Solo Expedition- Maui, Hawaii
- Madellyn
- Sep 28, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 8, 2024
Traveling Solo
I have a lot of people asking me what I do when I travel alone. So this post is mainly made for people who are looking to travel solo to Honolulu, Hawaii. But a lot of the information can be useful to anyone traveling to Hawaii.
Post-Covid Travel
After the pandemic, like everyone else, I was ready to get out of the house. So for Christmas in 2021 I flew to sunny Hawaii. Well sort of. December is actually its rainy season and it's not as warm. I ended up being lucky and got sunshine the whole week, temperatures ranged from about 80 to a low in the 50s some nights. Glad I brought a jacket because I definitely needed it.
Hotel
I planned my trip about 5 days ahead of time and had flexible travel dates. Flights were still relatively cheap at that time, but my biggest budget item was the hotel. I chose the Holiday Inn Express Waikiki for this trip. The room was really small but the hotel was in a great location. Also, this hotel includes breakfast, a microwave, a fridge, internet, and a rooftop pool.
If you're traveling solo, make sure you change the occupancy to one when you check hotel prices because it automatically chooses double occupancy.
Sightseeing
Group Day Trips
I talked to a lot of people that planned their activities months before, of course, they were traveling with families of 4 -6 people. I had nothing pre-planned since my trip was last minute. Everyone kept telling me everything would be booked up. Obviously, they have never traveled solo, because I was able to book activities for one with just 24 hr notice or less. Most companies have space for just one. I ended up using viator.com to book all my activities. It was my first time using the site but it worked out well for me.
Here's a list of the group activities that I ended up booking.
Diamond Head National Park
I walked to Diamond Head from Maui early one morning. It was a long walk but beautiful. I’m glad I did cause even leaving at 5 am, a line of cars stretched down the street from the turn-off to the park. Parking is minimal and even getting close to the park to get dropped off you’d probably have to wait an hour or more. I suggest using the Hop-on Hop-off Trolley or the city bus that stops across the street from the Park entrance turn-off. Alternatively, if you want to uber I would suggest getting dropped off at that same place and walking. It's a little bit of a walk to get to the actual park from there but hey your about to hike up a volcano so you might as well start by warming up!
Be Aware!!
I strongly suggest you bring water and use the restroom before you start the trail up the volcano. There is no water or facilities on the hike, only at the base.
Claustrophobic? There is a tunnel that is semi-lit and really only has room for one person to walk thru. It's 225 feet long.
Pathways and stairs are very narrow and can be crowded for much of the hike. There's not a lot of room to stop and rest especially if it's crowded.
Overlooking the crater from the top of Diamond
Makapuʻu Point LightHouse Trail
If the hike up Diamond Head sounds too much then the hike out to the Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse is a beautiful alternative. I thought it was a much easier hike! It had large paved walkways and wasn't nearly as steep as the volcano. There was ever someone selling water close to the end even though I don't think he was "approved" to be there. I would bring my own water just in case.
Makapuu Park is a public beach that the trail overlooks. If you're ready for a swim after the hike you can walk to the beach or to Sea Life Park, if that's more your speed, across the street. It took me about 15 min to walk to the Makaapuu beach from the start of the Lighthouse trail. There is also a bus stop at the beach and sea life park when you want to head back to Waikiki. The Waikiki Trolley Hop-On Hop-Off Tour of Honolulu does stop at Sealife park if you take the blue line. They were nice enough to drop me off at the Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse Trail entrance even though it isn't a scheduled stop. If you do some planning you could probably get dropped off and picked up by the trolley.
Dining
I talked to a college student that worked at the hotel and she mapped out all the best places to eat. Some of the places were more touristic and some were more local hangouts. I got quite a few meals to go. Eating alone is fine if there is a bar or activity but otherwise, I'd rather grab some great food and take it to go! I've listed the places I ended up eating at along with a few that were on my list but didn't get a chance to visit.
The best places I visited to eat and drink
Honolulu, Hawaii
Duke's Restaurant
Tikis Grill & Bar
Waikiki Brewing Company
Aloha melt Waikiki
Sam's Kitchen
Haleiwa, Hawaii
Camaron Shrimp Truck
Places that I didn't get to visit
Honolulu, Hawaii
Hula Grill
Rumfire
The Deck
Basalt
Hawaii is known for its ahi tuna, which is yellowfin tuna fished locally. It's very fresh. Most places seem to serve it pretty much raw. I eat a pescatarian diet but I can't eat raw fish. But if you want to try it there are plenty of places where it's on the menu.
Summary
I spent 7 days and 6 nights on a solo adventure in Honolulu last December (2021). I found that most places were open and this seemed to be a popular destination during Christmas. I was surprised that it was so busy given there were quite a few additional steps to take to be able to travel post covid.
I hope that find some of the info helpful. If you have never traveled alone, Honolulu, Hawaii is a good place to start. There are plenty of activities to do solo and I felt pretty safe walking alone at night in the Waikiki area. It's also a great way to go far away without leaving the country, and it's beautiful!
I didn't have an affiliation with any of the companies mentioned when I traveled to Hawaii. However, I have become an affiliate in the meantime. The links posted are my affiliate links for Viator.
