AGIFORS Reservations and Yield Management 2003
Honolulu Information

 Honolulu is the only US city located in the tropics, the only one with a royal palace and the only one that can claim an equal blend of Western, Asian and Polynesian influences, Honolulu offers visitors a cornucopia of cross-cultural attractions. The valleys above the city have lush forest reserves and often-empty hiking trails. And within an hour's drive of the capital, you can find tranquil coves for swimming and snorkeling, quiet gardens and towns so small and peaceful that you'll almost forget the throngs on the beaches.

Population: 400,000
Area: 25 sq miles (65 sq km)
Elevation: 15ft (5m)
State: Hawaii
Time Zone: Hawaii Time (GMT/UTC minus 10 hours)
Telephone area code: 808

Orientation

Honolulu is a harbor city at the southern end of Oahu, the most visited island of the Hawaiian archipelago. The city lies 2550 miles (4100km) southwest of Los Angles; 3860 miles (6220km) southeast of Tokyo; 5060 miles (8150km) northeast of Sydney; and 1470 miles (2370km) north of the equator. Not surprisingly, it's a major hub for trans-Pacific air travel.

Downtown Honolulu contains all Oahu's state and federal government buildings, including the state capitol and Iolani Palace, once home to Hawaii's last few monarchs and still the only royal palace in the USA. Chinatown is a few blocks northwest of the palace; the Aloha Tower and cruise ship terminals are a few blocks west. Southeast of downtown, Waikiki is the epicenter of all things touristic: all the big resorts and much of the city's nightlife are found here. Just southeast of Waikiki, 760ft (230m) Diamond Head rises up as the city's favorite geological landmark. All of these sites are within the boundaries of greater Honolulu.

H-1, the main south shore freeway, passes east-west through Honolulu, connecting it to the airport and all other freeways on the island. Interestingly enough, it's a US interstate freeway - no small achievement for an island in the middle of the Pacific.

Honolulu International (HNL) is a 9 mile (15km), 25 minute drive northwest of downtown via Ala Moana Blvd/Hwy 92 (Nimitz Hwy) or the H-1. The Ala Moana Center, on Ala Moana Blvd just northwest of Waikiki, is the central transfer point for TheBus, the island's public bus network.

Activities

Honolulu's beaches are good for swimming year round, though the surf can get rough from June to August. If crashing waves are what brought you here, the area boasts hundreds of surfing locales, the most famous of which line Oahu's North Coast. Boogie boarding is the scene stealer at Kapahulu Groin in Waikiki, while the most popular bodysurfing breaks are at Sandy Beach Park and Makapuu Beach Park in southeastern Oahu.

The best spot for snorkeling close to Waikiki Beach is Sans Souci Beach, east of the resorts. Hanauma Bay in southeastern Oahu is better still. Oahu's best dive sites are between Hanauma Bay and Honolulu; the optimum time to explore them is between December and March. Windsurfers flock to Fort DeRussy Beach, at the western end of Waikiki.

The trail to the top of Diamond Head is a favorite route for hiking, as are the Manoa Falls Trail and the Tantalus and Makiki Valley network of trails, about 2 miles (3.2km) north of downtown Honolulu. Running and jogging are popular, especially in the Kapiolani and Ala Moana parks, both near Waikiki.