EAST
THE NATURE-LOVER’S NIRVANA
YOU ONLY have to drive 15 minutes east of Honolulu to escape the crush of cars and the tangle of tourists and arrive at locations worthy of Jurassic Park. This is Oahu’s Windward Coast – windier, wetter and therefore impossibly lush, with imposing mountains that rise like walls until they touch a ceiling of luminous clouds. Valleys dotted with frangipanis, vivid hibiscus and trees of flaming yellow sweep across the landscape, while roads snake between and tunnel through mountains and rise above moss-covered cliffs to offer dress-circle views of the sea battering the shore.
Hire a car and drive through the dreamy, misty countryside, making a pit stop at Kualoa (kualoa.com), where more than 50 Hollywood movies have been filmed. Bus tours, zip-lines or quad bikes are all excellent ways to explore the 1600-hectare estate. But nothing beats a gentle horseride through the endless expanse of greenery.
Alternatively, sign up for a guided kayak tour with Kailua Beach Adventures (kailua sailboards.com). Drift above emerald shallows so clear that you can see the sand and marine life beneath, before arriving at isolated islands with beaches that appear and disappear with the changing tides.
Stay
There are many rooms that call themselves the “Presidential Suite” but the master lair at Paradise Point Estates (paradisepoint estates.com) truly deserves the title. When he was in the White House, Barack Obama chose to spend three family Christmases in this holiday home in the peaceful town of Kailua. One look at its courtyard – complete with a lagoon-style pool, a volcanic-rock hot tub and a waterfall framed by weeping hibiscus – and it’s easy to see why. There are five bedrooms, each with an ensuite, plus a dining and living room that opens onto lawns, with direct access to unspoilt Kailua Beach.
Eat
You don’t go to Buzz’s (buzzs originalsteakhouse.com) for the food. You go for its buzz. Located next to a canal that flows into Kailua Bay, the steakhouse nails the beach-shack vibe with its hut-style shingle roof, verandah dining areas and palate-pleasers such as fish burritos and the Jack Daniel’s barbecue sauce burger. If you’re craving gourmet, the fine-dining establishments of Honolulu are just a 30-minute drive away. At chef Alan Wong’s eponymous restaurant (alan wongs.com), the kitchen delivers marvellous mains such as soybraised twice-cooked short rib and lobster lasagne.
THE SURFER’S PARADISE
It starts in the Gulf of Alaska, where terrifying storms unleash their fury, spawning swells that travel south, uninterrupted, for about 4000 kilometres until they hit the reef of Oahu’s North Shore. And so we have a surfing mecca.
Barrelling waves – some as high as a five-storey building – draw surfers from all over the world. Join the party on a surfboard or simply take in the show from The Point Sunset & Pool Bar at Turtle Bay Resort (turtlebayresort.com). Perched on a headland, the bar has elevated, front-row views of the waves rolling into Turtle Bay. This is nature at its most theatrical – particularly at dusk when boisterous surfers are reduced to skinny silhouettes against the sinking sun.
Nothing gives you a better sense of Oahu than an aerial excursion. Paradise Helicopters’ (paradisecopters.com) one-hour Magnum Experience departs from the resort’s helipad and takes in all the facets of the island in one trip. The chopper glides above mountains, swoops into valleys and circles over sacred waterfalls that cascade down the lush cliffs like silver lining. The deal clincher is the mountain-top landing on a plateau barely bigger than the helicopter, with 360-degree views of the surroundings.