The best way to explore an off-beat destination

Looking for a guide to the best Ko Olina restaurants? This guide from a Hawaii local tells you exactly which Ko Olina restaurants are worth your time and which ones you should avoid. Will you opt for a romantic Italian restaurant? Or perhaps a Ko Olina restaurant with a bit more of Hawaii’s iconic fusion flair? I grew up going to Ko Olina a few times every single week. I popped by so often that I figured out everything there is to know about the Ko Olina lagoons – from where to find turtles to where to get a slice of beach all to yourself to where to eat the best food. As for the food scene in particular, between the handful of hotels and the Ko Olina Center, there are several Ko Olina restaurants to choose from – and sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish the best from the worst. Luckily, this guide to the best (and worst!) Ko Olina restaurants is here to help!

  It’s not every day that a completely new beach is created. Pohoiki Beach, also known as Isaac Hale Beach Park, was created in October 2018 from the lava flow from the Big Island’s Kilauea Volcano. The lava was hardened into lava rock, and then the huge waves broke down these rocks rather quickly into glistening black sand at this brand new black sand beach.  

“SUNSET CRUISES! Twenty dollars! Suuunset cruises!” A woman wearing a yellow polo shirt is standing in the sand of Waikiki Beach in front of a rainbow-sailed catamaran, bellowing her pitch out into the sunbathing crowd. Most of them ignore her, turning back to their books or children or game of sand badminton. Some, however, seem interested. There are a few boats with colorful sails meandering along just past the beach's break walls. The people on them are perhaps enjoying watching people taking surfing lessons out where the waves break small and gentle. I'm enjoying watching them, too. People on big surfboards, paddle boards, boogie boards… you name it, they're all out there, halfway between beach and horizon, waiting to catch that perfect wave. When the sun begins to set, their silhouettes stand out against the sea like little buoys bobbing along in the current. Closer to shore, families of all shapes and sizes are splashing in the shallow water. Little kids ar...