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Honolulu

Holidays in Honolulu

The home of sea, surf, and Hawaiian shirts

White sands, fruity cocktails and romantic sunsets on Waikiki beach make holidays to Honolulu a Hawaiian dream. Blessed with perfect waves for surfing and a volcanic landscape like no other, say ‘aloha’ to this tropical island paradise.

Prices from £1456pp

Hotels in Honolulu

Retrieving our hand picked hotels...

Essential information for Honolulu

Local time
+ 13hrs
Currently
Language
USA flag
American English
Currency
US Dollar $
Official currency of the United States
Flight information
Oahu (HDH)
18h
Indirect flight
Flight schedule
Daily flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. From here, you can then board a connecting flight to Oahu
Our main airline partner

Do I need a visa?

To travel to the USA, you will need an ESTA visa. Please make sure that you have this approved at least 3 days before you head off on holiday.

Find out more about Travel Visas here »

Top tip

Fly to L.A, San Francisco or Seattle with Virgin Atlantic, stay a night or two, then catch an onward flight to Hawaii with Hawaiian Airlines.

Honolulu holidays: where the surf’s always up and the weather’s always warm

When you picture paradise, it usually looks a whole lot like Hawaii. Postcard-ready sandy beaches, technicolour sunsets and culture, culture, culture.

Honolulu, home to the world-famous Waikiki Beach, is the ultimate getaway destination, and here’s why:

  • It has natural beauty, sports on sports on sports, great shopping and some of the best beaches the world has to offer all in one place.
  • Hawaii’s capital — on Oahu island — is not only a too-good-to-be-true beach holiday destination, but a modern urban centre and cultural hub. With so much to do on holidays to Honolulu, where do you start?

Here’s the lowdown on the best places to go, the best things to see and do, and the most delicious things to eat and drink while on holiday in Honolulu.

Tourists with visions of holidays to Honolulu filled with pristine white sand beaches and azure seas are in for a treat – Hawaii’s capital is all of that and more. Possibly the most famous beach in all of Hawaii, Waikiki Beach is a tourist fave, with peaceful waters, watersports galore, and a whole host of fantastic restaurants and bars lining the shores. Enjoy the best of Waikiki from the Pacific Beach hotel, perfectly located along the beachfront.

Queen Surf Beach, a quieter stretch of coastline not far from Waikiki Beach, is perfect if you’re looking for relaxing holidays to Honolulu. Plus, a stay at the Queen Kapiolani hotel offers unbeatable views of Leahi (Diamond Head) Volcano.

Lined by a coral reef, the beautiful Ala Moana Beach Park (Magic Island), just west of Waikiki, boasts a large, shallow lagoon perfect for the little ones to play in. The long stretch of beach offers something for everyone, from paddle boarding to surfing. It’s a perfect spot for some good old-fashioned relaxation, too.

Don your most appropriate walking shoes and climb the short trail to the summit of Diamond Head Volcano for spectacular 360-degree views of Honolulu and its dazzling coastline. The volcano itself is a sight to behold, perhaps best viewed from Waikiki Beach or the balconies at the incredible Sheraton Waikiki hotel.

Animal lovers, you can’t miss the chance to snorkel alongside the noble Hawaiian green sea turtles (known as Honu) with a Honolulu turtle tour, or a trip to the 42-acre Honolulu Zoo, which is home to over 900 animals, from tree frogs and terrapins to sloths and servals.

Climb the steps to the Spitting Cave of Portlock, known for its manicured cliff rock formations and “spitting” waves. The views are beautiful and the water is unbelievably blue, so it’s well worth tracking down.

For the ultimate insight into Honolulu’s history and culture, you’ll want to visit The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, the largest museum in the state. This is an educational experience for the whole family, with interactive exhibitions for the kids (think lava tubes for them to crawl through as they learn about volcanoes!)

Formerly known as Luakaha, the Kaniakapūpū Ruins of King Kamehameha III and Queen Kalama’s summer home, is an unmissable cultural gem while on your Honolulu holidays. A gentle trek, starting in a bamboo tunnel, takes you to the ruins and Luakaha Waterfall. This is private land, and the ruins date back to 1847, so be sure to treat the area with respect.

No Honolulu holiday would be complete without trying some of the local delicacies, or checking out the fine-dining experiences the city has to offer.

  • Hawaii is famous for its amazing seafood, and there’s no better way to sample it than the Honolulu Fish Auction. Get up early to avoid the crowds and get the freshest seafood – it’s a real insight into local life, too.
  • If you want the very best gourmet seafood, order literally anything from the menu at the award-winning fusion restaurant, Hoku’s, and that’s exactly what you’ll get. This place is unbelievable.
  • Head to Helena’s for traditional Hawaiian style jerky, (pipikaula). The restaurant has been open over 70 years, and you won’t find better pipikaula anywhere.
  • Of course, you can’t go to Honolulu without trying poke – seasoned cubes of raw fish – and you can get it everywhere. Try the poke counter at Nico’s at Pier 38, next door to the fish auction, for a fresher than fresh, delicious foray into poke.
  • As for drinks, holidays to Honolulu must involve a Mai Tai or two, of course, but be sure to try the Tropical Itch –  made with rum, bourbon and passion fruit juice – at Sheraton Waikiki.

