Home : 50 Ways to Love Oahu : LGBT
Welcome to a gay-friendly Hawaiian
paradise with great food, fun and adventure.
Fun in
the Sun:
Queen’s
Surf Beach
At the end of Waikiki, you
will find this little piece of heaven across from Kapiolani Park.
A relatively secluded stretch of white sandy beach complemented with
wide grassy lawns, it is a very popular spot for the local gay community
to enjoy some sand and sea. Spot the pavilion and snack bar and
you’re there!
Wet &
Wild - Outdoor Adventures
Come kayak the tranquil
turquoise waters off Kailua and Lanikai on O'ahu’s Windward Coast
with local outfitters who offer an array of kayak adventures. Guides
will share the pristine beauty of these waters and the offshore Mokulua
islands of Popoia, Moku Nui, and Moku Iki, designated seabird sanctuaries.
As you paddle along, you may even see honu (green sea turtles), tropical
fish, and spinner dolphins swimming through the crystal clear waters.
Click here for a listing of kayaking companies.
Venture to Oahu’s Leeward
Coast to swim with dolphins and green sea turtles with Wild Side
Specialty Tours. The company’s twin hulled vessel leaves from Waianae
Harbor with a crew that includes a marine biologist who shares her extensive
knowledge of O'ahu’s waters and marine life. Before long, spinner,
bottlenose, rough-toothed, and spotted dolphins may surround the vessel.
You can don snorkeling equipment and swim with the dolphins. Later on,
the vessel will go closer to shore near the coral reef where you can
snorkel among green sea turtles and colorful tropical fish. www.sailhawaii.com
For a day of beauty and fitness,
venture to Waimea Valley for a scenic and invigorating hike.
There are valley hikes every Saturday that explore stunning views atop
ridges accompanied by guides that help hikers identify native and exotic
plants, view various streams and the Waimea Waterfall, point out native
o`opu (fish), rare endemic aquatic moth pupa, and showcase the Valley’s
indigenous birds. Note: The last Saturday of each month is a strenuous
5 hour hike. Registration is at 8:30 am at the Waimea Valley Visitor
Center. Hikes start promptly at 9:00 am and end at 12:30 pm (short
hikes only). Participants should bring a snack, insect repellent,
sunscreen and water. Closed-toe, non-slip hiking shoes are required-without
exception. For more information, visit www.waimeavalley.net.
After
hours: Waikiki Nightlife
Follow Kalakaua Avenue down
toward Diamond Head, take a left at Kapahulu Avenue and look for the
big rainbow flag and you have made it to Hula’s Bar & Lei
Stand. For over 30 years, Hula’s has been a fixture
in the hot Waikiki night scene. Primarily known as a gay club,
here you can enjoy a great place where people of all orientations get
together to enjoy great drinks, food and music. Located at 134
Kapahulu Avenue and open from 10am – 2am. Another popular spot,
Angles Waikiki is a popular spot with fun events throughout
the week including pool tournaments, male revues and of course music
and dancing on the weekends. Located at 2256 Kuhio Avenue and
open from 10am – 2am. For those who like to party until the
wee hours of the morning, Fusion Waikiki is a bar and
nightclub open until 4am nightly. The weekends are filled with
fun shows and great dj’s. Located at 2260 Kuhio Avenue, open
Friday and Saturday, 8pm to 4am and every other day from 10pm to 4am.
Calling
all Art lovers: First Fridays & ARTafterDARK
Fridays are a great time to
be downtown on O‘ahu for arts lovers. On the first Friday of
each month, First Fridays is a free event that invites all ages
to downtown Honolulu’s galleries and studios to view work by various
artists. More than 20 galleries participate, and the evening includes
live music, street entertainment, wine tasting and antique stores. Following
the free gallery walking map, guests can also stop along the way and
experience the many bars, clubs and restaurants that make downtown a
unique destination. On the last Friday of every month, ARTafterDARK
offers a new twist on pau hana (happy hour), as the Honolulu Academy
of Arts presents an evening that invigorates the senses with a combination
of food, art, music, dancing, and drinks. Every event’s theme is based
on around the museum’s current feature exhibition and provides a fun
and socially active way to view art in a festive atmosphere. www.honoluluacademy.org www.artafterdark.org
Culinary
adventures
For a night of amazing island
fusion cuisine AND legendary music, make your way to the Aloha Tower
Marketplace and make a dinner reservation for Chai's Island Bistro.
