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The Odometer: Roughly 3,350 miles, one way from Denver (7 hours, 30 minutes via nonstop flight from DEN to HNL)
From skiing and snowboarding to sledding and sculpting, Coloradans love to play in the snow. But that doesn’t mean we don’t also enjoy escaping winter for a little aloha. United Airlines, the only U.S. air carrier that offers direct flights from Denver to Hawai‘i, is here to help with nonstop routes to Honolulu, Kauai, Kona, and Maui. So instead of enduring (or risking) a layover in our current climate of rampant flight delays, you’ll get an in-flight meal and complimentary blanket and will arrive just 7.5 hours later. In other words, for about $200 more, you’ll get to spend your vacation actually on vacation.
Even better news: From December 18 through January 5, United is bumping up its standard twice-daily flight schedule to Honolulu to three nonstops a day. And, they’ll be using 777s, which means higher daily capacity (more than 1,000 seats) to Hawai‘i’s capital city than ever before.
So, what should you do (and eat and drink) when you visit Honolulu, the beachside city perched on O‘ahu’s southeastern edge? Make the 839-key ‘Alohilani Resort in the Waikīkī neighborhood your home base, and you’ll have easy access to water, culture, and dining options aplenty. Then, let our collection of insider tips and personal experience—curated for Coloradans—guide your way.
Jump Ahead:
What To Do in Honolulu
Enjoy the Water
The big blue is a luxury for landlocked Coloradans, so be sure to get a taste of the island’s salty perimeter. One great way to do so (and no doubt the method the snowboarder in your crew will advocate for): Go surfing at Waikīkī Beach. After all, it was in this area that Native Hawaiian and gold medal–winning member of the 1920 U.S. Olympic Swim Team Duke Kahanamoku, the man largely responsible for popularizing the pastime on a global scale, learned to ride the waves on his 16-foot, 114-pound koa wood board. (Find Kahanamoku’s legacy memorialized in the form of a bronze statue where you too can string a plumeria lei on your way to the beach.)
Since surfing is a bit different than snowboarding, follow in Kahanamoku’s wake with guidance from the pros at the Jamie O’Brien School of Surf at the Twin Fin Hotel. Located across the street from Kūhiō Beach and beginner-friendly Chocolate Surf Break, the outfitter offers group, semi-private, and private surfing lessons (starting at $119 for 1.5 hours).
Those more interested in trading their ski goggles for snorkel gear—and hopefully spying federally protected green sea turtles or Hawai‘i’s state fish, the humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa (triggerfish)—will find numerous places to rent equipment (including Jamie O’Brien’s) along Waikīkī’s main drag. (Follow animal-viewing guidelines.) One problem: You’ll likely be spotting sea life (or at least trying to) alongside dozens of fellow tourists.
Hawaiian-owned charter service Mana Cruises provides an uncrowded alternative, one that comes with panoramic views of Waikīkī’s shoreline to the heights of dormant volcano Lē’ahi, or Diamond Head. You’ll also have better odds of spotting dolphins, flying fish, and humpback whales (if the season is right). Guests on the two-hour Couples Snorkel Retreat ($205 per person) remove their flip-flops and board a 43-foot Powercat where freshly picked pineapple chunks await. The Aloha State is proud of their craft beer scene too, so swap your Dry Dock for Maui Brewing Company’s Bikini Blonde Lager from the vessel’s mini fridge. Then, snap your share of photos—or just relax on one of the bow’s bean bag chairs—until your captain drops anchor near a coral colony. Don snorkel gear, including flippers and a swim buoy, and hop in the water with a knowledgeable (and CPR-certified) guide.
Experience Traditional Hawaiian Culture
Whether your youngster picked Lilo & Stitch for family movie night or your high school boyfriend won you over with ukulele riffs of “Banana Pancakes,” you’ve likely had at least some exposure to Hawaiian culture. Now that you’re here, it’s time to experience the real deal. “Visitors exercise tremendous power through their choices,” says Noelani Schilling-Wheeler, executive director of the O‘ahu Visitors Bureau, adding that it’s best to seek experiences led by respected cultural practitioners. “With that agency, [visitors] have the ability to elevate integrity along their entire experience journey.”
For your first taste, figuratively and literally, take part in a traditional Hawaiian feast and hula show like the Nā Lei Aloha lū‘au. The “aunty” checking you in will bestow a lei and lead you through the open-air venue to your seat—right up front if you spring for the VIP package ($239 per person). Order your welcome bevvy (a rum-forward blue Hawaii, perhaps?) and eat your fill of king crab legs, prime rib, and fresh strawberries bathed in the chocolate fountain before the main event begins. The Hawaiian Council–approved Hōʻike, or presentation, gives a glimpse into hula storytelling through poetic dance steps and hand movements accompanied by ipu and pahu drums, a slack key guitar, ukulele, and vocals. The show goes on (and staff members pass out ponchos) if there’s a light “blessing of the rain.”
