For couples · Honolulu · United States
Romantic things to do in Honolulu
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Meowmeow10, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Honolulu's romance is in its sunsets, warm evenings and the sound of slack-key guitar by the sea. Waikīkī's historic hotels and the quieter windward beaches make easy settings for couples. Couples tend to stay in Kahala.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 6
- Couple-friendly sights
- 3
- Area for couples
- Kahala
- Best months
- April–May and September–October
Romantic ideas
1.Sunset sail off Waikīkī
A catamaran cruise at golden hour with Diamond Head glowing behind you.
2.Sunset hula at the Halekūlani
Watch hula and Hawaiian music under the old kiawe tree at the hotel's oceanfront House Without a Key.
3.Sunrise at Lanikai
Watch the sun rise over the Nā Mokulua islets from one of Oʻahu's most beautiful beaches.
4.Drinks on the Banyan Veranda
The Moana Surfrider's veranda, under a century-old banyan tree, has been a classic Waikīkī spot since the early 1900s.
5.Magic Island at dusk
Walk around the point at Ala Moana Beach Park as the sun sets behind the city.
6.Chinatown cocktails
End the night at one of the speakeasy-style bars on Hotel Street or Nuʻuanu Avenue.
Sights couples love
Beach · Waikīkī
Waikīkī Beach
Free hula shows are held at the Kūhiō Beach Hula Mound on several evenings a week around sunset.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
Beach · Ala Moana
Ala Moana Beach Park and Magic Island
Come for sunset with takeaway poke from a nearby supermarket and watch the canoe clubs training offshore.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
Experience · Waikīkī
Sunset catamaran sail
Sit on the bow nets if you don't mind getting splashed; it is the best seat on the boat.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Couples
- Views
- After dark
Where couples should stay
$$$$ · Best for luxury, quiet stays and couples
Kahala
East of Diamond Head, Kahala is an upscale residential area of large beachfront homes, home to the Kahala Hotel & Resort and a quiet, reef-sheltered beach. It feels far from Waikīkī's crowds yet is about 15 minutes away by car, with Kahala Mall and the restaurants of Kaimukī's Waiʻalae Avenue nearby.
- Good
- Peaceful and exclusive; Closer to Hanauma Bay than Waikīkī; Calm, uncrowded beach
- Watch out
- Very limited hotel choice; Need a car or taxi to get around
- Nearby
- Diamond Head, Kahala Beach, Kaimukī, Hanauma Bay
Romantic day trips
- North Shore and Haleʻiwa (About 1 hour by car) — Drive through pineapple country to the North Shore for the surf beaches of Waimea Bay, the Banzai Pipeline and Sunset Beach, green sea turtles resting on the sand at Laniākea, garlic-shrimp trucks and shave ice in the plantation town of Haleʻiwa.
- Maui (About 40 minutes by plane, plus driving) — An early inter-island flight puts Maui within a day: drive up Haleakalā, relax on the beaches of Wailea or Kāʻanapali, or take a snorkel trip to Molokini.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Poke, Plate lunch and Laulau and kalua pig. Restaurant opening times are often earlier than on the mainland; many kitchens close relatively early in the evening.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Honolulu romantic?
Honolulu's romance is in its sunsets, warm evenings and the sound of slack-key guitar by the sea. Waikīkī's historic hotels and the quieter windward beaches make easy settings for couples.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Honolulu?
Sunset sail off Waikīkī: A catamaran cruise at golden hour with Diamond Head glowing behind you.
+Where should couples stay in Honolulu?
Kahala: Quiet beachfront homes and a resort hotel east of Diamond Head.