Honolulu Ares/cities
Many people confuse Honolulu for one small area which is actually
called “downtown” by locals. However, you might hear locals say
they are going into “town,” which could mean a variety of things,
but it usually means they are going to the busy commercial areas
of town which are primarily the business district and Waikiki.
Honolulu is actually a county as well as a city, so when lives
anywhere on Oahu, they live in Honolulu county.
However, if you run into a local that lives on the windward side
or the north shore, they will never tell you they live in
Honolulu, even though technically they do. To make things even
more confusing, the “city and county of Honolulu” is a frequently
used term to describe the governing body of the island of Oahu,
even if you don’t live in the city of Honolulu!
So
once you move here, you might live in “town” or on “the windward
side” or in the Ewa Beach (pronounced like “Eva”), but if you live
anywhere on Oahu, your address could still be Honolulu.
The
areas of Honolulu that are not considered “town” are places that
are more suburban like Diamond Head, Kahala, Hawaii Kai, and so
on. These place may have Honolulu as their address, but none of
their residents will tell you they live in town.
Here
is a brief rundown of some of the major areas of Honolulu.
Moanalua
Moanalua is an old community in a large valley and along the
hillside of that valley, on the west end of Honolulu. Aloha
Stadium hosts football and baseball games with mostly colleges and
universities visiting University of Hawaii. A prominent landmark
is the bright pink building that can be seen from H1, which
Tripler Army Hospital. Within a short distance are the airport,
Hickam Air Force Base, the downtown business district, and the
Pearl Harbor Navy Base. It’s an older town with older homes, so
you when you buy there, be aware that the homes may need some
tender loving care.
Downtown / Nuuanu
There are about a million condominiums in downtown, or at least it
seems that way. For people who like city life, the hustle and
bustle of a busy city, this area is the place to be. Unlike New
York, you’ll probably feel safe in most areas, and there are
plenty of ways to get off by yourself just be hopping on the
freeway or the Pali highway. Most of the condominiums offer
beautiful ocean views so you can see Diamond Head off in the
distance, or watch the surfers catching waves.
The hills of Nuuanu have
single-family homes built in the 60’s and 70’s with city views,
but a lot of them, if not most, are single wall construction. Most
mainlanders have never seen single wall construction, so I often
get asked about it. It’s exactly what it sounds like. A house
built with no studs and no space between the outer wall and the
inner drywall. No one builds homes like that anymore, but in the
old days, people used strong cedar to build their homes without
any insulation or studs. To someone new to Hawaii, it might seem
really strange, but with the moderate climate here, it was easy to
make it work.
Some
large estate homes are located on the hills of Nuuanu and Pacific
Heights with grand city and ocean views all the way to the end of
the bay. Until you’ve been up here in these homes, you can’t
understand how beautiful it is.
Ala Moana
Ala Moana is east end of Waikiki and has one of the world’s most
famous shopping malls, simply called the Ala Moana Mall. A famous
group of restaurants on restaurant row includes Ruth’s Chris steak
house and several other high end places to grab an expensive meal.
My favorite is Morton’s steak house in Ala Moana mall. The steak
in incredible and the service is out of this world. You’ll feel
like a king, and your check will make you wish you were as rich as
one.
Executive penthouses and condos are all over “Ala Mo”, as locals
call it, with spectacular ocean views. Some of the best surf spots
on the south side is at Ala Moana beach part, including Kaisers,
Bowls, Rockpiles, and Threes. Residents enjoy walking to Ala Moana
Beach Park and the restaurants in the area.
Makiki
Makiki is a popular bedroom community for those who want a shorter
commute to town. If you’ve ever been in rush hour traffic on H1,
you’ll understand why people choose to live closer to town, even
if the outer areas are nicer. Makiki has many condominiums with a
few single family homes also. There are as many condos as there
are people and cars, so if you live here, you better like being
crowded. Makiki Heights is a nice hillside community with older
single-family homes.
