so plan well in advance.

Things to Do

• Flying Along the Molokai Coast by Helicopter: Molokai's north shore is lined with some of the highest sea cliffs in the world, and no road reaches them.
  Flights from Maui go ahead whenever the weather allows. On the ground, Molokai remains the most peaceful of the islands, with small villages and very little traffic.
• Snorkelling Molokini, off Maui: Molokini is a partly submerged volcanic crater out from the Maui shore, with roughly half of its rim still rising above the surface.
  Boats depart Maalaea in the morning, because the water is at its clearest before the breeze picks up. You can see a long way down, past schools of colourful fish.
• Sunset Luau Experience: A luau combines dinner, music and hula, staged outside as the sun goes down, so arrive in good time.
  The food counts as much as the entertainment: kalua pig roasted in an underground oven, poi, lomi salmon and haupia for dessert.

Where to Eat

• Waikiki (Oahu): Tables on the sand, local fish and plate lunches, and nobody checking what you are wearing.
• Fish House (Maui): Beachfront, and the menu is whatever was landed that day. Book the early seating for the sunset.
• Waikiki (Oahu): A dressier room along the hotel strip, putting Hawaiian ingredients through Japanese and French technique.
• Maui – Leilani's, right on the beach: Two levels at Kaanapali on Maui's west side, with a casual grill by the sand below and a longer menu upstairs.
• Hula Grill (Kauai): Tables right above the water, local fish off the grill, and live music most evenings.
• Helena's Hawaiian Food (Oahu): A plain room in Kalihi serving pipikaula short ribs, kalua pig and laulau. Same family since 1946.
• Paia Fish Market (Maui): A counter and shared picnic tables in Paia, with fish tacos and a board listing what came in.
• Kauai – Brennecke's, the beach broiler: Upstairs, facing Poipu Beach, with fish grilled over kiawe wood and the surf in sight.
• Big Island – the Waimea Merriman's: In the 1980s Peter Merriman began sourcing from local farms and ranches on the Big Island. The Waimea dining room is where it all started.
• Monkeypod Kitchen (Maui): A loud room in Wailea with a long beer list and a mai tai topped with honey and lilikoi foam.

Things Worth Knowing

• The chain is longer than the map suggests: It runs about 1,500 miles and counts 137 islands and atolls. Eight are the main ones, and six take visitors: Oahu, Maui, Kauai, the Big Island, Molokai and Lanai.
• Surfing started here: Heʻe nalu was practiced in Hawaii for centuries before anyone else picked it up, and it carried rank with it. Certain breaks were reserved for chiefs.
• The state flower is endangered: Hawaii is officially the "Aloha State." Its flower, the yellow hibiscus or ma'o hau hele, is native and endangered. Much of what you see growing by the road, plumeria and bougainvillea included, was brought in from elsewhere.