Is it better to stay in Waikiki or North Shore Oahu?
Travel . TripsWaikiki vs North Shore
Comparing Waikiki to North Shore to help decide which area of Oahu is better for you.
This is me sharing my raw research trying to decide if I decide between staying in Waikiki or the North Shore. As you see, its raw data. Its the real stuff. Its my real life research. Its incomplete, imperfect, but its real. This is being a human.
| Waikiki | North Shore | |||
| Nearby Attractions: | Diamond Head Beach | Ehukai Beach home of Banzai Pipeline, Waimea Valley, Haleiwa Town, Sunset Beach | ||
| Hiking: | Diamond Head | Ehukai Pillbox, Ka’ena Point | ||
| Food: | Haleiwa Bowls, Sunrise Shack | |||
| Stores | Aloha General Store | |||
| Turtle Bay Resort |
Distance to popular attractions from Turtle Bay Resort, Waikiki, and Ko Olina.
| Travel time for Ritz Carlton Turtle Bay Resort | Travel Time from Sheraton Waikiki Beach Resort | Travel Time for Four Seasons Ko Olina | |
| Honolulu Airport | 58 mins | 23 mins | 23 mins |
| ClimbWorks Keana Farms Zipline | 11 mins | 1 hours 15 mins | 1 hour 10 mins |
| Kualoa Ranch | 38 mins | 48 mins | 49 mins |
| Dole Plantation | 36 mins | 45 mins | 30 mins |
| Shark Diving at One Ocean Diving | 27 mins | 55 mins | 42 mins |
| Haleiwa | 27 mins | 58 mins | 42 mins |
| Waimea Falls | 21 mins | 1 hour 10 mins | 52 mins |
| Ehukai Pillbox Hike | 12 mins | 1 hour 10 mins | 54 mins |
| Pearl Harbor | 51 mins | 26 mins | 23 mins |
| Diamond Head Crater | 1 hour 13 mins | 14 mins | 41 mins |
| Lolani Palace | 1 hour 7 mins | 20 mins | 33 mins |
| Lanikai Beach and Pillbox Hike | 1 hour 15 mins | 43 mins | 47 mins |
| Hanauma Bay | 1 hour 23 mins | 27 mins | 48 mins |
What attractions do you want to want to see the most? Use the chart above to help you decide where on the Island of Oahu to stay. My must do for this trip was Shark Diving, so for me Turtle Bay would be the closest.
Renting a Car or Using Car Service
Arrive in HNL at 10:52pm
Depart HNL at 12:15pm
| HNL to Turtle Bay Resort | $160 (Honolulu Airport Transfer ) |
| Hotel to Airport | $160 (Honolulu Airport Transfer ) |
| Total: | $320 + |
| Car Rental | Turo | Car Service | |
| Drop off Fee: | N/A | $60 Airport Pick Up Fee | |
| Parking | 40 x 3 nights = $120 | 40 x 3 nights = $120 | |
| Total exluding taxes and fees | $202.47 | $200 | |
| Gas | ~ $75 | ~ $75 | |
| Insurance | 27.99/day | TBD | |
| Total for Car Rental | $372.83 | ||
| Rental + Parking + Gas: | $567.82 |
So I did lots of Research and tried to way the pros and cons, but to be honest once I found Turtle Bay I pretty much feel in love with it, and knew this was the place I wanted to stay, and not much would change my mind.
Read about my perfect stay at the Ritz Carlton Turtle Bay, Oahu in the North Shore.