From the Brother's Cazimero to Jerry Santos to Melveen Leed to Raiatea
Helms, the music goes hand-in-hand with Chef Chai's Thai-inspired Island
Fusion Cuisine. Let your senses go wild! www.chaisislandbistro.com
Get a true taste of aloha by
sampling the best of Hawaiian Regional Cuisine which uses the
freshest, local ingredients and produce from the islands. Back
in the mid-1980s, local chefs, inspired by the bounty of the land and
sea and the diverse culinary traditions of Hawai'i’s numerous immigrant
groups, developed Hawaiian Regional Cuisine—HRC. This
homegrown cooking incorporates the freshest locally available ingredients
into inventively prepared and presented dishes. Today you can
dine at the outstanding establishments owned by the HRC founders including
Alan Wong’s Restaurant (Alan Wong), Chef Mavro (George Mavrothalassitis),
and Roy’s Restaurant (Roy Yamaguchi).
Experience the unique flavors
of Hawaii with your own culinary adventure. Visit Aloun Farms
and learn how to choose and use fresh, locally grown produce in preparing
nutritious and delicious meals on the Living Off the Land Culinary
Tour which is part of the Culinary Arts Program at Kapi‘olani
Community College. You’ll hear about Hawai`i-grown products,
pick fruits and vegetables in the fields, and attend a cooking demonstration
and tasting. www.alounfarms.com
Make a once-in-a-lifetime memory
with a private cooking experience arranged by Gourmet Cooking Hawaii.
You’ll have the opportunity to spend a few hours with such celebrity
chefs as Elmer Guzman, George Mavrothalassitis, Alan Wong, Michael Imada,
and others. Your group will have the undivided attention of the chef
and his or her staff for the entire time. Venues include private designer
kitchens and the kitchen restaurants of participating chefs. www.gourmeteventshawaii.com
Experience Oahu dining from
an insider’s perspective with food writer, restaurant reviewer, and
professional chef Matthew Gray of Hawaii Food Tours. The Hole-In-The-Wall
Tour visits exotic restaurants that contribute to Honolulu’s delicious
melting pot and includes a behind-the-scenes walking and tasting tour
of Chinatown. The Hawaiian Feast in Paradise is a multiple restaurant
adventure that showcases contemporary and ancient Hawaiian foods. The
Gourmet Trilogy Tour for Food & Wine Lovers features a progressive
multi course wine dinner with a different course served at three award
winning restaurants. www.hawaiifoodtours.com
Fabulous
Finds – Shopper’s paradise
Oahu is a gold mine of a one
of kind artwork and fashion. Find exquisite koa furniture at
Martin & MacArthur, peruse the art galleries at Ward Centers
to find beautiful ceramics from Jeff Chang or simply have a ball finding
the best of vintage aloha wear as you browse the huge collection of
over 15,000 used, new, vintage and specialty aloha attire at Bailey’s
Antique’s on Kapahulu Avenue near Waikiki.
To savor the memories of your
time on Oahu, take home some Waialua Estate Chocolate, one of the rarest
chocolates in the world grown from the rich volcanic soil and nurtured
by the warm tropical sun on the North Shore of O‘ahu. Bring
the flavors of Aloha home with gourmet Hawaiian sea salts; Tanga Salts
is a perfect accompaniment to any dish and the perfect gift for your
favorite cook,
Festivals
Rainbow Film Festival
– May 21 – 24, 2009
The Honolulu Gay & Lesbian Cultural
Foundation presents the annual Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival in memory
of Adam Baran. This year marks the 20th edition that will take place
Memorial Day weekend from May 21 to May 24, 2009 at the Doris Duke Theatre
of the Honolulu Academy of Arts. The festival will showcase over 25
features, documentary and shorts; festivities will culminate at the
gala fundraiser---Sunday evening, May 24 at the Luce Pavillion at the
Honolulu Academy of Arts.
Visit www.hglcf.org often for up-to-date and breaking
news, or call 808-381-1952. www.rainbowfilmfestival.org
2009 HIP Gay Pride Festival
– June 19 – 21, 2009
www.hawaiiislandpride.com/weekentsevents.html
Gay Pride Festival 2009
– July 16 – 18, 2009
Join the parade through Waikiki
and then enjoy the festivities at McCoy Pavilion at Ala Moana Beach
Park www.honolulupff.org/
