Things to do — Honolulu

In Honolulu/Oahu over 5 days:

Day 1 — Arrival + Waikiki Beach: recovery from massive -12h jet-lag. Waikiki Beach Walk (3 km beach), surf lesson at Waikiki Beach Boys or Star Beachboys ($80-100/h ideal beginners, beach protected by reef gentle waves). Beach sunset (7:30-8pm summer, 6-6:30pm winter). Sushi or poke dinner (Hawaii is poke bowl epicenter). Mai Tai at 1927 pink Royal Hawaiian Hotel (Mai Tai bar — emblematic). Nightlife Lewers Lounge Halekulani (live jazz) or Sky Waikiki rooftop.

Day 2 — Pearl Harbor: 45 min west Honolulu (taxi $30 or TheBus $20 or organised tour $60 with transport). Free Visitor Center. USS Arizona Memorial (free + $1 booking 60 days ahead via recreation.gov, 15-min ferry + 15 min on monument + 15-min return = 45 min, deeply moving — 1,102 sailors still at the bottom). USS Missouri Battleship ($35, ship where Japan signed surrender September 2, 1945, plan 2h). USS Bowfin Submarine ($25, 1h). Pacific Aviation Museum ($30, 1941 hangar, 1-2h). $90 Combo Pass recommended for 4 sites. 4-6h complete visit. Return Waikiki 4-5pm, beach and sunset.

Day 3 — Diamond Head + Hanauma Bay: morning Diamond Head State Monument ($5 entry + $5 parking, mandatory booking high season via gostateparks.hawaii.gov, free shuttle from Waikiki). 1h round-trip hike (1.2 km, 232 m summit, tunnels and stairs, spectacular 360° panorama Waikiki + Honolulu + Pacific, 7-8am departure to avoid heat). Lunch Leonard's Bakery (Portuguese kalua malasadas invented in Hawaii) or Helena's Hawaiian Food (local cuisine $15-25). Afternoon Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve (east coast, 30 min Waikiki, $25 mandatory 2-day-ahead booking via gostateparks.hawaii.gov, closed Tuesday, submerged volcanic crater turned protected bay, spectacular snorkelling 400+ fish species, mandatory video briefing before beach access). WARNING: reef-safe sunscreen mandatory (without oxybenzone-octinoxate), otherwise access denied.

Day 4 — North Shore: full day (car rental $60-100/day SUV recommended), 1h30 north Waikiki via H-1 + H-2 + Kamehameha Hwy. Stops: Haleiwa village (hippie surf vibe, shops, iconic Giovanni's shrimp trucks $14-18 garlic shrimp, Macadamia Nut Farm), Waimea Bay (summer peaceful beach ideal swimming, winter 5-10 m waves champion surfers), Pupukea Marine Life Conservation Shark's Cove (snorkelling), Sunset Beach and Pipeline (Banzai Pipeline, world's most dangerous waves, winter Vans Triple Crown competitions November-December, surfer and photographer crowds), Turtle Bay Resort (lunch). In winter, don't attempt Pipeline or Waimea swimming (dangerous waves), stay observer. Return Waikiki sunset. Optional detour Polynesian Cultural Center Laie (1h NE, $65-100, most authentic Oahu luau, 6 recreated Polynesian villages Hawaii-Tahiti-Samoa-Maori-Fiji-Tonga, full day + luau evening).

Day 5 — Lanikai-Kailua + Iolani Palace: morning Lanikai-Kailua windward coast (30 min east Waikiki via Pali Highway H-3 panoramic Pali Lookout view), Lanikai Beach and Kailua Beach ranked among America's most beautiful beaches (fine white sand, calm turquoise water — paradoxically more beautiful than Waikiki). Kayak to Mokulua Islands ($60-80/person rental, 4 km round trip, deserted beaches, turtle observation). Lanikai Pillbox Hike (1h round-trip easy hike, 2 abandoned WWII military bunkers, spectacular Mokulua Islands panorama). Lunch Kailua town (Buzz's Original Steak House $30-50 historic). Return Honolulu afternoon. Iolani Palace (downtown, $25 90-min guided visit, only US royal palace, last Hawaiian kings Kalakaua and Liliuokalani residence 1882-1893, royal overthrow 1893 by American planters — moving and instructive). Optional Bishop Museum ($30, exceptional Polynesian collections). Chinatown Honolulu (since 1860s, authentic Asian restaurants, markets). Ala Moana Beach Park sunset (Waikiki alternative, less touristy). Final dinner resort luau (Hilton Hawaiian Village $130-180, hula dances, ukulélé music, poi-laulau-kalua pork feast, mai tai).

Optional excursions: Kualoa Ranch (45 min north, $50-100 by tour, Jurassic Park, Lost, Hawaii 5-0 filming location — buggy or jungle ATV tour), Manoa Falls Trail (30 min north Waikiki, 2h jungle hike, 45 m waterfall), Hawai'i State Art Museum (free downtown), Mokes Rocking Boats (evening catamaran $80-120 with dinner and sunset).