{"id":18040,"date":"2011-10-21T16:00:04","date_gmt":"2011-10-21T21:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=18040"},"modified":"2018-03-12T11:17:31","modified_gmt":"2018-03-12T16:17:31","slug":"hello-honolulu-where-to-stay-and-play-in-paradise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2011\/10\/hello-honolulu-where-to-stay-and-play-in-paradise\/","title":{"rendered":"Hello, Honolulu: Where to stay and play in paradise"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Polynesian paradise: The Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort Spa Hotel offers hula lessons and island style.<\/p><\/div>\n

By Amy Drew Thompson<\/em><\/p>\n

Oahu is home to an A-list of fashionable Honolulu hotels<\/a>, the U.S.S. Arizona<\/em> Memorial and the only royal palace in the U.S. (Not to mention the stomping ground of “Magnum, P.I.”) Even the fierce Kamehameha I, the Big Island\u2019s most celebrated native son, made this fair city his royal court\u2019s home when he united the islands under one rule. Like much of Hawaii, Honolulu is vibrant, multicultural, and rife with activities, and some of its best lay just ahop, skip and hula out of the hotel zone.<\/p>\n

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Whether you choose the supremely eco-friendly confines of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa<\/a>, the five-star luxury of The Royal Hawaiian<\/a> or the park and beachside opulence of the Aqua Lotus Honolulu<\/a>, you\u2019re only a short drive from area delights.<\/p>\n

Taste and see the island\u2019s best selection of produce and other local foods at the Farmer\u2019s Market at Kapiolani Community College <\/a>(less than two miles from the Aqua Lotus) every Saturday morning from 7:30-11:30 a.m. For seafood of the protected variety, visit Hanuama Bay, an extinct volcanic crater about 10 miles east of Waikiki where Hawaiian royalty once fished. These days, snorkelers and divers come to gawk at — and mispronounce — the homespun names of its inhabitants, though none more audaciously than the humuhumunukunukuapua\u2019a, Hawaii\u2019s state fish.<\/p>\n

While Bette Midler (another famous Hawaiian) won a Grammy for her rendition of “Wind Beneath My Wings,” she wasn\u2019t singing about the gales of the Nu\u2019uanu Pali Lookout. But she could\u2019ve been. With sweeping views of windward Oahu, gusts atop the 1,200-foot pali <\/em>(cliff) of this stunning state park are often so strong visitors can lean into them as they survey emerald slopes, the distant ocean, and the site of Kamehameha\u2019s goriest battle. In keeping with more recent Hawaiian tradition, this historic location is now partially manicured for posterity in the form of the Pali and Ko\u2019Olau golf courses.Related resources<\/strong><\/p>\n