Manoa
Driving through Manoa feels like an old New England town,
except that it’s 85 degrees with 70% humidity. It’s beautiful
tree-lined streets and New England style architecture make you
feel like you’re in a different place, until you look behind you
and see the ocean. There are plenty of mature trees in this are
and nearby the homes have lush green grass everywhere. The Manoa
campus of the University of Hawaii is here, and so you’ll see
plenty of students cruising around on bicycles and mopeds. Mopeds
are considered bicycles here by the law, so riders are uninsured
and carry no license. Beware!
Waikiki
It feels like the Vegas of Hawaii. World famous Waikiki beach is 2
miles of the biggest tourist are in the state of Hawaii. Literally
millions of tourists come through Waikiki every year. Here you can
shop anything from Gucci, Prada, YSL, Armani, to Nike, Hawaiian
Island Creations, and about 50 ABC stores. Never been in an ABC
store? It’s like a convenience/tourist/whatever junk they can sell
store. You can get anything you need as a tourist, and they are on
virtually every corner. It’s common to have a corner in town with
3 ABC stores!
Waikiki is as densely populated a place as any. With about 100
condominiums, you would think that you were in New York. Some
condominiums allow hotel operations or short-term rentals. The
east end of Waikiki is a beautiful tree lined area near Kapiolani
Park leading up to Diamond Head crater. This are is referred to as
the “Gold Coast.” Multi million dollar oceanfront homes line the
coast, and makes you wonder where all these people got their
money.
Kahala and Diamond Head
If you want a beautiful ocean front home for about $10 million
dollars, you’ll find it in Kahala or Diamond Head. Some of the
biggest and most amazing homes are in these areas. If you just
drive along Diamond Head road, you’ll see some of them, but most
are hidden behind their large fortress style walls. Along this
strip of coast are the best and biggest, the rich, the famous. At
the same time, there are plenty of regular homes, condos, and
small apartments in the inner areas of these two towns. When
you’ve driven around them a lot, you’ll understand why they are
grouped together here. They seem to kind of blend together as
you’re driving along. A few good schools are here, and the Kahala
mall, which is about 1/10 the size of Ala Moana mall, but much
closer for the residents of East Oahu.
In
Kahala is the famous Waialae country club, where the Hawaiian Open
is help every year. It’s an exclusive golf club with costs about
$40k to join and another $5000/yr just to stay a member. For the
golf enthusiast and the super rich, it’s the place to be.
I
recommend driving Diamond Head road at least once, to see what a
beautiful place it is, and to stop at one of the lookouts over the
surf. A lot of beginners surf down below at Diamond Head, as the
waves are a little mushy and slow. In the summer it can get about
5-7 feet on a big day, but it’s usually a real slow ride.
In
the winter there is great diving in Kahala, with plenty of reef
and fish. Kahala has some of the best coastline in the world, but
unfortunately you can’t see most of it, because there are huge
gated homes taking up the view. But for $5 million, you would
expect a little privacy too right?
By
the way, our office is located on Waialae road, which is the inner
part of Diamond Head, otherwise known as Kaimuki business
district.
Hawaii Kai
I think this is the best part of Honolulu, and maybe it’s
because I live in it. Hawaii Kai is a bedroom community, and was
the first master planned community in the state. With about 30,000
residents, it is a quiet, upscale neighborhood with a great bay
that allows many homeowners to dock their boat right in front of
their house. Hundreds of homes have a marina lot, which means this
is a boat owner’s paradise. The marina provides a great view from
just about any restaurant in town. Even the Costco in town has an
ocean view! Some great restaurants on the water are Blue Water
Grill and Kona Brewing company. You can even sit and watch the
boats go by at Panda Express!
Hawaii Kai has some of the best schools in the state, and it’s the
only place in Oahu where you can jet ski and waterski in protected
water. Mauna lua bay is huge protected bay for all kinds of water
sports.
The
homes in Hawaii Kai are very expensive. An average 1800 ft single
family home will cost you about $900,000 as of today. Even the
condos are expensive, at about $400,000 to start. However, life in
this quiet town is well worth the expense if you ask me. The
people here enjoy outdoor living like nowhere else. Any morning
you get up, you’re going to see people with kayaks and surfboards
on their way to the beach.
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