Insider Guide: Best of Honolulu

We won't promise seclusion in Waikiki, but romance in the shadow of Diamond Head is still one of Honoulu's great thrills. 
 
Four of the most glorious words in the travel lexicon?

“We’re going to Hawaii!”

For many travelers to America’s 50th state, that means at least a stop in the capital of Honolulu, a city of nearly a million residents on the lush island of Oahu.Despite its epic popularity, the best of Honolulu still fulfills the Pacific promise of easy breezes, slow days, perfect beaches and lots of flowery drinks and shirts.

What may come as a surprise are the twists recently added to some familiar island icons.Recent years have seen major refurbishments at many hotels along the famed beach of Waikiki.

New decor.
New bathrooms.
New spas.
Some beachfront hotels have even built new pools.

And the visitors?

While the usual travelers from North America and Asia still crowd the beaches, a recent influx of Aussies means you just might hear the guy on the next beach towel say, “Mate, can you chuck us me thongs?” (In Australia, flip-flops are called “thongs.”)The world’s busiest holiday playground is offering an updated approach to sand and surf, and the best of Honolulu is the gateway to it all.

Churaumi Aquarium: Okinawa's riveting sea show

Scores of silhouettes stand in the blue glow of the Kuroshio Sea Tank, only 60 centimeters of acrylic separating them from a mini-ocean filled with creatures great and small.Smartphones gleam like beacons in the dark, cavernous room, on standby to capture photos once the show starts.A woman appears on a screen that hangs next to the tank.

“Mina-san, hi, hi,” she says in Japanese, welcoming everyone. She’s behind the scenes, perched above the water and gearing up for feeding time.

Three whale sharks glide back and forth in the 7,500-square-meter tank as manta rays, nurse sharks and all manner of fish -- giant grouper, yellowfin tuna, yellow and blueback fusilier -- weave around them. The announcer provides more commentary (in Japanese) before staff start dumping plankton and shrimp into the tank by the bucketful.The whale sharks open their mammoth mouths and keep on swimming.

“It's eating, look it's eating,” I hear one man say to the little girl who’s sitting on his shoulders. “That's a big fish.”

Whale sharks are, in fact, the biggest fish in the world. But they’re filter feeders, so watching them chow down is about as exciting as watching a plant suck in carbon dioxide. Still, seeing them do anything in this kind of setting is considered a rare treat.

The experts at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium say captive reproduction “has been fraught with difficulties” and that they're the only ones on the planet to house multiple whale sharks in a tank.The oldest, which is about 17, came to the aquarium years ago after fishermen caught it in a net. It now measures 8.5 meters long and weighs 5.5 tons.

“I’ve been to quite a few aquariums in different cities, but never seen a whale shark in an aquarium,” says Tracy Ruggiero, a tourist from Hawaii. “It’s beautiful.”