Haleiwa town on the north shore of Oahu is such a fun place to visit with kids. There is good food, lovely beaches and the Turtle Bay Resort is about a 15 minute drive away and it’s such a gorgeous place to stay. The beach there is sandy and calm and we could just hang out there all day. We stayed in one of the newly renovated rooms and it had a great view of the ocean. One morning we watched whales spouting from our balcony.
We also had fun roasting marshmallows over an open-fire pit,
listening to the music at the beach lounge, seeing surfers ride the waves in a competition and visiting horses at the stables on a bike ride.
I just wish the food at the resort was better value for the price. (We’ve eaten at many resorts and this one just seems like one of the priciest and the food is good but there are many other food options in the area that are similar and more reasonable.)
But when we’re in Haleiwa we enjoy:
Coffee and treats from the Coffee Gallery
The terriyaki chicken sandwich and fresh POG at Waialua Bakery
Shave Ice from Matsumotos
And stopping in at Shark’s Cove. The water is so calm and easy for beginner snorkelers and the kids get excited to see so many fish.
We love breakfast at Konos even at lunch time.
And just lounging and exploring the beach.
(PS. We usually stay in the North Shore for a few days and then head to other parts of Oahu. We also had a fabulous time in Kailua this trip which you might LOVE if you like Haleiwa as much as we do.)
(PPS. just revisted in 2024 and Matsumoto’s has remodeled a bit and Haleiwa town has grown!)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
Sounds like a great area to stay on Oahu! When we were there we stayed in Honolulu but I think if we went back that we would choose the North Shore!
We really like the north shore and now we’re in love with the Kailua side too and I still love honolulu for all the yummy restaurants and nightlife.
Great series of photos. What a great trip to Oahu. Enjoy your weekend!
Thanks Eileen! I hope you had a lovely one too!
My husband and I are hoping to visit Hawaii next year. The North Shore looks beautiful. I love the sunset photo.
That might have been sunrise;) I can’t remember now, but we love the North Shore. This was the Turtle Bay Resort, but if you book far in advance enough there are often neat beachfront rentals in towns like Haleiwa too! I hope you end up visiting. Hawaii is gorgeous!