If you’re looking to schedule holidays to Honolulu around events — there’s no better way to immerse yourself in the city’s dynamic culture — here’s some highlights to take note of:

  • March – The Honolulu Festival brings dancing, art and parades which fill the streets with live music and spectacular colour. The three-day celebration is a vibrant blend of Asian, Hawaiian and Pacific cultures, and aims to promote understanding, cooperation and harmony.
  • June – The King Kamehameha Floral Parade features traditional pa'u riders in beautifully colourful dresses on horseback, alongside decorated floats – it’s not one to miss if you’re around!

Can’t bear to wait any longer before booking your Honolulu holiday of dreams?

Why would you wait? Take a look at our fantastic Honolulu hotels – you’re sure to find something perfect for you. Today. Right now.

Mai Tais all round!

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Your holiday may be affected by travel restrictions or cancellations

We are continually reviewing our flying schedules, taking into account the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) advice against all non-essential travel. Depending on when you are due to travel, your holiday may be affected and we’ll email you to let you know.

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Your next holiday is only a click away - our website has thousands of hand-picked options ready to book. But if you need more help, just let us know.

Looking for inspiration? Explore our destinations and holiday types and save your faves to your very own Wishlist. Or dive right in to our 2021 holiday offers.

For extra piece of mind, new bookings made before 31 August 2020 for travel up 30 April 2021 also have the flexibility to amend free of charge. If you need to change don’t worry, you can move your holiday as far out as 31 December 2021 subject to availability.

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Latest Foreign & Commonwealth Office repatriation travel advice

Over the past few weeks, we have repatriated our customers from overseas who wanted to come home.  

Please visit this page to keep up to date with the Government’s travel advice on returning to the UK, and to register for email alerts.
 

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With many customers needing our help, we are prioritising those customers due to travel before 06 October 2020. Log in to Manage my booking where you can message us about your options or you can give us a call. Bear in mind you may have to wait longer than expected. We continue to review this and working to open up these options to more customers. In the meantime check out our FAQs to see if this can help answer any immediate questions.

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Rest assured; we will notify you as soon as we know if your holiday has been affected.  

We are prioritising those customers due to travel before 06 October 2020. Log in to Manage my booking where you can message us about your options or you can give us a call. Bear in mind you may have to wait longer than expected. We continue to review this and working to open up these options to more customers. In the meantime check out our FAQs to see if this can help answer any immediate questions.

Please look out for emails from us or visit our dedicated Covid-19 (Coronavirus) page for the latest updates.

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If you need to speak to us to change or cancel your booking, and you are due to travel before 06 October 2020, please log in to Manage my booking to call or message us. 

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Payment flexibility

Don’t worry if you’ve missed a payment or just need a little more time to pay; we have options available to help you. If your holiday is going ahead as planned, you can continue to pay for your holiday in Manage my booking, even if travelling in less than 12 weeks. If you’re unsure, you can delay any additional payments by choosing a new time to travel by requesting a call back in Manage My booking for one of our team to look at options. If your holiday is more than 6 months away, you may wish to set up a Direct Debit to spread the cost. This can be arranged whilst rebooking or afterwards in Manage my booking.

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We're flexible with your holiday plans

We understand that you may wish to change your holiday plans and we appreciate the need for flexibility. 

We'll be in touch by email letting you know how to register to change your holiday plans. You can also log into Manage my booking to find the details there. 

Please look out for emails from us or visit our dedicated Covid-19 (Coronavirus) page for the latest updates.

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If we haven’t notified you of any changes, your holiday will be going ahead as planned but if you prefer to move your holiday to a later time we can help. Log in to Manage my booking to request a call back to amend your holiday. Please bear in mind we’ll work through requests in departure date order so may take longer than usual for us to get back to you

Please look out for emails from us or visit our dedicated Covid-19 (Coronavirus) page for the latest updates.

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Thank you for your patience and understanding

Payments are being prioritised based on when the request was made, working in order from March 2020 onwards. We will always try to process refunds at the earliest opportunity, for requests before August our maximum timeframe is 120 days. As we are steadily reducing the maximum processing time for each new request, for refund requests made in August, we expect the maximum processing time to be 80 days, from the date the refund is requested. For those requesting a refund in September, we expect it to be processed within a maximum of 60 days, and then reduce to 30 days for refunds requested in October, before returning to normal levels.

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To finalise the amendment, one of our customer advisors will phone you. We need to work through amend requests in departure date order so we can prioritise those with the most imminent travel plans, so you may have a longer wait than usual until we’re able to ring you back. We will help everyone that wants to move their holiday.

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I returned early from holiday and have further questions?

You can contact our team by emailing feedback.backhome@virginholidays.com to discuss options on unused portions of your holiday. If you need to contact our team about amending an existing holiday or requesting a refund please log in to manage my booking.

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