Other experiences offer a chance to dive even deeper into the Hawaiian story. Set aside an afternoon to browse through the more than 25 million historical, cultural, and natural treasures (the royal family heirlooms of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, for example) in the Bishop Museum, known as the Pacific Islands’ premier natural and cultural history institution. Then, plan an evening around ʻAuana, which recounts the Polynesian migration, legend of the goddess of volcanoes, and the golden age of tourism through the artistry of Cirque du Soleil (tickets start at $86).
Honor the Fallen
On December 7, 1941, on what President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared a “date which will live in infamy,” 2,403 U.S. personnel perished in the Japanese attack that precipitated America’s entry into World War II. Forty-one of those soldiers hailed from Colorado. At the free-to-the-public Pearl Harbor National Memorial, you can honor their memories, see artifacts (including a mangled torpedo recovered from the harbor), and watch a 23-minute film that describes the events that led up to the devastating day. Then, take a ferry out to the USS Arizona Memorial, a humbling, bone-white structure that offers views into a slice of the downed battleship and eternal resting place for 1,177 service members. Just be sure to make a reservation ($1) for this part of your visit in advance.
Where To Eat (and Drink) in Honolulu
Pan-fried. Grilled. Almondine: Coloradans eat our native trout in as many ways as Bubba ate shrimp. In Hawai‘i, exchange that cooked white fish for raw pink fish. Poke, a saucy dish of diced raw fish that Honolulu Magazine dubbed “Hawaii’s hamburger,” can be found on most restaurant menus.
Those in the know, however, head to the poke bar at local grocery chain Foodland for ahi that’s been deliciously drenched in oyster sauce, mixed with onions and sesame seeds, or otherwise expertly prepared. It’s also available at a price that leaves ample room in your budget for something sweet. That could be shaved ice—try the coconut and lychee flavors available at Waiola Shave Ice, which has been scooping since 1978—or a Portuguese donut known as a malasada from Leonard’s Bakery, a Honolulu favorite since 1952. Both are worth the detour.
Farm-to-table aficionados (looking at you, Boulder) will appreciate an upscale take on Hawai‘i’s regional cuisine. Dine on fresh produce and locally raised proteins from one of the movement’s pioneers, chef Peter Merriman, at Merriman’s Honolulu. Boasting a gold award from Honolulu Magazine for “Best O’ahu Restaurant,” Merriman’s serves up “dirt-grown greens” in the roasted beet and Hirabara Farms fennel mixed greens salad. For your main, try the crispy pork shank with pineapple salsa and poblano mashed potatoes or stick to the veggie theme and order Waimānalo mushrooms in the cast-iron-roasted organic chicken. Dessert? Definitely. Choose the silky lilikoi posset, a chilled dessert reminiscent of flan, that’s paired with a house-made macadamia nut cookie.
Then again, if you can’t drag yourself away from your lounge chair next to ‘Alohilani’s Instagram-worthy infinity pool (hey, we get it), simply order a batch of warm curry-sumac potato chips or a fried mahi sandwich—and perhaps a Sneaky Tiki made with KoHana Kea Rum to wash it down—from Swell Restaurant & Poolside Bar.
Where To Stay in Honolulu
There are dozens of hotels in Honolulu’s Waikīkī neighborhood, but just one stands on land where Hawai‘i’s last reigning monarch welcomed guests to her beachside home. ‘Alohilani Resort (rates start at $359) is named in honor of Queen Liliʻuokalani and boasts an excellent location directly across from Kūhiō Beach. It’s also within walking distance of Waikīkī’s’s equivalent of Aspen’s main drag. (Think Valentino, Rolex, and curated boutiques like Island Art Galleries.)
Guests gain access to programming (often at no additional cost) like lei-making tutorials and hula dancing lessons and will find a 280,000-gallon oceanarium with more than 350 protected marine species in the lobby. Watch one of their twice-daily feedings; then, make your way Momosan Ramen Waikiki for a casual bite or Morimoto Asia, where an iron chef wears the toque, for something more special. Both options are conveniently located in the hotel.
Travelers open to trimmed-down amenity offerings but still looking for poolside drink service, free access to bike cruisers, and tasty bites on-site should check out the Ambassador Hotel of Waikiki, a newly minted member of Hilton’s Tapestry Collection. Nightly rates start at $178.
If You Do One Thing in Honolulu…
Don’t worry fourteener fans—there are plenty of hiking opportunities in Hawai‘i too, most notably the extinct volcano rising above town. The trail to the top of Lē‘ahi, or Diamond Head, begins in a saucer-shaped crater before gaining 560 feet over the course of just 0.8 mile. At the apex, you’re treated to a taste of history in the form of bunkers used in the early 1900s for O‘ahu’s coastal defense system and expansive views across Honolulu to the Northern Pacific. Advance reservations for the state monument are required.
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