Almost all oahu hotels are located in and around Waikiki on the outskirts of Honolulu City on the sunny south coast of Oahu. Waikiki Beach is renowned for its surfing, its packed beach and all night shopping and entertainment. Waikiki Beach stretches for almost four miles in an almost unbroken stretch of soft white sand. Waikiki has over a hundred high rise hotels to choose from and lots of smaller inns and units for rent but only a few of these are absolute beachfront. Waikiki extends about five blocks inland before being blocked by the Alii Wai canal so wherever you stay you are never further than a five minute stroll to the beachfront. A few resorts are located either side of Waikiki - to the west is Ala Wai Harbour and Ala Moana Beach Park with its paved pathways, cove beach, joggers and fishermen and views of Downtown Honolulu, and to the east is Diamond Head and the peaceful Kaapiolani Park, Honolulu Zoo and Queen's surf beach.
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Beyond Waikiki, accommodation is sparse. The East Coast of Oahu has several lovely beaches here and a number of vacation homes and bed and breakfast guesthouses in the sprawling suburb of Kailua but not much else in accommodation. The area inland from Kailua has some spectacular mountain cliffs and picturesque golf courses.
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The North Coast, famous for its excellent surf in winter (Oct-Mar), has a few large condominium blocks and lots of vacation homes and backpacker hostels aimed at the surfing crowd. Waimea Adventure Park is a lovely rainforest valley once the home of an ancient Hawaiian settlement and rich in archaeological sites. One of the most popular tourist attractions is nearby - the vast commercial Polynesian Cultural Centre which hosts numerous large group bus tours every day.
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The South West Coast is Oahu's secluded dry region, dominated by small Polynesian communities. Here there are several lovely surfing beaches and golf courses along the leeward west coast but only a few guesthouses and small hotels. In the south west corner is a the new KoOlina mega resort complex. Central Oahu is dominated by pineapple plantations and the US Army bases where there are several military hotels for visiting families.
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Readers may also be interested in the following destinations:
Cook Islands Travel Guide
Fiji Travel Guide
Samoa Travel Guide
Tonga Travel Guide
Tahiti Travel Guide
Hawaii Travel Guide
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